Fifth Grade
Worksheets
A Big Mess of Ideas: Creating a Story with Sharon Creech
Have you ever read a book and wondered where the author got his or her ideas? Some stories are wild and unbelievable. You might wonder if they came from a dream. Others seem to be filled with people, places, and events that are real. Where do these stories come from?
For author Sharon Creech, this is one of the hardest questions that someone can ask her. For her, stories do not come from a single idea. Her stories are filled with hundreds of ideas. These ideas, to her, are almost like living things. They grow. They change. They work together. They even squirm! Before a story is finished, it is just a big mess of ideas.
When Sharon Creech starts writing a story, she has no idea what the story will be about! She begins with a character and a place. Then she writes to find out what the story is. She wants to know why her character is in that place. She wants to know what is happening to the character. She wants to know her character's past and future. As she begins to write, more and more ideas are added in. The ideas work together. They help Sharon Creech guide the story where it is meant to go.
