How to write a picture story?

  1. Look at the pictures carefully and try to get the meaning (plot) of the story.
  2. Collect words and phrases!
  3. If necessary, give names to the characters (Personen) in the story.
  4. Write a first draft (Vorschrift) and be careful with the past tenses!
  5. Work through your draft. Students often forget how to make a story interesting. Adjectives (in comparative or superlative form) and adverbs as well as sub-clauses (Nebensätze) and (in)direct speech to express the characters' thoughts are important.
  6. Now, that your story is almost finished, find a good headline.
  7. Write the story again (better: by computer) and count all words.

IMPORTANT: It is definitely not enough to take an eight-picture-story and write only eight sentences! Creative writing means using the pictures only as a kind of support. The story you write about them is more important!

 

Check List

  1. Do I have a good headline?
  2. Is it clear who is who?
  3. Is my story conclusive (schlüssig)?
  4. Do I have past tenses in my sentences? (Other tenses are only possible in direct speech sentences.)
  5. Do I describe the characters well enough (sex, age, how they look like, how they look)?
  6. Is my word order correct?
  7. Does my story have a good beginning and a good ending?
  8. Is my story interesting to read?