Ish+and+Matt

Matt Vance: Facts of Life by Gary Soto, "Because I wanted to know what adults are thinking about teenagers" Ismael DelaRosa: Shelf Life edited by Gary Paulsen, "Because it's a mixture of great authors in one book and I am able to see the different techniques they use" What we know: Master techniques

plot structure- Exposition: Main character, setting Narrative hook: the part that grabs the reader Rising action Climax: Turning point Falling action Resolution: Denouement Variations: Flashback In medias res: in the middle of things No resolution: no closure, no ending, open ended POV: First person: Main character is telling is the story Third person: Outside narrator Point of view controls the other techniques Cool Vivid words

Conflict: Man V. Man Man V. Nature Man V. Self Man V. Society Theme: The authors main idea Characterization: Describes the characters

What we want to know:

Shelf Life-Forwards and an introduction to the story. Facts of Life- It starts like In medias res because it started in the middle of a baseball game.
 * How does the author write the beginning to his genre short stories**:

Shelf Life-, First person, plot structure Facts of Life- In medias res, plot structure, first person, conflict (Man V. Man)
 * What master techniques have we seen**