Option 1
“I am going to meet a monster today.”
“Fortunately, it doesn’t bite.”
“Unfortunately, that means it will just gobble you up.”
Option 2
“I jumped into the swimming-pool today.”
“Fortunately, the pool was heated.”
“Unfortunately, I cannot swim.”
“Fortunately, it was not deep.”
Which beginning do you find more entertaining? I was very surprised to find that many, many girls at the Writers’ Club find the second story more promising. I would choose the first, any day.
How does this activity work? It’s a hugely entertaining one, which I learned from the book Creating Stories with Children by Andrew Wright. Someone begins the story, and then each of the other participants must contribute one sentence, alternating between beginning with ‘Fortunately’ and ‘Unfortunately’. It helps to introduce the idea of plotting and the wonder of surprising the reader.
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