Teaching Narrative Writing with Frankenstories

Student handout: Helping the team

Frankenstories are not shaped by writers, but by voters.

Even if they are struggling to write, players can help the team by reading entries carefully and voting strategically:

• Which entries are better written?
• Which ones build on the previous reply?
• Which one offers the best options for the next round? 

Remind players that their vote represents a creative choice on where the story should go, and to use their influence wisely!

Tip: Encourage discussion

If you have students who are more focused on voting than writing, use the awarding phase of the round to encourage discussion about the reasoning behind their votes.

If the round timers end too quickly, try creating a game with limitless round times (so you have as much time as you want in discussion) and ending rounds manually using the teacher panel.

When players get completely stuck, they can simply use the round to feed more raw material into the game.

For example, a stuck player could spend a round just introducing new elements, or developing existing elements, or throwing out combination ideas.

By doing this, players stimulate their own imagination, possibly finding ideas they can use in subsequent rounds, as well as feeding ideas to other players who read their replies.

Tip: Lower the stakes

Reinforce that players don't have to write a great story reply every time, especially when there are other players sharing the load. It's fine to feed the team! 

However, there's a difference between genuinely brainstorming and throwing out ideas and attempting to derail the game. If you are approving replies, you'll need to judge if players are genuinely feeding the team or if they are being deliberately disruptive.