Adjectives for Focus

Making a list of adjectives that describe what you want your finished story project to be can help you stay focused on the desired outcome. Think of the words not only as guides but also as inspiration as you move forward with your project. It would be a great to post your list of adjectives where you can see them and remember why you are doing your story project. You could add sketches or pictures or anything that helps to communicate the feelings you want your project to generate in those you will share it with.

Using “My Grandma Mary” again as an example, here are a list of adjectives for what I hoped to do:

appealing (I wanted it to draw the child into the story)
accurate (I wanted it be true to the known facts)
ageless (I hoped to appeal to many age groups for many years to come)
appropriate (I wanted the information shared to take into account the age of the target audience)
courageous (I wanted the courage of Mary and the other pioneer to be felt)
determined (I wanted the reader to understand that it took determination to reach Utah)
grandmotherly (I wanted the reader to relate to Mary Taylor as if she were their own grandma)
happy (I wanted the happy times of Mary’s life and journey to be present too)
hopeful (I wanted the kids to know that they can have hope even when things are at their worst)
hungry (I wanted them to understand how very hungry she was)
inspirational (I wanted Mary’s story to inspire them)
short (I wanted to keep the story short and easily read in a few minutes)
spiritual (I wanted the reader to feel Mary’s testimony)
thankful (I wanted the reader to feel Mary’s gratitude despite the trials of her life)

Another thing to keep in mind as you start on a new story project is who the intended audience is. With “My Grandma Mary” I kept in mind that I wanted it to most appealing for kids between 5 and 10 years old. Remembering this helped with many important decisions along the way.

Try making an adjective list about a new story project or one that you are already working on and see if the process is helpful for you.