Working on my Novella

This week I have mainly been writing my story. I have not yet completed the first chapter but have introduced the main protagonist and what I am planning to be the main antagonist. I have found a few good sources online to help me write but I don't think I have enough. By next week, I would like to be done selecting my sources and if I have time, complete the first chapter. I am finding it difficult to balance the work of writing the story and writing the report. I find I would rather spend more time writing my story but deadlines force me to use my time towards the report.

Selecting Sources

By the end of October, the selection of sources for my novella project is due. I have not been able to work on my project for the past week because there have been many summative due. I have a good idea of the kind of sources I am going to get but have not yet found them. Mostly I have been searching online and in the VPL website. Hopefully in the next week I can find the time to do this. Interviews and lessons are becoming less and less likely for me as time passes. Which is too bad since it could affect my mark negatively because I need to have a wide variety of sources. 

As for my novella, I have begun writing the story. I am working on Chapter 1. The title of my novella is still unknown. I have determined that my novella will be from a 3rd person perspective as the main character will often be left in the dark during sections of the novella. 

Reflecting on my Goals

Looking at the MYP guidelines for stage one, I think I have completed the specifications.  I justified effectively the topic of interest, the focus area of interaction and an achievable and appropriately challenging goal and created appropriately rigorous specifications for evaluating the project’s outcome/product. My goal is achievable and challenging and my specifications are very specific. Although I think it might be hard to mark them. Some of the goals like “The story has a satisfying conclusion” are hard to mark. What is a satisfying conclusion? It I up for interpretation. Other than that, I think I have a good amount of challenging yet achievable goals.

Making the Storyline

Over the last few weeks, I have been making the storyline of my novella.
So far I have decided that:
- The protagonist will die in the end
- A new great depression will have hit the world
- Dystopian society
- Explanation of what caused the depression (haven't figured it out yet)
- Protagonist starts out as very shallow and selfish but becomes kind and caring as the story moves along

What inspired me to choose this storyline was watching the american presidential debates. There was lots of talk about unemployment rates, job growth, tax cuts, middle class, and trade with China. I thought it would be interesting to have the world in a new great depression.

This has a lot of potential for research as causes for a new great depression are easily found online, in news articles, magazines, and videos.
This links to my goal that my novella should reference today's society.

That's all for now,
Coltin