Plan out an original short story. You don’t actually have to write the story, just outline/plan it out. There are a few things that make Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder” an enduring classic. The foreshadowing. Bradbury tempts and teases us with glimpses of the future. We almost feel as if we have a time machine and can see a little bit into the future.
The character. We dislike Eckles right away. Though Eckles braves with bravado at first, Bradbury gives small clues and hints into Eckles true nature, and so the reader waits with bated breath for Eckles to mess up.
The descriptions. Everything single time Bradbury describes anything having to do with the dinosaur or time travel, he is detailed and creative. His amazing adjective choice and focus on detail help us experience and see something we know is complete fantasy.
The topic. Time travel has fascinated the human imagination, at the very least, since the end of the 19th century. The possibilities of redemption, getting a do-over, seeing the impossible… and possibly screwing it up - keeps us coming back for more.
Copy and paste the outline below into your own document and fill in the blanks.
My protagonist’s name is .
Describe my protagonist’s basic personality and background:
Why does my protagonist want to time travel?
What is the problem? Who or what may keep the protagonist from the goal?
Is the protagonist successful in achieving his goal?
How does the protagonist return to the present? What effect has his/her time travel had on the world or how he/she interacts with the world?
How can you foreshadow the outcome at some point in the story?