January
10
Signpost Note Sheet
| Signpost | What it is | Question | What the question reveals. |
| Aha Moment | Discovers realizes, understands, or finally figures something out, | How might this change things? | If the characters solves a problem, infer the conflict. life lesson?, you learned the theme. |
| Again and Again | a word, phrase, object, or situation mentioned over and over | Why does this keep showing up again and again?” | The answers will tell you about the theme and conflict, or they might foreshadow what will happen later. |
| Contrast & Contradictions | a character says or does something that is opposite (contradicts) what he/she has been saying or doing all along, or acts in a way you would not expect,
|
Why is the character doing that?” “Is this going to change the story? | help you make a prediction or inference about the plot or the conflict |
| Memory Moment | Interruption in the action to share a memory or flashback,
|
Why might this memory be important?” “What can this tell me about the character? | tell you a conflict, help you learn about the character’s past (characterization), or it might foreshadow what will happen later |
| Words of the Wiser | character (who’s probably older and lots wiser) takes the main character aside and gives serious advice,
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“What’s the life lesson, and how might it affect the character?” | Whatever the lesson is, you’ve probably found a theme |
| Tough Questions | a character asks himself/herself (or another character) a very difficult question | How is this question important to the story and how do you think the character will answer it? | character’s internal conflict and/or found a theme |