Sam clung to the branch of the tall tree, trying not to think about the swaying and buffeting the wind was inflicting on his furry coat, not to mention his stomach. Sam was beginning to feel a little ill. He opened one eye and squinted to see the men with torches creeping across the battlements on the nearby castle. It seemed very late, dark and windy for them to be fixing a rooftop.

This strange behaviour was quite fascinating to Sam. What were they up to? Sylvia had called him nosy – he thought he was just inquisitive – but he knew he should really go home, not get into more trouble. Then he saw the masks – builders don’t wear masks! Sam dug his claws into the bark of the tree, leapt forward with all his might, and landed on all fours by the drawbridge of the castle. What was he getting himself into?

Carry On The Story

What will happen next?

Will Sam meet the men in the masks? What will he find out they are doing?

Using the clues in the introduction, will you decide Sam is human or something else? How will that impact the story?

Will the challenges be the predictable and believable ones, or something more unexpected, fantastic or science fiction based?

Considerations

How could Sam being an animal impact how he sees the world, the man, what they are doing?

How can you make the reader feel the impact of the weather?

How can you use the conversations Sam hears, or the thoughts in his head to move the story forward?

Next Step Ideas

Draft a timeline of what will happen, or storyboard a plan.

Brainstorm all the great descriptive language you will use for the locations, the weather, the other characters.