Plot Machines: Constructing Stories That Move with Jack Heath
Year Levels 5 - 9
Jack Heath writes fast, propulsive fiction, the kind that keeps you reading past bedtime. In this session, Jack pulls apart the mechanics of plot: how to build tension, when to reveal and when to conceal, and how to keep readers completely off-balance. He's a generous and practical session leader who gives students concrete tools they can use immediately. Whether students are struggling to finish stories or confident writers looking for more control, Jack's session delivers.
If you or one of your students would like to ask Karen a questions please contact yabba.online@yabba.org.au.
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Building the Vote, Classroom Connection
- Add 'plot rating' stars to each YABBA title on the class voting wall, how gripping was the story?
- Discussion: Should YABBA go to the best-written book or the most enjoyable one? Are those the same thing?
- Students write a 'reading recommendation' for one shortlisted book, as if persuading a friend.
- Mid-program check: how many shortlisted books have each student read? Create a class reading thermometer.
Classroom Activities
Years 3–6
- Plot mapping activity: using a YABBA shortlisted book, map the key moments of tension and release on a visual timeline.
- Write the first page of a thriller, you have exactly 150 words to create a question the reader must keep reading to answer.
- Identify a plot twist in one of the shortlisted books. How did the author plant clues? Did you spot them for the first time?
- Speed story challenge: each student has five minutes to write an opening that creates immediate tension.
Years 7–9
- Analyse Jack's structural techniques: in medias res openings, chapter hooks, withholding information. Find examples in his work.
- Write a 500-word scene in which everything the reader thinks they know is wrong, but the clues were always there.
- Compare plot construction in two YABBA titles. Which is more tightly plotted? Does tighter always mean better?
- Research: how does genre affect plot expectations? Does a thriller need to follow certain rules to be satisfying?
Victorian Curriculum Links
- Reading and Viewing: Understanding text structure and its effects on readers (Levels 5–10)
- Writing: Constructing cohesive and engaging narratives (Levels 5–10)
- Speaking and Listening: Developing reasoned responses and recommendations (Levels 7–10)
FISO 2.0 Alignment
- Excellence in Teaching and Learning: Explicit teaching of narrative structure as a craft element
- Curriculum Planning and Assessment: Structured writing tasks with feedback cycles
