Unlocking Creativity: Crafting Compelling PPDT/TAT Stories with Diverse Characters

Basic teaching while writing a story for PPDT/ TAT is that you must endeavour to pick up a main character who is closer to your own age, as well as, your own gender. However, it is important to understand here, that this is a guideline and not really a rule.

In case in the picture the most prominent character visible, belongs to the opposite gender or sometimes not close to your own age, there is nothing wrong in identifying with that person and create a "Meaningful Purpose" or a "Need" for that main character befitting his/ her age/ gender.

Here is how you could approach such a picture (as shown) and write a story (just a sample):

In the given picture, the background is a room/ open space (looks opaque). A boy and a girl of age 10-11 years are seen playing/ handling a toy sheep. Depending upon your own gender you could identify with either of the kids and create a "Need" or a "Purpose" for him/ her that is suitable for that age.

I have suggested a "Need" of:

"Making Paper-Mache Dustbin in the Shape of a Sheep"

Story could go as follows:

Rahul, was always keen to join up in extracurricular activities and learn new crafts. He had opted for the Summer Camp being organised in his Housing Society. One of the activities being taught was making paper-mache items. He pleasantly surprised his workshop tutor, when he suggested a creative way to encourage residents to put trash into dustbins made out of paper mache while moving about in the Society Park. The proposal was widely accepted by the parents and management of the Housing Society and they assured the participants provisioning of all material support for their endeavour.

The participants were divided into pairs and Rahul's suggestion of making animal figurines for trash collection was accepted. Rahul and his partner set out to procure material required for making of a dustbin in the shape of a Sheep. They both took great pain in carving out a proportionate figurine, gave it a proper shape, used fabric paint to suitably paint it. In order to give it stability, they fixed the figurine on a metal frame that could be firmly fixed into the ground.

The finished product was a marvel and Rahul drew tremendous joy after seeing that the colourful animal figurines added charm to the Society Park and their effort was being put to a meaningful use by the residents.