Writing a Historical Fiction

Novella

“Lady Soldier.” DeviantArt, jbarrero.deviantart.com/art/Lady-soldier-494974172.

Candidate Code: gqv840

Length: 3498 words
Year: 2017-18
 Table of Contents

Investigating …………………………………………………………………………………………... 2
My Topic and Why …………………………………………………………………………... 2
My Goal ………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
The Global Context ………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Prior Knowledge ……………………………………………………………………………... 4
Research Skills ………………………………………………………………………………. 5

Planning ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6
My Action Plan ……………………………………………………………………………….. 6
My Success Criteria ………………………………………………………………………….. 6
Self-Management Skills …………………….……………………………………………...… 7

Taking Action …………………………………………………………………………………………. 8

My Action Plan ……………………………………………………………………………….. 8
Thinking Skills ………………………………………………………………………………... 9
Communication & Social Skills ……………………………………………………………... 9
Challenges & Problem Solving ……………………………………………………………. 10

Reflecting …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 11
Product VS Criteria ………………………………………………………………………… 11
Understanding of the Global Context …………………………………………………….. 12
My Personal Improvements ……………………………………………………………….. 13
New Insights ………………………………………………………………………………… 14

Bibliography …………………………………………………………………………………………. 15

Appendix …………………………………………………………………………………………...… 21
Appendix A ………………………………………………………………………………….. 21
Appendix B ………………………………………………………………………………….. 21
Appendix C ………………………………………………………………………………….. 22
Appendix D ………………………………………………………………………………….. 22
Appendix E ………………………………………………………………………………….. 24
Appendix F …………………………………………………………………………………... 24
Appendix G ………………………………………………………………………………….. 26
Appendix H ………………………………………………………………………………….. 27
Appendix I …………………………………………………………………………………... 28
Appendix J ………………………………………………………………………………...… 30

1
 Investigating
My Topic and Why
Ever since I was 6 years old I’ve wanted to write a book. I’ve imagined great stories but I’ve never
written one. So, when I learnt of the personal project I knew that I had to write a book.

I’m fascinated with History and love reading. I read mostly fantasy and fiction novels, however recently
I’ve been inclined towards historical fiction1. They inspired me to write one for the personal project, as it
would combine two things I love; “History” and “Fiction.”2

I decided to write about female gladiators to showcase how they were underestimated and discriminated
against because of their gender as there are times I feel underestimated because of my gender, and I'm
sure other girls do as well.

I want to use my personal project as a platform to write about a strong, realistic, female character who can
be a positive role model for girls.

1
Historical Fiction: A fictional story set in the past that may borrow true characteristics of the time period
the story is set in.
2
For more details on how I selected my topic refer to Appendix A

2
My Goal
My goal is to write a historical fiction novella3 that explores the gladiatrix (female gladiators4) in ancient
Rome and how they were discriminated against and display it to my community.

I decided5 to write about Ancient Rome because ancient civilizations have always intrigued me and Rome
is one of my favorites.

I choose to write about the Gladiatrix because I wanted to create a female character who is independent
and inspiring but also makes mistakes, feels insecure at times and isn’t perfect. I want the protagonist of
my story to be realistic and strong in the face of discrimination. I wanted to display it to my community to
raise awareness on gender discrimination and empower women.

This was a highly challenging goal because I’m only 15 and I had never done historical research or
written a book before. My main challenges were:
● Researching about Ancient Rome and making sure my story was historically accurate as it’s
difficult to find detailed information on ancient civilizations.
● Developing the skills needed and learning how to write a historical fiction story.
● Writing about the (virtually unknown) Gladiatrix and creating a strong, realistic female character.
● Writing a minimum 20000 words which was difficult because most authors take two years to
write a book while I have a few months.

3
Novella: A long short story or a short novel. Between 17500 to 39999 words.
4
Female Gladiators were also called “Gladiatrix.”
5
Refer to Appendix A for more details on how I finalized my topic

3
The Global Context
The global context I selected is Personal and Cultural Expression.

I’ve always noticed how girls and women around me are forced to fall into gender stereotypes because of
the society we live in. I wanted to bring attention to how women are discriminated against through my
book.

I‘m fascinated by ancient Rome and wanted to express how its culture, traditions, ideologies and practices
impacted society and defined its people. I will be expressing my emotions and personal observations
through the actions of my characters and through the different cultures described in my book.

This global context allowed me to explore my creativity and the culture of ancient Rome and gave me an
opportunity to raise awareness on how gender discrimination was - and still is a problem. I hope my book
will help people become more aware of gender discrimination and make a difference in my community
and perhaps the world.

My Prior Knowledge
I’ve written many short stories over the years but they were mostly assignments for school and I’d never
attempted to write a proper story so I had very little prior knowledge about writing. However, I’ve read a
lot of fiction and historical fiction novels so I know how they are written.

I had some knowledge of ancient Rome as we learnt about it at school, but I never learnt much about
gladiators, or the gladiatrix for that matter, so I spoke to people who visited Rome to gain some
perspective. I’ve learnt narrative writing in Language and Literature, how to evaluate sources6 in History
and how to research in all my MYP classes. These skills were helpful as I had to locate and evaluate my
sources effectively and use narrative writing and other language skills to write my book.

6
For the evaluation of my primary sources refer to Appendix D

4
Research Skills
I had to research a lot to write a historical fiction story. I knew how to locate sources and evaluate their
credibility. I learnt to make sure what I read was accurate by cross-checking it with multiple sources. I
avoided watching or reading other’s works of fiction about gladiators because I didn’t want to
subconsciously copy them and as media portrayals are unrealistic and exaggerated.

I referred to and evaluated (using OPVL) a variety of sources including internet sources, books,
documentaries, research papers, texts from Roman times, maps and online simulations (like Google Earth
and Maps).

With my primary sources who are experts in their field, I:

● Learnt how to write through an online course conducted by James Patterson7 (an author) on a
platform called ‘Master Class.’8
● Exchanged emails with an author and a journalist.9
● Learnt Krav Maga10 to make fight scenes in my book easier to write and more realistic.11

I used research skills to locate, evaluate, critically analyze and identify bias12 in these sources to check
their credibility and synthesize what I learnt. I researched so I could get over writer’s block and further
my story. I documented my research by bookmarking and citing every source I referred to. I was able to
gain new insights on a variety of topics through these sources.

7
James Patterson is a #1 bestselling author who has written over a 100 successful novels and as sold
over 300 million books worldwide.
8
Master Class is an online education platform that provides courses conducted by people who are
renowned in their respective fields.
9
For further details refer to Appendix C
10
Krav Maga is a from of self-defence developed for the Israeli Army. It is derived from a variety of martial
arts including Boxing, Wrestling, Aikido, Judo, Karate as well as realistic fight training.
11
For further details refer to Appendix B
12
For further details refer to Appendix D

5
 Planning
My Action Plan
The first thing I did was create timeline for the project13 in which I set deadlines and planned my work. I
failed to meet the deadline for writing the first draft14 of my book15 so I had to push back the deadlines
slightly and work harder to meet them.

To plan my book I made a historical time frame and wrote a detailed description16 of the entire story
through which I divided the plot of my story into sections to organize my writing efficiently.17 It helped
me have a clear idea of where the plot was going. I also planned to research about Rome and learn how to
write a book.

There were fight scenes in my book so to write them better I learnt Krav Maga.18 The class made me feel
empowered, made me think about gender discrimination and inspired me to raise awareness about it in
my book.

I struggled to start writing the story so I developed a method19 to help get myself out of writer’s block.20
In the method I would draft chapters I found challenging to write in notebooks as I found it was easier to
put my thoughts on paper before typing them. Once I got better at writing I didn’t need to use the method
but it was useful at the beginning of the process.

My Success Criteria
I created a set of questions as a criteria to evaluate the quality of my book. The criteria uses what my
peers and I think makes a good book to ensure that I create a high quality product and meet my goals. I
kept the following criteria in mind as I created and evaluated my product:
1. Is the story interesting?
2. Are the characters well defined?
3. Is the language used in the story good?
4. Is the title of the story appropriate?
5. Is the story over 20000 words?
6. Is the protagonist a strong and realistic character?
7. Does the story raise awareness about gender discrimination?
8. Does the story have an open ending?
9. Is the historical timeline captured accurately?
10. Did the book reach a wide audience?
My Self-Management Skills

13
For my personal project timeline refer to Appendix E
14
Refer to Appendix E to see how I planned and recoded my short-term and long-term goals
15
Refer to “Challenges & Problem Solving” on page 10 for why I missed my deadline and how I
overcame it.
16
For an example of this refer to Appendix F
17
For details on how I planned my product refer to Appendix F
18
Krav Maga is a martial art and I took classes for a few months
19
For more details and examples refer to Appendix G
20
Writer’s block: when an author can’t think of what to write or how to keep writing.

6
I tend to procrastinate and though I always get my work done, sometimes it's done at the last minute. But,
I was determined to manage my time efficiently for the Personal Project.

To make sure I got my work done, I:

● Made a detailed timeline21 for the project.
● Set self-imposed deadlines to ensure I stayed focused
● Planned the sections of my book with detailed charts22 using online tools.
● Set aside a time to write and removed all distractions (my phone, etc) during that time.
● Went on runs and meditated to relax

I also kept a healthy state of mind using affective skills; I didn’t let any setback bring me down and
devised strategies to overcome challenges23 and “bounce back.” I found it difficult to write emotional
scenes so I spoke to people about how they would feel in the situations my characters were in and
attended martial arts classes so I could write fight scenes better. I struggled with both these things in the
first stage of the project but I overcame it with practice.

I persevered under stress and pressure and was persistent as I would work on the product even when I was
ill since I was passionate about it, I motivated myself and learnt to balance my emotions by looking at
problems as challenges and trying to overcome them in a calm, efficient manner.

At times when my work came to a standstill, I would a step back and reflect on how I could do better. 24
These self-management skills helped me organize my project and my story. The deadlines I set ensured
that I used my time well.

21
For my “Personal Project Timeline” refer to Appendix F
22
For examples of how I planned my book refer to Appendix E
23
An example of this is the strategy I developed to get over writer’s block shown in Appendix G
24
For examples of how I solved my problems refer to “Challenges & problem solving” on page 9 of the
report

7
 Taking Action
My Process
Writing a book was really challenging. I had a hard time starting but I used timelines and charts to help
me plan and write. Eventually I begin to love writing. I achieved my goal using my global context to
express the nature, feelings and beliefs of the characters I created which helped me explore new
perspectives.

As I took action I:
● Developed efficient and effective research skills to properly analyse the authenticity of my
sources.25
● Improved my vocabulary and writing style and devised strategies on how to get over writer's
block.26
● Learnt how to organize my knowledge in a clear manner and to creatively put my thoughts on
paper using the skills I had and the skills I developed.
● Actively sought feedback from my supervisor and external resources to gain new perspectives.27
● Evaluated everything I wrote and reflected on what I could do better
● Used Roman terminology which helped add a historical feel to the book.

I created an insightful story that explores not only the culture of ancient Rome but different people and
their ideologies. I brought topics of gender discrimination and slavery to notice and created a strong
female character with the help of my global context and my inquiry question28. I conducted in-depth
research that helped me verify the accuracy of historical information. My story was also over 20000
words.

25
Refer to Appendix D for an evaluation of my primary sources
26
I got over writer's block using the method explained in Appendix G
27
Some of the advice and feedback I received can be found in Appendices C and I
28
My Inquiry Question: “How were people treated if they were different?”

8
Thinking Skills
I had to think critically so I evaluated sources29 and learnt to recognize bias in texts that were written in
Roman times. I drew conclusions and made assumptions when there were gaps in historical information. I
considered ideas from new perspectives when I received feedback on the story and when I wrote different
characters as I wrote in opposing and complementary point of views.

I used thinking skills to analyze new information and creatively synthesized it to form a coherent
narrative for the story. I considered all my options and developed ideas by brainstorming and used Google
Earth and Maps30 so I could give accurate descriptions of locations.

I used transfer skills to combine the knowledge and research skills I gained through my MYP subjects to
create the story.

I’ve also made unique and unusual connections with ancient texts and created unexpected twists in my
story using thinking skills. I solved problems and dealt with unfamiliar solutions critically and
creatively31 like learning how to fight32 so I could describe fight scenes in my book better.

Communication and Social Skills

I used communication skills to write my story as I’ve had to organize it in an understandable, informative
and entertaining manner. I used my understanding of different cultures to interpret my sources with
empathy and an open mind. I read various texts to build an understanding of cultures and people and I
used a wide range of vocabulary.

I used both social and communication skills when I interacted with my supervisors and with my primary
sources33 through emails and meetings. I also used these skills to take criticism and advice from people
who read my story34 and to raise awareness about gender discrimination.

29
Refer to Appendix D for the evaluation of my primary sources
30
Google Earth: It is a computer program that provides 3D representation (stimulation) of Earth based off
satellite imagery.
Google Maps: It is a “web mapping service.” It allows you to plan routes and calculate distances between
places among other features.
31
Refer to challenges & problem solving on page 9 for more details
32
Refer to Appendix B for details on how I learnt to fight
33
For examples of this refer to Appendices B and C
34
For further details refer to Appendix I

9
Challenges & Problem Solving
The Challenges Analysis and Evaluation The Solution

Starting the story It was a challenge to start writing the I could start writing by getting a piece
story as I wasn’t sure how to. It was of paper and just writing the first things
frustrating as writing had always come that came to mind. I developed the
naturally to me but it didn’t this time. story from there.

Writer's Block There were days when I would just I stopped trying to force writing and
stare at a blank page and struggle to took breaks. I would relax, go for a run
write. It was frustrating and made me or do research (it would inspire me to
regret that I choose to write a book. start writing).

Making Big I had trouble making decisions about I would ask other people what they
Decisions the story. I would stop working for thought or make lists and brainstorm.35
hours, obsessing over the smallest Something would ‘click’ and I would
decisions know exactly what to do.

Researching Too Sometimes I would get carried away I would write in notebooks36 and keep
Much with research instead of working on the my phone, laptop and other distractions
story. The problem wasn’t researching away.
extensively, it was that I was putting
off writing and justifying it.

Schoolwork and We had tests and summative tasks in I coped by working harder on the
Exams most classes and exams came soon project and using almost all my free
after. I had to prioritize studying over time for it. I would miss social events
the project. to meet deadlines.

35
For evidence refer to Appendix G
36
For further details refer to Appendix G

10

Product VS. Criteria
Criteria
Is the story interesting?
Are the characters well defined?
Is the language used in the story good?
Is the title of the story appropriate?
Is the story over 20,000 words?
Is the protagonist a strong and realistic
character?
Does the story raise awareness about
gender discrimination?
Does the story have an open ending
(make the reader wonder about what
happened next)?
Is the historical timeline captured
accurately?
Did the book reach a wide audience?
37
For the comments from the people I shared the story with refer to Appendix I
38
For more details refer to Appendix J
39
Wattpad: An online community for writers and readers where people can explore “user-generated
stories” and publish their own stories across a wide variety of genres.
Reflecting
Evaluation
Yes, the story has suspense and keeps the reader
guessing.
For the most part, there are some characters that could
have been defined better but I didn’t have time to do so.
Yes, I used a range of appropriate vocabulary.
Yes, “Gladiatrix” is attractive, intriguing and relevant.
Yes, it’s around 25,000 words.
Yes, she is realistic because she isn’t perfect and is like a
real teenage girl. Her emotions include fear and regret,
not only bravery and courage. She is strong because she
faces her problems even though she’s afraid.
Yes, it shows how the protagonist faces and is affected
by gender discrimination.
Yes, the ending includes the possible role of the
protagonist in historical events which leaves the reader
wondering about what may have happened.
For the most part, the dates of some events weren’t
recorded so they had to be assumed.
Yes, I shared the book with a few people37 and printed
and sold my book at the Personal Project exhibition. I
raised awareness through the sales by donating the
money I earned to educate a girl child38. The book will
reach an even wider audience when I publish the story on
Wattpad.39
11
Understanding of the Global Context
The global context Personal and Cultural Expression guided me throughout the project and helped me
express myself through my writing. I was able to correlate experiences I’ve had through my characters
and the culture of Rome.

It showed me that experiences can be universal and can be shared across many cultures and eras of history
and taught me to look at things from various perspectives. It allowed me to express the culture of Ancient
Rome and the traditions and ideologies of that time in a way that could relate to a modern audience by
incorporating my own experiences into the story.

I understand this global context better as I was able to discover and express the feelings, ideas beliefs,
ideologies of people and cultures though my project and I was able to explore my creativity through it as
well.

12
My Personal Improvements
The ATL Skills were essential and made me develop the IB learner profiles which helped my personal
growth and development. After the project I’ve:
● Improved my work ethic and I can see how it's helping my school work.
● Stopped procrastinating as much as I used to.
● Become better at making decisions and communicating with people.
● Learnt how to accept criticism and solve problems.
● Improved at researching, English and History.
● Realised that I work well under pressure and if I’m passionate about something.

I Developed The Profiles:

Inquirer and Knowledgeable: I conducted precise and painstaking research for the book though which I
was able to gain a deeper understanding of Ancient Rome.

Balanced: I used organization skills to plan not only my book but my entire project. While having a strict
plan was useful, it was stressful if I fell a little behind as it took an effort to get back on track. I overcame
this using affective skills I gained to relax and manage myself. I learnt that if you don’t manage yourself
and keep yourself healthy it is difficult to manage your work.

Communicator: I wrote my story in a manner that is understandable and engaging. I improved my

vocabulary and learnt to communicate clearly. I developed communication and social skills when I
interacted with my primary sources40 and my supervisors. I was able to effectively communicate and
collaborate with people who read my story as well.

Caring: I gave back to the community with my project.41

Open-minded and Thinker: I learnt to be open to suggestions, criticism42 and new perspectives. Writing
the book helped me understand cultures and people better and taught me how to express my thoughts
uniquely and creatively. I used creative and critical thinking when I the solved problems I faced. I came
up with creative solutions and by analyzing what went wrong and how I could improve.

Reflective: It was essential to reflect when I was editing the story so I could to see how I could improve
and on what I learnt. With that, I was able to analyse and evaluate what I was doing wrong and what I
could do better.

40
For further details refer to Appendix B and C
41
For details on how I gave back to my community and how it connected with the MYP refer to Appendix
J
42
For further details refer to Appendix I

13
New Insights
When I first decided to write a book I was excited and nervous. I had no idea of what to write about but
soon an idea started to form in my head and there was no slowing down from there. I found that writing is
a lot harder than it seems. When I had writer’s block hated the project and I resented that I hadn’t picked
another topic. But, I learnt to love writing once I realized that it couldn't be forced.

I enjoyed researching. It was a continuous part of writing the book and I learnt something new at every
corner.43 I also loved planning and organizing44 the book. I’m overjoyed that I could, not only spread
awareness about gender discrimination but take action against it by using what I earned from selling my
book to educate an underprivileged girl-child in India.45

The evolution of my story: I enjoyed developing my story the most. I started with just the idea of a
female gladiator, the siege of Jerusalem and the inauguration of the Colosseum. But with my global
context I was able to intertwine historical fact into my story, bringing it to life.

I introduced the plight of slaves and gender discrimination in Roman times in a way that appeals to the
emotions of readers. I found intriguing gaps in history, through extensive research, that I used to spin my
tale. I wove speculative twists that left my readers wondering about what could have really caused the
mysterious deaths of Emperor Titus and Emperor Domitian.46 I was thrilled that I was able to give the
book an open ending wherein my protagonist could have played a major role in real historical events.

I wish I had the time to write a proper novel and that I had a way to incorporate everything I learnt into
the story. However, due to the time constraints, I couldn’t but I will try to do so eventually.

I’m really proud that I created a high-quality product and it’s hard to believe that I was able to write a
book! It felt amazing to complete something I poured my heart and soul into and to accomplish a
childhood dream. The project was frustrating, challenging and it pushed me to my limits but I loved every
part of the journey.

If it wasn’t for the personal project I would have never written a book and I wouldn’t have fallen in love
with history the way I did. It gave me the confidence and the platform to accomplish a dream.

43
For further details refer to Appendix I
44
For further details refer to Appendix E
45
For further details refer to Appendix J
46
Emperor Titus and Emperor Domitian. They were brothers who ruled the Roman Empire from 79 AD to
81 AD and 81 AD to 96 AD respectively. They were a part of the Flavian Dynasty. There was a rumor
among the Romans that Domitian had poisoned Titus so he could take the throne. Titus’s official cause of
death is documented as a fever but we can never know how he fell ill. Domitian was assassinated 15
years later by a band of rebel slaves. There are records of a Gladiator being involved with the
assassination as well.

14
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 Appendix

Appendix A: Mindmap to finalize my topic 27th July, 20 17

The main reasons I selected the topic were:
● With this topic, I could focus on gender discrimination.
● It was realistic, time-bound and challenging.
● Rome seems to be more popular than other ancient civilizations.

Appendix B: Krav Maga 4th Septembe r, 2017

I read that the best way to write fight scenes is to take a class so I signed up for a Krav Maga class. I spoke to a few instructors in
to understand how to properly describe actions performed in Krav Maga. They told me the technical terms to use when
describing fight scenes which helped me understand the movements I wanted in the book so I could describe them better. I never
thought I’d learn self-defense with the topic I choose but I’m really glad I did. The class was empowering as it boosted my
confidence and made me feel stronger. Below are the instructors describing and demonstrating Krav Maga:

Appendix C: Emails Exchanged Between Primary Sources 26th October, 2017

21
Below are the emails I received from author, Toti Martinez de Lezea and journalist, Asha Krishnakumar.

Appendix D: Evaluation of Primary Sources 11th November, 2017

Source 1: Toti Martínez de Lezea (Author)

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 Authority She is an author who has published many books (in Spanish and Basque) that are very popular in
Spain. She has published novels that are based on the Basque Country and has written children's
books based on her granddaughter, Nur.

Accuracy and Currency I think the advice I received from her is accurate as she is a successful author with a lot of
experience and since she still writes she is current.

Bias I don’t think the advice she gave me was biased as she is a professional and who gave me advice
based on the her experiences.

Usefulness She was a useful primary source as the advice she gave me helped me write my story

Source 2: Asha Krishnakumar (Journalist)

Authority She has a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics and she worked as an investigative journalist for the
Hindu Frontline Magazine covering social and environmental issues. She won the Lorenzo Natali
Prize for her Journalism (“Excellence in Reporting Human Rights, Democracy and Development
in the Asia and the Pacific category”)so she has authority in her field. She has also written and
produced historical ballets so she also has authority in historical research.

Accuracy and Currency The advice I received from her is accurate as she is an award-winning journalist so she has a lot of
experience writing and is good at researching as she won awards for her investigative journalism
and has written historical ballets. Since she is still a journalist and recently produced a ballet she is
current.

Bias I don’t think the advice she gave me was biased as she is a professional and who gave me advice
based on her experiences as an investigative journalist and as a writer and producer of historical
ballets.

Usefulness The advice she gave me was useful as it helped with both my research and my writing.

Source 3: James Patterson (Author) (Through an online course)

Authority James Patterson is a #1 bestselling author who has written over a 100 novels with well-defined
characters that have inspired me when I read about them. We can see he has authority as he holds
the Guinness World Record for the #1 New York Times bestsellers by a single author and has sold
over 350 million books worldwide.

Accuracy and Currency The advice I received from him is accurate as he is an extremely successful author and is current
as his novels from years ago are still relevant today and because he still writes books.

Bias I don’t think the advice he gave me in the online course was biased as he is a professional who was
addressing a wide audience of viewers and gave advice based on his experiences in writing,
advertising, collaborating and publishing.

Usefulness His advice was very useful as he gave me answers to questions I didn’t even know I had. Though I
wasn’t able to speak with him directly I followed his advice religiously as I wrote my story.

Source 4: Krav Maga Instructors (Martial Arts)

Authority The Krav Maga instructors I spoke to were trained professionals and were also licensed instructors
so they have authority in Krav Maga.

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 Accuracy and Currency They explained and taught the moves in Krav Maga accurately and they are current as they still
practice and teach Krav Maga.

Bias They had no reason to give me biased information and were thrilled to help with the book.

Usefulness They used technical terms to describe actions which allowed me to make the fight scenes better and
more clear. I also learnt fight sequences and actions which helped me imagine fight scenes. So, they
were useful primary sources.

Appendix E: My Personal Project Completion Timeline 9th January, 2018

I laid out the basic timeline in the square sized sticky notes. They contained my long-term goals. The “light-bulb”
shaped sticky notes and the triangle shaped sticky notes show the finer details of my project. They contain the short-
term goals and details of the process. The green sticky notes are reminders.

Appendix F: Story Timeline and Planning the Story 10th August, 2017

24
This is the outline I made to plan out the order of the events in my book. This helped me decide the timeframe of the
story and helped me plan out each part from start to finish. I made it using an online tool called “Vizzlo.” It helped
me formant everything with ease.

I made a short and detailed plan of my story so I could write efficiently. The first version was made using Vizzlo
(the online software). I updated the charts as I changed the story. Below is a sample of the first version.

The second version is a detailed account of the plot. Below an extract from the second version.
0. The Prologue (70 AD):
● Siege of Jerusalem
○ Mara, a 7-year-old, is separated from her parents during the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. She captured as
a slave in the confusion. The only thing she had left with her are the clothes on her back and a small rag
doll that she clutched in her hand. She travels in a dusty oxen-drawn cart with thousands of other slaves to
the city of Rome where she is sold as a slave to a rich family in Rome who change her name to Diana.
1. Part 1 (78 AD):
● Introduction to her life
○ This part talks about her life as a slave in Rome and how she is treated because she is a slave. We are

25
 introduced to her master and to her friend, a boy named Felix.
○ Felix is the son of her master’s bodyguard and they become friends after he helps Diana adjust to life in
Rome when she is first brought there. His role in the story is to teach her how to defend herself.
● The bankruptcy
○ In this part, the family who owned her for 8 years is going bankrupt and she has to be sold again so her
masters could try and pay off their debts. She is terrified of being sold again and she is upset that she is
losing her only friend, Felix.
● The School
○ She is sold to a Gladiator school in Campania as a maid and she is greeted by the sound of hundreds of
swords clanging together as the gladiators train vigorously.
○ After a few months at the school, she was finally settled in and adjusting to her new life. She becomes
friends with one of the maids at the school.
○ She is mugged when she goes to running an errand but she is able to defend herself from the larger man
briefly and continues to ward him off before he is stopped by another trainer…

Appendix G: My Writing Process 12th October, 2017

I developed a process for writing that I used when I had difficulty writing the story. I used it when I had writer’s
block to start writing again. Below are parts of my process with examples:

First I would make lists and brainstorm.

Then I planned the sections of the story (it changed while I typed it).

After that I wrote draft chapters in a notebook:

26
Finally, I would type the chapter into a Google Doc where I edited it using the “comments” feature.
Appendix H: KWL Chart
What I Knew What I Wanted To Learn
● How to write a short ● How to write an
nonfiction story appealing story
● Some knowledge of ● How to research better
ancient Rome (how it ● How to edit a story
was founded, it’s first ● About Rome -
few emperors, etc.) ○ Slave trade
● How to research because ○ Emperors
of previous projects ○ Gladiatrix
● A good vocabulary ○ Gladiators
(because I read a lot) ○ The
● About gender Colosseum
discrimination - through ● Fight styles
research, observations ● About the siege of
and personal experiences Jerusalem
● More about gender
discrimination
20th January, 2018
What I Learnt
● About the Roman Empire
○ Roman: baths, feasts and banquets,
food, markets, conquests, tattoos,
priests, names, timekeeping, daily life,
beliefs (redheads, etc), shopping
○ The wealthy and the poor Romans
○ City of Rome
○ Mount Vesuvius
○ The province of Capua in Caserta
○ How slaves were treated
○ The Flavian dynasty
- Titus:
● appearance,
reign, death,
conquests
- Domitian:
● possible murder
plot, death, reign
○ How Romans slept
○ The Colosseum/the Flavian
Amphitheater
- how it was built
- who constructed it
- that it has underground
chambers and pulley
systems
27
 - It had a retractable roof
- It was flooded for mock
marine battles
- 50,000 people could fit in it
- about the inaugural games
- Was built in 10 years
- was actually made of white
marble
- games held
● About Gladiators
○ Training techniques and strategies
○ Types
○ Gladiator schools (Ludi)
- How they were organized
- How they were run
- Owned by
○ Weapons and Armour
○ Daily life, Diet, Contract, fights
○ How they were freed in the arena or
how they died with honor
○ Their place in society
○ Female Gladiators (Gladiatrix):
- Proof of their existence
- examples and records
- How they were treated
● About Writing and researching
○ How to write fight scenes
○ How to create suspense
○ How to write complex and realistic
characters
○ How to edit
○ How to locate and evaluate sources
○ To look at Google Earth when I need to
see what places I haven’t been to look
like
○ To use Google Maps when I need to
estimate how long it takes from to get
from place to place in Ancient times.
● Self-defense through the martial art form ‘Krav
Maga’
● Types of poisons and their effects

Appendix I: What People Thought About The Story 24th January, 2018
I made a survey on Google forms that I sent to the people who read my story. In the survey I asked the following questions:
1. Did you find the story interesting?
2. Are the characters well defined?
3. Do you the think language used in the story good?
4. Is the protagonist a strong and realistic character?
5. Does the story the raise awareness about gender discrimination?
6. Does the ending make you wonder about what actually may have happened in History?
7. Is the historical timeline captured accurately?
8. Did the story make you interested in Roman History?
9. Would you read a sequel?
10. What were your thoughts on the story? (What could be improved? What did you like about it?)
I received mostly positive feedback and some constructive criticism which I kept in mind as I modified parts of the story based
on the responses I received. With these suggestions I was able to improve my product. The feedback made me reflect and
evaluate my product with new perspectives.

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Below are some of the responses I received:
Question 10:

Appendix J: Raising Money To Educate A Girl Child Through My Book 11th February, 2018
A few days before the Personal Project Exhibition I decided to sell my book. I thought it would be a good idea to
donate the money I earned to a charity. My experience of working with underprivileged children as part of service
in MYP has sensitised me to the plight of these children.

So, I decided to donate the money to World Vision, a foundation that works with children, families and communities
in India to address issues of health, education and more. World Vision allows you to sponsor a young child’s

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education and other needs. I decided to sponsor a young girl because it relates to my project in a way as I want to
empower women through my book and donating the money I earn from the sales I will empower this young girl as
well.

I sold my books to my peers, teachers and family (my community). I sold a total of 37 books and raised 11100
rupees (₹). With this money, I was able to sponsor a girl called Sruthykrishna for a year and donate the rest of the
money to the same charity under the pledge to protect girl children (for 2 months) as well. I liked this charity
because I knew where the money was going and because I’ll receive reports of how Sruthykrishna is doing in
school, extracurriculars and more!

Donating the money felt great. I love that I have a positive impact on this girl’s life and that I could have a small part
in protecting girl children. I will try to continue raising money so I can keep supporting this charity and help change
lives!

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