Creative Writing
Assignments
To receive full credit for this course all of the following assignments must be completed.
Week 1: Short Story Reading Read a total of 6 short stories, or more. Each story must be by a different author. Sources for stories might include your own books, anthologies of short stories in the DSIS library or found in the Yolo County library. You must complete this reading project before you do the final story-writing project. For each story you read, focus on the author’s writing style. Does the author use humor, suspense, long lyrical descriptions or lots of dialog? How is this author creating mood and communicating the ideas in this story? Write a complete paragraph for each story which describers the plot and theme of the story and discusses the author’s technique (style). How successful was the author? Is this a great story? Why or why not?
Week 2: Writing To a Picture Complete (3) of these. Look through magazines or newspapers for an interesting picture. Use this picture to trigger your imagination. Your assignment is to write a brief, one-two page, story based on the picture. Do not simply describe the picture. Make up a story to go with it. You may use any writing style you wish. Be as creative, imaginative or abstract as you like. Attach your picture to story.
Week 3: Writing To Random Words Complete (3) of these. Pick a book that you like, a think and interesting one! Close your eyes, open the book, and place your finger on the page. Now open your eyes and see what word your finger is on. Do this 6 times, until you have 6 interesting and random words. (If you land on words such as “a” or “the” or “an”, just repeat the process to find a more interesting word) Write down your 6 words. Now, use these words together in a poem or a brief (1-page) story. Allow the words to direct your writing. How can you tie them all together in a meaningful, clever, and possibly amusing, work of writing?
Week 4: Voice Components of Fiction writing - Successful writing of fiction includes a number of components. Some of these are believable characters, a sense of setting, distinct narrative “voice”, believable dialogue, and a theme or idea that drives the story. Some writing involves fantasy; other writing may attempt to portray reality. A writer’s style will make that writing unique. Discover your style! Dialogue - Tell a story using only dialogue between two characters, no narration. Your characters’ talk with each other should include as much information as the reader needs to know in order to understand the event (such as the genders and ages of the characters, their location, etc.). See if you can create distinct individuals and a good sense of plot. Two to three pages minimum. Three-person point of view – Who is telling the story? This is important to know. Perspectives change depending on the person. Describe a single event from the point of view of three different people involved. Each person should have a different interpretation or experience of what has happened (as we all do in real life). One paragraph per character minimum. Each person tells his/her own version in a first-person voice Use as much detail, for interest, as you can The characters should emerge a distinct individuals.
Week 5: Technique A Hot Summer Day – Describe a hot summer day. Your goal is to transmit to the reader the “feeling” of the heat and the season. What does summer heat smell like, taste like, sound like? Is there an altered sense of time, long or slow? Consider these things and others that might help you communicate the experience of heat. You might begin by brainstorming words that have a strong descriptive and sensory quality. Consider also the point-of-view you will use to frame your description. Create-a-Mood – Use language to create a mood of suspense or dread. You don’t want to just tell the story of a frightening experience. You want your reader to actually “feel” a tightening in the stomach and a sense of dread as they read your words, assuming your goal is to create a mood of dread. It is not necessary to tell a complete story with a beginning, middle, and end. A brief moment is sufficient to create a mood of foreboding, and dread. For example: someone running through the woods, or waiting in dread for the phone to ring, or being afraid to open a bedroom door. Get creative and have fun with this!
Week 6: Characters Characters – fascinating and believable characters help to reveal human nature. That is the point of telling stories, isn’t it? To read about people and their situations, and how they handled them? Character sketches - Describe three characters. Base them on people you know, but do not use real names. Think deeply about the nature and personal qualities of these characters. What does this person look like, act like? What are his/her habits? What is important to this character? Go as far beyond physical description as you can, to create a picture for the reader about one page each. Hero/Heroine - Much fiction involves heroic characters. Some may be heroic in the flamboyant style of a cartoon or movie character-larger than life-and others may be quietly heroic in their everyday lives. Create a hero or heroine, in you imagination, who appeals to you. Write a detailed character study description of this hero, which brings the character to life. Minimum 1-2 pages.
Week 7: Settings All stories need a location. The setting is the background that tells us where the events are unfolding. It “sets the stage” so to speak, and creates a mood for us. Reality - Describe in “excruciating” detail your bedroom, or another room in you home, which is important to you. Try to make you description very visual, so the reader can see a picture in his mind’s eye of what you are describing. If you wish, you may use a “voice” other than your own to add interest (for example, a parent standing in you room complaining about the way it looks, or a friend admiring all the wonderful qualities about your room), but this is not required. Minimum 1 –2 pages. Fantasy – Create and describe a fantasy world, or place. This place may exist in a reality similar to that of our Earth, or be very different. Use your imagination! What does this place look like? Who or what lives there? What are the customs, ceremonies, traditions, foods, clothes, holidays, special powers, etc., of the inhabitants? Is there a history? Are there poems, songs or legends that are important to the inhabitants? What are some of these? Are there animals or plants that play an important role in this place? Explain. What makes this place special?
These questions are just to give you ideas to get you going. You do not need to literally answer each one. Minimum 1-2 pages. A Childhood Place – Describe a place you loved as a child – some place which felt comfortable and safe, or perhaps it was a place of adventure where you always had great fun. Write about it so as to make it seem very real to the reader. Communicate the feelings you felt when you were experiencing this place at the time.
Week 8: Plot The Most Dangerous Game - Read this story, which has a most interesting plot. You’ll find an assignment sheet for it in your packet. Think about the importance of plot as you complete it. Plot is actually the basis of the story. In fact, it is itself the story! The plot is a series of connected events that “hook” the reader to keep them reading in order to find out what happens next. It is the action in a story that keeps us interested. This happens best when there is a problem or conflict of some kind. There are two aspects of PLOT: Conflict and Structure Conflict is the struggle that happens between your main character (the hero) and some other person, object or force. It adds suspense and excitement to the story. No conflict, no excitement! Most conflict falls into one of three categories: man vs. man: Your hero has a problem with another person. Example: John is accused of a crime he did not commit and is being chased by the police. man vs. himself: Your hero has a problem within himself. Example: John is a drug addict who wants to change his ways and quit the lifestyle. man vs. nature: John is trapped in the wilderness by a blinding snowstorm with no hope of rescue.
So, what is the central conflict? Well, it all boils down to a basic central question. For example, in the Wizard of Oz, the central question is: Will Dorothy get the witch’s broom and be able to return home again? In The Matrix, the central question is: Will Neo’s destiny be fulfilled? Will he save Morpheous and return alive? Structure is the planned arrangement of the events of the story. These events MUST be presented in some order so the reader can follow along and
understand what’s happening. Once you’ve decided upon your Basic Conflict (or central question) you can plan the rest of your story. Brainstorm at three potential plots for your own original story. Use the following information to help you. Later, you’ll select the best one for your final assignment: writing your own original creative short story. To help you develop your plot, ask yourself the following questions: 1. 2. 3. 4. What is the basic conflict, or problem, in your story? What are the events in the order they happen? What do the characters do that cause the events to happen? What complications happen to make it difficult for the characters to solve their problems? (This difficulty should create suspense) What will be the climax (the high point of suspense, of the story?) How will you arrange the events of the plot? (Will they be chronological, the order in which they happen, or will there be a flashback?)
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Week 9: Theme The Gift of the Magi - Read this story, which has an interesting theme about people. You’ll find an assignment sheet for it in your packet. Think about the importance of theme as you complete it. Brainstorm at three potential plots for your own original story. Use the following information to help you. Later, you’ll select the best one for your final assignment: writing your own original creative short story.
Weeks 10–18: Create your own work of literature! - In the next nine-weeks you are going to become a writer! You will be creating your own work of fiction - an original short story written by YOU! This will likely be one of the more difficult projects you’ve done in an English class. It will be a story that you decide is worth writing, and one to which you must fully commit your talent and energy. Your completed work is something I expect you to be proud of! Also, you will have accomplished an extremely difficult task – that of committing yourself, over an extended period of time, to produce a story of high quality. There will be many possible challenges for you along the way, since you may have varying ideas concerning subject, plot, and theme which must be resolved in order to meet the deadline for your story. You will need to budget your
time so you don’t put the writing off until only a short time remains to finish it. Your challenge is to realize that you must carefully plan, work and keep the completion date in mind. But there is more to this assignment that just writing. It involves having an open mind when I read over your drafts. You may need to give up what you think is a fantastic idea that simply doesn’t fit into your storyline. It is a process of writing and rewriting, with your efforts aimed at constant improvement. It is, in fact, a written dedicated labor of love. I can assure you that when you finish this project you will have not only written and excellent story, but will have learned the important skills that are necessary to meet a deadline in finishing any project. During this project, you will be operating independently. I will be constantly available to you as an advisor, but will expect you to make all of the key decisions on your own as you proceed. . Remember that this is a project you must carefully organize. Remember to proof read and make necessary revisions You must turn in something each week! Your story should contain at least 15 typewritten (computer) pages. I expect you to use fonts no larger than 12 points. The requirement for fifteen pages has been established to insure that a definite plot is outlined and carried through. In other words, your story must have a definite beginning, middle, and end. You should carefully “divide” your plot so that you meet this requirement. The book should be covered and bound in a manner you may choose after seeing the examples from last year’s class.
Enclosed is an enormous amount of excellent information to help you along with the writing of your story. They are excerpts I thought were the most helpful taken from Chris Vogler’s book The Writer’s Journey. I’ve labeled that section The Hero’s Journey. Please do yourself a huge favor and read through it. There is where you will find the support and instruction you will need to accomplish this assignment. Of course I’ll be working with you each week as well. Above all, make this a positive experience to remember! Show yourself and me what you can do!
Lucy Boland and Chloe Lords - April 2001