WELCOME TO CREATIVE WRITING 12!
Monday, June 7 - Friday, June 11
Monday - Last day of classes!
Tuesday - Final Exams begin
Wednesday - Final Exams End
Thursday - Make up Exams
Friday - Make up Exams
Monday - Last day of classes!
- Finish Final Project, share it with peers, and then hand it in for assessment
- Class party in afternoon
Tuesday - Final Exams begin
Wednesday - Final Exams End
Thursday - Make up Exams
Friday - Make up Exams
Monday, May 31 - Friday, June 4
Tuesday - in class
Homework
Thursday - in class
Tuesday - in class
- Finish monologue from last week, share them with the class, and then hand them in for assessment
- Work on Final Project for the course
- Revision work
Homework
- Work on your Final Project
Thursday - in class
- Teacher feedback on Final Project
- Revision work
- Create tags
Tuesday, May 25 - Friday, May 28
Wednesday - in class
Homework
Thursday - in class
Wednesday - in class
- Yukon author Patti Flather will be working with us on monologues in the morning!
- Yukon author Peter Jickling will be working with us on poetry in the afternoon!
Homework
- Work on your final project.
Thursday - in class
- Yukon author Patti Flather will be back to work with us on monologues in the morning!
- Yukon author Peter Jickling will be back to work with us on poetry in the afternoon!
Monday, May 17- Friday, May 21
Monday - in class
Homework
Wednesday - in class
Monday - in class
- D will finish reading her unconventional story to us -- she left us on a cliff hanger last week!
- Complete your final project proposal for the course
- Work on your final project
- Work on your poetry
- Afternoon's class - begin graffiti unit
- Do some research on the origins of graffiti, different styles or forms of graffiti, graffiti artists.
Homework
- Work on your poetry or final project
Wednesday - in class
- Create a tag
- With a partner or individually, design a Banksy inspired mural
Girl with Balloon
Banksy's The Drinker after it was stolen and held for ransom and then returned to Soho transformed as The Stinker
Love is in the air (West Bank)
Painting for Saints (2020)
|
|
|
|
Homework
Friday - in class
- Work on your final project
- Finish your mural design sketch-up
Friday - in class
- Create murals with spray paint
Monday, May 10 - Friday, May 14
Dreary and Izzy
By Tara Beagan, Director Katey Wattam
Presented in partnership with Gwaandak Theatre
May 13 to May 29, 2021, preview May 12, 2021 @ 8pm
Tickets $26, except all Wednesdays which are pay-what-you-decide
Dreary and Izzy
By Tara Beagan, Director Katey Wattam
Presented in partnership with Gwaandak Theatre
May 13 to May 29, 2021, preview May 12, 2021 @ 8pm
Tickets $26, except all Wednesdays which are pay-what-you-decide
In association with Gwaandak Theatre, The Guild presents Dreary and Izzy by Ntlaka’pamux playwright Tara Beagan. 1975, Lethbridge Alberta. The Monoghan sisters, Deirdre and Isabelle, are suddenly left to care for themselves. Deirdre, the biological child of the Monoghans – a White Catholic family – takes on the responsibility as the sole caregiver to her older sister, Isabelle, an adopted young Blackfoot woman born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Deirdre is struggling in this new role when Freddie Seven Horses, a charming vacuum cleaner salesman, arrives at their door and sparks unexplored emotions in each sister.
"If you want to see how a gifted playwright stages strong emotions, you can find no better example than Dreary and Izzy, Tara Beagan's heartfelt look at a family affected by fetal alcohol damage." —Jon Kaplan, NOW Magazine
Tickets for Dreary and Izzy will go on sale at yukontickets.com on Wednesday April 28th, 2021.
Recommended for ages 16+. Content includes the Sixties Scoop, racism, ableism, bodily autonomy and sexually explicit subject matter. Please email [email protected] if you would like more information.
We started this assignment last week. Please finish your story today and hand it in for assessment.
- Here are the prompts that you created. Choose one to write your story.
Epistolary
- A story about being kidnapped or being human trafficked. A diary perhaps? The diary must be a secret!
- A series of letters from a girl writing to herself through the years.
- Hurricane letters to a character of your choosing’s wife or significant other because they went off to find their child and they all got separated.
- A series of tweets between the presidents of China and the United States trying to resolve a nuclear power dispute on the brink of war.
All dialogue
- About high school ending.
- A jury in the deliberation room trying to decide on a verdict on a 14-year-old girl charged with manslaughter.
Metafiction
- A narrator that's late to their own book and is asking the reader for help.
Rashomon
- The story of four kids who are now covered in slime and are now in the principal's office waiting for a chance to tell their stories.
- On a Friday night, 1973, in Collingwood Ontario several kids (different POV’s) in high school undergo several strange events throughout the night, but the story starts Friday morning. There are three main events that set up the story: the disappearance of a kid who is hosting a party, a big storm projected to come into the town in the early hours of the morning, and an election for city council all occurring on Friday. The reason for the disappearance is revealed in the early hours of the morning as aliens, and the different stories have different perspectives on the alien arrival.
Practice: Abstract vs. Concrete language
In preparation for writing poetry, I want to practice a few elements of its composition. One of the tips I will give you is about avoiding abstract words; avoid words like ‘big’ or ‘happy’ or ‘strong’. These words give a general sense of something but are loosely defined.
For example:
Abstract: “She felt happy.”
Concrete Examples:“Her smile spread like red tint on ripening tomatoes.”
Abstract: “He lived a life of luxury.”
Concrete Examples:“His fingers were so weighed down by diamonds he could barely lift his crystal champagne flute to his lips.”
Abstract: “She dreamed of the future.”
Concrete Examples:“A dream. Her hair all sable and silver. Her eyes straining to see both near and far. Her body sagging in all the wrong places.”
I want you to try this yourself (a few times). Take the following 4 sentences and change them from abstract sentences to more interesting, concrete ones.
- She was brave.
- I hate my life.
- He felt nervous every time he looked at her.
- Their friendship is exceptionally close.
Poetry Forms
- Abstract (or Sound) Poetry. Abstract was a term used by Dame Edith Sitwell.
- Acrostic. A form for hidden messages.
- Ae Freislighe. Irish quatrain with intense rhyme scheme.
- Alphabet Poetry. Perfect back-to-school poetry.
- Anagrammatic Poetry. More fun with letters.
- Blackout Poems. Making poems from articles.
- The Blitz. 50-liner invented by Robert Keim.
- The Bop. Three stanzas and three refrains, developed by Afaa Michael Weaver.
- Bref Double. French quatorzain.
- Byr a Thoddaid Poems. Welsh quatrain.
- Cascade. Variable length form invented by Udit Bhatia.
- Chanso. Five to six stanzas with an envoy.
- Chant. If it works once, run it into the ground.
- Cinquain. Popular five-liner.
- Clogyrnach. 6-line Welsh form.
- Concrete Poems. Shapely poetry.
- Contrapuntal Poems. Independent poems that get intertwined.
- Curtal Sonnet. 11-line sonnet invented by Gerard Manley Hopkins.
- Cyrch A Chwta. 8-line Welsh form with 7 syllables per line.
- Cywydd Llosgyrnog. 6-liner with internal rhymes and variable syllables.
- Decima. Various versions of 10-line forms.
- Descort. French form that makes each line special.
- Diminishing Verse. Poems that disappear one letter per line.
- Dizain. French 10×10 form.
- Dodoitsu. 4-line Japanese form.
- Elegy. Song of sorrow or mourning.
- Epitaphs. Or tombstone poetics.
- Erasure Poems. Like blackout poems, but without the markers.
- The Fib. Fun form from Gregory K. Pincus.
- Found Poetry. Finders keepers, right?
- Ghazal. Couplets and a refrain.
- Gogyohka. 5-line poem developed by Enta Kusakabe.
- Golden Shovel. Terrance Hayes-invented, Gwendolyn Brooks-inspired.
- Gwawdodyn. Welsh poetic form.
- Haibun. Japanese form popularized by Matsuo Basho.
- Haiku. Popular Japanese form.
- Haiku Sonnet. 4 haiku and a couplet.
- Hay(na)ku. Eileen Tabios form with 3 lines, 6 words.
- Hir a Thoddaid. 6 lines that mostly all share the same rhyme.
- Huitain. French 8-liner with an ababbcbc rhyme scheme.
- Interlocking Rubaiyat. Used by Omar Khayyam, Robert Frost, and many others.
- Katauta Poems. Haiku (or senryu) for lovers.
- Kimo. Israeli version of haiku.
- Kyrielle. Adjustable French form.
- Lai. Nine-liner from the French.
- Landay. Poem comprised of self-contained couplets.
- Limerick. 5 lines and naughty rhymes.
- List Poem. Poetry at the grocery store.
- Luc Bat. Vietnamese “6-8” form.
- Lune. Robert Kelly invention, also known as American haiku.
- Madrigal. Learn both the Italian and English versions.
- Magic 9. The “abacadaba” 9-line rhyme scheme.
- Minute Poem. 3 quatrains and a simple rhyme scheme.
- Mondo. Brief collaborative Q&A poem.
- Monotetra. Quatrain madness developed by Michael Walker.
- Nonet. Nine-line countdown poem.
- Ode. Praise poetry!
- Ottava Rima. ABC rhymes in 8 lines.
- Ovillejo Poems. 10-liner popularized by Miguel de Cervantes.
- Palindrome (or Mirror Poetry). Reflective poetic form.
- Pantoum. The repetitive form from Malay.
- Paradelle. Silly and/or psycho form from Billy Collins.
- Prose. Just when you thought poetry was defined by line breaks.
- Qasida. Guest post by Ren Powell.
- Quatern. French 4×4 form.
- Rannaigheact Mhor. Irish form that fits a lot of rules into 28 syllables.
- Rhupunt. Welsh form that offers variability and rigidity simultaneously.
- Rimas Dissolutas. Old French form that rhymes and doesn’t rhyme.
- Rispetto. Italian poetic form.
- Rondeau. 15 lines, 3 stanzas, and a lot of rhymes.
- Rondel. 13 lines in 3 stanzas.
- Rondine. 12-liner with a refrain.
- The Roundabout. Form from Sara Diane Doyle and David Edwards.
- Roundelay. Simple lyric poem that uses a refrain.
- Seguidilla. Spanish 7-liner that began as a dance song.
- Sestina. The form poets either love or hate.
- Shadorma. Spanish 6-liner.
- Sijo. Korean poetic form.
- Somonka. Japanese collaborative form.
- Sonnet. Shakespeare’s 14-line fave.
- Tanka. Kinda like a haiku plus a couplet.
- Terzanelle. What happens when the terza rima and villanelle combine.
- Tricubes. 3 stanzas by 3 lines by 3 syllables.
- Triolet. 8-line French form.
- Triversen. William Carlos Williams invention: six tercets.
- Villanelle. Five tercets and a quatrain.
Thursday - in class
- Work on your poetry
- Share your unconventional stories with the class
Monday, May 3 - Friday, May 7
Monday
Where:
What:
Here are some examples:
Who: A high school basketball coach
Where: An ordinary drug store
What: Two people in masks are trying to rob the store
Who: An Instagram influencer
Where: A vegan coffee shop
What: They run out of almond milk
Who: A cat
Where: In a mall
What: Has been run over by a car
Who: Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker
Where: A Swiss Chalet
What: Father-son bonding
Who: Two best friends
Where: Grocery store
What: One of them is in love with the other but too scared to say so in fear of ruining their friendship
Who: Sentient pinecone
Where: Half bulldozed forest
What: Solving the world’s problems
Who: Keanu Reeves, 12 monks and Kris Kardashian
Where: Nepalese monastery
What: A plane crash and a gluten allergy
Who: Robert Plant and Robert Munsch
Where: In a popular coffee shop
What: Arguing about who has more right to have the name Robert
Who: A family
Where: The Ripley’s Aquarium
What: The glass tanks begin to crack
Who: A cat
Where: A tree
What: The tree is on fire
Here are the prompts you created. Pick a prompt and write it into a story. You cannot pick your own.
Who: A crab
Where: the Great Pyramids
What: Looking for his love (a shark) but the shark is in love with Nemo, a fish, and Nemo is in love with Crab who has only one leg because Shark took it
Who: Tom Cruise
Where: Your front door
What: Recruiting for the Church of Scientology
Who: A recent widow (elderly man) meets an alien with whom he falls in love
Where: Middle of nowhere on a farm
What: The supernatural alien has to learn what humans do
Who: A group of adults with cat allergies
Where: downtown in a big city
What: A Zombie Cat Apocalypse has started
Who: A pro surfer practicing for a competition
Where: Hawaii
What: A shark is stalking its 'prey' (the human)
Who: A Canadian goose with a knife, an Italian pigeon with a spoon and a French peacock with a fork
Where: Mountain
What: Universe creation
Who: A Catholic priest
Where: A Pride parade
What: Someone told him it was a pro life protest
Who: Ryan Gosling
Where: A yellow submarine
What: Playing Jenga for their lives
Who: A Canadian teacher, Aaron Fling, is transferred to a rural area in Mexico to teach English
Where: Rural Mexico
What: The teacher does not know Spanish and requires a translator, but teacher does a poor job integrating into the country
Who: A llama and a pigeon
Where: A bank
What: The pigeon and llama pulling off a heist
Who: A group of five friends
Where: A lake house
What: Having fun before college starts and they drift apart
Who: Justin and Margaret Trudeau, Fidel Castro
Where: Starbucks
What: She's trying to explain to him that Fidel is his biological father
Who: Michael Myers, Freddy Kruger, Nancy Thompson, Laurie Strode and Bruce the Great White Shark
Where: Amity Island on the beach
What: Watching Bruce eat people while getting sun tans
Who: A dog
Where: A forest
What: Trying to find its way back home
Who: Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood
Where: Mountain top
What: Picnic
Wednesday
Friday
A FEW EXAMPLES
Epistolary
Write a series of e-mails between an incompetent employee and his/her exasperated boss.
Unusual Point-of-View
Retell the story of all the Iron Man movies from the perspective of Tony Stark’s next door neighbour.
Rashamon
The story opens with four women at a beauty salon, seconds away from an all out brawl, using scissors, hot irons, curlers and anything else they can get their hands on. Each tell wildly different stories of how they got to this point.
Metafiction
Rewrite Little Red Riding Hood where LRRH can hear narrator is saying and is convinced she’s going mad.
I thought I’d post examples of story techniques that you might consider unconventional. so you better understand what they look like.
Monday
- Continue our unit on unconventional stories.
- Prompt 6 – Class Generated Premise - Create three writing prompts in which the character is put in an unusual situation. Use the following format:
Where:
What:
Here are some examples:
Who: A high school basketball coach
Where: An ordinary drug store
What: Two people in masks are trying to rob the store
Who: An Instagram influencer
Where: A vegan coffee shop
What: They run out of almond milk
Who: A cat
Where: In a mall
What: Has been run over by a car
Who: Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker
Where: A Swiss Chalet
What: Father-son bonding
Who: Two best friends
Where: Grocery store
What: One of them is in love with the other but too scared to say so in fear of ruining their friendship
Who: Sentient pinecone
Where: Half bulldozed forest
What: Solving the world’s problems
Who: Keanu Reeves, 12 monks and Kris Kardashian
Where: Nepalese monastery
What: A plane crash and a gluten allergy
Who: Robert Plant and Robert Munsch
Where: In a popular coffee shop
What: Arguing about who has more right to have the name Robert
Who: A family
Where: The Ripley’s Aquarium
What: The glass tanks begin to crack
Who: A cat
Where: A tree
What: The tree is on fire
Here are the prompts you created. Pick a prompt and write it into a story. You cannot pick your own.
Who: A crab
Where: the Great Pyramids
What: Looking for his love (a shark) but the shark is in love with Nemo, a fish, and Nemo is in love with Crab who has only one leg because Shark took it
Who: Tom Cruise
Where: Your front door
What: Recruiting for the Church of Scientology
Who: A recent widow (elderly man) meets an alien with whom he falls in love
Where: Middle of nowhere on a farm
What: The supernatural alien has to learn what humans do
Who: A group of adults with cat allergies
Where: downtown in a big city
What: A Zombie Cat Apocalypse has started
Who: A pro surfer practicing for a competition
Where: Hawaii
What: A shark is stalking its 'prey' (the human)
Who: A Canadian goose with a knife, an Italian pigeon with a spoon and a French peacock with a fork
Where: Mountain
What: Universe creation
Who: A Catholic priest
Where: A Pride parade
What: Someone told him it was a pro life protest
Who: Ryan Gosling
Where: A yellow submarine
What: Playing Jenga for their lives
Who: A Canadian teacher, Aaron Fling, is transferred to a rural area in Mexico to teach English
Where: Rural Mexico
What: The teacher does not know Spanish and requires a translator, but teacher does a poor job integrating into the country
Who: A llama and a pigeon
Where: A bank
What: The pigeon and llama pulling off a heist
Who: A group of five friends
Where: A lake house
What: Having fun before college starts and they drift apart
Who: Justin and Margaret Trudeau, Fidel Castro
Where: Starbucks
What: She's trying to explain to him that Fidel is his biological father
Who: Michael Myers, Freddy Kruger, Nancy Thompson, Laurie Strode and Bruce the Great White Shark
Where: Amity Island on the beach
What: Watching Bruce eat people while getting sun tans
Who: A dog
Where: A forest
What: Trying to find its way back home
Who: Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood
Where: Mountain top
What: Picnic
Wednesday
- We will read a couple short stories by BJ Novak (writer, director, actor of The Office), "Julie and the Warlord" and "A Good Problem to Have."
- Work on your story for Prompt #6 - Class Generated Premise that we started on Monday.
Friday
- I will give you a note on unconventional story styles and we will discuss it.
- This class we’re going to do another writing prompt. Like before, you are going to generate it. However, this time we’re going to do something a little different. I want you to pick ANY 3 of the story styles we’ve looked at today and use them to create writing prompts.
I’m going to go through all the prompts, pick (what I think) is your strongest and they will be our starting point for next class.
A FEW EXAMPLES
Epistolary
Write a series of e-mails between an incompetent employee and his/her exasperated boss.
Unusual Point-of-View
Retell the story of all the Iron Man movies from the perspective of Tony Stark’s next door neighbour.
Rashamon
The story opens with four women at a beauty salon, seconds away from an all out brawl, using scissors, hot irons, curlers and anything else they can get their hands on. Each tell wildly different stories of how they got to this point.
Metafiction
Rewrite Little Red Riding Hood where LRRH can hear narrator is saying and is convinced she’s going mad.
I thought I’d post examples of story techniques that you might consider unconventional. so you better understand what they look like.
Slice of Life
Epistolary
All Dialogue
The short story Orange by Neil Gaiman, from his collection Trigger Warning is framed as a subject's responses to an investigator's written questionnaire. The questions aren't even there - only the answers.
It starts:
- Jemima Glorfindel Petula Ramsey.
- Seventeen on June the ninth.
- The last five years. Before that we lived in Glasgow (Scotland). Before that, Cardiff (Wales).
For the "story" itself (since the first questions are more of an introduction, really), here's an example:
- About half a metre above the carpet. She'd sink down a bit to go through doors, so she didn't bump her head. And after the hose incident she didn't go back to her room, just stayed in the main room and floated about grumpily, the colour of a luminous carrot.
When you're writing, you have to have a very clear idea of the things that you're not putting on the page. If what you're giving the readers is only dialogue, you need to know what's happening, the emotions, etc., and you need to make sure those events and emotions are adequately conveyed by the dialogue, that is - the reader can infer them from the dialogue.
When you want to create suspense, you can hide things by means of the format: your character might respond in surprise to something the reader cannot see. But ultimately, suspense needs to be resolved, the reader must learn what's going on.
Meta-fiction
Direct (4th wall break)
2nd Person Writing Style
Unusual Point of View/Shifting style
The play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead tell the story of Hamlet from the point of view of his doomed friends.
Mary Riley was the story of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde told though his assistants eyes.
Wicked was the story of The Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the witch.
|
|
|
The Hank Scorpio episode of the Simpsons has Homer working for a James Bond villain
The Hank Scorpio episode of the Simpsons has Homer working for a James Bond villain
|
|
Rashomon
Reverse Chronology
Monday, April 26 - Thursday, April 29 Reminder - Friday is a PD day
Monday
- Read Katherine Fawcett's "The Anniversary Present," the first of a few short stories I am going to have you read. We're going to use this story to guide a short discussion today, using the 2 models already laid out for us.
- What does Mother want at the start? What does she need and does she get it at the end?
- What is the theme of the story? How is that reflected in the setting or secondary characters?
- What is the turning point in the story?
- How are we made to care about Mother Earth? Do we like or care about Father Time?
- What is Mother Earth’s ‘inner motor’? In other words, why does she make the decisions that she does.
- Does the story have a satisfying conclusion? Does it take us somewhere?
- In the afternoon class we will also take some time to share the children's books you wrote.
- Finish your story for the Fish Out of Water writing prompt.
Wednesday
- Participate in the Young Authors Conference via Zoom.
Monday, April 19 - Friday, April 23
Monday - Day 1 - no class
Tuesday - Day 2
story structure. They are used by writers to help create and critics to help deconstruct. Since your
job in this class is to fill both these roles, a solid grasp of a wide variety of story theories is important.
Monday - Day 1 - no class
- Work on children's book
Tuesday - Day 2
- Silent reading
- Put finishing touches on children's books
- Story Theory 1: Andrew Stanton
story structure. They are used by writers to help create and critics to help deconstruct. Since your
job in this class is to fill both these roles, a solid grasp of a wide variety of story theories is important.
- A few things to know about story theories before we begin:
- Many are quite similar.
- They vary in the amount of detail/precision.
- There is not one that is more important than another.
- They are just theories, not rules.
- With that in mind, let’s look at a relatively simple one to start.
Andrew Stanton was one of the early minds at Pixar. He was involved in either the planning, writing, producing or directing of every single Pixar film up to Wall-E.
In this TED talk, he travels backwards through his films to explore how the writing of these films – more so than anything else – allowed them to connect so well with the public.
Here is a simple, visual representation of that speech and it’s five steps.
Short Film 1: Night on Earth
We’re going to tackle our first story analysis. Over the course of the next little while, we’re going to use a variety of lenses through which to look at story. Each one is just a different way of deconstructing a text.
For today, we’re going to revisit some of the ideas in Andrew Stanton’s speech. We’ll use the basic principles of his speech as a series of story analysis questions, in order to get us used to looking at a text through a deconstructionist lens.
We will be watching a segment from the film NIGHT ON EARTH. Once it’s done, you will have time to work on the following six questions. We will then take them up together and see what you think.
Here’s the film:
We’re going to tackle our first story analysis. Over the course of the next little while, we’re going to use a variety of lenses through which to look at story. Each one is just a different way of deconstructing a text.
For today, we’re going to revisit some of the ideas in Andrew Stanton’s speech. We’ll use the basic principles of his speech as a series of story analysis questions, in order to get us used to looking at a text through a deconstructionist lens.
We will be watching a segment from the film NIGHT ON EARTH. Once it’s done, you will have time to work on the following six questions. We will then take them up together and see what you think.
Here’s the film:
Here are the analysis questions:
Wednesday
character is put in a place that they don’t belong, it instantly moves the plot, either in an attempt to
regulate this situation or conflict that comes from this.
Most stories start with their character in a familiar setting and we watch as they are moved out of it,
into something unfamiliar and then back into the known. The Hero’s Journey model we will study next
week shows how common this story telling structure can be.
With that in mind, here’s your prompt.
a) takes place in a singular location
b) features a character that seems out of place in that setting
Keep your story in that singular location. See what you can come up with in the next 40 minutes.
Good luck
- Whose story is it?
- How are we made to care about that person? Is he/she likeable and/or relatable?
- What is the central character’s inner motivation (i.e. What’s their spine)?
- Does the central character change (even slightly) by the end of the story?
- Was there something unexpected or surprising in this story?
- Was this a story worth telling?
Wednesday
- Class discussion - Go over the answers to the questions from last class.
- Prompt 5: Fish out of Water
character is put in a place that they don’t belong, it instantly moves the plot, either in an attempt to
regulate this situation or conflict that comes from this.
Most stories start with their character in a familiar setting and we watch as they are moved out of it,
into something unfamiliar and then back into the known. The Hero’s Journey model we will study next
week shows how common this story telling structure can be.
With that in mind, here’s your prompt.
a) takes place in a singular location
b) features a character that seems out of place in that setting
Keep your story in that singular location. See what you can come up with in the next 40 minutes.
Good luck
- We will also look at another story theory, this one from Evan Thaler Hickey, a Canadian writer for children's TV:
- Whose story is it?
- What’s his/her goal? In other words, what does the character want?
- What’s his/her obstacle?
- What’s the turning point of the story/choice under pressure?
- What goal is achieved? In other words, what did the character need?
- What’s the theme?
- To practice playing with this theory, I want you to break down the following stories using his model. You’ll have 20 minutes in class and then we’ll talk about them.
- ANY MARVEL MOVIE
- ANY ANIMATED FILM YOU WATCHED GROWING UP
- ANY BOOK YOU’VE STUDIED AT SCHOOL OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS
- AN EPISODE OF ANY TV OR NETFLIX SHOW
- YOUR FAVOURITE MOVIE, PLAY or BOOK.
Monday, April 12 - Friday, April 16
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday and Friday (no classes due to planning for resumption of full time classes for grade 10-12 students).
Monday
- Begin working on the good copy of your children's book.
Tuesday
- Work on the good copy of your children's book.
Wednesday
- Continue working on the good copy of your children's book.
Thursday and Friday (no classes due to planning for resumption of full time classes for grade 10-12 students).
- Finish the good copy of your children's book as it is due early next week.
Tuesday, April 6 - Friday, April 9
Tuesday
Wednesday - at home
Thursday - in class
Friday - at home
Tuesday
- Begin the planning process in order to write your own children's book. You may work with a partner or individually.
Wednesday - at home
- Work on your children's book - use the planning sheets given in class. The plot diagram and character planning sheets should be completed by next class.
Thursday - in class
- Continue working on your children's book. Use the planning sheets and begin making quick sketches of the illustrations and write words and dialogue below.
Friday - at home
- Continue working on the rough draft of your children's book. We will begin working on the good copy next week.
Monday, March 29 - Thursday, April 1
Monday - in class
Monday - in class
- Begin the Children's Literature Unit.
- Silent reading - read Children's books from the class collection!
- Class discussion - discuss favourite children's books, authors, movies.
- View the two Lion King video clips below and discuss the elements of a children's story/film contained in each, including: use of cartoon characters, stereotypes, mood (light/dark), allusions, music, character foils, use of puns/play on words, physical humour.
- Complete the audience chart as a class on the front board.
- Discuss the purpose of fairy tales. View video clip below: "5 Fairy Tales That Were..."
- Read the essay "Warning: This Story Does Not Contain Pictures" and discuss how illustrations and illustrators were once an integral part of storytelling in books, as well as spreading news and information, but this changed with the invention of one particular piece of technology in the early 1900's.
- Listen while I read the story A Way Back Home by Oliver Jeffers and then view the PowerPoint on the purpose of illustrations in children's books and complete notes (see handouts tab).
|
|
|
Tuesday - at home
Wednesday - in class
- Complete any missing assignments/revise any assignments from this term and hand them in by this Thursday.
Wednesday - in class
- Silent reading - read Children's books from the class collection
- Complete Purpose of Illustrations Sticky Note activity using a children's book from Ms. Hamilton's collection or bring one from home.
- Use rubric and checklist for Sticky Note activity and then hand in both the assignment and rubric for assessment.
Have a fantastic spring break!
Monday, March 8 - Thursday, March 11
Tuesday - in class
Wednesday - at home
Thursday - in class
Tuesday - in class
- Share your best six word stories from last Friday
- Make any last revisions to the unit one final assignment and be ready to share it next class
- Finish any missing assignments from the first unit
- Revise any assignments from the first unit
Wednesday - at home
- Finish any missing assignments from the first unit
- Revise any assignments from the first unit
Thursday - in class
- Hand in any missing or revised assignments from the first unit
- Share unit one final assignments with the class and have treats!
Monday, March 1 - Friday, March 5
Monday - in class
|
|
Tuesday - at home
Wednesday - in class
Thursday - at home
- Revision work - make any revisions to the unit final assignment.
Wednesday - in class
- Share stories and have treats.
- Revision work - make revisions to any assignments handed in and assessed so far.
- Catch-up - work on completing any missing assignments.
Thursday - at home
- Make any last minute revisions to your unit one final assignment.
Friday - in class
|
|
Today’s writing prompt comes courtesy of a Wired Magazine article from 2006. Ernest Hemingway once wrote a story in just six words (“For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”) and is said to have called it his best work. In the article, Wired asked sci-fi, fantasy, and horror writers from the realms of books, TV, movies, and games to take a shot themselves.
Dozens of auteurs put their words to paper.. Sure, Arthur C. Clarke (he co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey) refused to trim his (“God said, ‘Cancel Program GENESIS.’ The universe ceased to exist.”), but the rest are concise masterpieces.
Failed SAT. Lost scholarship. Invented rocket.
– William Shatner
Computer, did we bring batteries? Computer?
– Eileen Gunn
Vacuum collision. Orbits diverge. Farewell, love.
– David Brin
Automobile warranty expires. So does engine.
– Stan Lee
Machine. Unexpectedly, I’d invented a time
– Alan Moore
Longed for him. Got him. Shit.
– Margaret Atwood
From torched skyscrapers, men grew wings.
– Gregory Maguire
With bloody hands, I say good-bye.
– Frank Miller
Wasted day. Wasted life. Dessert, please.
– Steven Meretzky
“Cellar?” “Gate to, uh … hell, actually.”
– Ronald D. Moore
Epitaph: Foolish humans, never escaped Earth.
– Vernor Vinge
It cost too much, staying human.
– Bruce Sterling
We kissed. She melted. Mop please!
– James Patrick Kelly
It’s behind you! Hurry before it
– Rockne S. O’Bannon
I’m your future, child. Don’t cry.
– Stephen Baxter
Lie detector eyeglasses perfected: Civilization collapses.
– Richard Powers
I’m dead. I’ve missed you. Kiss … ?
– Neil Gaiman
The baby’s blood type? Human, mostly.
– Orson Scott Card
Kirby had never eaten toes before.
– Kevin Smith
To save humankind he died again.
– Ben Bova
We went solar; sun went nova.
– Ken MacLeod
“I couldn’t believe she’d shoot me.”
– Howard Chaykin
Don’t marry her. Buy a house.
– Stephen R. Donaldson
TIME MACHINE REACHES FUTURE!!! … nobody there …
– Harry Harrison
Tick tock tick tock tick tick.
– Neal Stephenson
Your task:
Write 6 of your own 6 word stories. Try to pack as much action, adventure, romance, humour, pathos (emotion), passion and mystery into those 6 words as you can.
At the end of the 20 minutes, I’m going to ask everyone to share their best one.
Dozens of auteurs put their words to paper.. Sure, Arthur C. Clarke (he co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey) refused to trim his (“God said, ‘Cancel Program GENESIS.’ The universe ceased to exist.”), but the rest are concise masterpieces.
Failed SAT. Lost scholarship. Invented rocket.
– William Shatner
Computer, did we bring batteries? Computer?
– Eileen Gunn
Vacuum collision. Orbits diverge. Farewell, love.
– David Brin
Automobile warranty expires. So does engine.
– Stan Lee
Machine. Unexpectedly, I’d invented a time
– Alan Moore
Longed for him. Got him. Shit.
– Margaret Atwood
From torched skyscrapers, men grew wings.
– Gregory Maguire
With bloody hands, I say good-bye.
– Frank Miller
Wasted day. Wasted life. Dessert, please.
– Steven Meretzky
“Cellar?” “Gate to, uh … hell, actually.”
– Ronald D. Moore
Epitaph: Foolish humans, never escaped Earth.
– Vernor Vinge
It cost too much, staying human.
– Bruce Sterling
We kissed. She melted. Mop please!
– James Patrick Kelly
It’s behind you! Hurry before it
– Rockne S. O’Bannon
I’m your future, child. Don’t cry.
– Stephen Baxter
Lie detector eyeglasses perfected: Civilization collapses.
– Richard Powers
I’m dead. I’ve missed you. Kiss … ?
– Neil Gaiman
The baby’s blood type? Human, mostly.
– Orson Scott Card
Kirby had never eaten toes before.
– Kevin Smith
To save humankind he died again.
– Ben Bova
We went solar; sun went nova.
– Ken MacLeod
“I couldn’t believe she’d shoot me.”
– Howard Chaykin
Don’t marry her. Buy a house.
– Stephen R. Donaldson
TIME MACHINE REACHES FUTURE!!! … nobody there …
– Harry Harrison
Tick tock tick tock tick tick.
– Neal Stephenson
Your task:
Write 6 of your own 6 word stories. Try to pack as much action, adventure, romance, humour, pathos (emotion), passion and mystery into those 6 words as you can.
At the end of the 20 minutes, I’m going to ask everyone to share their best one.
Monday, February 22 - Thursday, February 25
No school on Friday
Monday - in class
Tuesday - at home
Wednesday - in class
Indenting
One of the most common mistakes new writers make is writing in long, impenetrable paragraphs. This is not your fault. Years of writing essays has reinforced the notion that for an idea to have value it must be presented in a huge paragraph next to similar ideas. This may be true of essays but absolutely not in creative writing.
Your job is to arrange your work in whatever way best accentuates tone and understanding. Let’s look at this passage from The Book Thief.
No school on Friday
Monday - in class
- Reading or journaling
- Share your sensory passages and character passages.
- Work on the unit one final assignment - develop your major character and determine the setting
Tuesday - at home
- Work on the unit one final assignment
Wednesday - in class
- Today I want to talk about the hidden hero of good story telling: Formatting. While not as exciting as plot or as fun as character, formatting is the unsung champion of literature. Where and how you lay out your sentences are just as important was what you say. A poorly formatted story can kill tension, as well as bore a reader to the point of complete disconnection.
Indenting
One of the most common mistakes new writers make is writing in long, impenetrable paragraphs. This is not your fault. Years of writing essays has reinforced the notion that for an idea to have value it must be presented in a huge paragraph next to similar ideas. This may be true of essays but absolutely not in creative writing.
Your job is to arrange your work in whatever way best accentuates tone and understanding. Let’s look at this passage from The Book Thief.
This page contains no less than 14 indents. Why is it indented so much?
Consider the mood of the scene and the purpose. Why is the one passage near the bottom make it 4 long sentences before being indented?
Let’s look at another section that is much more action oriented, from the novel The Da Vinci Code.
Consider the mood of the scene and the purpose. Why is the one passage near the bottom make it 4 long sentences before being indented?
Let’s look at another section that is much more action oriented, from the novel The Da Vinci Code.
While the passages are still short, this scene contains fewer indents. Why do you think that is?
Here’s one last passage, this time from A Feast For Crows.
Here’s one last passage, this time from A Feast For Crows.
Here’s a page significantly longer than the other two with only 5 indents. Why does George R. R. Martin write in such long, lingering paragraphs?
Dialogue
Another common error among creative writing students can be found in how you write dialogue. Here are two things that new writers do that hinder understanding of dialogue.
Here’s how a few authors write dialogue. Again, from The Book Thief
Dialogue
Another common error among creative writing students can be found in how you write dialogue. Here are two things that new writers do that hinder understanding of dialogue.
- They put both sides of a conversation into one large paragraph.
- They repeatedly identify the speaker.
Here’s how a few authors write dialogue. Again, from The Book Thief
And one more from The Da Vinci Code
Thursday - at home
Friday - in class
- Work on the unit one final assignment
Friday - in class
- Peer-editing/review - print two copies at school or bring two copies of the draft of your unit one final assignment to class
Monday, February 15 - Friday, February 19
Monday - at home
Tuesday - in class
Wednesday - at home
Thursday - in class
Monday - at home
- Finish creating your character and remember to include a sketch
Tuesday - in class
- Reading or journaling
- Prompt 3: Class Created Character Sketches and Gallery
- Go up to the board and select two characters.
- Take a photo of their sheet so you have all the inspiration at hand.
- Go back to your seat.
- Write a short passage featuring those characters. Try to reveal as much about the character’s as possible. Make use of the ‘5 methods’ sheets for help.
Wednesday - at home
- Finish writing your passage from yesterday's class
Thursday - in class
- Reading or journaling
- Introduce Unit One Final Assignment - to do this well, you need three lists: 5 Methods of Characterization, Sensory Words, Personality Adjectives (all these notes can be found under the handouts tab).
- We will view some clips of movies with interesting dialogue and discuss how to create memorable dialogue.
|
|
|
|
Friday - at home
- Work on Unit One Final Assignment
Monday, February 8 - Friday, February 12
Monday - in class
Prompt 2:
For prompt 2 you will be writing a sensory passage based on one of the images below. Look at them and see which gives you the strongest reaction.
Monday - in class
- Reading or journaling
- Today we will do a few new things to promote our ability to express ourselves through all our senses. First we will talk about different smells and sounds we like.
- Next we will do 2 sensory challenges:
- Hearing: Identify the teacher by the sound of their voice
- Touch: Assembling a puzzle blindfolded
- After that I will give out a handout with a long list of sensory words (see handouts tab if you need another copy). We will be using it for today's writing prompt.
Prompt 2:
For prompt 2 you will be writing a sensory passage based on one of the images below. Look at them and see which gives you the strongest reaction.
- Once you’ve selected your image, write a descriptive passage using as many of your sensory words as often as possible. Do not tell a complex narrative, little to no story at all. Instead try what’s called a vignette – a brief moment in time.
- I would like to see at least 3 words from each sense represented (although I’m sure you’ll have more, in particular for sight). Please underline or highlight or circle all your sensory words except sight.
- Below you’ll find an example. Please note the touch, smell, taste and hearing descriptors in bold.
The Washroom
Even before her eyes could adjust to the dim and flickering light, Pascal’s nose told her just about everything she needed to know. The fetid stench of standing water mixed with mold poured from the rusty sink, filling the room with an odor so pungent she had to steady herself to keep her knees from buckling.
Had it not been for the bland and overpriced 3 gin and tonics she had quickly shotgunned in succession at lunch to make her mother’s company more tolerable, she surely would have turned round then and there. Sadly, her leaden bladder demanded she press on.
After searching in vain for a handle (mostly certainly long since ripped off its hinges by an overly ambitious meth addict), Pascal threw caution to the wind and grabbed the filthy and, much to her unpleasant surprise, gooey stall door and yanked it open. It’s hinges let our an ear-piercing shriek, echoing off the grimy walls, almost as if to scream, “Don’t do this!”
She instantaneously regretted that decision.
Tuesday - at home
Wednesday and Friday - in class
James Patterson
- Finish descriptive passage from yesterday's class.
Wednesday and Friday - in class
- Reading or journaling
- In anticipation of your first large writing assignment, I thought we’d spend a little time talking about what makes a strong character.
- We will open up with a character writing exercise, first by exploring characters we like and then creating a few of our own.
- For the second half of the period, I will turn the teaching over to writers far more successful than myself. We will look at a couple of writers who know a thing or two about writing. As you view these videos, jot down some notes about the advice each writer gives regarding creating characters.
James Patterson
Aaron Sorkin |
The first is mystery author James Patterson. He has recorded a series of online lessons about writing from the website Master Class: https://www.masterclass.com
We’re also going to watch a video of TV/Movie writer Aaron Sorkin (The Newsroom, West Wing, The Social Network and much more) where he talks about writing characters for the big and small screen. |
John Irving
Monday, February 1 - Friday, February 5
Monday - at home
- Reading or journaling
Tuesday - in class
- Reading or journaling
- Fun with Language: Portmanteau or Word Blends
- One way you can have fun with language is through the use of portmanteau or word blending. Word blending is just an extension of compound words. Compound words (as you probably already know) are simply when two words are combined to create a new word. You use compound words everyday: Airport, Earrings, Eyeball, Snowman, Thunderstorm and Newspaper are just a couple of examples. In a compound word, both root words can be seen in their entirety.
- A word blend goes just that little bit further. A blended word is formed with parts of two or more words. These words parts are often, but not always, morphemes (the smallest possible unit of the root word).
- Portmanteau - a word blending the sounds and combining the meanings of two others, for example motel (from ‘motor’ and ‘hotel’) or brunch (from ‘breakfast’ and ‘lunch’).
"podcast is a portmanteau, a made-up word coined from a combination of the words iPod and broadcast" (Oxford Dictionary) - Lewis Carroll devised the term. In Through the Looking-Glass (1871) he wrote: "You see, it's like a portmanteau … there are two meanings packed up in the one word." Lewis Carroll also wrote Alice in Wonderland.
- Examples:
Friend + Enemy = Frenemy (def: A person who is your friend but often seeks to destroy you)
Hungry + Angry = Hangry (def: A person who is so hungry it’s making them angry)
- View the video below and then we will do a class activity where we try to decipher the portmanteau words Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky" (see handouts tab for a copy of the poem and the activity).
- A fun word challenge you can do is to try to find situations/feelings/things we don’t already have words for and try to create your own word blends for them. Here are a couple of modern ones I think are pretty good…
- And so, in these final fleeting moments on a Tuesday morning, I throw out to you this challenge…
Come up with three blended words of you own.
This is a pretty difficult challenge. I wish I had a simple formula on how to come up with these but I don’t. I can simple give you two starting points:
a. Start by thinking of a word that’s easily blended
b. Start by thinking of a situation that requires a definition
Wednesday - at home
- Finish the blended words challenge from yesterday's class
Thursday - in class
- Reading or journaling
- Share the blended words you created!
- Today’s theme is about struggling for words. Both your prompt and the subsequent activity are here to push both your listening and descriptive abilities to the limit, reminding you every step of the way that words matter.
- Prompt 1:
Write a passage that tells me as much as you can about yourself. You may not use the letter “E” at any time.
Good luck.
- We will co-construct the assessment criteria for this assignment in class.
Friday - at home
- Finish your passage from yesterday's class.
Monday, January 25 - Friday, January 29
Monday - in class
Tuesday - at home
Wednesday - in class
Monday - in class
- Reading or journaling
- Writing activity - You will collectively write a few stories. We’ll read them afterwards. We do this to get you used to writing things together.
Tuesday - at home
- Reading or journaling
Wednesday - in class
- Reading or journaling
- Expanding Descriptors - We will practice writing character descriptions. First, we will look over a selection of personality adjectives. While not a restrictive list, I believe this one is very useful (see handouts tab)
- We will do a little partnered activity to become more comfortable with the list. Secondly, we will look at a few faces and pick words off the list to match. We will then compare lists to see if they are the same.
- Finally, you will be given a homework activity. I will give you a handout with 2 faces on it. You need to pick 8 adjectives for each face, write them down and write a descriptive paragraph for each person. I will show you a couple examples in class to make this easier (see handouts tab). We will also create an assessment rubric together in class.
Thursday - at home
- Finish the homework assignment from yesterday. It is due this Friday.
Friday - in class
- Reading and journaling
- View the PCSS video below.
|
Tuesday, January 19 - Friday, January 22
Tuesday - first face-to-face class
Tuesday - first face-to-face class
- We will go over the course outline.
- We will have a chat about your writing history.
- Writing activity #1! See PowerPoint below.
creative_writing_1st-day-excercise.pptx | |
File Size: | 61 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
|
|
I look forward to an exciting year of pushing the boundaries of the written word with each and every one of you. In the spirit of the course, the rest of this posting will be written in limerick form which I cannot take credit for writing. It is adapted from A. Patterson's poem.
Welcome to creative writing class
Here’s some rules to make sure that you pass
Be prompt with your work
Don’t act like a jerk
Test me and you’re out on your a**
This website is a helpful tool
To make sure you’re a winner at school
I’ll post things educational
Both dull and sensational
To the point where you’ll think I am cruel (which I am...Not!)
We’ll dive into work and we’ll share
On paper, our souls we will bare
This class seems real bright
I’m sure you’ll do alright
I believe in you all …Well, not Claire
If you need some help, then you outta
Come see me. I’ll help you. I gotta.
But if Hamilton's fuzzy
It’s only because she
Get’s no sleep because of her daughter.
Welcome to creative writing class
Here’s some rules to make sure that you pass
Be prompt with your work
Don’t act like a jerk
Test me and you’re out on your a**
This website is a helpful tool
To make sure you’re a winner at school
I’ll post things educational
Both dull and sensational
To the point where you’ll think I am cruel (which I am...Not!)
We’ll dive into work and we’ll share
On paper, our souls we will bare
This class seems real bright
I’m sure you’ll do alright
I believe in you all …Well, not Claire
If you need some help, then you outta
Come see me. I’ll help you. I gotta.
But if Hamilton's fuzzy
It’s only because she
Get’s no sleep because of her daughter.
Wednesday - at home/outside of class
- Find a novel to read for enjoyment and bring it to the next class as well as a tea cup.
Thursday - in class
- Reading or journaling
- We’re going to continue dipping our toes into the basics of Creative Writing.
- We will start with a brief discussion about what you’ve written already, focusing on what you are most proud of. This is to help me get a better understanding of what interests you and your experience.
- We will do a writing activity where you will re-write cliches so that they are fresh and maybe humorous.