Aims: By the end of the course, students will write more freely, more fluently and for fun. You will consolidate earlier gains, be willing to experiment and will develop greater confidence in yourselves as writers. You will be more sensitive to the genre, form and vocabulary a writer chooses, be more experienced writing for different audiences and become better readers.
1. Week 1 Autobiographical - my diary, life experiences, review and preview.
2. Week 2. Writing striking descriptions: persons.
3. Week 3 Writing striking descriptions. places.
4. Week 4 Humour, Parody, Satire, Irony: The Fractured Fairy Tale,.
5. Week 5 Writing style, appropriate dialogue. and point of view.
6. Week 6 Consolidation and experiments: creative, personal, reflective responses to materials. True or false stories, fooling the reader, anachronisms, etc. Creative narratives.
7. Week 7 Plot and structure: Consider the Aesop's Fables & Classic Short Stories
Access some web links.
Work through the weeks at your own pace. Prompt feedback by email.
Horizons Educational ABN 26 092 016 886. Your teacher: Greg Smith BA, MA, MEd. PhD.
Exercises before Writing
Phase 1: Drink the water Subclavical massage, reverse hands Body
movement to music crossing the central line.
Phase 2: Sit left hand over right, left leg over right reverse hands & twist to body. Eyes close. Awareness of breathing. Tongue on roof of mouth. Meditation to focus on task led by leader. Leaving body soaring above clouds; attitude to writing; fix on a place; look see and feel that place; move into characters' minds there
Phase 3: Legs arms uncrossed Eyes open Lazy 8 eye movements Intuitive writing. Don't stare at the page.
Mismatches occur when reader awareness is not observed:
- the reader becomes lost, unsure of the direction, purpose, even genre.
- the reader feels the writer is not respecting him or oher as equals, as intelligent living citizens
- poor or distracting punctuation confuses the discussion, waylays the reader, obscures meaning
© Webmaster G.
Smith July 2005
ADVICE for Writing
Autobiography - Samples
Creative Writing Exercises: Diary/Journal
To capture your THEME, write briefly on:
I remember.....
Recall a dream
Detail a photo
Write your first novel's cover blurb about yourself mentioning your
theme.
Write dialogue for a scene in an original story on your theme.
Journal each day's happenings.
No doubt you have read biographies and autobiographies (auto = "by the subject himself" bios = a life). Well now put yourself in the limelight; settle down to record the important facts and memories of your life. Don't write HIS-story, write your story.
You could start with the facts of your birth and naming and parentage. Is your surname important? Were you named after anyone in particular? You could record your memories of previous addresses and schools attended and teachers.
You should weave in too the major incidents that make you who you are: accidents, illnesses, tours abroad, meetings with the mighty and famous, whatever. Record the facts and circumstances of these influences on your life; but also assess how they make you distinctive and individual; how they helped or hindered you in your development.
Some starters:
How do news events shape your views?How did you come to hold your values and views about politics, religion, relationships, the environment, career, etc.?
How mature are you: are you able to judge others fairly or make allowances for others' mistakes/deficiencies in bringing you up for instance?
Can you take the long view on life and career?
What future do you plan for yourself?
What qualities do you try to practise: reliability, honesty, punctuality, etc.?
What community groups do you belong to and why?
How do they help you live out your values?
Think of an interesting and significant name for your piece to tell us about yourself. Photographs may be attached.
Suggested topics/ headings for a comprehensive biography:
1. The facts of your birth/parents2. Your family history
3. Your physical inheritance
4. Important days in your life
5. Pets, toys, hobbies.
6. Your accomplishments.
7. Your ideas: special knowledge, values, religion, politics, loyalties.
8. Your unique self: opportunities, encounters, hopes and fears.
9. Your future: Aims, Goals, Directions.
THE BREATH OF LIFE
Well it was all a rush really - an ordinary Thursday night, 16th May 1964 to be precise. Homework had to be done, shoes to polish, webbing to colour for cadets on the Friday.
As usual I thought I'd be a bit clever and rig up an extra light - inventive Greg at it again. I strung up a light lead and ran it into my mock-up study under the house. It was a rainy night in winter I seem to recall.
Well it's dark down there so I held the light in my bare hand - an ordinary and reasonable thing to do when you're barefoot at home. Why grope round when you have the source of power in hand anyway?
I got to my gate and suddenly I'm gripped by a massive fist. My ribs tighten, I can't breathe. The light dangles in my hand and I can't let go of it. I'll never forget the rush of it all. Then in my powerlessness I knew it - it was being electrocuted. I knew this was the end; I struggled for life but could do absolutely nothing. I was only 16 and I didn't deserve this.
Coming out of it was a
denial. I had seen something or reached somewhere. I was being
dragged back to consciousness from a warm sleep. My mother upstairs
had heard me cry and my brother had given me mouth to mouth (for
which he eventually received a Bravery Award at Government
House).
The Boy Who Cried 'Drunk!'
by Andrew 1998
'Twas the summer of 1991 and as usual our family was at our grandparents' for dinner on a Sunday afternoon. Italians always made great food and my grandmother made the best spaghetti I have ever tasted. I was eleven at the time and I had just finished a bowl of delicious pasta. So as we usually did, all the grandchildren went downstairs to play. I always enjoyed the weekly get-together with the relies and now with the recent passing of my grandparents, I've begun to miss those Sundays a lot.
Admidst the playful fun and games of a sunny Sunday afternoon, my grandfather strolled outside with a big smile to where his grandchildren sat. Then reaching into his pocket, he would pull out a twenty dollar bill and give it to the eldest grandchild and say, "Go to the shop and get yourselves a treat." This was the moment we kids all loved the best, the weekly trip down to the shop for an ice block. This gave our grandfather immense satisfaction as well.
As we walked own to the shop full of enthusiasm, something struck me as quite odd. For in front of the shop there was a man lying on the footpath in a pool of his own vomit. The sight of this man scared a lot of us kids, so we grabbed our ice blocks and ran back home where we began to play again. But as I played, I pondered for a moment about this strange man, and came to the conclusion that he was drunk, but very harmless. However, I was wrong.
In the middle of a charades game, I was interrupted by a scared cry when my cousin screamed: "The drunk man is coming, the drunk man is coming." Sure enough, this same man came staggering down the street and with that, sent us kids into a rampage for the front door. "Let us in!" we cried to our mums and dads and banged on the door furiously. Not knowing what was wrong, my dad swung open the door and was bombarded by a sea of kids. When everyone was inside and the door was closed, we thought this scary episode was over. But we were wrong.
The man knocked on our door and tried to get in, but his attempts failed. My uncle grabbed the man and escorted him to the footpath where the police (whom we had already called) waited. The police then grabbed the man and forced him into the vehicle and drove away into the night. Then a heavy weight was placed on my shoulders, a feeling of guilt, because this man had done nothing wrong and was lonely and homeless and obviously quite depressed. But instead of helping him, we had run away in fear. This is probably why this memory has stuck with me and why to this day, I feel obliged to help those in trouble.
Everyday, somewhere someone is writing a description of a person, whether of a missing person, of a wanted criminal, in a obituary, or in literature ( and in school essays of course!) In poems, plays and novels, descriptions of people readily occur.
Your task is to describe a person you know or knew. It is more difficult to describe an animal (say a pet because it may not have the mental characteristics) or a fictional character or an historical personage (you may not have enough information to do justice to all four areas. So choose someone you know or knew well.
Perhaps refer to these textbooks for help:
Fatty Baines" in Sandals in One Hand page 4.7
Describing a person Australian English Two page 74.
"My Singing Aunt" page 93 in English Today and page 94 for
some advice.
Extract from "Shane" by Jack Schaffer in Green Fire page
83.
My grandfather's name was Christopher. He died last week. He was about 76 years old and had been sick for many years. We used to call him Gonk. There is a story behind this. When my oldest cousin was still a baby, my Uncle and Aunt tried to make him say "Grandma" and "Grandpa". All he said was "Gank" for grandmother and "Gonk" for grandfather.
My granddad was a surgeon; in fact, he was the first ever flying surgeon in the world. The Flying Doctors would get patients and take them to the local hospital. If their injury was too great, then they would get Gonk on the CB and he would come over and operate. He did about 3000 operations and was the only surgeon for about 8 or 9 outback hospitals. For this, he got into the Unsung Heroes Book and got a full page article on him in the newspaper when he died. Most people liked him; he was a very nice man. He was very tall, about 6 foot 4 when he died. He liked fishing and shooting; in fact, he went fishing almost every single day at about 4.30 in the morning. He lived in Noosa Heads Queensland. I liked my grandfather; he was a very nice man." Rob (permission given)
BARRIE
When I first met Barrie this year, I thought of him as being a rather small boy with a medium build for his age. He has hazel-brown hair, matching eyes, normal ears, nose and mouth. All of these sit on a rather thin neck which perches on his shoulders.
After making friends with Barrie, you wouldn't really be able to apprehend how talkative and humorous he is. If you are feeling down, Barrie could cheer you up in a matter of seconds. Everyone who knows Barrie will certainly agree with me. He is hard to dislike; he is also very excitable and outgoing, and he is also very reliable.
What about the bad points about Barrie? Well there is not much but I'll try to scrape up a few points from the bottom of the barrel. On certain occasions, he can be quite quick-tempered. (Between ourselves, Barrie and I call the angry outbursts angry spasms.) Is there anything else wrong with Barrie? Just one thing: sometimes his humour can get out of control. Just a few examples: he keeps singing McDonald's chocolate treat ads.; and he can also push into other people's conversations. All in all, Barrie, is a terrific friend, and I hope that we will be friends for a long time to come." Bernard
Phillippa is without doubt one of my closest friends. Although I've known her for only about three months, I feel as if I've known her all my life.
Phillippa is about 170 cm. tall, with long dyed blonde hair, which she wears in a pony tail most of the time. She has a fairly dark complexion, caused by years of living near the ocean at Coolum. When she smiles (which is pretty much all the time), you can see a perfect row of white teeth and you can't help but feel happy with her.
I am yet to meet a person who is as extroverted as Phillippa. Her personality and demeanour constantly border on hyperactive, but whenever I'm round her, she always cheers me up when I'm feeling down.
In fact, when my mum met Phillippa for the first time, she was amazed at how outgoing and interesting Phillippa is. I remember Mum remarking how I should "not let this one go," and how I should stay friends with her forever.
Perhaps one example that sums up Phillippa's quirky nature is her avid devotion for the NZ cricket team. She ís never seen a game in her life, but is a die-hard Kiwi fan, simply because Daniel Vettori plays for them. All in all, Phillippa is a true friend and I hope we will be friends well into the next millennium.. Tom
Auntie Jean's House
We used to stay with my (Great) Auntie Jean every Christmas, in her enormous old Queenslander in Dalby. Equally enormous was her backyard, with a giant oak tree as its centrepiece. We used to play in its branches when we were kids, pretending it was our secret hide-out from whatever bad guys we were dreaming up at the time. Those branches were like elephant tusks, strong and far-reaching over the tall long grass.
Inside the house there was a spacious kitchen and living room, a large TV room, five bedrooms and two bathrooms and all this for a woman who for most of the year lived alone. Her next door neighbour's house was just as big, of course, as were all of the homes in Dalby. The country life was and still is so strikingly different from the city. There's just so much more space out there, in every imaginable way.
There are so many memories within those branches and those four walls, priceless pearls of love and laughter that have stayed with me long after my Great Aunt's death. Different people live there now, a young family, and it was only last year that we drove past and I saw three more little children playing in the branches of that great oak. The house and grounds itself, of course, look relatively the same, but somehow it's different now. It seemed wrong to see a young couple sipping champagne on the verandah, where we had sipped tea with Auntie Jean so many times. Houses may stand for centuries, and trees can live a hundred years, but neither can match the eternal quality of a memory. It was the people who made those christmases so great, not the place itself, and while I still hold some sentimental attachment to that old Queenslander and its great oak, I realise that time moves on, even if buildings stay physically the same. It takes more than four walls to make a house a home.
by RICHARD
Dialogue should contain the essence of actual speech; it should sound authentic even if it is contrived. Common speech is typified by: unfinished sentences, repetition, uncued changes of subject matter, hesitant phenomena and grammatical knots.
Benefits of using dialogue:
Dialogue for "Little Red Riding Hood meets the Wolf" needs to let readers know that: the Wolf means harm, allays any fears Red had, develop Red's sense of security, establish that the meeting was not purely accidental, re-establish Red's reputation as a good girl who does not talk to strangers, signals Red's determination to get to grandma's house directly, downgrades the importance of this meeting along the way in her mind, and builds up tension in the readers' minds.
is a distinctive feature of an author
It's good to be aware of your own voice.
To find it, re-read your work aloud with others.
Familiarise yourself with the characteristics of your voice &
style.
Identify features of your usual point of view, vocabulary and
syntax.
Have your writing partner assess your work.
"The style is the man." Buffon
Compare the different writing styles of say a psalm, an essay and a novel:
"The sun shall be no more they light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory." Isaiah 60:19
"The multiplicity of religious sects tolerated among us, of which everyone has found opponents and vindicators, is another source of unexhaustible publication, almost peculiar to ourselves; for controversies cannot be long continued, nor frequently revived, where an inquisitor has a right to shut up the disputants in dungeons." (1744)
"From this document I learned that Mr. Micawber, being again arrested, was in a final paroxysm of despair; and that he begged me to send him his knife and pint pot, by bearer, as they might prove serviceable during the brief remainder of his existence in jail." Dickens David Copperfield (1850)
A writer's style is what makes the writing distinctive.
Style stems from the writer's purpose and personality.
Style involves: choice of words (vocabulary); sentence patterns;
attitude to the subject of the writing; choice of point of view
Style describes the writer's distinctive voice.
"Style" describes the mood of the writing: dramatic, censorious,
argumentative, lighthearted, humorous, jocular, sincere, genuine,
etc.
Style can be described as wordy, abstract, concise, scientific,
metaphorical, conventional, creative, youthful, staid, grandiloquent,
or philosophical, etc.
Style characteristics:
First person: "I" for immediacy emotional power and authority. voice of involvement. Narrator as a character in the story e.g., The Catcher in the Rye.
Second Person: "you" as in instructions and adventure
Third Person "he/she/they" Omniscient "God's eye" e.g. in Dickens, Middlemarch. Narrator does not appear in the story but knows everything about everyone. Often in adventure as it offers little scope for reflection on events.
Limited third person - through the consciousness of one The reader knows only what that character knows; gaps in knowledge. e,.g Hammond Innes, Guns of Navarone, etc.
Objective or dramatic 3rd person - omniscient (all-knowing): Writer offers bare details and lets reader work out the rest, to deduce motives. e.g., E. Hemingway The Old Man and the Sea.
The Exercise: Describe a hold up using the three points of view.
3rd person omniscient: The lady in blue gave a scream; the gunman leapt onto the counter; a teller ran for the alarm. The holdup in the Holdsworthy Commonwealth Bank had begun as unpredictably as it ended. In no time at all, everyone was face down on the floor. There were a few gruff shouts, one gunshot rang out and the daring bank robbers were gone.
3rd person sympathetic: The customer, a lady in blue gave a shout and a gunman leapt up onto our counter. Life at the Holdsworthy Commonwealth Bank was boring and its customers had never seen such sudden alarm. The customers got down on the floor really quickly; they heard a few rude shouts, one of them shot his gun to prove a point and then they melted away. At time of writing they are all still in shock.
First person account: I couldn't believe it; naturally I screamed when I saw him with a gun. From behind me, he leapt onto the counter and the teller ran for the alarm button. I realised I was in a holdup at my own Holdsworthy Commonwealth Bank! Like everyone else I got down on the floor. They shouted their orders, one fired his gun and then they were gone.
Left hand crayon drawing; left hand writing
Right hand crayon drawing; right hand writing.
Compare.
1. Do the Brain Gym prep exercise to focus on a place to visit and
write about it.
2. Suggest a string of words and have the class write to include all
of them: e.g., fireplace library rug mirror
Say the story in one sentence (may take a week to decide on it) Ask does it carry my chosen theme?
Eliminating adjectives and adverbs exercise Style advice
"Tops and tails" samples in Dear Writer Carmel Bird
Who are you?
ƒ¨Ýç
Oh really? And just who do you think owns this Moon?
¬øˆ¨¥©µ
Well then... let's see about that! Take me to your leader.
ååå78ååå^^åååå##åå...
The Speed Trap, 22/3/97
OK I was speeding - I knew it and the cop did too. But he needed my passenger to confirm it; was I going to be honest or protect myself?
That stretch of road near the Forest is a mad mile - everyone knows it. Who knows how many near misses occur there every day from speeding. There's no lights and the road surface is good.
So there I was - sticking to my story: "90 perhaps 95, Officer." I prevaricated but the speed gun would have to prove me wrong, there was a chance in that I had read in recent papers. I knew that and he knew that. If he couldn't pin it on me now, he couldn't in any court later. It is Justice Raw in tooth and claw here by the highway; him or me.
I studied his face. My companion nudged me: "Go on!" Well what was there to lose anyway. I thought? traffic raced past. I was not going to yield!
(NB Entirely fictional - can you tell the difference?)
Audience Awareness: Methods of Development
Use the following methods as paragraph development for your essay.
Some methods are good for any audience; for others, you must use your
judgment.
* Narration develops the topic as a story. Most events are
arranged in chronological order (as they occurred). Narration is
based on facts and true experiences. Good for audiences who read for
more than just information.
* Description uses sight, sounds, odors
and whatever other sensory detail to let the reader experience
the situation under discussion. The audience here is more visual in
nature; also this method is good for the audience who needs to see
the runaway, the results of a failed experiment, or the nature of
your alarm about a particular topic.
* Illustration (exemplification) requires in-depth examples. Shows
the reader rather than tells. Most audience need a variety of
illustration.
* Definition specifies what, when, where,
how and why of the topic under consideration. If the audience
does not know your topic, this is a must. Or if you are trying to
display your topic in an unusual manner, use definition.
* Division attempts to subdivide a complex topic. When addressing
a complex problem, many audiences will need the writer's aid. Break
down the problem into smaller more manageable parts.
* Classification works by classifying the problem under discussion
with others of its kind. With an antagonistic audience or one who is
unfamiliar with your topic, this works well.
* Comparison and contrast shows
similarities and differences between two like topics. Most audiences
appreciate a well-developed compare/contrast paragraph (essay).
* Analogy merges the familiar and the unfamiliar. Use for the
audience who might be intimidated by your topic. For example, you
might draw an analogy between gene splicing (your topic) and the
cut/paste command on the computer. However your analogy must be
believable!
* Cause and effect illustrates how
something happened or what the consequences are. Audiences of all
types rely on this type of information.
* Process analysis gives practical 'how to' information. If you are trying to show your audience how to do something or how something works, this is a must.
Be creative about your choices of character attributes, settings, plot, style and theme.Consider employing an innovative point of view.
Use detailed descriptions of persons and places.
Avoid unnecessary inconsistencies, contradictions and improbabilities unless they are necessary for your purpose.
Write clean prose and authentic dialogue.
Be aware that effective beginnings & endings make a narrative successful.
Observe the usual conventions of standard prose.
Your target audience is intelligent journal readers alive today.
Planning the Assessment
I keep six honest serving men
They taught me all I knew:
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who
Rudyard Kipling
You may want to draw a mind map of the problem with these six words as nodes
on the map.
What Where
\ /
\ /
\ /
When -------------- Problem: -------------- How
/ \
/ \
/ \
Why Who
A story is a series of events leading to a climax. It is read at one sitting. Suspense is built up with the telling of the plot.
The best story for this assessment is a linear one in chronological order - look at the Aesop's fables for models of this.
It is best to use "real time" that is, the action takes only as long as it takes to read the story.
Avoid big time gaps in the chain of events. Gaps sap interest. So use no "Two years later ..." phrases.
Letters do not replace action in narratives; they merely support, explain or foreshadow it.
Reading letters is not 'action'.
PLANNING AIDE
The act of revision allows us the freedom to change and grow, to become the best writers we can be, to communicate truly to other human beings. We cannot do this in our daily lives, as we do not have the time. Where else but in the writing class can we find someone to spend the time and energy to help us find the exact words, the precise way to communicate how we think and feel, for only in our writing do we have the luxury of showing how thoughtful, how creative, how caring we really are. We recreate ourselves each time we allow our fingers to change a word, add a sentence, or throw out a paragraph. We need to thank our editors for helping us do that.
A Reviewing Checklistambiguous or vague pronoun references?
borrowed phrases to impress? - language of one author is consistent in standard not a pastiche
explain why quotations are relevant in the discussion - they don't speak for themselves
simplify flowery language, waffle, padding, wordiness, nonspecific abstractions, fuzzied expressions
writing for intelligent readers?
used required punctuation: apostrophes, inverted commas, etc... Numbers<100 in words
used link words to give direction in the story? - that it all leads up to a conclusion
effective paragraphing?
specifics instead of superficial comments and unresearched observations?
need to go further - make a point of an critical observation
better word choices - search for the right word
spellings correct, homonym confusions avoided?
authentic dialogue?
1. Negotiate a task with your teacher.
2. Write HYPOTHESES: "If I were God ..."
See:
Jason Hamilton is a senior in English/creative writing and
psychology.
3. TRANSFORM a piece you select (e.g., from a novel, newspaper) by changing the author's point of view, the time or place setting, or the gender of the character(s).
Writing with Gender-Fair Language: The Generic He/Man Problem by Jenny R. Redfern, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Carmel Bird Dear Writer McPhee
Gribble/Penguin 1988.
Garry Disher, Writing Fiction: An introduction to the craft
Penguin 1989.
Garry Disher, The Difference to me Prize winning stories Angus
& Robertson 1988.
Garry Disher (Ed.) Personal Best:Third Australian authors choose
their best short stories Angus and Robertson Imprint 1989.
Kate Grenville The Writing Book Allen & Unwin Sydney
1990.
John Marsden Everything I know about writing.
Valerie Parv The Idea Factory Allen & Unwin 1995.
Rod Pretty Creative Poetry New Farm Writers' Group?
First person voice; a persona may be used
not just a recountal but flavoured and shaped by emotions
positions readers to agree; colourful language; emotions expressed; regret appropriate
purpose: to inform and entertain
a possible structure: