Below are a selection of the notes and tasks we have used in class to develop our creative writing skills. There are also some additions that we have only skimmed over in class but could be useful for the students as a reference point.
Figurative Devices
Personification-L2-1Show, Not Tell!
Show-not-TellPrepositions
Creative-Writing-Year-10Narrative Point of View
Point-of-View.pptxEditing
Level-1-Proof-reading-and-editingExtracts from the Experts
Setting-Descriptions-L2Activities
- To spark some creative thoughts, we used Pobble365 as a starting platform. Students selected an image from the site to use as a starting point for writing a description.
- Describe your bedroom without using the letter ‘w’. This task asks students to think about varying their word choices.
- Planning for the senses- sight, smell, hear, taste and touch. We watched the opening sequence of Sleepy Hollow and then tried to describe the scene in the first person.
- Gothic setting brainstorm. We have spent time discussing the common elements that are present in a gothic setting. Below is a snapshot of our whiteboard following the conversation:
- Using the second person narrative voice. We spent time getting used to using ‘you’ and ‘your’ and the second person. To start, we described our morning routine. From here, the students spent time ‘free-writing’ with the stipulation that their work must be in the second person.
Handy Links
Foreshadowing- a definition, description and examples.
Pobble 365- an engaging starting point for unleashing the imagination.
A nice blog post which has some handy hints on writing creatively.
A look at rich and imaginative settings from well-known authors.
A great look into writing descriptively- think show, not tell!