The Monkey’s Paw
W.W. Jacobs
Communicating Meaning:
Creative Writing Assignment
Now that you have read and discussed the elements (plot, theme, characters, setting) of
W. W. Jacob’s “The Monkey’s Paw”, your are ready to use your new ideas in a creative
writing assignment. Review your effective writing strategies handout in preparation for
your writing. Follow the steps carefully. All steps will have to be handed in for
evaluation.
1. When wishing on “The Monkey’s Paw”, wishes are granted, but are doomed to come
true through hurting the person who wished upon the paw. You will be given a list of
possible wishes from which to choose (from the brainstorming in class).
2. Stage 1: Planning: Review these wishes and think about how each of these wishes
could come true, but by coming true, the person who wished it ends up getting hurt;
something bad happens. Use only fictional characters in your story. Your story will
be from first or third point of view, but if you choose first point of view you assume a
different identity than yourself.
Brainstorm how each wish could turn bad. These wishes do not have to be
interconnected. You are planning to see which wish will work best for your story.
When you are done brainstorming you will choose only one of these wishes to use.
You can then make up the other two wishes to make your story better.
Example. The three wishes are:
1. I wish for a million dollars.
2. I wish for a new car.
3. I wish for eternal life.
Your brainstorming might look something like this:
Wish 1: million dollars
Wish 2: new car
Wish 3: eternal life
-goes bad because million
-goes bad because you’re in -goes bad because the
dollars is gotten by
a car accident with new car character gets old and is in
character having to kidnap
and you lose the privilege to poor health and cannot walk
rich man’s son and get
drive for several years
or do anything on his/her
caught and spend rest of life -maybe new car gets you a
own; live a miserable life as
in jail; money goes to man
lot of new friends and you
all friends and family die
-maybe money is granted
ditch your old ones and then before him/her
and then the character is
realize friends are true
-framed for crime a
kidnapped by someone who friends so wish for old ones character didn’t commit and
holds him/her ransom
back
sentenced to life in prison
and lives rest of eternity in
prison
So, you choose your favorite option. I think I’ll choose the wish for eternal life and the
life in prison option. Then, plan your additional wishes around that. Now, you forget the
rest of the wishes you were assigned. They were meant just to get you thinking about all
of your options.
Now, your planning continues with your topic clarified.
Wish 1: eternal life
Wish 2: wish to get out of prison – then no one believes you and you are social outcast
Wish 3: next crime pinned right on you and put back in jail again; wish to be released
and have everything back to normal
Then you continue planning your plot, developing your characters, setting, point of view
and wish.
3. Continue following the writing process; drafting, revising, proofreading, and
publishing. We will do a peer revising and proofreading assignment once the rough draft
is due.


Draft
Revision & proofreading complete (on draft and on COPS handout)
4. Publish your work in a final copy. We will share them with the class when complete.
Published work:
-plot organized, logical and creative
-characters well developed
-setting well described
-theme; as in original story
-COPS/ structure
-voice as a writer
Be creative and enjoy producing a short story!!