Creative Writing
Thursday, September 29, 2011
TODAY’S TARGETS
• Identify methods of developing plot in a
story
• Define the various forms of narrative voice
• Evaluate the impact of different forms of
narrative voice on your own writing
Word of the Day
disheveled \dih-SHEV-uhld\, adjective; also dishevelled:
In loose disorder; disarranged; unkempt; as, "disheveled
hair."
His cheeks were perpetually rosy, and his thinning sandy
brown hair was brushed straight back -- and disheveled just
enough to suggest a man in a hurry. -- Kai Bird, The Color
of Truth
I was known for my disheveled attire, messy desk and
erratic work habits. -- Michael Isikoff, Uncovering Clinton
He was wearing a disheveled shirt buttoned up wrong and a
belt outside the belt loops and even with the beanie on his
head looked as always handsome. -- Susan Minot, Evening
TODAY’S TASKS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Journal write
2 truths and a lie
Writing portfolios
Have Spilling Ink homework checked
Developing plot ideas
Identify and determine your narrative
voice
7. Quiz tomorrow
8. HOMEWORK:
•
•
Study for quiz tomorrow
Finish Narrative Voice assignment (if time
permits to start this in class)
Journal Write
• Watch and write: What is the story
here?
Writing Portfolios
• A place to store your work in the classroom
• A place to collect ideas that you can draw
from later (or not depending on what inspires
you at any given time)
To Outline or Not?
• Spilling Ink Reading (pages 46-52) Read on your own
and take notes on the following in your journal.
1. If you are going to write your story without an outline,
what things do you need to consider when
writing? What ideas should drive your plot? (46-52)
2. What should you do or think about if you find that
your story is going in a different direction from what
you had planned? (53-54)
3. Review Question: Stories need conflict. How can you
develop conflict in a story, and how should this
conflict relate to the goal/motivation/conflict
chart? How does this conflict drive the plot?
Developing Plot
• To outline or not to outline?
• Ideas for outlining
– Four parts
• Alternatives to outlining
To outline or not
• Spilling Ink Reading (pages 46-52) Read on your own and
take notes on the following in your journal.
1. If you are going to write your story without an outline, what
things do you need to consider when writing? What ideas
should drive your plot? (46-52)
2. What should you do or think about if you find that your
story is going in a different direction from what you had
planned? (53-54)
3. Review Question: Stories need conflict. How can you
develop conflict in a story, and how should this conflict
relate to the goal/motivation/conflict chart? How does
this conflict drive the plot?
Ideas for Outlining Plot
• Write a timeline for your story
• Brainstorm events then put them in order later
• Establish events on a plot diagram (You know, the
thing that looks like a mountain.)
• Use ideas from “Blake’s Beat Sheet” (Thanks to
author Pat White for this one. And on the topic
of Pat White, she is interested in leading another
creative writing group this year. Give me your
name and email if interested, and I will pass the
info along to her.)
Narrative Voice
(Spilling Ink pages 69-76)
• First person (I)
– main key: The voice needs to be true to your character narrating
and will be more personal.
– Mick Hart Was Here, Flipped, Stargirl
• Second Person (You)
• Third person limited (He/She/It)
– The Hunger Games
• Third Person Omniscient (He/She/It)
• Reliable or unreliable?
– Unreliable: Think “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe
– Reliable: Most other stories
Quiz Overview
• Define the different forms of narrative voice
• Identify the key component in fiction
• Identify the key things you need to consider
about your character
• Be prepared to tell your thoughts on how you
think that you will plot your writing.
Narrative Voice Assignment
1.Select a scene that you wrote
previously. It can be one of your
journal writes.
2.Rewrite it from a different narrative
voice.
3.Explain how this impacted the story or
scene.
• Purpose: Practice in narrative voice to
see how a shift can impact the way
the story/scene is told.