anti's Guide to Writing Creatively (2 Viewers)

[anti]

I've noticed quite a lot of you are struggling with the creative writing section of the paper, and I hope my advice can be of use to you. Creative writing is by far my favourite part of the English paper because for me it requires no prior study

The first thing to remember is that no matter how creative you are normally, during the exam you have, a time limit, you're in exam conditions, and you have other parts of the paper to write.

keep it short; keep it simple.
I advise if you are not comfortable with creative writing to tackle it last - unless you have a pre-prepared creative piece (which is unlikely due to the variety of questions they could ask you) it is hard to think creatively straight away after reading time. If you are a strong creative writer you may want to leave this to the end too. The important thing is to limit your time writing so that you get to the point and you get the marks. Assuming you have 40-50 minutes for this section, a nice split is:
5-10 minutes planning : you need to know what you're writing. Very important!
25-35 minutes writing : not very long. You need to get straight to the point
5 minutes checking : a lot of people skip this but it's important to make sense!


Ideas
Because you're in exam conditions it's really, really hard to think creatively. This is the other reason I advise you leave this section to the end; having completed the rest of the paper you won't be as stressed and you can relax and (I won't say 'enjoy'!) sail through this part of the paper.

Thinking of ideas is probably the hardest part; once you have this down the rest of the plan is a breeze and then writing it is equally simple. I've mentioned my process for thinking of ideas in another thread and I'll rework it here. You can do this pre-thinking BEFORE the exam so you go in there with a swag of fresh and uncliched ideas - in fact, that's a really good thing to do.

* Think of something you know very well. It might be the pen you're holding that you've used for every single exam since 3rd grade. It might be your pet goldfish. It might be your house.
* Think of three other things related to that first thing. Why? So you have a variety of ideas.
* Think (and write down!!!) ways that these three or four things can relate to Journeys. Don't copy an idea (goldfish -> caught by net -> his dad goes to search for him.. Uh, I think I've heard that somewhere) but think of inventive ones. A fish who thinks he's a bird and searches for ways he can fly, only to be swallowed up by a bird and the bird flies off (ha ha).. A house that gets up and walks every day. You could also rehash a fairy tale or myth - not by copying it but by tweaking the actual plot itself. Red Riding Hood who goes on a journey but before she reaches her grandmother's house decides to turn around.
* Decide on a suitable ending (twists are good but hard - a reflection is much easier - "Oh how you've changed!"), quickly sketch an outline (girl -> walks through wood -> ... -> is eaten by dog etc etc)

If you're not writing a story / poem / letter and the question is related to speeches or feature articles, I would still use the same planning technique of thinking of one idea / object and working out relationships between that thing and Journeys.

Structure
Non-stories also require a bit of your planning time to go into structuring your piece. What does this mean?

As you know an essay is essentially a collection of paragraphs and you structure each of them to revolve around an argument. Similarly a text like a speech or a feature article has various standout techniques that require structuring. I'll go through the feature article here.

Feature articles use a variety of techniques that you should have studied: pullout lines, short sentences, descriptive words, anecdotes, informal language, quotes, jokes, et al. You don't need to use all of them, although you should use:

* A title. It doesn't have to be catchy, but if you come up with a good pun be my guest.
* Appropriate tone. A feature article is not an essay with a title. It's important for you to attempt to create a relationship with the reader. It's perfectly acceptable to use 'I' and 'we' in a creative text, or even to write an anecdote using the second person 'you'. Keep it simple and don't get bogged down in details.
* Specialised content. I hate to say this but you can't write a feature article without having some understanding of what you're writing about. Statistics or quotes from related sources and important events in the past or present are a good way to show understanding. Informative but not scientifically detailed.

It differs for everybody but generally when I'm planning I write in dot points in order of writing. For example, for a feature article in a novice-techy magazine about the future of telephony

- calling home is easier than ever [title]
-- story not being able to get in contact with family when younger [anecdote]
-- in fact, % of 13 and older have a mobile phone
-- start of industry's revolution - opinions? [point]
--- development of mobile phones
--- the internet
---- development of webcams / chat rooms / instant messaging
--- ip telephony (voip)
-- how this has changed our lives
--- the way we talk to one another
--- how often we see one another
--- advantages and disadvantages?
-- another anecdote (funny) about still getting lost even though we have mobiles
-- close with quote

(please don't kill me! I just made it up then)
Notice how it doesn't have a traditional essay structure (at least I wouldn't give it one) - rather, it relates back to society / in particular the AUDIENCE of the article.


Using texts
The one thing I've skimmed over is how to use your prescribed and related texts in your creative piece. Remember to use the correct number of related texts! Some ways of including your prescribed texts include: quoting from them, pulling out an idea or ideas from them, describe the themes (NOT the content) evident in your texts.

 

[Happeninchick]

Thanks so much for that! I am having trouble with establishing something to write about and that has made things a lot clearer! Just a question though - do we have to include our prescribed and related texts into our creative writing section?

 

[anti]

Thanks so much for that! I am having trouble with establishing something to write about and that has made things a lot clearer! Just a question though - do we have to include our prescribed and related texts into our creative writing section?

Yeah, I do believe the section asks you to refer to your texts.

[NB: This was later corrected - you shouldn't refer to your texts in Section 2 unless specifically requested to do so.]

 

[Logix]

i dont think u need to refer to any of ur texts. btw, there was very helpful anti thx for that

wat kinda techniques can u put into a creative writing apart from descriptive langauge. im finding it hard to put techniques in, like for example putting in metaphors, imagery, etc

can u help?

 

[Happeninchick]

I was just going over last years paper and all it was saying to refer to the stimulus images that it included on the page after. Nothing about any prepared texts etc. I am so hoping we don't have to refer to prescribed and realted texts! ARGH! Cause that puts a whole new spin on things...

 

[Logix]

im quite sure we dont need to

 

[anti]

i dont think u need to refer to any of ur texts. btw, there was very helpful anti thx for that

wat kinda techniques can u put into a creative writing apart from descriptive langauge. im finding it hard to put techniques in, like for example putting in metaphors, imagery, etc

can u help?

Creative writing is section 3 of the AoS paper, isn't it? I'm pretty sure this is still related to your texts altho you might not be asked to refer to them explicitly.

How to put techniques in - to use them? Metaphors and images are extensions of descriptive language! You are probably using them already.

Metaphor:
"the water was a mirror"
"the air shimmered"

Imagery (and some personification!):
"the grey slab of basalt had sat quietly for years"

So for example in a feature article about the Rocks:
"One's first impression of Sydney is a city caught between the past and the future; weathered sandstone cottages standing meekly beside towering skyrise office blocks. Nearby, the Opera House is a beacon to the wide variety of ferries, catamarans and other water-vehicles which sail past merrily throughout the day..."

 

[Logix]

dunno, i thoought the creative writing was section 2.

how do u come up with those descriptions?? hwo come i cant? oh well i was never good at creative writing..

so, got any extensions on that plot on the house walking? sounds interesting

 

[Logix]

my teacher was telling us to use a metaphor that runs throughout the whole narrative, like travelling on a road or along the river or soemthing. is that a metaphor?

 

[Happeninchick]

Yeah creative writing is section 2. Section 1 is the comprehension questions and section 3 is the prescribed text response (encorporating the stimulus booklet material and your related material).

 

[anti]

My mistake Thanks happeninchick and Logix.

Yeah, a metaphor is something which is described as though it is something else. Travelling on a road is the most blunt, in-your-face way of saying "hi i'm talking about a journey"

How I write about things? Good practise is to try to talk about things in terms of other things ('that guy is as blunt as a hammer') or to put adjectives in front of / after nouns ('her shadowy form glistened enticingly as she seductively beckoned to him..)

 

[grimmo]

Thanx for sorting that out guys, did get a bit nervous at the thought of more related material! Good luck to all for monday and wedensday, especially for creative writting! xx

 

[Happeninchick]

Thanx for sorting that out guys, did get a bit nervous at the thought of more related material! Good luck to all for monday and wedensday, especially for creative writting! xx

Thanks a heap! I got scared too... All the best for your HSC too!

 

[vazza]

I'd like to personally thank Anti,
I really suck at creative writing and of the whole HSC english paper (both the AOS and the Modules), Iv'e been most worried about Section 2 (Creative Writing). You've cleared so much up for me and given me motivation to start practising my creative writing (though a bit l8) throuhg explaining how i can get get better at it. I'd also like to thank happeninchick and Logix for saying and askin the things that i would not have felt confident about asking.

Thanx

 

[Logix]

haha.....no need to thank my vazza, all u need to thank is anti....he is the one with the brains.

so anti, how od u sustain metaphors in ur writing? and btw, have u done the hsc or r u doin it this year?

 

[miss_pie]

my teacher suggested that we develop a character before the exam that we can take in with us, try to develop a personality and ways that the character would respond to certian situations. seems like a good idea, dont know if i could be bothered though

 

[anti]

haha.....no need to thank my vazza, all u need to thank is anti....he is the one with the brains.

so anti, how od u sustain metaphors in ur writing? and btw, have u done the hsc or r u doin it this year?

Awwww thanks guys! It's nice to know what I write is being appreciated (even if it's late - at least it can inspire you over the weekend, right?)

How does one sustain metaphors.. well, I'll take your idea of a river. You can consider that rivers start gushing out of a mountain somewhere high up and that eventually they lead to the sea (or at least a larger body of water). What you could do in your planning is to say 'well, that reminds me of this kind of journey' - maybe the (cliched) journey from one of a bunch of yr12 kids at your school who journey out into the wide wide world (please don't do that idea!!) - you can link the two in your head easily. Don't try for anything too complex.. simple metaphors work best.

Then you could maybe change your plot (because that one is too cliched) to be a man who has great doubts about something in his life. He starts off very narrow minded and cold; one day his wife leaves him. Distraught, he decides to go bushwalking (all this is very brief, mind - you really don't have time to build character or location unless it's REALLY important) and he happens upon the start of a stream. He associates things along his journey with his life - perhaps one animal hunting another as the 'corporate ladder', or the sun rising as seeing his wife for the first time etc etc. These are all metaphors of course Along the way he follows the stream and as he stumbles upon SELF-REALISATION the stream becomes broader indicating a wider way of thinking / open mindedness. Finally he ends up at the ocean staring out at the sunset or something. You don't need to wrap it up ie. he doesn't have to say something cliched like 'I'm going to go find my wife and be a better man'; you don't have to wrap it up like that - this way the audience will be aware that you're concerned with his journey rather than his conclusion / resolution.

Wow I wrote a lot. That's just one idea that I got from your 'stream/river' thing .. you could always pull heaps more out of other types of journeys. Natural things are naturally (excuse the pun!) good for journeys - streams, building up, erosion etc. Also manmade things like buildings going up, coming down, etc.

------------


For the record, the he is a she, and I did my HSC in 2002. Cheers.

 

[anti]

my teacher suggested that we develop a character before the exam that we can take in with us, try to develop a personality and ways that the character would respond to certian situations. seems like a good idea, dont know if i could be bothered though

Yeah, that's a great idea if you don't want to think too hard about characterisation in an exam. However, two points:

Firstly, the exam usually tries to let you be you; ie write from a teenager's perspective, young person's perspective, Australian's perspective. You don't have to go out of your way to try to be someone different.

Secondly, you don't have time to build character up (even in a letter or story). It's much easier to write in the kind of tone of voice you know well than to try to write like a fifty year old Parisian.

 

[Logix]

ok im using that storyline

but r u supposed to write from a first person, 2nd person, or 3rd person?

 

[Logix]

and how do u associate things with others?