Hades0918 ✭✭✭✭✭

LOl I think your right.

Feels logical!

Definitely logical!

🤓Erm i dont use the ai thingy anymore. its tooo anoying

I'm not so sure about that... Your beginnings have all seemed really good to me so far!

Aw, thank you! All it takes is me staring at a blank text box for 15-30 minutes straight...

I couldn't tell from reading it, so I think you're doing well.

Thank you! I'm glad!

your beginnings are great

Thank you! As long as y'all aren't disappointed it's all good!

a beginning should strt with a flashback or flash-forward thats how i do it

That's Such a great idea!!!

Aw, thank you!

🤨

What?

🤨

I can give some tips (from my teach)

1: Intro to Stories
Homework: Write the beginning of a story entitled ‘An Unexpected Visitor’

2: Key Features of Good Writing
Effective: generates the effects that the reader wants 

Precise: meaning is clear, reader doesn’t have to figure out what something means due to unclear phrasing/poor use of vocabulary

Devices: a wide range of techniques helps make the writing interesting and engaging

Consistent: tone and style of the writing is consistent so as not to cause confusion

2: Continued
It was a dark night and the wind was howling loudly everywhere. The trees were shaking and it was really scary and creepy. John was walking down the road and he felt scared because it was scary and he didn’t like it at all. The night was dark and the road was empty and there was nothing around except darkness and fear.
Suddenly, he heard a noise. It was a strange noise and it made him feel scared again. He looked around quickly and his heart was beating fast and loudly in his chest. Then he started running because he didn’t want to be there anymore and it was too scary for him. The wind kept blowing and it was still very dark.
Meanwhile, earlier that day, John had been at school and everything was normal and fine. He had maths and English and lunch and then he went home. His teacher was talking about homework but he didn’t really listen because he was thinking about other things. Then it became night again and he was outside for some reason.
Back on the road, he tripped over something and fell down hard onto the ground. It hurt a lot and he shouted loudly. The noise he heard before happened again and it was even louder this time and very, very scary. He got up and ran again quickly and fast as he could possibly run.
Homework: Rewrite the text in slides to have the features we discussed.


3: Narrative Writing
What does narrative writing contain?
A series of events
Over a period of time
Character and setting descriptions
A point to the story (a reason to care about it)
Group work practice: Take the opening sentence ‘Yesterday was a day I’ll never forget.’ Write down examples of each of the above features (what events the story might include, how it might end, who/what might be described, why the reader might care about it).


3 Narrative Writing: Perspectives
1st person narrator:

3rd person singular: 

3rd person multiple:

Homework: Choose a narrator and write a paragraph based on the ‘Yesterday’ sentence. Then rewrite the same paragraph but with a different kind of narrator.


4: Setting and Characters
Questions to ask:
How will I describe the setting?
How is going to be part of the story?
What is going to happen?
How can I make it interesting?

4: Setting and Characters
Homework:
Choose a picture and begin writing a story set in that location. Introduce at least one character and briefly describe the location.   

4 Setting and Characters Model Answer: 
Railway tracks stretch into the distance, reaching desperately towards the solitary cloud which hangs lifelessly, before disappearing into nothing, swallowed by the vast blue of the sky. It’s a bracing November day, and despite the brilliant sunlight, the air is piercingly cold. A crow lands on the tracks, croaks, and then leaves again. Whistling winds begin, whipping the grass into a frenzy.Feeling the ground against his face, he wakes up. Groggy. Disorientated. No clue where he is; even less, how he got here. After a short wait, he begins to pull himself to his feet. Every movement sends a jolt of agony coursing through him, and as he places his weight on his left foot it is filled with a searing pain unlike no other. He collapses back into a heap. Brushing his hair out of his eyes, he feels it thick and matted: there is blood on his hands now, thick, almost black. He checks his pockets. No phone. No wallet. Nothing. 
Determined, he knew he had to do something. He hauled himself, once more, to his feet. Limping, he picked a direction and began to follow the tracks. They had to lead somewhere. He needed help, food, drink, and medical attention. He needed to find his way home. Each step was torture, but he soldiered on. The winds made it difficult, and the brilliant sun’s glare did its best to blind him, but he trudged onwards for what seemed like hours. The time passed uneventfully, until the tracks started to rumble and vibrate underfoot. The stone chippings that lay between the railway sleepers began to dance and jump, increasingly energetically. Roaring, like the ocean, but not, filled his ears: distant at first, but then closer, and closer, and closer. He jumped off the tracks, determined to flag down the train and secure some much needed assistance. But it hurtled past him, and down the tracks, which stretched into the distance, reaching desperately towards the solitary cloud which hung lifelessly, before disappearing into nothing, swallowed by the vast blue of the sky.


5 Elements of Writing: Similes
• Purpose? 
• 1 - Clarifying or specifying
• 2 - Emphasising or exaggerating
• 3 - Simplifying or comparing
• Usage?
• Like…
• As if…
• Seemed/appeared/looked to be…
• Evaluation? Is it effective? Does it achieve one of the 3 purposes above?
• Homework: choose a famous building/street/place and try to describe it using as many different similes as possible.


6: Elements of Writing: Personification
• Objects of personification
• 1 - inanimate objects (the rusty lock refused to be opened, the car groaned with the weight of all the luggage)
• 2 - weather (the wind screamed through the branches, the snow smothered the town, the sun smiled down on Earth, the clouds mourned sadly)
• 3 - animals (the lion roared with anger, the parrot scratched its chin in confusion, the cat whispered in response)
• 4 - concepts/ideas/emotions (fear imprisoned him, time passed by leisurely, joy cheered in him)
Homework: for each of the 4 categories above, write two sentences that use personification.


7: Elements of Writing Metaphor
When and why do we use metaphors?

What makes a good metaphor?

What should a metaphor contain?

What types of metaphor are there?

7: Elements of Writing: Metaphor 
Effective or ineffective?
Her voice was a lighthouse in the fog of his despair.
My thoughts were a tangled rope, knotted but not going anywhere.
His ideas were islands drifting apart on a sea of post-it notes.
Time is a thief, stealing youth in the quietest of moments.
Solitude is a shadow that grows in silence.
The stars were whispers from a past too vast to remember. 
Grief hung over him like a wet coat.
The city was a tired old man, coughing and grumpy. 
Homework: Write the beginning of a story ‘Journey through the forest,’ using metaphors for the setting description, character description, and any events or emotions that occur to the character.

8: Similes, Metaphors, Personification

“The wind fell, for a second, round Thornfield; but far away over the wood I heard a wild, melancholy wail: it seemed sad as a lament for the dead, and strange as a prophecy of doom. Then it swelled and rushed on, and swept the grounds like a mighty wave; the laurel walk shuddered and trembled; the great horse-chestnut at the bottom of the garden groaned, while its boughs writhed in the strong blast, and their leaves lashed the air like whips.”
“The sea had jeeringly kept his finite body up, but drowned the infinite of his soul. As far as I could see, the horizon was a rim of molten metal, and the sun flung down its arrows of light, like a mighty spear-shower on the glassy expanse. The whale, massive and monstrous, seemed a floating mountain of white, a moving iceberg in the midst of the trembling waters, and the waves curled and broke around him like the hands of an angry giant.”
Homework: Write a story entitled ‘New Beginnings’, using as much simile, metaphor and personification as possible.


9: Alliteration, Sound Symbolism, Repetition
How can we use sounds to create particular effects?
Sibilance: s, sh, z. Can produce a soft, soothing and flowing effect. ‘And the sad, silken, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain.’
Cacophony: t, k, g, b. Harsh sounds all together. Creates a chaotic, sharp, disordered or tense effect. ‘With throats unslaked, with black lips baked, agape they heard me call.’
Assonance: shared vowels in the middle of words to link words together:
“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.”

9: Alliteration, Sound Symbolism, Repetition
“The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, / The furrow followed free; / We were the first that ever burst /Into that silent sea.”
“’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves /Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; / All mimsy were the borogoves, / And the mome raths outgrabe.”
“A heap of broken images, where the sun beats, /  And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief, / And the dry stone no sound of water.”

“The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas;”

“The bright knight rides lightly, fighting frightful foes.”

“A light exists in spring
Not present on the year
At any other period —
When March is scarcely here.”

9: Alliteration, Sound Symbolism, Repetition
Instructions: Create your own sentences (2-3) for each sound device. 
Sibilance – Use repeated “s” or “sh” sounds. Device: Describe something soft, sneaky, or slippery. Example: “Silent shadows slithered across the silver sand.”
Assonance – Repeat a vowel sound inside a sentence. Prompt: Describe a scene, feeling, or object using vowel sounds to make it musical. Example: “The moon swooned over the cool, blue lagoon.”
Cacophony – Use harsh consonants like k, t, g, b, d. Prompt: Describe a fight, a storm, or a noisy place. Example: “Crashing carts tumbled, banging against the broken barrels.”
Tip: Focus on sound first, meaning and imagery second.


10: Story Writing, Group Practice
Brainstorm as much of a story as you can in 20 minutes. Choose between the titles ‘Through the Jungle’ or ‘An Insurmountable Challenge.’
Work together to decide: what the opening 2-3 should be (these should be written out in full)
Who the characters will be (if more than one): write at least one full sentence describing a character.
What the setting is like: you should write at least one sentence describing the setting of the story
Make a list of events that may occur, and how the story may end

Homework: write out the story that you planned in full

11: Levelling up vocabulary
How could we improve this sentence? 
‘The clock tower was big and lots of people were looking at it.’ 
Spotting basic vocabulary:
Simple: big, good, very, bad, hot, cold
Repetitive: it was very busy and very crowded
Vague: nice, fun, things, got, have, interesting, strange
How to upgrade vocabulary - don’t just add, but replace instead
Big -> very big -> colossal
He walked -> he walked slowly -> he strolled
Upgrade these sentences:
The man was very angry
He got happy when the sun came out
How did you make such a big mistake?

11: Levelling up vocabulary (continued)
Where to look for better vocabulary:
Online thesaurus (https://www.thesaurus.com/)
Search a word + synonyms on google (e.g. ‘scary synonyms’)
Noting down new vocabulary when reading
Homework - rewrite this paragraph, using more advanced vocabulary and phrases 
We walked into a very dark forest and it was really scary. The trees were very big and there were lots of strange noises. The path was very small and hard to see, and it made us feel very nervous. It was very cold and the wind was really strong. We heard a very loud sound and it was really frightening. We wanted to leave, but the way out was very hard to find. It was a very bad situation and we felt very afraid.

12: ‘Show, don’t tell’ for actions and events
We used ‘show, don’t tell’ in the context of character and place descriptions, but we can also use it when describing events and actions. How might we do that in the following sentences? 
Things to include: figurative language and imagery, specific vocabulary, different kinds of punctuation and sentence lengths
He was very angry.

Scared yet determined, she entered the room.

The crowd gathered after hearing the loud bangs. 

Homework: Write the beginning of a story which involves a character returning to their childhood home after many years, using the ‘show, don’t tell’ technique. Think about how they might feel, move, and react, to different things that they see or experience.


13: Writing Conclusions
What makes a good conclusion?
Link back to something from the beginning, or earlier in the story
Describe a character’s feelings at the end of the story’s key events
End with a (believable) twist 
Which of the following conclusions do you think is best? Why?
A: The train doors hissed shut, but the platform was still there in the glass. Empty now. I pressed my hand to the window, knowing I had left more behind than I could ever return for.
B: I got on the train and went home. It was scary but then it was over.
C: The train doors closed and everything went quiet. I sat down, feeling strange about what had just happened.
Now try to write a conclusion along the same lines, where the main character boards a train, marking the end of the story.
Homework: begin writing the story for your exam, entitled ‘A Difficult Decision’


14: Story Reading Practice
When evaluating a story, consider what the author does well/poorly:
Does their writing have the key features of good writing?
Does it have a clearly defined set of chronological events?
Does the author use show, don’t tell, to describe the characters/setting/events?
Do they make good use of figurative language and interesting vocabulary?
Read the story ‘Dragonflies’ and try to answer the questions above
Homework: begin writing the story for your exam, entitled ‘A Difficult Decision’

you can scroll left and right to see the full lines

Why thank you!

bro wrote a whole easey 💀

I'll have to soon... Literature is a pain!

same. bro. its gona be a looong day

Yes yes

Wow.... Yes! Sounds good, @Hades0918 . I'm not the best writer but I'll be cheering you on!!

Why thank you, D! I definitely appreciate it!

😁

ha I already knew this word

I think I know of the concept just didn't realize the what the word for it was .. is that kind of like having an epiphany but directly relating to not being so hmmmm egocentric?

I'm not sure about the second part but I agree about knowing the concept but not it exactly

😁 yep! That's why most people, even if you try to help them, have to just learn for themselves.

(Series, not serious)