I'm also debating as to whether or not I should attempt to memorise my creative, or to make one up on the day. Have looked into past papers and there is such a wide range of stimulus' so it's risky.
What are these exercises of yours?
Hey!
So, what I tend to do with creatives is to start by extrapolating key ideas from the question and stimuli. So, what aspects of discosvery links up with the question at hand? You will need to then develop a character centred around that idea; the process of discovery needs to be clear to the audience, and the easiest way for me to show this process is by using one or multiple catalysts of discovery (ie creative, spiritual, emotional, physical, etc.).
So, in order to become more naturally adept on the day:
1. Write a brief introduction. It doesn't have to be finalised, you just need to write some things down. What you should be focusing on in your opening few lines is the
establishment of voice or character, being able to give your characters a personality.
If the question was about the transformative nature of discovery, here was one of my introductions to a question.
To many, 'beauty' is just a word. A string of letters joined together to create meaning. To me, 'beauty' is more than just a word; it's a characteristic given to someone when words can't describe what the heart feels. To me, she was beauty.Or, if the question was about the unexpected nature of discovery, you could approach it like this:
I was never the best in my year. I have never won any competitions. I was never the best academically. But all of that didn't matter to me; what mattered was that I was driven by passion. I was driven by a goal, a desire to be someone.You could do a lot with the unexpected nature of discovery with this opening sentence, but you should be aiming to build a voice for the character.
Exercise: Use the rubric, and come up with 3-4 examples of establishing a voice for each of the processes and outcomes.
2. Build up a character profile. This part is easier said than done. Make the character believable, use the senses of a regular human being to describe the emotions that drives your character. You can base your character off of yourself, because the authenticity of character within a short story is crucial.
What aspects of discovery does your character experience? Is he driven by a transformation of self, and if so, in what way? Does he go through a metaphysical transformation? What catalyses these discoveries? Is it the past, does he rediscover a past element?
The best characters you can write about, are those within your own self; only you know the discoveries you've experienced, so use this to create an authentic character by considering:
time period, setting, and events. If you were to use a historical event, make sure you're well read to give an extra layer of authenticity.
Exercise: Describe your character in one or two sentence. Keep the sentence succinct and coherent.
I may post a few more exercises a bit later, it's 1am right now