ATAR Notes: Forum
HSC Stuff => HSC English Stuff => HSC Subjects + Help => Area of Study (Old Syllabus) => Topic started by: The-Cambridge-Student on February 25, 2015, 10:40:50 am
-
Hey everyone!
As I’m sure many of you know, writing a creative piece for English Advanced or English Extension One can be a deceptively difficult task! So this week, I thought that I would offer you my three best creative writing tips and an example of my own work from my HSC year ;)
Let’s begin with the plot of your story.
1) You need to be able to write your creative piece in quite a short period of time. This means that you can’t have too many characters. During the HSC I developed a format for my stories that never failed me. Essentially, I would have once character who begins the story in one setting reflecting on, for example, the situation I had placed them in, their family, a particular relationship, etc. I would introduce some sort of complication (usually something that challenged the protagonist’s morals/integrity or just generally gave them a topic to reflect on).
From here, I would give them some sort of flashback if it appropriate and relevant. Eventually my character would move scene maybe once or twice, which would allow me to insert rich visual and sensory imagery as well as a description of the physical world in which they found themselves. All the while, they would be introspectively reflecting on a particular issue or aspect of their life. Usually my story would come to a conclusion after the main character had epiphany of some description, hence imbuing my ending with catharsis. Below this initial section of advice, I have included on of my creative works that follows this structure fairly closely.
2) If you don’t know how to begin your story, an evocative description of the setting is always awesome and helps your marker mentally picture your character in that setting.
3) Usually it is helpful to have an allegory that can be seen to symbolise an important idea that runs through the piece. You’ll see what I mean in a second when you read my story below. Including a literary device such as this can be really helpful in the HSC, as BOS may ask you to write about hope (like the did in my year), fear, the unknown etc. Thus, by constructing an allegory you will be able to fulfil BOS’s marking criteria in a sophisticated and unique manner.
To provide some contextual background, my story below was written for an English Extension One Assessment for Ways of Thinking After the Bomb and is set in the German Democratic Republic – a communist state established in East Germany following World War Two when half of Germany was placed under the protection of England/America, and the other half fell under Russian influence.
My main character is being interviewed by a member of the GDR’s secret police (the ‘Stasi’), a group who often harassed ordinary people and functioned as an instrument of the totalitarian state.
Title: The Pigeons
A sour scent of sweat permeated the room and clung to walls the colour of nuclear mustard. Back pressed against a chair’s metal skeleton, Ines Krieder chewed her lip and shivered in her coat. Above her, a faulty light, like the colossal eye of Marx, snapped on and off in bursts of fluorescent clarity.
All across Leipzig a thousand withered hands would be tugging open curtains and scooping chunks of knödel into gaping, hollow mouths. Frau Daecher from the apartment across the landing would be marshalling her children to school, their uniform pockets emblazoned with a hammer and a compass. Would she notice that Ines was missing?
What did I do?
Like everybody else, Ines had heard the rumours - whispered snippets traded over cigarette breaks in the passageways and corners of dark alleys. As if by osmosis, stories of cameras and hidden microphones had seeped into her consciousness.
On every concrete crossing, in every grey-brick shop, she could sense a shadow in her tread.
Did I take a loaf of bread that was bigger than my share?
A man that she once knew, and dated for a month, told her that all innocent men rage against their captors. They bruise their knuckles bloody banging on prison bars and lose their voices cursing God. But guilty men are silent. They know that God is dead.
Did I read a forbidden book? What do they want with me?
“Ines Kreider.”
An accusation.
“Hands beneath your thighs.”
The command came from a man in military uniform, separated from her by a metal desk. Ines obeyed. A triumvirate of faces hanging on the wall gazed sternly down upon her. Bespectacled Honecker. Lenin with his beard. Mielke, a solemn warrior, readied for battle.
The man produced a note pad.
“I would like you to tell me about pigeons.”
Pigeons?
For an instant, Ines’ hands ceased trembling. Forehead creased, she stared blankly at her captor.
“Pigeons! Rats of the sky! Tell me what you know!”
“Pigeons, sir?” she hesitated, “Pigeons…they…they fly.”
“Correct. Nasty creatures. I’d like to have them culled in Leipzig Park.”
Ines flinched.
The man leaned forward with his pen poised.
“Does that thought upset you?”
Rats of the sky, he called them. Nasty creatures. Yet in her mind’s eye, Ines could see them gathered on the railing of her balcony, their soft, feathered bodies pressed closely together for warmth. Gently cooing and picking at the seed she had laid out for them, they took to the air with western wind on their wings and circled through the leafless Leipzig Park. An effervescent flash of metallic green and purple glinted on their chests as they flew towards the Wall and soared as one beyond its graffitied facade. Then, from mist and smoke that choked the city sky, they returned to her at twilight beneath distant, hazy stars.
“Who are the messages for Fräulein Kreider?” The military man’s sharp question shattered her reverie.
“Messages? I don’t understand, what messages?”
“You are not trying to contact anyone?” He held her gaze, watery blue eyes searching her face, though Ines could not fathom what he expected to find. For a moment, he waited, fingers tapping out an executioner’s drumbeat against the desk. Then, in one swift motion, he swept a file from a drawer and began furiously scrawling across its pages.
“I will release you from temporary questioning…for now. You will regard this interview as a formal warning.”
“But I haven’t done – ”
The man held up a hand to silence her.
“You will return to your place of residence – ”
“But why was I called here?”
“Do not interrupt me! You will not discuss what has transpired here today.”
As if by a silent, unseen signal, a young guard appeared on her right to lead her from the building through an alley door, out into the open. The city was an elderly man, wheezing and sucking in what oxygen it could. Ines leaned against a nearby wall. Bizarre. What could it all mean? In recent months she had heard whispers that the regime was growing more paranoid, like an ageing beast lumbering in circles, mistaking the flick of its own tail for a fleeing rat.
Passing through a crowd of sallow, empty faces that bore shadows of defeat, Ines clenched and unclenched her freezing hands. Dull fires throbbed in her exposed fingers where air cold enough to burn had crawled beneath her skin. Ice, ice, a thousand eyes grown sharp with fear, or was if something more sinister? She hurried on.
There had been a time when East Berliners celebrated the GDR and its impressive wall – an indomitable affront to the encroaching Western fascists. For a moment, vague memories of posters and proclamations that had filled the streets with the cry EQUALITY FOR ALL flickered in her mind.
Of course, sacrifices had followed.
As time went by, the triumphal music that accompanied television announcements and egalitarian promises had disintegrated into ever-present white noise, a blurred backdrop against which Ines followed her routine. Somehow, she had found a way to survive, unpicking the seams of her hopes and her dreams and fashioning an existence from the spartan ambition that remained.
Like a spreading stain, darkness now seeped into the grey fabric of the sky. At the thought of the pigeons waiting for her, pecking fruitlessly at the window ledge, Ines quickened her pace, hurrying inside her dilapidated apartment block.
Instantly she froze. A light was emanating from beneath her door. Good citizens were expected to save power at all times. Ines never left on lights. Hands trembling she fumbled for her key, but when she turned the handle the door was unlocked.
Papers and clothing were strewn across her floor amidst pile upon pile of torn and ravaged books. So they had come.
Her gaze fell upon her kitchen table. There, wings spread to reveal each individual feather, lay a dead pigeon, neck wrung, eyes opaque.
Frantically, she rushed to cradle its limp body in her arms.
“No, no, no, no, no! I’m so sorry, I couldn’t protect you.”
A creaking sound out in the hallway pierced through her sorrow. Vision blurred by tears she turned to stare vacantly over her shoulder. For an instant, the face of her neighbour Frau Daecher hovered in the faint light, like a grotesque balloon, twisted with bitter distrust, before receding into the gloom as she slowly, deliberately, closed her door.
Further Explanation:
As you can see, in my story, the Stasi believe that my main character is using pigeons to send messages to western countries, however in reality, she simply finds comfort in feeding them and watching them soar over the Berlin Wall.
The ending is a little confusing if you aren’t familiar with the period of time, but essentially, it becomes apparent that Ines neighbour ‘informed’ on her, meaning that her neighbour told the secret police that Ines had pigeons coming to her window sill (which was considered a highly suspicious activity at the time, as GDR officials were incredibly paranoid and were determined to use extreme forms of surveillance to exercise control over their country’s citizens).
In this piece, the pigeons themselves are an allegory for hope, hence at the conclusion of my story, the action of a Stasi agent killing and discarding a pigeon in Ines’ apartment is symbolic of ‘man’s inhumanity to man’ and is employed to reinforce the dystopic tone of my work. Thus, as previously mentioned, the inclusion of an allegory such as this strengthens the creative piece and functions as a way of ‘tying’ together the many ideas explored in the narrative.
Overall, although many students find the creative writing section of the English exams to be quite challenging, but by paying close attention to the syllabus guidelines and also developing your own style of writing, you will be able to maximise your marks while gaining greater confidence in your own ability!
Good luck! :D
Other Guides:
How to Write a Module C Essay
How to Write a Module B Essay
How to Write an Area of Study Essay
Writing an English Advanced Module A Essay
How to Write an English Extension Ways of Thinking Essay
-
Wow, your creative writing is amazing!! I have found that most really good short stories explore specific historical time periods. Do you suggest writing with this intention? And if so, do you recommmend exploring any specific time periods? (I don't do history :P)
Thank you :)
-
Wow, your creative writing is amazing!! I have found that most really good short stories explore specific historical time periods. Do you suggest writing with this intention? And if so, do you recommmend exploring any specific time periods? (I don't do history :P)
Thank you :)
Hey Frances!! Welcome to the forums!! Let me know if you need any help finding things ;D
Writing stories in historical time periods is a very interesting idea!! I never did it, but it is definitely worth exploring, and playing with some of the sociocultural peculiarities of that time period. For example:
- An African-American during the civil rights movement
- A Blue Coat/Red Coat Love Affair During the American Civil War
- Aboriginal Community During British Colonisation of Australia
Just a few examples, I'm not much of a historian either, but the key would be to make it clear why you chose that time period. Don't just use it for the sake of it, make it serve a purpose!! ;D
-
Wow, your creative writing is amazing!! I have found that most really good short stories explore specific historical time periods. Do you suggest writing with this intention? And if so, do you recommmend exploring any specific time periods? (I don't do history :P)
Thank you :)
We held lectures at UTS last week and at the English lecture, we talked about historical periods for creatives. There are a bunch of ideas at play here. If you aren't a creative person, then you can make your creative purely about the facts of the period. So with any work, there are two aspects for being creative: thinking of it, and writing it. So, with a historical period, you can take out the "thinking of it" bit because you will just use the historical facts, and then you need to focus on writing it.
It is important to choose a historical period that you've done a lot of research on. Similarly, I wouldn't recommend writing about a country that you know nothing about except whatever you've gathered in passing (there's a lot more to Rome than gelato). So whatever you do choose, make sure it is grounded in facts to reflect reality, and then you have the option of varying levels of creativity to weave through the historical/cultural foundations :)
My own creative was written about the 1960s - I did a lot of research on it to make it the way it is now, but it was really fun for me to learn about that time, and put it in a creative!
-
hey!
I was just wondering, how explicit does the 'discovery' have to be in our creative? I mean, I've been told numerous times that the marker has to be able to see it; but what if it's more of an internal thing ..?
thanks :)
-
hey!
I was just wondering, how explicit does the 'discovery' have to be in our creative? I mean, I've been told numerous times that the marker has to be able to see it; but what if it's more of an internal thing ..?
thanks :)
Do you mean, an internal discovery? I think discovery definitely needs to be a consistent underlying theme, a catalyst for the plot, the climax, or the resolution. So you can have a story where there are multiple discoveries throughout. Or, you can have a story that starts with a discovery, and the rest of the creative details the ramifications. Else, the discovery can be the climax. Or, the entire story could be leading up to the discovery, which is the resolution. So, discovery essentially needs to be one of these features, even if it is subtle. You don't want to be so obvious that you say something like, "Then Harry discovered what had been lost." You can be subtle because the markers are actually looking specifically for the discovery. They are waiting for it. So yes they have to be able to see it, but unless this is the most subtle discovery ever, they will spot it! Be careful that what you are writing about is a discovery, and not just a reflection or a growth. There needs to be that distinct moment of mental awareness, or physical change, where it is clear that the discovery has occurred :)
-
Hi, I have a creative writing piece coming up in my yearly and I'm worried about having to adjust it to the prompts. Do you have any advice on this?
-
Hi, I have a creative writing piece coming up in my yearly and I'm worried about having to adjust it to the prompts. Do you have any advice on this?
For an image stimulus, think about:
-Using the colour scheme. Perhaps create a metaphor about black and white, if the image is in black and white.
-Use the salient image. So, if the salient image is a man - talk about a man in your story. Incorporate that in. If you already have a man in your story, perhaps just describe his clothes to be the same as the man in the stimulus.
-Make it a metaphor! If the image is of a cage, for example, create an ongoing metaphor about a cage/being trapped/being on display.
-Add in a reflection. So if your creative piece just does not at all fit with the stimulus, consider adding a "reflection" excerpt in your piece somewhere in the exam. This way, you have complete freedom to flick between time periods, add whoever or whatever you want to suit the stimulus, and you can still use the bulk of your story without adjustment :)
-
Hey guys this is just a creative that should be adaptable to many questions. Just not sure if it's engaging or if it needs more. Any feedback would be great. Thanks :)
I hear the rain punching the leaf blanket. I smell the candle burning away. I observe the splinters hanging off the wooden walls. I walk towards the tattered photograph of Dave, Melissa, Jacob, Megan and I when we went for an adventure in the woods. It catalysed the flashback of the horrid disaster.
****
It was dark and miserable. The lightning repeatedly hit the earth. I returned from the hut after grabbing new batteries for the torch only to find a bear sinking its claws into Mel’s skin, staining her skin with a thick layer of blood. Dave tried to pull her away but he only worsened the situation as he was pulled away and thrown into a mud pit whilst spraying everything around it. As he sunk to the bottom, a pool of blood rose to the top along with strands of his hair. I was shell-shocked. Jacob was jaw-dropped. The monster swiftly landed his fist to his jaw and knocked him out cold. He laid there with his bottom front teeth on the brink of falling out. Megan screamed and ran over to sit Jacob up. I tried to call out to her but it was too late. The roaring beast left dinosaur-like claw marks on her face, dimming my life dramatically. I ran back to the hut and sat at the table we ate at every morning. Perspirations seeped out rapidly, being absorbed by the maple dining table that held us all together. I dropped my head onto the table, feeling lost.
****
I look back at the flame in the centre of the table and it dimmed down. I sit back up and wipe the tears. I look at the empty seats around the table and I reminisced with the uplifting times we spent together.
****
We ventured into the woods on our bikes and found a massive cave. We played games, saw stunning patterns embedded on the walls and ceiling. We all engraved our names on an empty patch. It was also hard to ignore Dave’s atrocious handwriting and we all chuckled about it just like anything else he did that was ludicrous. We then took advantage of the dead silence and soft breeze, kicked our shoes off and took a nap. A few hours later we went back out and observed the sunset. Our eyes were steady to the horizon, faces absorbing the orange sun rays before the twilight beckoned the stars. I looked at each of my mates and they all had a special feature that was shone upon. Dave with his long black hair blowing upwards due to the wind, Melissa having such an olive skin tone, Jacob boasting his permanent perfect smile with his teeth pretty much reflecting the rays, and Megan’s face glowing more intense than a glow stick. We then set up a campfire and sat around it, mirroring our sitting around the timber table with the centred candle back at the hut. This time we told stories and listened to Melissa’s singing of a song she wrote and dedicated for us. Her voice was carried by the calm wind blowing towards us. We were soothed and all felt a mesmerising connection with one another.
****
The song plays on in my head. I am eternally grateful to have such great friends. I have come to realise, I must not revisit the horrid tragedy, but rather remember the positive experiences with them and use them as my life motivation for my speculative future. These experiences with my friends have taught me life morale as I must be appreciative of what I have.
-
Hey guys this is just a creative that should be adaptable to many questions. Just not sure if it's engaging or if it needs more. Any feedback would be great. Thanks :)
Hi Dylan! Welcome to the forums! We require 15 posts on the forums to get a full piece marked. You can read more about it in the link in my signature below :) In the mean time, you're more than welcome to chat in the discussion thread here, ask any questions on any subject, or even answer some questions! :)
-
Hey,
What things do you think would always be evident in a discovery creative writing piece that links to the question/stimulus and also earns 14/15 or 15/15? I know it's a pretty general question but further tips would be appreciated :)
THANK YOU!!!
-
Hey,
What things do you think would always be evident in a discovery creative writing piece that links to the question/stimulus and also earns 14/15 or 15/15? I know it's a pretty general question but further tips would be appreciated :)
THANK YOU!!!
Hmm...it's a tricky question to answer! I'm genuinely struggling to put together a little list of things. So I'll take a different approach. I think that the best way to ensure that you'll be able to adapt in the exam is to go through every little aspect of the rubric in the days coming up to the exam and asking yourself, "If I was asked about this, what would I do?" It might prompt you to recognise that you need to plan some alternative endings, or to change some characters up a little. This way, nothing can be a surprise to you in the exam!
It is also important to make sure that you incorporate the discovery/stimulus from the beginning. Establish a metaphor early, or identify the beginning of the discovery process early, whatever it may be. Then move forward. It is a criticism from the notes from the marking centre quite regularly that people are leaving the stimulus and discovery to the end entirely, without putting the roots in the beginning/earlier on. So it looks chucked on the end! Consider this perhaps :)
Let me know if I've missed the mark and haven't quite given you what you're looking for lol! :)
-
How hard is it to change your creative story to fit the stimulas?
cause I had to change the story line a bit for trials and ended up improvising a lot in the end, not good.
Should i try to change 1 event or change a character?
sorry, i think creative is my worst bit
-
How hard is it to change your creative story to fit the stimulas?
cause I had to change the story line a bit for trials and ended up improvising a lot in the end, not good.
Should i try to change 1 event or change a character?
sorry, i think creative is my worst bit
Its usually really difficult to change your character and your setting on the spot, so usually changing what happens to them slightly can work a bit better. The less drastic changes the better. To practise fitting your story to the stimulus if you don't have a whole lot of time, get your hands on as many past questions as possible and spend a few minutes on each question brainstorming how you would tweak your story to match each one. You'll get much better with practise! :)
-
Hey,
My story is kinda long and covers many aspects of discovery including its negative and positive nature. However due to the stress that I am feeling due to the many words, I am thinking of taking out the positive nature of discovery which is conveyed through a reflection in my story. However, I am kinda worried about doing that. I am scared that it will decrease the fact that my story has many layers... Any tips...?
Thank you :)
-
Hey,
My story is kinda long and covers many aspects of discovery including its negative and positive nature. However due to the stress that I am feeling due to the many words, I am thinking of taking out the positive nature of discovery which is conveyed through a reflection in my story. However, I am kinda worried about doing that. I am scared that it will decrease the fact that my story has many layers... Any tips...?
Thank you :)
Hey cherryred! How many words is your creative at the moment, or rather how long does it take you to write it? Since the "positive nature" you speak of is written as a reflection, does the story still make sense without it?
If yes, then you could go into the exam expecting to write all of it, and then make a decision during the exam as to whether you have enough time to get it out. If you're prepared to be flexible and feel like you know your story inside out, then hopefully you won't feel as stressed :D
-
Hi, I have to compose a short creative writing piece about a personal discovery and how its impacted me. I don't know what to write about so can i get some ideas? ty
-
Hi, I have to compose a short creative writing piece about a personal discovery and how its impacted me. I don't know what to write about so can i get some ideas? ty
Hey asd! You can check out our Creative Marking Thread to have a read of some other creatives. Don't plagiarise (obviously), but use it as motivation/inspiration as to some things you could talk about in your Creative! Ultimately though, if it is a personal discovery, the idea by definition needs to come from you :)
-
Hey,
I have been adapting my story to many different pieces of stimulus/questions. However, I got stuck when I came to this one because my story has no dialogue.../ I don't really see how I can link the 'opinion' part of the question to my story:
Write an imaginative piece of writing where discovery features as being transformative of opinions. Advice please
THANK YOU
-
Hey,
I have been adapting my story to many different pieces of stimulus/questions. However, I got stuck when I came to this one because my story has no dialogue.../ I don't really see how I can link the 'opinion' part of the question to my story:
Write an imaginative piece of writing where discovery features as being transformative of opinions. Advice please
THANK YOU
You might wish to do a bit of a reflection piece by one of your characters!! Have them analyse what is happening as a stream of thought to portray their opinion, if you don't want to include dialogue?
Ultimately, you are going to have to be ready to adapt your creative, perhaps significantly, to do well tomorrow. I hope you get lucky, but you need to be ready to change your creative however is necessary to get the job done! :)
-
The narrative that I am writing for an assessment task at the moment does not have a climax. Does it matter if our creative writing doesn't follow narrative structure even though it is supposed to be a narrative? Thanks!
-
The narrative that I am writing for an assessment task at the moment does not have a climax. Does it matter if our creative writing doesn't follow narrative structure even though it is supposed to be a narrative? Thanks!
Hey! Typically, a climax may manifest as just a circumstance in the plot that adds a complication - it may not be a moment of grand climactic suspense. Can you tell me a bit about your story? The risky aspect of not having a climax is that the story is either unengaging, or not revealing of discovery enough. I'm sure your story is engaging, you know the structure well! But, if you'd like a second opinion, happy to give my thoughts :)
-
The narrative that I am writing for an assessment task at the moment does not have a climax. Does it matter if our creative writing doesn't follow narrative structure even though it is supposed to be a narrative? Thanks!
Hey! For short stories in the HSC, you definitely don't need to follow a typical narrative structure. You can finish at the climax, you can do a full resolution, you can do JUST the resolution, etc etc. That said, you need to make sure the story has a purpose, and a big part of that for most stories is some sort of climax! :)
So, I'd say it's all good, if:
1- Your marking criteria doesn't specify use of the typical narrative structure, or something worded similar to that. In that case you would need to. If in doubt, check with your teacher!
2- The absence of the conclusion has a purpose and your story still carries a sense of impact; it has a reason for being written! :)
-
Hey! For short stories in the HSC, you definitely don't need to follow a typical narrative structure. You can finish at the climax, you can do a full resolution, you can do JUST the resolution, etc etc. That said, you need to make sure the story has a purpose, and a big part of that for most stories is some sort of climax! :)
Just building on this
I usually left my creatives on a cliffhanger :P
-
Hey! Typically, a climax may manifest as just a circumstance in the plot that adds a complication - it may not be a moment of grand climactic suspense. Can you tell me a bit about your story? The risky aspect of not having a climax is that the story is either unengaging, or not revealing of discovery enough. I'm sure your story is engaging, you know the structure well! But, if you'd like a second opinion, happy to give my thoughts :)
My story is about a girl with anxiety who has to send a message to say she can't work on the weekend and that's very difficult for her to do. Once she finds that it's all good, she feels inadequate for taking so long to send the message. Then as she is off drowning in her "perpetually paralysing scenarios" she unconsciously says something that her sister overhears and after confrontation with her sister, she finds that she 'has new eyes' (part of the prompt) because what was all in her head now felt validated as she had spoken to someone about it. There's no real climax in it I guess! I would upload it to get marked but I haven't made enough posts yet! :D Thankyou!
-
Hey! For short stories in the HSC, you definitely don't need to follow a typical narrative structure. You can finish at the climax, you can do a full resolution, you can do JUST the resolution, etc etc. That said, you need to make sure the story has a purpose, and a big part of that for most stories is some sort of climax! :)
So, I'd say it's all good, if:
1- Your marking criteria doesn't specify use of the typical narrative structure, or something worded similar to that. In that case you would need to. If in doubt, check with your teacher!
2- The absence of the conclusion has a purpose and your story still carries a sense of impact; it has a reason for being written! :)
Thanks a bunch! ;D
-
My story is about a girl with anxiety who has to send a message to say she can't work on the weekend and that's very difficult for her to do. Once she finds that it's all good, she feels inadequate for taking so long to send the message. Then as she is off drowning in her "perpetually paralysing scenarios" she unconsciously says something that her sister overhears and after confrontation with her sister, she finds that she 'has new eyes' (part of the prompt) because what was all in her head now felt validated as she had spoken to someone about it. There's no real climax in it I guess! I would upload it to get marked but I haven't made enough posts yet! :D Thankyou!
I think if you had to identify a climax in there - you could. Even several climaxes. The climax isn't always the most intense point of action like we learn on storyboards. Climaxes might just be a series of heightened tension in the plot. Your story sounds really awesome!
-
I think if you had to identify a climax in there - you could. Even several climaxes. The climax isn't always the most intense point of action like we learn on storyboards. Climaxes might just be a series of heightened tension in the plot. Your story sounds really awesome!
Awesome, thanks heaps! :)
-
Hi ~
The writer's block problem has been keeping me from writing for a long time, and now that I've ended up writing a creative it's...incredibly specific, and I think in ways shows that it was inspired by something very specific. I know that some markers appreciate this; my teacher certainly did, but the problem seems to be that it's not very adaptable. It's a particular story about a particular person's experience, and the feedback I've received was, essentially, 'give your story some sort of resolution so you can answer better to the rubric/question'. Which makes a lot of sense, and would help me adapt the story more, except it would either require cutting out details to preserve the word count - which would make things even more obscure than they already are, or to lengthen the story to like...1 800 words. That would work for Extension, but even 1 500 words is stretching it for 40 minutes imo. Advice, please?
-
Hi ~
The writer's block problem has been keeping me from writing for a long time, and now that I've ended up writing a creative it's...incredibly specific, and I think in ways shows that it was inspired by something very specific. I know that some markers appreciate this; my teacher certainly did, but the problem seems to be that it's not very adaptable. It's a particular story about a particular person's experience, and the feedback I've received was, essentially, 'give your story some sort of resolution so you can answer better to the rubric/question'. Which makes a lot of sense, and would help me adapt the story more, except it would either require cutting out details to preserve the word count - which would make things even more obscure than they already are, or to lengthen the story to like...1 800 words. That would work for Extension, but even 1 500 words is stretching it for 40 minutes imo. Advice, please?
Hey ChocolateWaffle! I agree, 1500 is definitely pushing it for 40 minutes imo ;) mine were always comfortably under 1000, but then I didn't rote learn mine, so that's a disadvantage on my end :P
It sounds like you've got a few conflicting ideas about where to move with your Creative. To cut details, to add some, etc etc. I think the best thing for you right now (especially heading into a holiday) is to just do some experimenting. Write some random paragraphs, cut some stuff, add it; keeping every version of course. Read over everything; see what works and what doesn't.
Sorry if it seems like I'm not giving the best advice, but I genuinely think some experimenting and cut/paste would be good for you to get a better feel about what your Creative needs! For what it is worth, if you want to prepare your Creative, it should be able to be applied to a whole variety of situations. Some obscurity can be useful there ;D best of luck!
-
Hey ChocolateWaffle! I agree, 1500 is definitely pushing it for 40 minutes imo ;) mine were always comfortably under 1000, but then I didn't rote learn mine, so that's a disadvantage on my end :P
It sounds like you've got a few conflicting ideas about where to move with your Creative. To cut details, to add some, etc etc. I think the best thing for you right now (especially heading into a holiday) is to just do some experimenting. Write some random paragraphs, cut some stuff, add it; keeping every version of course. Read over everything; see what works and what doesn't.
Sorry if it seems like I'm not giving the best advice, but I genuinely think some experimenting and cut/paste would be good for you to get a better feel about what your Creative needs! For what it is worth, if you want to prepare your Creative, it should be able to be applied to a whole variety of situations. Some obscurity can be useful there ;D best of luck!
Hmm. The thing is, I've been fiddling with this piece a lot, though it may just be the recent intensive fiddling that's making me think that way. But you're right; giving myself a bit more time to work on it during holidays is probably the best option, besides starting anew (...and I'm so not doing that right now; I've got shiny pokemon to catch). Maybe a fresh outlook will help. Thanks for the advice!
-
Hi would someone mine quickly assessing my work. Be brutally honest
Statement of Intention
This piece is written in the consensus viewpoint of a prestigious women’s news agency of Iceland that has been following the case of the murders and arson of Illugastadir. I intend the audience to mainly be the female demographic of the Icelandic community who would in some degree or the other have been touched and affected by the patriarchal feudalism of 19th century Iceland. It would prove effective to use consistently formal language that better showcases the prestige, effectiveness and authenticity of the newspaper. I will seek to evoke the readerships thoughtful discussion by using sophisticated language, building a relationship of womanly maturity and intellect between the ‘editor’ and the reader.
I intend to use a sophisticated yet impassioned voice of a learned Icelandic woman, seeking to find and expose the link between the patriarchal practices of law and order of the land and the way it harshly condemns women, Agnes merely being one of its victims. I will build tension and indignation in the voice of the author will will be caught on and reflected in the reader. I will attempt to expose the connection between Sigga’s social conforming femininity, and her consequential pardoning from the King and Blondal’s own excuse of her reminding him of his own wife. Revealing the vulnerability of women in the hands of fickle and manipulative men and the slander of Agnes being jealous and malicious, harming her not only when the beheading is carried out, but her reputation thereafter.
I will use the voice of a women and weaponize her femininity to defend a women condemned for her own lack of femininity, social non-conformity and intelligence. This will expose the reader to the social and legal failings of patriarchal and protestant doctrine heavy Iceland.
(actual creative piece)
Raven Women
Editorial: Agnes Magnusdottir; fiendish witch or victim?
In the silent stillness of a winter night, a trio of a man and women shook the social fabric of our society, the magnitude of their deed so great that it sought to almost change the geographic of this land. Never had a crime ever polarized and fractured the community to the extent that the murders of Illugastadir have. Under the darkness of the night, Agnes Magnusdottir aged 33, Fridrik Sigurdsson aged 17, and Sigridur Gudmundsdottir were all accessories to a heinous double homicide and arson attack on Natan Ketilsson and Petur Jonsson. Fridrik and Agnes were sentenced to a beheading and Sigridur winning an appeal.
Yet, it is only Agnes Magnusdottir that had been memorialized as the notorious mastermind of these crimes.
Since the murders we have received an expansive amount of letters from our readers, varying in perspective. A great amount are of the opinion that Agnes especially was deserving of a harsher punishment for robbing our community of a talented medicine man. The young temperamental Fridrik and the sweet young Sigridur merely caught up in the scheming web of an older, more experienced and bitter woman. After all, a woman spurned was the only type of woman capable of murder, is this not true? A pauper and a bastard who felt entitled to more than what was her worth, jealous of the affections of a younger more beautiful girl, she was most assuredly guilty!
Yet, a small yet substantial amount of our readers offered an insightful angle to this issue, one we found more favorable and in line with our news agencies ideological affiliation. In the patriarchal, male sexuality dominated viewpoint of our society, the great ambitions and intellect of Agnes was most unquestionably unsightly and vulgar. She deviated from our social gender conformity for woman, the ‘gentler sex’. She sought too much from life, molded herself too much after the ideal picture of a man. She was disposable before she took the knife to Natan’s throat and we would do well to remember that. She strayed from her path of an obedient woman, discreet illegitimate daughter and compliant landless servant girl; it was for that which she must pay for with her life.
Make no mistake, it is exactly this masculinity projected into our laws and into the affair of the State that Sigridur was ever granted an appeal and a reduction in her sentence. Sigridur was given the sympathy denied to Agnes because she appealed to male sexuality. Young, striking and fertile; a good prospective object for any man to possess. She never threatened or countered the archaic gender roles of our society. She never jeopardized and called into question the character of any man. Agnes did both, this is why she was never considered for an appeal. No, Sigridur reminded our beloved District Commissioner Blondal of his own wife and he revealed that it was Natan himself who delivered her from death’s embrace, indebting Blondal to this man. Should we not call into question the objectivity of the criminals’ sentences? The incapability of our District Commissioner to be impartial for the sake of Justice leaves us disconcerted.
Agnes is condemned as a witch, not by the court of order but from our society. We feared miscreant behavior and deceit from the woman learned in the arts of healing, capable of easing our ailments long before she committed any sin. It is this ignorance that Fridrik Sigurdsson felt comfortable in his assertion that while he may be hanged for his crime, it is Agnes who will face the brunt of the punishments and be condemned to a witch’s burning.
It is of the view of the men of our community including Blondal that our women born with high intelligent aptitude, honed by experience and the wisdom that comes with age; are practiced in deception. It is the chauvinistic prejudice and blind hatred of intelligent women that has Blondal interpret Agnes’ silence in the face of injustice, evidence of her guilt. She was silenced before she opened her mouth to defend herself.
We shield ourselves of the complexity of Agnes and the ambiguity of the crime. And she says it best…
“To know what a person has done, and to know who a person is, are very different things”
-
Hey Intisar! Welcome to the forums ;D
I see you are doing the VCE, you should post your Creative in the VCE English Work Marking Section! The markers in this thread did the HSC in NSW, and so I don't think we'd be as helpful as the markers over the border ;)
-
right thanks!