National 5 Folio: Creative and Personal Writing Ms Nitsche

Starter What is effective about this piece of writing? What works? What doesn’t? Discuss in pairs. Shortly after the Civil War, an outbreak of cholera had taken my mother away. We buried her in Montjuic on my fourth birthday. The only thing I can recall is that it rained all day and all night, and that when I asked my father whether heaven was crying, he couldn't bring himself to reply. Six years later my mother's absence remained in the air around us, a deafening silence that I had not yet learned to stifle with words. My father and I lived in a modest apartment on Calle Santa Ana, a stone's throw from the church square. The apartment was directly above the bookshop, a legacy from my grandfather, that specialized in rare collectors' editions and second-hand books - an enchanted bazaar, which my father hoped would one day be mine. I was raised among books, making invisible friends in pages that seemed cast from dust and whose smell I carry on my hands to this day. As a child I learned to fall asleep talking to my mother in the darkness of my bedroom, telling her about the day's events, my adventures at school, and the things I had been taught. I couldn't hear her voice or feel her touch, but her radiance and her warmth haunted every corner of our home, and I believed, with the innocence of those who can still count their age on their ten fingers, that if I closed my eyes and spoke to her, she would be able to hear me wherever she was. Sometimes my father would listen to me from the dining room, crying in silence.

Learning Intentions: To learn how the senses and imagery can be used to make creative and personal writing bold, vivid and engaging. To practice using these techniques in our own writing. Why? The folio is worth 30% of your grade at National 5 – such an important element needs to be as strong as possible. Learning how to use language to convey meaning is vital not only in school, but in college, university and the working world – think of writing reports, CVs, covering letters, etc. These are skills employers look for.

Characterisation Rule No. 1 – Show, don’t tell. Too often in creative or personal pieces, the writer tells the reader too much – for example, “he was angry”, “she looked tired”, “it was dark”. This is pretty unimaginative. Showing your reader makes writing far more engaging and interesting. What elements can we use to show emotions?

Characterisation Task Your character is angry. Write four sentences showing this. Use body language, facial expressions, dialogue, tone, etc. Get ready to share with the class. For each example, think what was done well, and what could be worked on.

Characterisation What other emotions are there? Choose one of the emotions discussed, and write a paragraph that SHOWS a character experiencing this emotion. This is particularly important for PERSONAL pieces. Remember, SHOW, DON’T TELL. Get ready to share with the class. For each example, think what was done well, and what could be worked on.

Characterisation As a general rule, have no more than two or three characters. Any more and they will become lost – the fewer you have, the more effectively you can describe them. Task For your short story or personal piece, write a list of the characters. Any more than three? Cut it down. Who doesn’t add anything to the story?

Setting Setting is vital in a creative or personal piece – it needs to be vivid, interesting and employ the senses and imagery to make it something that pulls the reader in. Effective description is key – you can use the setting to tell us a lot about characters, mood and tone.

Setting Senses and Imagery Name the five senses. Why would we use them in writing? Task Using the five senses and imagery, take notes about how you would feel if you were in these situations. You have TWO MINUTES on each image. Be as detailed as you can.

Setting Task Using the five senses and imagery, take notes about how you would feel if you were in these situations. You have TWO MINUTES on each image. Be as detailed as you can. Get ready to share with the class. For each example, think what was done well, and what could be worked on.

Setting Imagery Name three elements of imagery that we have studied. Why would we use them in writing? Learning about imagery is not only important for critical essays, textual analysis and close reading – it is vital for effective writing for your folio. Any creative or personal piece will be expected to contain skilful use of imagery.

Setting Imagery Listen to this example – how has the writer used imagery to describe the setting? Is it effective? If so, why?

Setting Describe this room in as much detail as possible, using imagery and the senses.

Setting Task Describe this room in as much detail as possible, using imagery and the senses. Get ready to share with the class. For each example, think what was done well, and what could be worked on.

Plot Rule No. 2 – Keep it simple. An overly-convoluted and complicated plot does not work in a short story – you simply don’t have the time to deal with all the ins and outs. For a short story, building effective characterisation and description is far more important. Listen to this example – think about what actually happens, how many characters there are, how many settings, etc.

Your story needs a STRUCTURE... A beginning (any story needs an interesting introduction) A development (a build up of the storyline) A crisis (an interesting situation that provides a turning point in story) A resolution (things are sorted out...?)

Your story needs CHARACTERS Make them believable and interesting Any more than 2 or 3 will be just names Really get under the skin of them by describing: What they look like What they say How they say it How they behave How they feel

Plot Task For your creative/personal piece write down bullet points of all the things that happen. If your list is long, then too much is happening. Try to cut it down and take out anything that isn’t essential or is too crazy (kidnappings, drug deals, various crimes, etc.)

Plenary Consider how this lesson can help with your creative or personal folio pieces. Look at the plenary cards in front of you. On the post-it on your desk answer the following two statements: The most difficult part if today’s lesson was… Today, I was able to make progress because…