1. NARRATIVE WRITING YEAR 11

2. NARRATIVE CONTINUED Learning Objectives Learning Objectives To appreciate the importance of pro-active characters To appreciate the importance of pro-active characters To develop our use of vocabulary to impact upon readers. To develop our use of vocabulary to impact upon readers.

3. STARTER YOU ARE ABOUT TO WATCH THREE EXTRACTS FROM SOME FAIRLY POPULAR MOVIES. YOU ARE ABOUT TO WATCH THREE EXTRACTS FROM SOME FAIRLY POPULAR MOVIES. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT THEY ALL HAVE IN COMMON (BEYOND THE BLINDINGLY OBVIOUS). I NEED TO KNOW WHAT THEY ALL HAVE IN COMMON (BEYOND THE BLINDINGLY OBVIOUS). EXTRACT 1 EXTRACT 1 EXTRACT 1 EXTRACT 1 EXTRACT 2 EXTRACT 2 EXTRACT 2 EXTRACT 2 EXTRACT 3 EXTRACT 3 EXTRACT 3 EXTRACT 3

4. THE WANT MOMENT This is absolutely crucial for a story to be a success. This is absolutely crucial for a story to be a success. Musicals are story-telling 101. They teach you how to structure a story properly. Musicals are story-telling 101. They teach you how to structure a story properly. In these extracts we saw the three main characters tell us what they want and the rest of the film is seeing if they get it. In these extracts we saw the three main characters tell us what they want and the rest of the film is seeing if they get it. Your characters in your stories need this too. Remember it is all in the Your characters in your stories need this too. Remember it is all in the struggle to see whether they are successful that determines a story’s struggle to see whether they are successful that determines a story’s success. success.

5. THE KEYS TO SUCCESS Characterisation (discussed at length) Characterisation (discussed at length) Plot (discussed at length) Plot (discussed at length) Setting (Ties in with all the descriptive work we have done) Setting (Ties in with all the descriptive work we have done) Any dialogue (remember the directed writing stuff we did – only say what advances the argument/story) Any dialogue (remember the directed writing stuff we did – only say what advances the argument/story)

6. WHAT’S LEFT? Writing well. Appreciating every sentence. Appreciating every word. Writing well. Appreciating every sentence. Appreciating every word. In an exam, you are far too stressed for this which is why we do exercises beforehand to prepare us… In an exam, you are far too stressed for this which is why we do exercises beforehand to prepare us… Like athletes train or pianists do scales. Like athletes train or pianists do scales.

7. TASK ONE Turn to a new page in your exercise book. It has to be new. Turn to a new page in your exercise book. It has to be new. Then open your textbook to any random page. Then open your textbook to any random page. Now you have thirty seconds to just pick random words off that page and write them anywhere on the page in your exercise book. Now you have thirty seconds to just pick random words off that page and write them anywhere on the page in your exercise book. Don’t go for “The” or “a” Don’t go for “The” or “a” Now turn to another random page and do the same. Now turn to another random page and do the same. Your exercise book should now be covered in random words. Your exercise book should now be covered in random words.

8. EDUCATIONAL VALUE How does a bunch of random words on a page help anyone? How does a bunch of random words on a page help anyone? Good question! Good question! It helps us by allowing us to play with language and create stories and ideas from a very small pool of words. It helps us by allowing us to play with language and create stories and ideas from a very small pool of words. It helps us understand both the economy of language and its complexity. It helps us understand both the economy of language and its complexity.

9. TASK ONE Look at the words. Look at the words. Circle the most interesting/sophisticated/unusual vocabulary. Circle the most interesting/sophisticated/unusual vocabulary. Now using the worker words (it, he, the, in, etc), combine some of these words to make a very short three sentence fragment that joins together. Now using the worker words (it, he, the, in, etc), combine some of these words to make a very short three sentence fragment that joins together.

10. FOR EXAMPLE StarlightMineDancing StarlightMineDancing MothsArtificialMotorway MothsArtificialMotorway MusicalDisappointmentBizarreMicrocosm FunkyMartian MusicalDisappointmentBizarreMicrocosm FunkyMartian LifestyleMonkeyBemused LifestyleMonkeyBemused RidiculousGround-breakingMonstrosityLargerFine RealismRawCardboardDrain RidiculousGround-breakingMonstrosityLargerFine RealismRawCardboardDrain

11. FOR EXAMPLE The raw disappointment felt almost musical to him. His lifestyle had bemused so many and now he knew he was as bizarre as a Martian. Dancing in the starlight on the motorway had once seemed ground-breaking but now was just ridiculous and artificial. The raw disappointment felt almost musical to him. His lifestyle had bemused so many and now he knew he was as bizarre as a Martian. Dancing in the starlight on the motorway had once seemed ground-breaking but now was just ridiculous and artificial.

12. TASK TWO Now look at three sentence fragment you have created and reduce it even further so it still has some sense of the original idea but it should now become a short three line poem. Now look at three sentence fragment you have created and reduce it even further so it still has some sense of the original idea but it should now become a short three line poem. Feel free to re-work and re-order the lines. Feel free to re-work and re-order the lines.

13. FOR EXAMPLE The raw disappointment was musical. The raw disappointment was musical. His lifestyle bemused so many: His lifestyle bemused so many: Dancing in the starlight on the motorway. Dancing in the starlight on the motorway.

14. PLAYING WITH LANGUAGE Narrative writing is all about playing with language to create pictures, ideas and stories in our heads. Narrative writing is all about playing with language to create pictures, ideas and stories in our heads. It is the way humans have communicated for thousands of years. It is the way humans have communicated for thousands of years. We are just continuing that tradition. We are just continuing that tradition.

15. HOMEWORK You will have to do a narrative writing task in 80 minutes on Wednesday. You will have to do a narrative writing task in 80 minutes on Wednesday. Do some reading. Do another of those exercises we just did today. Do some reading. Do another of those exercises we just did today. Practice planning with past papers. Practice planning with past papers. There is no official written homework. I will leave it up to your level of dedication. There is no official written homework. I will leave it up to your level of dedication.