2. The Crucible

3.  Originality  Not just rewriting the same story but changing the names of the characters, or setting it in a different time, or plagiarising in any other way!  A truly original take on the ideas suggested by the text  Authenticity  Believable, realistic – the drama isn’t out of control, no one wakes up and it was all a dream, everyone doesn’t die suddenly at the end, nothing farfetched!  A clear purpose and aim  Your story should aim to teach your audience something – a life lesson or moral  You need to have a REAL reason – something meaningful and powerful  Pizzazz!  There needs to be the ‘wow’ factor – this cannot be taught in the time we have. You’ve either got it or you don’t. You want to make your audience laugh, cry, have goosebumps, be on the edge of their seat, want to keep turning the pages, say ‘that is beautifully written’ – talent  Strong links to text and prompt

4.  The prompt  Acts as the overall theme or main idea that runs underneath your creative piece  You shouldn’t refer to it in a direct or obvious way – this should be subtle  You must explore the implications and ideas raised by the prompt  The text:  Use quotes from the text as a framework for your creative piece  Use some of the same themes from the text in your creative piece (e.g. morals, sacrifice, group mentality, conformity, religion, fear, corruption etc.)  Use some of the same imagery such as the setting and emotions of the scenes  Base your piece within the text – re-write a scene or conversation from a different point of view, write in a new scene, write what happens next (‘echoes down the corridor’) etc.

5. John was all I ever wanted. My life meant nothing – after seeing my dear parents’ heads smashed in so many years ago, I have lived with my Uncle, and I know he doesn’t want me there. I’m too wild for him, too much of a ‘bad influence’ on Betty. But when John came near, sweating like a stallion, I felt like I meant something again. I felt alive... Quotes in this case are not used as evidence to support an idea (like in an essay), but instead create the basis/framework/inspiration for a narrative. The quotes are used to link this piece to the text in a clear, explicit way, and to be true to the original text. The quotes are embedded in a subtle way so that it seems like your own writing – but you need to talk about how and why you chose these quotes (what do they tell us about the prompt?) in your AI

6.  Ensure you have explained SPECIFICALLY how your piece was inspired by specific characters, scenes, themes, style and/or events from The Crucible  You must give examples (e.g. My narrative draws on the conversation between John and Elizabeth which highlighted how frosty and distant their relationship had become, because I wanted to highlight that...; I decided to delve into Abigail’s past in order for the audience to truly understand why she was so prone to violence and to create empathy for her...)  You must provide quotes!!!

7.  Setting – Puritan New England, theocratic government, repressed desires, strict regime, extreme religious beliefs, the forbidden forest...how might these elements of setting be used to inspire a creative piece?  Quotes – do some quotes stand out to you? Are there some quotes that are powerful, beautiful, evocative? Could you use these quotes (e.g. use one as your first sentence or scatter them throughout a story) to build/construct a narrative?  Minor characters – we don’t hear much from Francis Nurse, Martha Corey, Cheever, Tituba and so on – why not write their stories? Could you write from a particular character’s point of view to hear their side of the story, particularly if they don’t have much of a voice in the play?  Additional scenes – are there scenes/events that are referred to but that don’t appear in the play? You could write these scenes! (e.g. dancing in the forest, riots in Andover, Hale’s past in Beverly, Abigail’s tragic past, the echoes down the corridor, John’s children grown up...)

8.  Narrative (short story) – consider:  Point of view (first/third person)  Tense (past/present) – consistency!  Structure (linear, circular, nonlinear, parallel)  Description/imagery/powerful language – SHOW, don’t tell  Dialogue  Setting (time/place)  Subtlety  Awareness of authorial choice and effect  Other possible forms: eulogy, letter, speech from one of the characters, article about the events that happened in the play, interview, letter to the editor, blog posts (might not work with this text though as it is set in the 1600s), Hale’s book on the Devil, script (e.g. an extra scene – needs to be set out in Miller’s structure and style!)...

9.  Pros of creative writing:  Some people love it (but – are you any good at it?)  Lots to write about in AI  Lots of originality (avoiding something boring and obvious) – stands out from the crowd  More potential for ‘wow’ factor  Cons  You need some talent, otherwise your story will be very ordinary and boring, or ridiculous  You need to be able to bring ideas to life through words – can you do this?  Riskier option as the ideas about the prompt and text aren’t obvious – you need a strong AI to support it  Takes a lot of planning and drafting to get right! Time and effort are key – this isn’t something you can just wing on the day  Needs to be achievable in ONE HOUR – this can be a challenge