Creative WritingThursday, September 29, 2011

TODAY’S TARGETS

• Identify methods of developing plot in a story

• Define the various forms of narrative voice• Evaluate the impact of different forms of

narrative voice on your own writing

Word of the Day

disheveled \dih-SHEV-uhld\, adjective; also dishevelled: In loose disorder; disarranged; unkempt; as, "disheveled hair."His cheeks were perpetually rosy, and his thinning sandy brown hair was brushed straight back -- and disheveled just enough to suggest a man in a hurry. -- Kai Bird, The Color of TruthI was known for my disheveled attire, messy desk and erratic work habits. -- Michael Isikoff, Uncovering ClintonHe was wearing a disheveled shirt buttoned up wrong and a belt outside the belt loops and even with the beanie on his head looked as always handsome. -- Susan Minot, Evening

TODAY’S TASKS

1. Journal write2. 2 truths and a lie3. Writing portfolios4. Have Spilling Ink homework checked5. Developing plot ideas6. Identify and determine your narrative

voice7. Quiz tomorrow8. HOMEWORK: • Study for quiz tomorrow• Finish Narrative Voice assignment (if

time permits to start this in class)

Journal Write

• Watch and write: What is the story here?

Writing Portfolios

• A place to store your work in the classroom• A place to collect ideas that you can draw

from later (or not depending on what inspires you at any given time)

To Outline or Not?• Spilling Ink Reading (pages 46-52) Read on your own

and take notes on the following in your journal.1. If you are going to write your story without an outline,

what things do you need to consider when writing? What ideas should drive your plot? (46-52)

2. What should you do or think about if you find that your story is going in a different direction from what you had planned? (53-54)

3. Review Question: Stories need conflict. How can you develop conflict in a story, and how should this conflict relate to the goal/motivation/conflict chart? How does this conflict drive the plot?

Developing Plot

• To outline or not to outline?• Ideas for outlining– Four parts

• Alternatives to outlining

To outline or not

• Spilling Ink Reading (pages 46-52) Read on your own and take notes on the following in your journal.

1. If you are going to write your story without an outline, what things do you need to consider when writing?  What ideas should drive your plot?  (46-52)

2. What should you do or think about if you find that your story is going in a different direction from what you had planned?  (53-54)

3. Review Question: Stories need conflict.  How can you develop conflict in a story, and how should this conflict relate to the goal/motivation/conflict chart?  How does this conflict drive the plot?

Ideas for Outlining Plot

• Write a timeline for your story• Brainstorm events then put them in order later• Establish events on a plot diagram (You know, the

thing that looks like a mountain.)• Use ideas from “Blake’s Beat Sheet” (Thanks to

author Pat White for this one. And on the topic of Pat White, she is interested in leading another creative writing group this year. Give me your name and email if interested, and I will pass the info along to her.)

Narrative Voice (Spilling Ink pages 69-76)

• First person (I)– main key: The voice needs to be true to your character narrating

and will be more personal.– Mick Hart Was Here, Flipped, Stargirl

• Second Person (You)• Third person limited (He/She/It)

– The Hunger Games

• Third Person Omniscient (He/She/It)

• Reliable or unreliable? – Unreliable: Think “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allen Poe– Reliable: Most other stories

Quiz Overview

• Define the different forms of narrative voice• Identify the key component in fiction• Identify the key things you need to consider

about your character• Be prepared to tell your thoughts on how you

think that you will plot your writing.

Narrative Voice Assignment

1.Select a scene that you wrote previously. It can be one of your journal writes.

2.Rewrite it from a different narrative voice.

3.Explain how this impacted the story or scene.

• Purpose: Practice in narrative voice to see how a shift can impact the way the story/scene is told.