Creative Writing Lesson

Using The Odyssey by Homer

With Ms. Starkey

How do you write a diary?

Write in chronological order. Use first person (I, me, my). Use detailed descriptions. Avoid talking about events in which the

character is NOT involved. Explain WHY things happen.

How do you write a letter?

• Open salutation

• Dear Mary, Dear Sir/Madam

• Body of the letter

• Closing

• Sincerely Yours,

• My love,

• Signature

Diary/Journal Example from Book 16

Dear Diary, 760BC

I was so touched when I saw Odysseus look upon his son after so many years. With my help along the way, Odysseus made it all the way back to Ithaca! I have never been more proud of myself, but the journey was not over yet. I just had to see where my powers could take him next.

With my golden wand, I changed Odysseus into a “cloak pure white and the knit tunic [was] fresh around him. Lithe and young [I] made him, ruddy with the sun, his jaw line clean, the beard no longer grew upon his chin.” He looked amazing, all thanks to me!

Until next time,

Athena

Letter Example from Book 9 (Found Here)My Dearest Penelope,

783BC

So you know how I was hoping for a safe place? Well that didn't happen. Actually it was quite the opposite. Do you know how scary a Cyclops is? Do you? I don't think so. Yes dear, I know, this sounds very snobby and annoying. I don't mean to be, I was and still am in shock. We walked into his cave, started having his food. We didn't know a man thing like him lived there. So then he walks in all upset, he actually took one of our men and ate him! It was disgusting. So, we got him drunk and stabbed him in the eye and blinded him when he fell asleep. I had told him my name was, "Nobody," so he kept screaming out, "Nobody's killing me now..." when he woke up in terror from what we did. We barely escaped but I could scarcely hear him say, "Hear me - Poseidon, god of the sea-blue mane who rocks the earth! If I really am your son and you claim to be my father - come, grant that Odysseus, raider of cities, Laertes' son who makes his home in Ithaca, never reaches home. Or if he's fated to see his people once again and reach his well-built house and his own native country, let him come home late and come a broken man - all shipmates lost, alone in a stranger's ship - and let him find a world of pain at home!" I hope Poseidon wasn't listening. That would be very bad for me.

Forever and Always,

Odysseus

Write Your Own Creative Letter or Diary Entry

Step 1: Choose a character from The Odyssey that makes a difficult choice or commits a decisive action. 

Step 2: Pick a moment in the plot of your text to have your chosen character write a private journal or diary entry, mulling over his/her present position, detailing how she/he feels about the choices already made in the past and about the choices in the future. OR: Have your chosen character write a letter to another character in the text about his or her concerns (instead a private journal or diary entry).

Step 3: Make sure it's clear from the outset of your diary or journal entry when exactly this entry was written in the scheme of the plot of the text itself.

Step 4: Try to incorporate direct references (even quotations and bits of dialogue) to the original text. Be sure that whatever qualities your chosen character demonstrates in your creative piece are supported by the events and description in the original text as well.

Must have:

• Date

• Correct heading (Dear Journal, Dear Athena)

• 1-2 paragraphs

• Details that your character would experience from the point in the book you are writing about (remember emotions and actions)

• A signature

Category 4 3 2 1

Content Accuracy The letter/journal contains at least 5 accurate facts about the character.

The letter/journal contains 3-4 accurate facts about the character.

The letter/journal contains 1-2 accurate facts about the character.

The letter/journal contains no accurate facts about the character.

Letter/Journal Format

Letter/journal format of heading, salutation, and closing have no errors in capitalization and punctuation.

Letter/journal format of heading, salutation, and closing have 1-2 errors in capitalization and punctuation.

Letter/journal format of heading, salutation, and closing have 3 or more errors in capitalization and punctuation.

Letter/journal format of heading, salutation, and closing and/or closing are missing.

Format Complies with all the requirements for a letter/journal.

Complies with almost all the requirements for a letter/journal.

Complies with several of the requirements for a letter/journal.

Complies with less than 75% of the requirements for a letter/journal.

Ideas Ideas were expressed in a clear and organized fashion. It was easy to figure out what the letter/journal was about.

Ideas were expressed in a pretty clear manner, but the organization could have been better.

Ideas were somewhat organized, but were not very clear. It took more than one reading to figure out what the letter was about.

The letter seemed to be a collection of unrelated sentences. It was very difficult to figure out what the letter was about.