Writing Assignments
Awesome story to dissect...especially first lines that offer character, scene, conflict right away
Writing advice article from Stephen King
The First Month Covid experience
You can find your first class assignment HERE.
Excellent Steinbeck Cannery Row exercise: find a spot and make it come to life
Ten minutes. FILL IT
A daily exercise of famous passages and analysis, author choice and mimicking
Many prompts HERE
Good daily writing activities HERE
Great writing prompts from NaNoWriMo
Read "The Story of an Hour" and "The Flowers" by Alice Walker and write a two page, short story that has an underlying theme connected to a social norm. Have a brief reflection at the end that indicates what your social norm was.
MASTER THE ART OF THE STORYBOARD
HOW TO TELL A STORY
Creating a character. Here is a sheet to help THEN, MOVE ON TO THIS SHEET TO WORK ON DESCRIBING A CHARACTER
HOW TO BECOME A BETTER WRITER (see example in my binder) Read, then create your own "how to" piece that has the same energy and characteristics as Moore's piece. EXCELLENT EXAMPLE
The art of storytelling. Read these suggestions HERE and then students jot down notes to break info down. Then, they will tell a story of something that happened to them in real life. FOLLOW WITH SOME HINTS HERE
CAN POETRY CHANGE YOUR LIFE? ASSIGNMENT
PODCAST assignment
Great site for writing activities HERE with ten successive ideas for building skills
Quick and dirty writing prompts
Hemmingway assignment...show Mia's college essay
Summarize your childhood in 12 sentences ....start the piece with that and then "devolve" a little
Daily activity: watch the Ted Talk of "things I know for sure" and stop after each one, share, show, share, show until the end
Wisdom of great writers of every year of life Ted Talk . Take the inspiration of this talk and create a similar offspring of your own . FIND YOUR AUTHORS, create your own inspirational Ted Talk ASSIGNMENT HERE
First, kids write out a fairly broad outline of a story (overall plot, conflict, synopsis of characters involved, the conclusion of the piece). They are then to exchange that with another student. At this point, play the OPENING SCENES from movies to signify the importance of an opening and setting the mood. Finally, kids write just the opening scene (1/2 page) and share with the class.
Enter a writing contest such as THIS ONE
Improv creativity: create a two person skit where the class gives a scenario to act out (i.e. you are in a mountain cabin making moonshine and an officer knocks at the door). Have a third person in charge of sound effects (knocking at the door, pouring liquid, a bear in the woods). The two actors have to work off each other. Each one should bring up something hard to react to ("that bleeding arm of yours came from what?") .
Write a three page story that incorporates one of the following lines (all famous opening lines from famous novels). You will be graded based on how cleverly/creatively you incorporate the line and also the quality of the story itself (characters, setting, PLOT). Put the line in BOLD in the story
1. When Dick Gibson was a little boy he was not Dick Gibson-The Dick Gibson Show
2. Psychics can see the color of time. It's blue-Blown Away
3. It was a pleasure to burn-Fahrenheit 451
4. 124 was spiteful-Beloved
5. Where now? Who now? When now?-The Unnamable
6. Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board-Their Eyes Were Watching God
7. Dr. Weiss, at forty, knew that her life had been ruined by literature. --The Debut
8. They shoot the white girl first-Paradise SEE THIS EXEMPLAR FOR THIS ONE
9. There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it-CS Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
10. In the beginning sometimes I left messages in the street-Wittgenstein's Mistress
11. It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York-The Bell Jar SEE THIS EXEMPLAR FOR THIS ONE
In pairs, you will individually write a 5 chapter story (one chapter every two days). After each chapter, you will get feedback from the other student but, most importantly, that student will tell you what he/she wants to see in the next chapter. Try and put this on a site where all can view.
1984 assignment HERE
Write the first line of a story and the last line. Exchange with a fellow student and have him/her write it
Do some basic research on any topic (a war, the particulars of a Navy ship, an army helicopter, a riot in 1969, etc. Use that knowledge to form a story. Check out this example from The University of Texas Clock Tower Shooting
Write a simple "how to" story using the following as a guide in terms of style ("How to become a better writer")
Creating rich characters: check out THESE PICS and do short writing activities with them
Click the link to learn of the art of the BACKSTORY. Read and create one of your own.
Pair up and each write a story based on the random item generator. A good class warmup with creativity. As a FIRST exercise prior to writing, the two students should just have a "natural discussion" involving the items. Have fun.
Do some basic research on any topic (a war, the particulars of a Navy ship, an army helicopter, a riot in 1969, etc. Use that knowledge to form a story. Check out this example from The University of Texas Clock Tower Shooting
Write a simple "how to" story using the following as a guide in terms of style ("How to become a better writer")
Creating rich characters: check out THESE PICS and do short writing activities with them
Click the link to learn of the art of the BACKSTORY. Read and create one of your own.
Pair up and each write a story based on the random item generator. A good class warmup with creativity. As a FIRST exercise prior to writing, the two students should just have a "natural discussion" involving the items. Have fun.
Start one acts by creating, individually, your own characters. Use THIS to do so. Once completed, you will randomly be paired with another student to place created characters into a one act play.
Look at examples 1 and 2 of one act plays. Then, critique the following examples HERE and HERE. For tips on writing a one act play, watch this. Another watchable one act is here, in parts 1, 2, and 3. Check out an exemplar here (please follow the physical structure of the piece)
A holiday story: create an inspiring and heartwarming holiday piece during class. Two pages and it must have a little twist to it
Watch "The Man in the Red Bandana." Do NOT do anything but write single emotional words as you watch video. Then, write a story "from the heart" that makes ABSOLUTELY ZERO MENTION OF ANYTHING SPECIFIC FROM THE FILM. Just let the theme of it take over your heart.
What is your favorite word and why?
You're a sniper. What do you see through your scope?
Create a foil scenario and carry it out. Like in "A&P" where girls in a bikini go into a sterile, monotonous store and therefore stand out.
Write a serious story where there is a priest in a confessional with a confused 28 year old wanting to turn his life around.
Park bench story: older woman who has just lost her husband of 50 years and a man sits down after just finding out he is going to be a father.
Walk around school and choose something minor and bring it to life
Create a story centering on a phone that has 5% battery life left
GAIN YOUR CREATIVE CONFIDENCE EXERCISE HERE
Advertising exercise using creativity HERE
There is a stuffed animal on the side of the road. Tell the story of how it got there
Tell us a story! Do some brief research on the keys to storytelling. If you cannot tell a good story, chances are you cannot write one. Hand in your research and indicate how you used it in the exercise.
Write a short piece with the title: "How to Watch Paint Dry"
Write a short piece with the title: "Deja Vu All Over Again"
Write a short piece with the title: "Did You Really Think the Murder Weapon was a Scone?"
Start your story with the beginnings of a sneeze and end it with someone saying "bless you." The art of expanding a moment
Next, take your own short moment (lasting only 10 seconds max) and work it into a two page expanded moment.
As you write the final, you will do this assignment in class. Any time left over you may use for the final.
FINAL option 1 HERE but watch THIS VIDEO to get pumped!!! (youtube "writing motivation: who will be next?"
ANOTHER FINAL OPTION HERE
another option