Creative writing competition

Closing date:

30th April 202030th April 2020

VIEW THE SPINE-CHILLERSVIEW THE SPINE-CHILLERS

VIDEO THAT INTRODUCES THIS

ACTIVITY TO STUDENTSACTIVITY TO STUDENTS

https://youtu.be/wjNGKA BPbYp //y / j _

today you are going to:today you are going to:

• Learn about the structure of a mini saga• Learn about types of narrator• Write a mini saga for Young Writers’ Spine-ChillersWrite a mini saga for Young Writers Spine Chillers

competition

WHAT IS A MINI SAGA?WHAT IS A MINI SAGA?

• A mini saga is a fun method of storytelling, where you t t l t t i t 100 dmust create a complete story in up to 100 words.

THE GOLDEN RULES OF WRITING A MINI SAGATHE GOLDEN RULES OF WRITING A MINI SAGA

• Be original – you can be inspired by other stories, but i it t i t t k itgive it a twist to make it your own

• Tell a good story• Do not exceed 100 words (not including the title!)

MINI SAGA WRITING TIPSMINI SAGA WRITING TIPS

• Abbreviate words e.g. ‘it is’ becomes ‘it’s’• Use your title cleverly to give readers a clue• Edit out any unnecessary words/sentences• If using dialogue, don’t write ‘said the main character ...’,

use adjectives to describe their reaction and help set the j pscene with cleverly placed description. E.g. ‘shrieked/cried/laughed/stammered’ the main character

UNDERSTANDING THE STRUCTURE OF A MINI SAGA

• A mini saga is a complete story so requires a beginning a• A mini saga is a complete story, so requires a beginning, a middle and an end.

•Suggest ideas of your favourite books/stories to your teacherSuggest ideas of your favourite books/stories to your teacher• They will pick one ideaYou need to identify character setting and plot• You need to identify character, setting and plot

• Provide your teacher with the key parts of the story, which will be written on the boardbe written on the board

• Work as a class to adapt the key parts into sentences to tell the storythe story

• Edit down to 100 words or fewer!

DO YOU KNOW WHAT A NARRATOR IS?

S l h !• Suggest examples to your teacher!

TYPES OF NARRATOR

• First person – The Protagonist: The hero narrates the story• First person – A Secondary Character: Someone close to the protagonist narrates

• Third Person – Omniscient: Knows details about all the characters and• Third Person – Omniscient: Knows details about all the characters and their dilemmas etc that other characters don’t know about each other. A bit of a busy body or know-it-all!

• Third Person – Limited: Knows about the main / secondary characters and only knows what those characters know

• Third Person – Objective: Tells the story from an outside voice neverThird Person Objective: Tells the story from an outside voice, never has own opinion or says ‘We’ or ‘I’ when narrating

• Third Person – Intrusive: Isn’t a physical character in the book, but gives th i l i i h t i itheir personal opinion on what is going on

• The Unreliable Narrator: has a biased point of view

CREATING TENSION, SUSPENSE AND

ATMOSPHERE IN YOUR WRITING

Do you know what tension, suspense and atmosphere are?Tension suspense and atmosphere play a key role inTension, suspense and atmosphere play a key role in creating a spine-chilling story. Blood, guts and gore sometimes shock a reader, but often bore them! Creating a story that is creepy, that gives you goosebumps or has a surprise humorous ending is so much enjoyable to read and to write!to write!

Explain to your teacher what tension,d t hsuspense and atmosphere are ...

TENSION, SUSPENSE AND ATMOSPHERE DEFINITION

Tension: Mental or emotional strain; intense, suppressed suspense, anxiety or excitement.

S A di i f l i iSuspense: A state or condition of mental uncertainty or excitement, as in awaiting a decision or outcome with apprehension or anxiety. An element of risk is usually involved in creating suspenseAn element of risk is usually involved in creating suspense.

Atmosphere: A surrounding or pervading mood, environment or influence; the dominant mood or emotional tone in a piece of writinginfluence; the dominant mood or emotional tone in a piece of writing

Can you give your teacher an example of each?

TENSION, SUSPENSE AND ATMOSPHERE EXAMPLESTENSION, SUSPENSE AND ATMOSPHERE EXAMPLES

Tension: Walking past the abandoned house I hear music and decide to investigateand decide to investigate...

Suspense: Exploring the forest seemed a good idea in daylight Suddenly a blood curdling scream pierced thedaylight. Suddenly a blood-curdling scream pierced the silence of the forest.

At h Th ld i l d b di d th thi kAtmosphere: The old, ivy-clad barn disappeared as the thick fog rolled in, silencing nature. The only sound to be heard was the thud of my heartbeat in my earswas the thud of my heartbeat in my ears.

ACTIVITY

Write these 3 places on a sheet of paper:Write these 3 places on a sheet of paper:

• an abandoned house

• a church

• a forest

Write a short sentence about each one on a bright sunny day.

Once you’ve done this, repeat the activity using awful weather at y , p y gdusk or at night

How do they compare?y p

SETTING THE SCENESETTING THE SCENE

• Set the scene using location and weather/time of day/time of year Darkness inclement weather isolatedday/time of year. Darkness, inclement weather, isolated property, ruins, graveyard etc, automatically give the reader a sense of something sinister afoot.reader a sense of something sinister afoot.

• One or two short sentences can set a scene leaving the remainder of the mini saga to develop the plotremainder of the mini saga to develop the plot.

THINGS TO CONSIDER

Consider the following points before writing your mini saga:Consider the following points before writing your mini saga:• Will there be a ghost/apparition or will you just suggest that

th h th f d ?through the power of words?• Will the events be in the character’s mind or real?• Will the ending have a twist or be humorous?• Will the reader be lulled into a false sense of security?Will the reader be lulled into a false sense of security?• Will you opt for description, dialogue or action?Will l d t i ht i t th it ti• Will you plunge your reader straight into the situation or spare a sentence or two to set the scene beforehand?

THE GOLDEN RULES OF MINI SAGA WRITING:THE GOLDEN RULES OF MINI SAGA WRITING:

• Be original! You can be inspired by other stories, but add a twist make it your own!a twist, make it your own!

• Keep to the 100 word limit – less is always more!• Remember that mini sagas must have a beginning, a

middle and an end!

IT’S TIME TO COMPOSE YOUR MINI SAGA

This lesson you have learnt:This lesson you have learnt:• The structure of a mini saga• About types of narrator• About types of narrator• How to use tension, suspense and atmosphere in your writing• The golden rules of mini saga writingThe golden rules of mini saga writing• Utilise the information you have learnt to write a fantastic spine-

chilling saga!• Your teacher will provide you with a Spine-Chillers entry form.

There are 100 boxes on the form to ensure your mini saga stays ithi th d li it R b th t k i t it iwithin the word limit. Remember, the task is to write a spine-

chilling saga in up to 100 words!

THE RAMBLER EXAMPLE STORY

Fog was creeping in, I wouldn’t make it back before dark. I saw an old church. I’ll wait there and call Tom, I thought. Fog weaved around weather-beaten tombs. I shivered. I crept between crumbling gravestones, heading for the church. The door latch was rusty but unlocked I entered and shut thedoor latch was rusty but unlocked. I entered and shut the door behind me. ‘Hello?’ No answer. I called Tom. ‘I’ll be there in 20, Liz!’ he said as I sat on a dusty pew. Moonlightthere in 20, Liz! he said as I sat on a dusty pew. Moonlight cast dancing shadows through stained glass windows. Bang! ‘Tom?’ The shadows, still moving, grew bigger. A cold hand touched my shoulder. ‘Tom?’ …

BEAUTY AND HER BEAST EXAMPLE STORYBEAUTY AND HER BEAST EXAMPLE STORY

Stumbling into the ballroom, she was shocked to see the Beast His size was daunting yet she was drawn by hisBeast. His size was daunting, yet she was drawn by his charisma. She reached out her hand to caress him, but felt a cold, hard surface. She realised she was looking in a mirrorcold, hard surface. She realised she was looking in a mirror – the Beast was her inner demon.

FEEDBACK TIME!FEEDBACK TIME!

• Work in pairs to read your mini sagas to one another• Your partner is to provide feedback; something they liked and

something that can be improved• Your partner can help edit the work down if it exceeds the

100-word limit• You do the same

We hope you enjoyed

this competition

Closing date:

30th April 202030th April 2020