Kirk Balk Academy

English Department

Creative writing inspiration booklet

Top Tips page 3Descriptions of places:

Beach page 5Forest page 7Moors page 9Sea page 10Sky page 11Waterfall page 13

Descriptive structure page 14Narrative structures page 15Ambitious vocabulary page 20

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Top tips for writing for paper 1

Read both questions and select one FATP the tasks Plan for 6 - 7 paragraphs Spend 10 minutes planning, 30 minutes writing, 5 minutes

checking Use a range of devices suited to audience and purpose Make sure that ideas within paragraphs are developed Use the descriptive structure framework Use a range of sentence starts and sentence types Use a range of punctuation accurately and for effect Use a one sentence paragraph for effect

Challenge: Can you develop a whole text message or strong emotion?

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Narrative structure

• Start: describe setting• 2nd paragraph: introduce characters• 3rd paragraph: build to key event• 4th paragraph: one sentence. Moment of impact• 5th paragraph: describe impact in detail• 6th paragraph: character’s feelings• End: describe setting again using phrases from the start

• Describe same= things coming round full circle• Describe different= impact of event

Descriptive structure

• Start: describe overview setting• 2nd paragraph: zoom in on a key character or detail.• 3rd paragraph: zoom in on a key character or detail. Try to

show contrast.• 4th paragraph: one sentence. Change the mood.• 5th paragraph: describe impact of the mood changer• End: describe overview setting again using phrases from

the start• Describe same= things coming round full circle• Describe different= impact of event

BEACH

Above the tide-line, the grey rocks are splashed gorse-yellow with close-growing lichen, and with others of blue-green and salmon pink. Beneath them are the vivid orange-browns and

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siennas of wrack-weeds, the violet of mussel-beds, dead-white sand and water through which one sees down to the bottom, as though pale green bottle-glass, to where starfish and big spiny urchins of pink and purple rest upon the broad leaves of the sea-tangle.

_____________

The waves are neither the gentle kind that roll up the beach like a overflowing bath tub, nor the crashing kind that turn murky with golden swirling crystals. They move with force but die within a few feet. From them comes the salty smell, that fragrance that conjures fishing fleets and nets of sun-bleached blue cord hanging out to dry.

_____________The beach was a blaze of parasols, hot colours to match the burning sand underfoot. Against the percussion of the waves was the laughter, coming in bursts and rolling like the ocean.

_____________Pebbles crunch beneath winter boots and the waves lap in their steady rhythm, frigid and laced with sea-foam. Their melody is soporific, this music of water dragging rounded stones up and down the beach. Amongst the brush strokes of hues that are muted as if bleached by millions of years of sun, the tang of the salty air infiltrates taste buds. Gulls cry like caterwauling cats, circling until the fishing fleet returns. A rowing boat of aging wood and paint that curls like potato peelings cut too thick, bobs on the sun-speckled water, on the horizon where blue meets blue.

_____________The beach is gentle beneath bare feet. Tips of shells peek from holes made by little creatures seeking shelter in the soft sand. Beige dust forms mini dunes, soon to be soaked by the sea which is gradually creeping its way further onto shore. The sun's rays float peacefully, resting on the warm waters. Timid clouds are rarely exposed, leaving the sky to beam blue. Few trees give a touch of shade to sit beneath. A white ribbon of

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cliffs and rocks surround the bay, guarding it from what lies beyond. Ears invite in the quiet whisper of waves, sharing the ocean's secrets.

_____________The sun emitted wave upon wave of heat from the centre of a pale blue sky. Golden sand extended at a gentle slope, soft dunes tumbling to kiss the briny water. Each wave was lacy with foam and all the more gentle for the subtle green hues. The beach stretched out into the distance like a horseshoe bending around the coastline, dotted with families enjoying the rare gift of warmth.

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FOREST

Upon the forest floor lie trees of yesteryear, fallen in storms long forgotten. The seasons have been harsh, stripping away the bark and outer layers, yet rendering them all the more beautiful. They have the appearance of driftwood, twisting in patterns reminiscent of seaside waves; even the colour of the moss is kelp-like.

_____________The pines are several houses tall, reaching toward the golden rays of spring. Birdsong comes in lulls and bursts, the silence and the singing working together as well as any improvised melody.

_____________The light streaks through the boughs in both brilliant and shadowy beams. In the summertime they were white gold, illuminating the greens into riots of colour, yet the gift of those warm days has passed for the season. On these wintry days the fogs cast those same beams of light into sepia tones and the woodland becomes the most beautiful of photographs. The trunks of fallen trees bare mirrored icicles, no two of them the same - more enchanting than any work of man. Every twig and blade of grass grows winter leaves of ice crystals, frost deeper than the blades themselves. And never is the woodland silent, though it is quieter than any city street. There are the birds above, calling, pecking for grubs. There is movement of mammals, mostly small, sometimes not. There is the water that flows quietly until it meets the sharp rocky scree slopes and forms the rushing waterfalls.

_____________The forest that was once so alive now chills. The trees that sheltered so many with their spreading canopy of green and provided so much are now lifeless sticks of charcoal, no more vibrant than the old lamp-posts in the city. The unfettered light illuminates the scorched ground and still that smell of burning lingers despite the rain.

_____________

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The forest was ancient. The trees thick and old with roots that were twisted. It might once have been filled with bird-song and animals that roamed, but now it was ages past its former glory. Its canopy was so dense that you could only see the occasional streak of sunlight that rarely touched the forest floor. Even its thick vines were slowly taking away the last remnants of the temple that stood in the centre.

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MOORS

The silhouetted dark shape of the rising moors rolled for miles, visible up until a touch of emerald light scathed the horizon. In the darkness, the unexpected scent of honey- heather- and- gorse bush seemed to be embroidered into the very landscape.

_____________In the dark, smoky bitter blue sky, something shifted and the entirety of the rolling hills was all of a sudden bathed in a whimsical silver. A glimpse of the moon and of the stars seemed to lilt in and out of existence.

_____________The late summer riot of violet had ebbed to a brown tinged green, sprinkled white with the season's first snow flurry. The ground was still springy despite the bitter cold and the wind howled in tempestuous gusts. The path lay like a crumpled ribbon between the heathers far as the eye journeyed in front or behind.

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SEA

The gentle waves scattered the evening sun like the sequins. Litter tumbled over the cooling sand.

_____________A strong wind was blowing, and the sea was gray and white with long breaking waves. Every peak seemed to be making enthusiastic, eager haste to the shore, with long, irised tresses streaming from its tops, some of its outer fringes borne away in scud to refresh the wind, all the rolling, pitching, flying water exulting in the beauty of rainbow light.

_____________Ocean still as a mill pond, like a slumbering giant, powers untapped, muscles unflexed, dozing, dreaming, caressing the beach as a mother to her newborn, until the wind whips it up into tempestuous waves, powers unleashed, tumult of waves, roaring, smashing into the beach with unchecked fury, pounding, smashing.

_____________Huge waves rolled across the surface, the wind tearing white moonlit spray from their peaks.

_____________...the flat sea stretched in all directions, the afternoon sun scattering diamonds across its surface. Seagulls wheeled overhead, carried by the cool ocean breeze.

_____________The sea, perfectly calm, was like a peaceful lake, and its soft murmurs were scarcely audible. The waves seemed to sleep. A line of darker blue marked the curve of the horizon.

SKY

The morning sky is mostly cloud, deep steel blue-greys that mirror the hues of the highway. Everything is a muted shade,

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like a matt photograph in a dimly lit room, everything except the tail lights that flow into the heart of the city. They shine like the first berries on winter holly: unabashedly brilliant, scarlet, hypnotic.

_____________The sky is a sombre grey save for the band of salmon pink that hovers over the mountains. The dusky grey peaks give the bottom a jagged edge, whereas the clouds above soothe it with charcoal swirls.

_____________The sky is a thick blanket of fog hovering above the frigid ground. Branches, newly bereft of leaves, stretch up toward it, disappearing into the white as it their tips were yet to be painted on the brilliant canvas above.

_____________Today the sky is nothing at all. It's like a child began to draw on it with a pencil and then erased it in a way that smudged and spread the grey. And all the while the rain streaks down, invisible until it hits the sodden ground.

_____________The sky was low and dark. The thick cloud, grey as the stone they pulled from the quarry, gave the monochromatic world outside a claustrophobic feel. By this time of day the birds should have been singing and the horizon tinged with reds and pinks, oranges sometimes. But the weather was accountable to no-one.

_____________It is an endless canvas that colors are tossed upon. Some days it is a pure, uninterrupted blue that stretches seamlessly. When the sun rises, it is a child's painting, bright pinks and oranges piled on top of each other, reflecting off low hanging clouds and filling the world with a haze of wonder. When it storms, the harsh glow of lightning illuminates the gathering piles of dull grey clouds that are angrily pushing against each other. At night, the moon glows, giving the speckle of stars a guide light. The sky is alive, growing at each passing moment, a constant changing canvas for the world to see.

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_____________Above the busy city, the honking of cars and the strolling people, the bright summer sky cloaked the world. The candy-floss clouds moved lazily across the sky; the bright sun gleamed brightly forcing people to squint and stare down. Not a drop of rain fell nor a sound of thunder boomed, but all of that was going to change.

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WATERFALL

From a distance the waterfall had been like a silent white stream cascading over the rocky outcrops. Up close, the noise increased steadily until it was a deafening roar. The plume of water vapour that hung over the plunge pool soaked everything within reach with a rainstorm.

_____________By nature all streams are slow-flowing, languid in pace, and lax by nature. However this stream is mighty. Many torrents of water travel its path; rapids flick up against its surface like paint flakes off a distressed door. Boulders rise out of the water like the bows of a sunken fleet, and the hiss of far off waterfalls are the screams of their drowned crew.

_____________A force of nature, both beautiful and brutal. Tranquil from a distance but deafening up close. It was as if the cascades of water conjured cascades of equally powerful emotions in his brain and it quite took his breath away. It was simply spectacular, the most magnificent sight ever beheld.

_____________A curtain of white water came over the grey rocks as if it were being poured from a giant bucket that never emptied.

_____________It was a war between the waterfall and the water bed, attacking one another with all their might. Almost as if each drop of water was competing in a race to get there first or to make the loudest sound, as it was the only thing anyone could hear.

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Descriptive structureParagraph 1: Describe overview setting

The fiery, golden orb rose up from the horizon spreading its magnificent rays of light everywhere…Tip: Start with the sky and then move down to the setting if the picture is outside.Silence held the bus in its calm embrace.Tip: If inside, start with the sound…Paragraph 2: Zoom in on a key character or detail.Tip: Try to include metaphors and adverbial sentences.

Paragraph 3: Zoom in on a key character or detail.

Tip: Try to include similes and lists.

Paragraph 4: 1 sentence. Change the mood.

Tip: Use a semi-colon and be dramatic.

Paragraph 5: Describe the impact of the mood changer

Tip: Change the mood. Show contrast to paragraph 2 and 3.

Paragraph 6: Describe overview setting again using phrases from the start• Description the same= things coming round full circle• Description different= impact of event and change

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Narrative StructuresFor titles such as:

The PartyBreaking the RulesWrite a story beginning with the words “Mum/Dad shouted up the stairs “Get down here now!””Write about a time when you were ashamed of yourself.

Paragraph 1A short paragraph describing your parents’ car driving away. Describe the tail lights fading, the engine sound fading. End in

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three one word sentences or one short sentence: Freedom at last.Paragraph 2You are standing in the living room. Describe it in detail. Everything is immaculate. Describe the floor covering, furniture, curtains: My feet sank into the soft, cream carpet…Paragraph 3Describe getting ready for a party: My bedroom floor was carpeted with a patchwork of discarded clothing…Paragraph 4Describe the atmosphere of the party. The sounds, the music, the movement; everyone having fun.Paragraph 5One sentence. Something changes: Then the doorbell rang…Paragraph 6You are standing in the living room. Describe it in detail. Everything is ruined. Describe the floor covering, furniture, curtains. mirror the vocabulary and devices you used in paragraph 2: My feet stuck to the matted, stained carpet…Paragraph 7A short paragraph describing your parents’ car approaching. Describe the head lights getting brighter, the engine sound getting louder. End in three one word sentences or one short sentence. Mirror your opening paragraph.

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For titles such as:Write about a time when you felt embarrassed.The WeddingAn Unforgettable DayWrite a story beginning “I’m not coming and that’s the end of it”.Write a story about when you had to wear an outfit you hated.

Paragraph 1You have got to be a bridesmaid/page boy at a relatives wedding and you don’t want to. Describe how you feel, in detail.Paragraph 2You are in the car going to try on outfits. Everyone else is really excited but no matter how hard you try, you can’t be happy about it.Paragraph 3You look at yourself in the mirror in a disgusting outfit. Describe it in detail. Describe how you feel.Paragraph 4The day of the wedding. All the chaos and excitement at home. Describe how you feel. You leave in the car, hoping nobody will see you in your horrible outfit. Contrast everybody else’s feelings with yours. You arrive at the church. You are still miserable as you wait for the bride to arrive. You wish the day was over.Paragraph 5One sentence paragraph – you look at the bride who is so happy and realise how selfish you have been. It is her day, not yours. You are happy for her.Paragraph 6Mirror your opening paragraph – describe how honoured you are to have been part of the wedding and how ashamed you are of being selfish.

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For titles such as:Write a story beginning with “I was delighted/devastated when my results came back”.The CheatWrite about a time when you were ashamed of yourself.Breaking the RulesWrite a story that ends with the words “My mother always warned me that pride comes before a fall”.The UnexpectedDisappointmentWrite a story that ends with the words “How wrong he was”.

Paragraph 1You wake up in your bedroom. It is results day! You are either very confident or terrified. Describe how you feel as you get ready. Do you leap out of bed and throw open the curtains or do you want to put the duvet over your head?Paragraph 2You go downstairs. Your family have made breakfast and are all there, excited for your results. You can’t eat through excitement/nerves. Describe how you feel.Paragraph 3Your friends are waiting for you to walk to school. They feel opposite to you. You feel alone in the crowd.Paragraph 4You wait in the queue for your results. Describe how you feel. Describe the reaction of others receiving their results. You get your envelope. You move away from everyone else to open it…Paragraph 5One sentence – have you passed or failed? How do you feel. Despair (if you were confident). Elation (if you were worried).Paragraph 6Mirror your first paragraph. You are in your bedroom at the end of the day. How do you feel?

For titles such as:The Birthday PresentDisappointment

Paragraph 1

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You are being dragged round the shops by your parent. Shop after shop of uninteresting things. How do you feel?Paragraph 2You see something you desperately want – a bike, a dress, a phone, a game… Describe the shop. Describe how the item is begging you to buy it. Describe how disappointed you are when your parent says they can’t afford it. Describe how miserable you are travelling home.Paragraph 3It is the run up to Christmas/your birthday. Your family and friends are all excited and making plans. Describe them. You hope for the item you saw in the shop. You wonder if there is any chance you will get it.Paragraph 4It’s the day! Your parents watch you opening your presents; they are really happy with what they have bought you. You open present after present, hiding your disappointment. Describe how you feel. You have to put on a brave face – your parents have spent money they can’t afford on these things. Each present you open, you hope will be IT. Each time you are disappointed, until no presents are left. You thank your parents, hiding your disappointment inside.Paragraph 5One sentence – your parents take you to the garage/bring out another present – and it’s THE ONE.Paragraph 6Describe how you feel now; describe how it’s the best birthday/Christmas ever.

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For titles such as:A game that didn’t go to plan. An eventful day. The accident. The Dare.

Paragraph 1Describe the scene of the accident in detail. Make sure you create a positive mood (A frozen lake/ the sea, a forest, a cave)Paragraph 2Introduce your characters. Give a reason for them being in the setting. Again, create a positive mood. (Snow day, school trip, family holiday, walk in the woods)Paragraph 3Build the tension. Give a reason for a character to be placed in danger (a dare, a race, a personal goal, to rescue a pet)Paragraph 4One sentence paragraph. Give a clue that an accident is about to happen (the ice cracks, the water drags them under, they stumble)Paragraph 5In detail, describe the final moments of life. Be descriptive and dramatic. (panic, body pulled under, lifeless body, failed attempts to help.Paragraph 6Describe the scene of the accident in detail after the event. Include very similar/ the same description as the start. In the very last sentence either link to a new character to suggest the same will happen again or refer to 1 small detail that suggests an accident took place (refer to the body at the bottom of the lake, flowers left, police tap, a broken branch)

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DESCRIBING LIGHT:

BrightSunny SunlitLuminousIlluminatedRadiantShiningSun-drenchedFloodlitShiningIncandescentGleamingShimmeringResplendentGlowingSparkling

TwinklingGlitteringLuminescentFlamingFlaringIridescentFlameFireFlareSparkFlickerConflagrationInferno

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WARNING: Remember to check the word class and exact meaning of the words on this list. Some are synonyms, some are part of the semantic field. Not all will be used the same way or mean exactly the same!

DESCRIBING DARKNESS:

DimShadyShadowyMurkyDuskyGloomyObscureOpaqueBleakDrearyFoggy

MuddyOvercastTwilightNightfallAustereDrabDesolateDismalSombre

DESCRIBING COLD:

IcyFrostyChillyFreezingBitterWintryFrozenArctic

SnowGlacialBlizzardHailSnowstormFlurrySleetStorm

DESCRIBING WARMTH/HEAT

Burning Scorching

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BoilingBlisteringSizzlingSearingBroilingFieryHeatedScaldingSwelteringStifling

MuggySultryFireSingeingSearingFlameBlazeBonfireConflagrationCombustionInferno

DESCRIBING BEAUTY:

LovelyAttractiveGorgeousStunningStrikingPicturesqueScenic

DelightfulCharmingExquisiteMagnificentDivineEnchantingDazzling

DESCRIBING UNPLEASANTNESS:

HorribleDreadfulHorridObnoxious

FoulDisagreeableHideousRevolting

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RepulsiveDistastefulGhastlyAtrociousRepugnantHorrendousAppalling

IntolerableAbhorrentDespicableRepellentDisgustingNauseating

DESCRIBING THINGS AS INTERESTING:

ExcitingFascinatingAttention-grabbingRemarkableCuriousStimulatingAppealingCaptivating

MesmerisingEnthrallingAbsorbingIntriguingBeguilingAlluringEnticingRiveting

DESCRIBING THINGS AS DULL:

TediousMonotonousDrearyDryUnexcitingLacklustreLifeless

DimMutedFadedInsipidPloddingSluggishStultifying

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AridWearyingWearisomeLethargic

InactiveListless

DESCRIBING QUIETNESS:

SilentNoiselessInaudibleSoftDiscreetUnobtrusiveSoundlessPeaceful

StillTranquilSereneCalmRelaxingRestfulRestrainedHushed

DESCRIBING LOUDNESS:

DeafeningEar-splittingPiercingStridentThunderousBoomingVociferous

RowdyBoisterousRaucousNoisyRiotousBlaringResounding

DESCRIBING SADNESS:

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GloomyWretchedDejectedDespondentDesolateForlornSorrowfulMelancholyWoefulCheerlessDistressingHeart-rending

PoignantMovingUnfortunateHopelessInfelicitousDiscontentedDistraughtDismayedTroubledOffendedHurtWounded

DESCRIBING HAPPINESS:

ContentedJoyfulCheerfulBlissfulExultantEcstaticDelightedCheeryJovialGratified

RelaxedGladdenedComfortedEcstasyElatedOverjoyedThrilledEuphoricJubilantUplifted

DESCRIBING SOMETHING FRIGHTENING:

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ChillingTerrifyingPetrifyingDauntingBloodcurdlingIntimidatingMenacingStartlingAlarming

WorryingFearsomeWorrisomeFearfulEerieDisturbingSpine-chillingUnnervingUnsettling

DESCRIBING WEATHER:

RainyShoweryDrizzlyDampPouringMistyDrizzlingFoggyDrenchedSoddenSoggySoppingDrippingMoistWateryMoisture

LiquidSaturatedClammyCascadeBurstDelugeFloodCloudburstDownpourStormRainstormFlurrySprinkleInundatedSwampEngulf

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Submerge Drown

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DESCRIBING DRY/BARREN LANDSCAPES

ThirstyDehydratedParchedAridWaterlessDesiccatedParchedWitheredScorchedInfertile

EmaciatedWiltedBleakInhospitableStarkHarshBareDesertSand

DESCRIBING THINGS THAT ARE BIG:

GiantImmenseVastGiganticHugeEnormousBulkyCumbersomeHulking

ToweringMammothColossalImmeasurableIncalculableTitanicLimitlessGargantuan

DESCRIBING THINGS THAT ARE SMALL:

Minute Tiny

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DiminutiveMiniaturePetiteUndersizedMinisculeMicroscopicInfinitesimal

LittleInsignificantShortElfinTrivialMinor

DESRIBING THINGS THAT ARE OLD

AncientTimewornArchaicAntiquePrehistoricPrimevalPrimordialAntediluvianPrimalAntiquated

WeatheredShabbyTattyDilapidatedTatteredThreadbareFrayedScuffedDerelictRamshackle

DESCRIBING THINGS THAT ARE DAMAGED:

InjuredSpoiledDentedScratched

SmashedBrokenMarredRavaged

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WoundedBatteredBruisedScarredDecayed

RottenTaintedWastedSoured

RancidDisfiguredSoiledDirtiedPollutedFouledCorruptedBlemishedBlighted

DESCRIBING THINGS AS IMPORTANT

VitalImperativeKeyEssentialCritical

CrucialValuableNotableEminentFundamental

Notes

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