Creative and Personal Reflective Writing

You should be aiming to create an original and stylish piece of writing that goes beyond the obvious; focusing on different aspects of the writer’s craft can help you to achieve this!

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We are going to consider the following ideas:

•Narrator and narrative (who is telling the story)

•Structure (the sequence of events; how you order the story)

•Figurative language (how to make the writing come alive using  similes, metaphors and personification)

•Sentence structure 

In any piece of writing you need to be aware of three things:

•Character. Your reader must feel like they have got to know your character well. You can do this with descriptions of physical appearance, behaviour and actions.

•Setting. Your reader must be able to imagine the scene vividly.

•Atmosphere. As the purpose of creative writing is to entertain, remember that you are in charge of manipulating the reader’s feelings. Is the reader supposed to be frightened? Sympathetic? Amused?

Narrative Voice

 

Before we begin writing we need to decide how we are going to write i.e. through whose voice will our story be most effective. 

1st person

•Use of “I” or “we”.

•A first person narrator brings greater focus on the feelings, opinions, and perceptions of a particular character in a story, and on how the character views the world and the views of other characters.

•"I could picture it. I have a rotten habit of picturing the bedroom scenes of my friends. We went out to the Cafe Napolitain to have an aperitif and watch the evening crowd on the Boulevard."

•from The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway.

2nd person (rarely used, but effective if dealt with properly)

•Use of “you”, without any reference to the first person.

•Second-person point of view can create even more intimacy than first-person, creating the feeling that the reader is blind, in a sense, and the plot is leading him or her along. 

•"Decide that you like college life. In your dorm you meet many nice people. Some are smarter than you. And some, you notice, are dumber than you. You will continue, unfortunately, to view the world in exactly these terms for the rest of your life."

(from Lorrie Moore's "How to Become a Writer“)

3rd person (the omniscient narrator) 

•Use of “he”, “she”, “they”, etc

•A third person omniscient (‘all-knowing’) narrator gives a whole view of the world of the story, looking into many characters and into the broader background of a story. A third person omniscient narrator can tell feelings of every character. For stories in which the context and the views of many characters are important, a third person narrator is a better choice. 

•“Mort thought about it, then shook his head.  And Cleary told himself that he didn't care, but picked up the paper anyway.”

Structure

The structure of a short story is where a lot of people fall down- a lot of people manage their time badly and do not bring their story to its conclusion, whereas others forget to plan and section of their story warble or do not flow into the next part. 

Planning the structure (or plot) of your story before you begin writing can resolve these issues!

 

•Exposition: The mood and conditions existing at the beginning of the story. The setting is identified. The main characters with their positions, circumstances and relationships to one another are established. The exciting force or initial conflict is introduced. Sometimes called the “Narrative HOOK” this begins the conflict that continues throughout the story.

•Rising Action: The series of events, conflicts, and crises in the story that lead up to the climax, providing the progressive intensity, and complicate the conflict.

•Climax: The turning point of the story. A crucial event takes place and from this point forward, the protagonist moves toward his inevitable end. The event may be either an action or a mental decision that the protagonist makes.

•Falling Action: The events occurring from the time of the climax to the end of the story. The main character may encounter more conflicts in this part of the story, but the end is inevitable.

•Resolution/Denouement: The tying up of loose ends and all of the threads in the story. The conclusion.

There are different structural devices you can use to liven up your story instead of writing in chronological order.

•Flashbacks can be used to give details of past events in order to give a better understanding of important characters’ feelings, for example.

•Flash-forwards can offer tantalising images of events to come. Don’t give away too much though! Give only hints.

    (With both flashbacks and flash-forwards it is important that it is clear to the reader that the events you describe are taking place in a different time than the main body of the story- italicise and/or use a separate paragraph!)

•Repetition of particular ideas or images can ‘lead’ your reader through the story. 

Example of brief plan

•Exp- old house, 2 main chars in livingroom, fire- symbol (flickering-foreboding), warmth etc, discussing future plans.

•Rising-hear a noise, fire becomes more erratic, wind, windows etc. try to leave room but can’t, try to call but can’t.

•Climax- someone else in the room, battle…

•Falling-creature dead, characters in shock

•Concl-police called, investigation, characters determined to discover where it came from...

   

Mind-maps

•Sometimes it helps to create a brief mind-map ideas for your story/your character/setting etc before you plan.Then you can look at all of your ideas and decide which y7ou want to use and how you could tie them all tigether into a narrative.

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•REMEMBER YOUR PLANS SHOULD BE VERY BRIEF! Do not utilise all of your time on these- they are simply to help guide you through your writing!!

Setting

•One of the most important things you will have to do is describe the setting of your story.

•You should use the show-don’t-tell rule and as much figurative language as you can!

 i.e. don’t tell me the characters are in the livingroom of a slightly creepy, neglected old house… describe the fire and the sofas in such a way that this is implied!! 

Use the five senses to fully describe your setting! 

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Settting Task

 

Look carefully at the setting shown.

   You have 10 minutes to describe it in full, choosing a narrative voice and using the show-not-tell rule, the five senses and as much figurative language as possible.

   Remember that you want to make your reader feel as if they are actually there so your descriptions must be detailed!

 

  Example

The waves crashed against the shore like angry stallions, as the wind roared above her head.  The smell of sea-water nipped her nostrils and its salty taste seemed to burn her tongue in fear. From deep within the its darkened depths the sea had thrown a cold and wet cloak over her; the touch of which made all of the hairs on her skin stand to attention. In the distance, she could see the ship, it’s torn rigging illuminated by the moon like a ghostly skeleton…

Character

Your reader must feel like they have got to know your character well. You can do this with descriptions of physical appearance, behaviour and actions.

   Try to think of your character as a whole person- who are they? how did they get into the situation that they are in? What kind of a person are they?

    It is important that you know the personality of your character so that you can show this through their description/actions etc.

Listen and take notes on character:

http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/podcasts/video/creative-writing-masterclass-with-cathy-forde-2-characters

  

Character Task

 

1.Choose a number between 1 and 6.

2.Your number will allocate you a character from the character chart.

3.Use the table to make notes about your character- fill in all columns!

4.Pick two sections from your table and describe this information about your character using at least two figurative language techniques.

•i.e. clothing/style- ragged, unkempt, dirty, old torn.

    personifcation- ‘her trousers were battered and bruised as if they had travelled far and through great danger’

simile- Her cardigan was like old rigging on a boat that has not been sailed for years; barely there, clinging to its weary mast. 

Face (skin/eyes/mouth/nose etc)	Other appearance-hair/ build/gait	Voice	Clothing (style)	background	personality	Present situation	Habits/character traits	Hopes/dreams	Misc

 

1.Now pick another character, either from the chart or from your head and repeat the task!

Plotting and Planning

1. Look at your character descriptions and notes and at your setting description.
2. 2.Put your character into your favourite setting.
3. 3.Mind-map a plot for your story. Think about:
4. •How they got there/How they are feeling/ what they are doin
5. •What kind of conflict they could encounter or have encountered- is it already there and is going to build, or is it over and if so, what now?
6. •How that conflict could be/has been resolved….
7. From your mind-map, create a brief plan of your story using the structure in your jotters.

 

 Openings/Narrative Hooks

‘It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the house-tops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.’

Edward George Bulwer-Lytton- ‘Paul Clifford ‘ 

‘You are about to begin reading Italo Calvino’s new novel, ‘If on a winter’s night a traveller’. Relax. Concentrate. Dispel every other thought. Let the world around you fade. Best to close the door; the TV is always on in the next room. Tell the others right away, "No, I don't want to watch TV!" Raise your voice--they won't hear you otherwise--’

Italo Calvino (trans. William Weaver) ’If on a winter’s night a traveller’ 

‘He was an inch, perhaps two, under six feet, powerfully built, and he advanced straight at you with a slight stoop of the shoulders, head forward, and a fixed from-under stare which made you think of a charging bull.’

Joseph Conrad- ‘Lord Jim’ 

For each opening, identify the atmosphere created and how the writer has ‘hooked’ the reader (made them want to read on). Is there any hint as to what might happen later in the story?

•http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/podcasts/video/creative-writing-masterclass-with-cathy-forde-1-the-first-line

 Some more tips from authors:
 

•Please make notes while you watch:

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•http://www.bbc.co.uk/blast/editorial/charlie_higson_horror_writer_part_1/221829

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•http://www.bbc.co.uk/blast/editorial/charlie_higson_horror_writer_part_2/221827

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•http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/podcasts/video/creative-writing-masterclass-with-cathy-forde-3-dialogue

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•http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/podcasts/video/creative-writing-masterclass-with-cathy-forde-6-endings

 

 

•You should now have ideas for your own story.

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•Create a mind-map and plan of your own short story.

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•Show your plan to me and then begin!


Please find 23/25 creative exemplar here: Diminshed Responsibility

Personal Reflective

As the title suggests, a personal reflective essay basically demands you to discuss personal insights about a personal experience. One could also think of a reflective essay as a tool for self-assessment since they demand a unique perspective from you which you state by reflecting an experience in your life. 

As with Creative writing, you will still need to use your five senses to describe setting, but this time you will need to describe the character of yourself in detail- that me, and lots of thoughts and feelings and showing me those- not telling me!!

You also need to tell me how your event has changed you and your thoughts and feelings now when you think about/look back on it.

 

  Pick two of the options below and write at least a paragraph fopr each:

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•What is the worst thing that has ever happened to you?
•What is the hardest thing that has ever happened to you?
•What is the happiest thing that has ever happened to you?
•What is the saddest thing that has ever happened to you?
•What is the most frightening thing that has ever happened to you?
•What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to you?

 

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•Now, write a paragraph reflecting on a person who 

has most influenced you

•has most helped you

•has most hurt you

•that you miss most

•that you are most glad to be rid of

•Your Personal Reflective Writing will really come to life when you include your thoughts and feelings. No one else knows these. Only you can tell the reader about them.

•To show you what I mean, let’s look at an example.

•Fergal Keane, author of ‘Letter to Daniel’, writes a piece addressed to his newborn son, combining the reflections and memories of a man in his role as a foreign correspondent, then working in Hong Kong, but also describing his emotions as a father.

•Letter to Daniel-Audio

•Listen and note down any strong imagery used. 

•‘Letter to Daniel’ is a good example of how a good writer shows his thoughts and feelings throughout a reflective piece using various means such as:

 

•imagery,

•word choice,Sentence structure 

 

“More tired, yet more happy than I have ever known her…”  “a soft quiet in our apartment.”  “days have melted into night and back again.”  “a long sentence whose punctuation marks are feeding and winding and nappy changing and these occasional moments of quiet.” “We had wanted you and waited for you, imagined you and dreamed about you…”  “This glorious dawn sky makes me think we’ll call you Son of the Eastern Star.”

Repetition of ‘more’ suggests that the feeling of happiness is so great it outweighs the tiredness which accompanies the birth of a child. The word ‘soft’ suggests the comfort and peace  brought into his life by the son. Word-choice of ‘melted’ suggests that the divides between periods of time are blurred or removed and time means nothing. The metaphor shows us that the writer’s profession and his daily routine are both entwined and connected: successful work depends on the quiet.    Repetition of ‘and’ indicates how badly they wanted a child and how much this was on their minds.   The new day, and the sight of dawn breaking, are symbolic of hope and optimism.

•Because your memories are important to you, when you bring them to mind they will be full of tiny details, things you noticed at the time. 

•Many of these details might not be very important in themselves, but they become important because they bring that memory to life. 

•To let you see what I mean, here’s a piece in which Nigel Slater remembers his childhood:

•The most forbidden of places was my father’s bedside drawer. I had never been told not to go there; I just knew it was out of bounds. A secret place. An ivory coloured drawer set in a glossy black table, gold handle, its perfect patina interrupted only by a ring burned in the top by a hot mug. My mother’s, on the other hand, was an open book. A jumble of tissues and hairpins, powder compacts and sweets. Home to one of the many Ventolin inhalers tucked discreetly around the house.

•His drawer was neat, and smelled of the cortisone cream he smoothed into his hands in the autumn when each year a weird rash would flare up. There were several opened tubes of Setlers. There were several menus of dinners he had been to, often with the signatures of those who had attended inside.

•Setlers were as much a part of my dad’s DNA as his pipe and his Daily Telegraph. The chalky white tablets went everywhere with him; half and quarter packets were in every jacket pocket, including the one in his suede waistcoat, and in the glove box of the car. Ten times a day he would rub his sternum and tear another strip of wrapper off his indigestion pills.

 

•This short passage is stuffed with tiny details. 

 

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•We know exactly what each of Nigel Slater’s parents kept in their bedside drawers, and what one of the table tops looked like.

We know all about his father’s addiction to indigestion tablets. 

 

Being Reflective

 

•So far, in looking at using thoughts, feelings, details, descriptions and dialogue, we have been concentrating on the basic skills of Personal Writing.

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•However this task is called Personal Reflective Writing.

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•To be able to pass, you need to write reflectively. This is something that only mature and insightful writers are able to do.

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•This means two things at once:

 

•If you stand in front of a mirror you can examine yourself pretty thoroughly by looking at your reflection.

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•Every spot and blemish will be visible, but you’ll also be able to see all your good features and everything that you like about yourself. 

•That’s the first meaning of being reflective in Writing — examining yourself.

•You might question and criticise yourself. On the other hand you might realise that you handled the situation well.

•You may realise that certain experiences have shaped you and made you into the person you are, just as growing up changes the way your face looks in the mirror.

 

•Now think of the rear view mirror in a car.

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• The driver can keep his or her eyes on the road ahead, while using the mirror to see what is happening behind.

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That’s the second meaning of reflection: looking back.

•Often events in our lives make much more sense once they are over and we are older and wiser.

• Perhaps when something happened to you it was a really terrible experience, but now you realise that you benefited from it in some way.

•Events may be confusing when they happen, but when you look back on them they may make more sense.

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Below is a list of reflective phrases. Any of these phrases can be used to begin a reflective sentence or a reflective paragraph. In fact if you use one of them, whatever you write in the rest of the paragraph will definitely be reflective.

Looking back…

•On reflection…

•With hindsight..

•In retrospect…

•Nowadays I feel/think/believe…

•If I could do this again...

•If this happened now…

•I learned…

•I realise...

•I understand…

•I should have…

•I could have...

•I wish I had… 

•Because of this I am…

•Since this happened I…

•When I think back on this…

•Thinking about it now I feel…

•At the time I . . . but now I

•It was a . . . thing to do because…

•I could have...

•I wish this had never happened because…

•Now that I’ve been through this…

•I grew through this experience because…

•This made me think about...

•This experience shaped me by…

•I’m glad this happened because...

 

The basic story Start Middle End	Thoughts and feelings
Details and description	Reflection

 

Please find personal reflective (25/25) exemplar here:
A Dainty Princess