Last Words

It's just about over.

Your final assignment is to complete this online reflection.

Due Sunday, 5/23

Film Analysis

We spent two days watching and discussing The Fantastic Mr. Fox. You analyzed that film using the hero's journey. You looked at the twelve stages and the seven archetypes.

Now I want you to do the same thing for another film. You choose this one. You decide how this looks on your blog. Your classmates will be reading it and commenting on it, so make it accessible.

We'll be in the writing lab Friday, May 12th. My advice is to watch a movie between now and then and take notes with the hero's journey in mind. It's a lot easier (and more effective) than trying to piece together what you remember.

Due Sunday, May 16th

The Journey

We are studying The Hero's Journey.

Remember Spiderman and Sunshine and Beverly Hills and Rob and Gingy and the reward and the dance and the puppeteer's sweating and the violence and the return with the elixir? (Okay, maybe that wasn't the best example.)

Your last assignment was to create a hero. Now I want you to create an ordinary world for that hero. Imagine a call to adventure that would force that hero into a special world.

I want you to bring this story to life. You will identify four things (hero, ordinary world, call to adventure, special world) but I want you to include them all in one story. Read my Godfather blog for an example.

*We will not be going to the writing lab this week, so this is homework.

DUE Sunday, May 9th

Hero

Imagine the main character in a story you haven't written yet. It's important to know your character's back story in hopes of making the character real. Come up with a list (20-30 things) that will help you get to know your character better. You can use the questions below or come up with your own.

Name:
Age:
Race/religion/gender:
Parents:
Style of dress:
Hometown:
Marital status/family:
Most embarrassing moment:
Greatest fear:
Strongest desire:
Job:
Where he/she wants to be in 5 years:
Guiltiest pleasure:
Identifying marks:
Mannerisms/gestures:
What he/she was like in school:
Favorite sayings:
Favorite quotes from songs:
Favorite movie quotes:
Most valuable possession:
How he/she feels about love:
Philosophy on life:

Due Sunday, 5/2

Open Mic

Write something.

Perform it in front of the class. (Or have someone else perform it.)

10 points.

Thursday, 4/22

Feedback (5 comments)

You've taken a song and adapted it into a 500-word story. So did your classmates. Now I want you to read what your fellow writers came up with. We'll spend Wednesday (4/14) in the writing lab. I want you to post at least five (5) comments.

I want this to be meaningful feedback. Here's the format:

• What I noticed (what you were trying to do)
  
• Something I liked (what worked)
  
• A suggestion (what didn't work)
  

You won't get points for comments like this:
"That was really good. I liked it. Good job."

Due Sunday, 4/18

Writing Lab (Thursday)

Today is Thursday. I'm not here today. That would explain the substitute who doesn't look anything like me. You guys will be in the writing lab today.

1. Please post your comments on other writers' blogs (Blurbs). For the Blurbs comments, try to find people who used your song for a blurb. Did you like it? Do you agree? Did they get a different meaning out of the song than you did?

2. Begin your adaptation. Remember, this needs to be 500 words at the most. It's not due until 4/11 (the Sunday after Spring Break) so you don't have to finish today.

Adaptation (500 words)

Now that you've chosen a song with a story, your next task is to adapt that song into a short story in no more than 500 words.

Adaptation - noun 1. to make fit (as for a specific or new use or situation) often by modification 2. something that is adapted; specifically : a composition rewritten into a new form

Remember: you don't have to use everything in the song. Find that one thing that interests you in the story. Feel free to change any of the five elements to make the story yours. Find the balance between remaining true to the source material and making it your own.

Due Sunday, April 11

Additional Links
Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet
Film Adaptation
The Orchid Thief
Interview with Charlie Kaufman
Adaptation script

Blurbs

In class we looked at some blurbs for John Grisham's Ford County. We analyzed each story's blurb to identify the elements of the story (plot, character, conflict, theme, and setting).

blurb |blərb| noun 1. a short description of a book, movie, or other product written for promotional purposes and appearing on the cover of a book or in an advertisement.

Your next assignment is to write a blurb for 5 song stories (taken from your classmates' blogs- one can be yours). Each blurb should be about 50 words long. Your reader should be able to identify the elements of the story (however, the theme doesn't need to be explicitly stated).

Due Sunday, 3/28

Story Song

Find a song that tells a story. Use our discussion on the five elements of a story to help you know if your song is a good one. If you can't identify the characters or a conflict in your song, it's probably not a good choice for this assignment.

Post the following to your class blog:
Song title, song artist, link to the song lyrics, and a brief description of each of the five elements (plot, character, conflict, theme, setting).

Due Sunday, March 21

*A note on profanity: I don't mind it personally, but these blogs are public and will be read by other students in the class. So if you're going to use a song with profanity, identify it with an asterisk (*). Also, try to avoid profanity in your assignments. You might get docked for it.

Homework:
Read opening of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
Read opening of Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet

6-word Memoirs

Your next assignment is to come up with a bunch of 6-word memoirs. On your blog, I want you post your top 10 (written by you). Rank them. Your #1 should be the best one.

Here is a list to get you thinking, but the top 10 you post should be original.

Due Sunday, March 14th

p.s. Don't forget to leave at least 2 comments for Grand Theft Poetry.

p.p.s. Today is Friday, March 12. You guys are in the writing lab, right? I'm at Snow College at a coaching clinic. Sorry for the sub. I hope she's nice to you guys. Let me know if she hurts you.

p.p.p.s. Can I get a comment on my Don Corleone blog? Sheez.

Grand Theft Poetry

Now comes the fun part of poetry. Stealing. We steal ideas, we steal opening lines, we steal phrases and use them as our titles.

We can steal motivation (Billy Collins writes because he's bored, but death is why many poets get out of bed in the morning). We can steal style (He writes poems that people can understand....gasp!). And for this assignment, we're going to steal words and images.

On Monday we sat in a circle and stole lines from different poems. Now I want you to turn those stolen lines into a poem of your own.
Due Sunday, 3/7

You don't have to change every line, but change it enough that you feel comfortable calling the poem your own. If it's too random for your taste, you can use very little of the poem. But try to use unexpected/fresh/interesting images from the stolen lines.

The lines I stole
Article about poet Billy Collins
Advice on revising your poems

Second Draft (Bad Poetry)

Ernest Hemingway said The first draft of anything is sh*t.

Now that we've gotten the bad poem out of the way. Write a second draft. But don't make it worse, make it better. Take one line, one idea, one image...something from your first poem and use it to create a better poem. Good luck.

An interview with a creative person
Some thoughts on poetry revision
A list of poems to read

Due Sunday, 2/28

Very Bad Poetry

Sometimes when we try to write a good poem, we write a bad poem. But what happens if we try to write a bad poem?

Your next assignment is to write some bad poetry. Some very bad poetry.

Some characteristics of very bad poetry:

• Overly sentimental
• Too many syllables or words in a line or phrase
• False confidence in the beauty of the poem
• Anticlimactic ending
• Random
  
• Forced rhymes, words, meter
• Ridiculous metaphors, alliteration
• Bad grammar
• Poet's wooden ear for words
• Stupid title

Very Bad Poetry website
Very Bad Poetry book

Due Sunday, 2/21

Impulse

The Impulse is a writing activity designed to get you in touch with your subconscious mind. Read the image and then write for 15-20 minutes.

Rules:

• Your scene must be written in script format (character name, dialogue).
  
• No he said/she said or narrative description.
• Your scene can be as long/short as you need it to be.
• Your scene must be inspired by this image.
• Click here for notes on scenes.
• Click here for notes on writing realistic dialogue.
  

Due: Sunday, 2/14 @ midnight

Writing Journals

In addition to the 10 journal entries that we do in class, you will be expected to write 5 entries outside of class. Put these entries in the back of your journal (each entry should be a full page). Identify them with a letter instead of a number. The first 5 entries will be prompts A-E. They can be about anything you want.

Ideas

• Poetry
• Regular journal entries
• Rants
• Lists
• Collages (with words)
• Interviews, dialogues, scenes
• Storyboards, characters
• Outlines
• Observations
• Quotes

Writing Journal #1 (prompts 1-10) due 2/3
Writing Journal #2 (prompts 11-20, A-E) due 3/10

Four Alarm Fire

Writing Prompt #7 was to write about this painting. Now turn it into a story, poem, dialogue, essay, or something. Post it on your blog. Don't just copy it directly from your journal. Make it better! It doesn't have to be about fighting fires. It could be about seizing the day or art appreciation or achieving your dreams or bunnies. (Okay, maybe not bunnies.)

Due Sunday, January 31 @ midnight
20 points

Then, by Friday (2/5), post at least two comments to other people's blogs. Comments should include something specific from that writer's post. Be honest, tactful, encouraging, helpful.

First Assignment

Welcome to Lone Peak's Creative Writing class blog. This is my second year at Lone Peak, and my second semester teaching creative writing.

This blog will have two functions:

1. Assignments, prompts, and other correspondence from me to you will take place on this blog. I will update it regularly, and you can post questions if you have any. You'll always know what is expected of you, and when things are due.
2. Each writer in this class will create his/her own blog. There will be a link to each student's blog (as a list on the right of this page). Your blog will be your online portfolio. You will post your writing weekly and other students will read and respond to your work. You will get credit for posting your work and posting comments on other writers' blogs.

To Do:

• Purchase a writing journal. (Moleskine or Composition?)
• Create your own blog on blogger.
  
• Choose a pen name.
• E-mail me your blog address and pen name: knelson@alpine.k12.ut.us

First Assignment:

• Introduction. Create a fictional introduction (for your alias/pen name) and post it on your blog. Answer questions like (where you're from, your family, your writing experience, your future ambitions, etc.).
  

Invitation