WRITING

CREATIVELY FOR
DISCOVERY

What ideas about Discovery are you

going to convey in your creative?
You need to return to the rubric. Choose 2-3 ideas
that you find the most interesting.
Discovery can encompass the experience of discovering
something for the first time or rediscovering something
that has been lost, forgotten or concealed. Discoveries
can be sudden and unexpected, or they can emerge from
a process of deliberate and careful planning evoked by
curiosity, necessity or wonder. Discoveries can be fresh
and intensely meaningful in ways that may be emotional,
creative, intellectual, physical and spiritual. They can also
be confronting and provocative. They can lead us to new
worlds and values, stimulate new ideas, and enable us to
speculate about future possibilities. Discoveries and
discovering can offer new understandings and renewed
perceptions of ourselves and others.

You can then think about how these

ideas relate to your character:
Will your character discover something for the first time
or rediscover something that has been lost?
Will your character discover something that leads them
to change their perception of themselves and others?
What new worlds or values or ideas will be discovered by
your character?
How will your character deal with a confronting and
provocative discovery?

Topics to explore . . .
Self-discovery; who am I? finding yourself; identity; religious
epiphanies and enlightenment; rediscovering your personal/family
history
New places and worlds/cultures; travel expeditions, explorations and
adventures; immersion in new cultures; travel blogs and journals
Space exploration past, present and future
Historical voyages of discovery and early explorations and quests
Archaeological digs and discoveries; what they tell us; rediscovering
the past
Mysteries; lost and found worlds, places, objects, civilisations (eg
Machu Picchu, the Titanic etc)
Technological, scientific and medical discoveries and research; impact
on individuals, societies and the global world
Discovery of the truth; detectives; crime; forensics; missing persons
and cold cases; unsolved crimes; investigative journalism
And?

Past Papers
2014 Among Others . . . is a collection of different pieces of writing
about individuals finding their place in a community. Compose a piece of
writing which would be suitable for inclusion in this collection
2013 - Compose a piece of imaginative writing that explores a decision
to embrace or reject a connection with others. Use ONE of the items as
the central element of your writing.
2012 Select one image and use it as the central element in a piece of
imaginative writing exploring the effects of time on an individuals sense
of belonging.
2011 Compose a creative piece that captures the significance of
remembered places to the experience of Belonging.
2010 Select one of the quotations as the opening for a piece of
imaginative writing that explores the challenges of belonging and not
belonging
2009 Drawing on the ideas in one of the quotations, write an
imaginative piece that celebrates the ways relationships contribute to a
sense of belonging

The most common problems in student

writing
Simplistic exploration of concept
Not starting with an engaging opening technique
Poor orientation of the reader
Lack of tension/conflict in writing
Nothing happens no build up to a climax or a conflict
Lack of imagery where students tell rather than show
Lack of exploration of place and setting
Uses only chronological time frame to order ideas
Too many events in story
Story has too many characters
Story has too wide a time range
Tells the story of a characters life leaves nothing to the imagination

Effective Openings 8 ways to start a

short story effectively
Use direct speech
Start in the middle of something
Make your reader laugh
Talk to your reader: use first person narrative
Shock your reader
Create a tense atmosphere .
Create a very clear picture

Read the stories provided and consider why

they are worthy of first place awards in the
SMH Young Writers Competition.
Make notes for each narrative using the dot points below
as a guide:

What are the central ideas about discovery in this

narrative? Use the BOS rubric/language to inform your
identification of the idea/ideas.

What are some effective narrative devices used by the

writer to communicate ideas and shape your response?

 You need to think about the idea of

Discovery and come up with
suggestions for stories create a list of
possible storylines in pairs.

We will then share them so that we can

build a bank of possible storylines.

Warming up!

Write for 6o seconds about Discovery

without stopping. Write exactly what
comes into your head. You dont need
to use proper sentences or
punctuation.

Write a paragraph without using the

letter e

 Write a sentence in which the first word

starts with a, the second with b etc
(eg: Anyone being cautious doesnt
enter foolishly . . .)