Unit 1 Intro to Creative Writing

Activity 1: Your Dictionary Versus the Devils

Based on Norwich Writer Centres The Devils Dictionary

STEP 1. Present to class two different definitions of the words, Childhood and Future to the learners.
CHILDHOOD, n.

Merriam-Websters Definition: The early period in the development of something.

Page

FUTURE, n.

Devils Dictionary: The period of human life intermediate between the idiocy of infancy and the folly of youth two removes from the
sin of manhood and three from the remorse of age. Choose two words of your own and rewrite the definitions, dont forget to use a
heavy dose of sarcasm.

Merriam-Websters Definition: coming after the present time; of, relating to, or constituting a verb tense expressive of time yet to come
Devils Dictionary: That period of time in which our affairs prosper, our friends are true and our happiness is assured.
STEP 2. Ask the learners to comment on the examples given.
STEP 3. Using an academic dictionary, each learner will look for an interesting, but familiar word from the dictionary and revise the definition
in accord to their liking. Remind them to be creative with their definitions. Give them 10 to 15 minutes to do this.
Top Tip
The more familiar a word the more fun it is to redefine! If the learners are stuck, why not suggest to them to think of what is readily
observable, like school?
SOURCE: Creative Writing Activities for Secondary Schools. Writers Centre. Norwich, Norfolk, UK. Retrieved from:
www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/userfiles/file/Well%
20Versed%20Resources/Creative%20Writing%20Activities.pdf

Activity 2: Technical Versus Creative Writing

Collaborative Charting (Comparative Input Method)

STEP 1. Divide the class into groups of five members and arrange themselves properly so that each group is forming a circle.
STEP 2. Ask the learners to take out their crafting or art materials (e.g., Manila Paper or recycled cartolina, scissors, glue, markers, crayons)
and old reading materials (NOTE: This instruction should be given prior to the class). They may use any means of creativity using their
materials to produce creative charts (like the one on the right) which compare Technical and Creative Writing in terms of content, audience,
purpose, style, tone, vocabulary, organization. You may give them 20-30 minutes depending on the availability of time or the size of the class.
STEP 3. Each group will choose a representative whose task is to briefly present the groups product in front of the class. You may give a
representative 1-3 minutes to speak depending on the availability of time or the size of the class.

Activity 4: #OOTD (Hashtag Outfit of the Day)

A Social Experiment

STEP 1. Prior to the day this activity will be used, divide the class into five groups and explain to them that they are going to do a social
experiment titled #OOTD. It ultimately aims to give learners the idea of empathy. It also aims to inspire learners to write creatively based on
their sensory experience.
The rule is for everyone to come to school wearing the kind of clothing/outfit assigned to their respective groups:
Group
Group
Group
Group
Group

1
2
3
4
5

members
members
members
members
members

should
should
should
should
should

wear
wear
wear
wear
wear

summer attires & beach sandals;

overly conservative outfits;
gothic/emo outfit with matching eyeliners;
pajamas and house slippers.
(a) shirt/dress from inside out, or (b) wrong pair of shoes or sandals.)

STEP 2. Once the learners have arrived in the classroom, ask them to write their experience in a brief paragraph. Give them 5-10 minutes to
accomplish this. The following questions may serve as guides:

1. On your way to school, have you noticed some odd reaction

from the people around you? If you did, can you please describe
your experience to us?
2. How did you feel wearing those kind of outfits to school?
3. Is there a person you know who, unintentionally, came to
school or work with his shirt inside out? How about a kid who
usually wear gothic outfits? Now, how do you feel about them?
STEP 3. Randomly call five to seven students to read their reflection. Using the Socratic Method, ask them some questions based on their
products. The nature of the questions should elicit more creative, elaborate responses from the learner. Take for instance:
STUDENT 1: "The experience was uncomfortable."
TEACHER: "How uncomfortable? What does uncomfortable feel
like? To what can you compare it with?"
STUDENT : "Well, uncomfortable in a way that I nearly died of
embarrassment. Everyones eyes are on me and the idea of
people laughing at my back for thinking that I was that stupid to
not wear my shirt in a right waywas like pummeling through
my skin."

Activity 5: What a Character!

Controlled Free Writing | Partly Based on Norwich Writer Centres activity of the

same name
Ask each learner to write a couple of paragraphs introducing a fictional character largely based on what they did in Activity 4: #OOTD (e.g., a
learner who was tasked to come to school wearing an overly conservative outfit may introduce a fictional teenage girl who secretly wants to
be a nun.) Give them 15 minutes to accomplish this.

SOURCE: _____. Creative Writing Activities for Secondary Schools. . UK: Norwich Writers Centre. Retrieved from:
www.writerscentrenorwich.org.uk/userfiles/file/Well%
20Versed%20Resources/Creative%20Writing%20Activities.pdf

Activity 7: Imagine That!

Guided Imagery Experience

Ask students to close their eyes and listen as a description of a scene is being read. Then they write a description of what they saw in their
minds eye (see suggested script below). Students share results using the Think, Ink, Pair, Share strategy.
Think Ink Pair Share Strategy
1. Give students time to think about the topic or questions and to formulate their response(s).
2. Instruct students the next part of the strategy is to ink their thinking by writing or recording their ideas/answers.
3. Pair each student with a partner to share his or her written responses.
4. Switch roles and have the second of the partnership share his or her written responses.
SUGGESTED SCRIPT FOR GUIDED IMAGERY EXPERIENCE
Directions for students: Close your eyes and listen carefully. Use your imagination to fill in the specific images you see in the scene.
Think about pictures you see, and the colors, sounds, smells, textures and feelings the scene brings to your mind.
Imagine you are in a park. It may be a park in a city or a scenic area. There is a small pool of water in the center. A large grassy area
surrounds the water. In the distance, there are picnic tables and barbecue grills. You can see lights over a sports area beyond the picnic
tables.

What do you see? Are there people there? Are there children playing? Are people playing, swimming or fishing? Is the water frozen?
What is the color of the grass? What sounds do you hear? Does it appear to be a windy or still day? What activities are going on in the
park? Do you see people enjoying the day? What is the temperature? What do you smell? What feelings would you have if you were in
the park? How do the people in the park feel?
Now open your eyes and write in vivid detail what you see in your minds eye. Use imagery detail so your classmates will be able to
visualize how you imagined the park. Be ready to share with a partner.
This activity is good for 20 minutes.
Retrieved from: www1.lpssonline.com/uploads/3bImageryActivities.pdf

Activity 9: Adding Imagery

Writing Progression for What a Character!

Distribute the products from Activity 5: What a Character! back to their owners. Ask them to apply what they had learned about the various
forms of Imagery (visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, kinesthetic, organic) by adding sensory elements to their characterization. Give
them 15 minutes to do this and then collect the papers for checking. You may want to modify this activity by asking the students to put their
revised writing to their daily journal (Activity 6).

Activity 10: Figures of Speech

Group Reporting / Presentation

Divide the class into 8-10 groups. Give the students the choice on how they like each group to be assigned with specific figures of speech to
present. A group may choose to have at least three figures of speech to talk about. Let them also decide on the sequence of the group
reporting. By the time the scheduled discussion on Figures of Speech comes, every group must report immediately after the other.
A group may use any platform for audio-visual presentation as long as the reporting will reach 3 minutes max per figurative device.
NOTE: Give this instruction 3-4 days before the start of the reporting.

Activity 11: Identifying imagery and figures of speech from famous literary

pieces

Think-Pair-Share

STEP 1. Prepare all the materials needed prior to the session. You may either download audio-visual presentations (e.g., poetry reading) from
the Internet or print out copies of any short creative literary works or do both depending on the time availability.
STEP 2. Divide the class into groups of 5. Each group must be able to give a list of the specific lines from the literary pieces which made use of
figurative language.
STEP 3. Collect the papers for checking. Afterwards, randomly call students to comment on the literary works, specifically on the authors use
of the figures of speech.

Activity 12: Chatterbox

Peer-Assisted Writing Activity | Based on Norwich Writer Centres activity of the same name

STEP 1. Produce photocopies of the following passage from Ernest Hemingways classic, Hills Like White Elephants. In the story, a man and a
woman sit in a train station bar talking. As the scene progresses, it becomes clear that shes pregnant and the man wants her to have an
abortion:
The beers nice and cool, the man said.
Its lovely, the girl said.
Its really an awfully simple operation, Jig, the man said. Its not really an operation at all.
The girl looked at the ground the table legs rested on.
I know you wouldnt mind it, Jig. Its really not anything. Its just to let the air in.
The girl did not say anything.
Ill go with you and Ill stay with you all the time. They just let the air in and then its all perfectly natural.
Then what will we do afterward?

Well be fine afterward. Just like we were before.

What makes you think so?
Thats the only thing that bothers us. Its the only thing thats made us unhappy.
STEP 2. Elicit reactions from the students. See if they can point out the main subject of the characters conversation.
STEP 3. Ask each student to pair with a partner. Each pair will brainstorm on a sensitive subject of its choice (e.g., death, betrayal, paranoia)
and write its own conversation trying to do the same. Give them 30 minutes to do this.
STEP 4. After which, ask each pair to swap products and do peer-checking. A pair should be able to identify the sensitive subject being implied
in another pairs product and give holistic rating.
Top Tip
Remind students not to spell the subject out too explicitly but the reader still has to understand what they are talking about.

Activity 13: 6-Word Stories

Individual Writing Activity | Based on Norwich Writer Centres 6-Word Stories

STEP 1. Give students a copy of the following list. Explain to them that each is only 6 words long.
Failed SAT. Lost scholarship. Invented rocket. - William Shatner
Computer, did we bring batteries? Computer? - Eileen Gunn
Gown removed carelessly. Head, less so. - Joss Whedon
From torched skyscrapers, men grew wings. - Gregory Maguire
See that shadow? (Its not yours.) - Jim Crace
Dad called: DNA back: he isnt. - Helen Fielding

For Sale. Childs shoes. Never worn. - Ernest Hemingway

STEP 2. Ask each of them to try writing three of their own 6 word stories. They may use imagery, figurative language or simply base their
writing on specific personal experience.