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Read the above for Friday's lesson.

Really, really short stories... 140 characters

Think 300 is difficult? Have a look at these:

It was only when the water from the taps turned yellow and foamy that we figured out where the missing child was.
— Stephanie Ye, MA student in Creative Writing Prose Fiction at UEA

The farm was too much for John, so he welcomed his brother’s help. One night they drank heavily, leaving a cigarette to ignite the blaze.
— Lynne McKinney, Words and Women member

“It’s done!” the Alchemist said. Creating the Elixir of Immortality had taken decades. He was about to drink it then bam! – heart attack.
— Bernardo Bueno, UEA Creative and Critical Writing PhD Alumnus (2013)

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140 Launches

What's a sentence?

You only need a verb and subject to create a simple sentence.

Jesus wept.

That's the shortest sentence in the Bible. Subject - Jesus, wept - verb.

It's simple, but think of the feeling behind it. Consider, the son of god - powerful, all-seeing, immortal (kind of), highest status etc - simply crying. A human emotion, first thing we do as babies, which is associated with despair, upset etc. Short sentences can have big meaning, especially when these sentences have been led up to with powerful prose.

Normally, there's an object too.

Jesus chased the car.

The object is 'the car'.

Don't write in fragments (sentences without either Subject or Verb) unless for good reason. Tell the examiner that it's a fragment with an ellipsis or ... (only three dots). Dialogue has it's own rules, which we'll cover later.

Complex Sentences - revise

Complex Sentence Guide

Use a dictionary and thesaurus

Again not optional. To get to the high levels of AO1 you're going to truly understand the words you've used. Thesaurus is great for getting alternatives, but make sure you look up new words in your dictionary.

The best place to find new vocabulary? Reading.

Task 2 - The Spider

Watch this film. What type of narrative is created? What is the setting and question script writer's choice? The characters are very different - Jack and Jill - why is tension created? Who is the protagonist and what resolution does he/she desire? At what point would you stop writing? Is there a resolution? 

Discuss this in class.... 

Outcome: 300 words from Jack and Jill's perspective, plus contrasting piece in informative style. 

Adverbs - a health warning

"Gosh, golly, George!" said Timmy, excitedly. "We've solved the case - the swarvy foreigner did steal Lady Butteaux's diamonds and we're off for a smashing feed at Old Pompous House. What could be more spliffing?"

What's wrong with this, aside from the Famous Five's dog talking.

Spot the adverb. Is it necessary? Surely the text should reveal the character's emotions.