Imaginative writing made easy

The Preliminary and HSC Module C units Reading to Write and Craft of Writing ask students to write in three different text types: Discursive, Persuasive and Imaginative.

The two biggest challenges that I see students come across when they set out to write an Imaginative piece is:

1.   The word count is too short! How do I get to the point and still show my teacher that I’m doing all the things to get the marks?

2.   How do I figure out what to write? What makes a great short story for school?

After years of reading teachers’ feedback, I’ve found that there are a couple of tricks to writing great imaginative pieces for school. Below I’ve written some basic, generalised advice for high school students of all ages and levels. For personalised advice and help with your imaginative, discursive and persuasive writing, contact me today to set up a one-on-one lesson.

1.   Start in the middle

We’ve all seen this traditional narrative arc before: establish characters and setting, rising action creates points of tension, get to the climax, and then end with a resolution and a ‘new normal’ for the characters. But with only 800-1000 words students just don’t have the time to do that! So to help get to the point with your limited word count, you should start your story in the middle. Think: what’s the tension, what’s the trigger, what is the key challenge that’s going enact change in my main character? Start there! That’s where the most significant stuff happens in a story: discoveries about self emerge, people realise what they have to do to resolve a problem, and challenges are overcome. Establishing character and how they got to this point of tension can happen as your protagonist goes on their journey.

Starting in the middle also gives you the opportunity to use interesting narrative devices like flashbacks throughout the story, giving moments in the protagonist’s past greater metaphorical meaning and adding significance to this moment of tension.

2.   Write what you know, but make it uncomfortable

Many writers and teachers suggest that you write what you know, but some of the most interesting advice I’ve heard from an author was to start the story somewhere uncomfortable for the protagonist – and if possible, for the reader! As characters attempt to diffuse this uncomfortable and challenging situations, it’s easy to establish characterisation and discoveries will naturally be made and lead to a resolution!

3.   Make your reader feel like they’re trapped in your world from the first sentence

A rich, beautiful sense of place is so important in short stories. With short stories you must immediately engage and capture your reader and one of the easiest ways to do this is to tick off the five senses: what does the setting smell of, look like, sound like? Is it hot? Are they sipping on tea? Can they smell the salt in the sea breeze? Is it so humid that the moisture licks their skin?

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Want to learn more about short story writing and get thorough, detailed feedback on your creative writing? Get in touch with me today to start achieving the results you want for your creative writing.

The text types you need to know how to write + sample questions

In all English exams your school can instruct you to write your response to a question in a specific text type which means that we can't just assume that it's going to be an essay!

Here are some examples of a couple of text types that examiners frequently ask students to write and each have different and specific requirements which, if implemented well, will aid you in achieving an A-band mark. I’ve also included some sample practice questions so you can see how these questions can be asked.

Feature Article

Make sure to include:

• Title

• Date

• By-line (someone’s name)

• “Dialogue” should be written as though you’ve interviewed someone.

• I.e. “I’m great at writing metaphors,” says Shakespeare.

• Short paragraph structures

Example question:
You have been commissioned to write an opinion article for the Sydney Morning Herald arguing the merits of studying Hamlet in the modern curriculum. Making close reference to the text and its key concepts, evaluate the benefits of Shakespeare to a student’s education.

Speech

Make sure to include:

• Title

• Date

• By-line

• Location

• LOTS of rhetorical question

• Short paragraph structures – 150 ish words each max

• Fluctuate between first person narrative and second person narrative – “Now you might be thinking…”

• Could be anecdotal and conversational, think about the audience they have stipulated, if they haven’t given you an audience to write for, define your audience yourself

Example question
You are the speaker for The Law Society’s monthly This Evening With… speech and have been asked to discuss “The value of Shakespeare in the modern curriculum.”

 Write a speech making close reference to the text and its key concepts, evaluating the benefits of Shakespeare to a student’s education.

Transcript (radio, tv, interview)

Make sure to include:

• Title

• Date and location of recording

• Date of transcribing

• List of speakers, written like this:

  Ben Richards (BR), Head of Music at Blah School

  Susie Smith (SS), Head of English at Blah School

  William Shakespeare (WS), playwright

• And then the first time a speaker speaks in the actual transcript you would write their name like this:

  Ben Richards (BR): I would like to start by saying…

  And then the second time they speak:

  BR: And I’m going to continue to say this

• Make sure to have one central figure in your transcript, they will mediate the discussion. Use the central interviewer to move onto your next argument.

• Listener questions that are submitted earlier to drive the discussion and structure it like your paragraphs from your essay

Example Question
You are the host of ABC Radio National’s This Evening With… show and will be interviewing the playwright William Shakespeare and literary critic and historian Jeremy Piven. The topic of discussion is: “The value of Shakespeare in the modern curriculum.”

Write a transcript of the interview making close reference to the text and its key concepts, evaluating the benefits of Shakespeare to a student’s education.

A Series of Diary Entries

Make sure to include:

• Dear Diary

• Date

• Sign off at the end

• Short paragraphs

• First person narrative

• Very little dialogue – a lot of “he said” and “she said”

• Fluctuate between short and long entries

Example question
Use the stimulus below to inspire:
At least three (3) diary entires
A maximum of six (6) diary entries
A series of three diary entries from three different perspectives

SMART Goal Setting for the HSC

It’s a new year and lots of us are setting goals for the year ahead, and I know that lots of you are setting some fantastic goals for school. Recently, I’ve been working with my students to set SMART and Present goals. Learn more about how to set SMART and Present goals below.

Download the worksheets that I’ve created at the links below.

Smart and Present Goals

When setting goals it’s important to write them in present tense. By doing so, it feels as if you’ve already achieved them – which helps motivate you to do exactly that. It also helps you to visualise the goal, which makes it more real and more believable, helping you turn it into reality.

It’s also valuable, when setting goals, to follow a SMART approach. SMART goals help you develop a clear idea of what you want to achieve and how best to do it. The clearer the vision, the easier it is to see and feel the goal and, ultimately, to accomplish it.

Specific

Specific goals are clear and detailed. They answer the following questions:

• What do I want to achieve?

• Why do I want to achieve it?

• Who is involved?

• Where does the goal take place?

• When will it happen?

Measurable

You need to be able to measure your goal, so you know when you’ve achieved it. Ask yourself, how will I know when it is accomplished?

Attainable

Attainable goals are goals within reach. Ask yourself, how can I achieve this goal?

Relevant

Relevant goals are meaningful goals. If a goal is relevant, it is worth being pursued. Ask yourself, why do I want to achieve this goal?

Timely

It’s important to give goals a time frame. This way you can plan the steps needed to achieve them and the time it will take for each step. By putting a time frame on each goal, you’re also motivating yourself to achieve it, because you set yourself a deadline to work towards. Ask yourself, when will I complete this goal? What can I do today to get started?

Assessment advice for new HSC students

The HSC is finally over for so many students which means that Year 12 has just started for a lucky (and nervous) few.

The HSC continues to challenge even the best of us and many students will have already noticed the increased complexity in the concepts they are learning in their first topic, usually the Common Module: Human Experiences.

HSC students studying at all levels (Standard, Advanced, Extension 1 and 2) will notice that assessment methods and the expected quality of response may get more complicated. It’s tricky wording from teachers and unexpected writing styles that I see as the most common suspects to a stressful first assessment.

So here are two tips – some super simple things – to help you through your first assessment. 

Cross-check the Notification, Marking Criteria & Rubric
As always, I recommend my students read through their assessment notifications and marking criteria thoroughly to make sure that the study they perform and the responses they prepare speak closely to what their teachers are expecting. Doing this makes it easier for teachers to give you the mark you want to achieve.

Keep it simple
It’s an odd thing that a lot of students – whatever year they’re in – think that complicated language will make them seem like they have a stronger grasp of a concept. Although, the reality is much to the contrary. Albert Einstein said it best: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t know it well enough.” So avoid synonyms of words you already know the meaning of! Short, simple sentences are also hugely powerful and ensure that your argument is clear and strong.

Desperate for Module C Practice Questions?

You’ve come to the right place! Here are five Module C: Craft of Writing practice questions for the upcoming HSC Advanced English exam.

Question 1
‘We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life is rounded with a sleep.’ - The Tempest, William Shakespeare
Use the quote from The Tempest as the stimulus for a discursive piece that reflects on the human condition.

Question 2
‘Oh! Write, write. Finish it at once. Let there be an end of this suspense. Fix, commit, condemn yourself.’ - Jane Austen
(a)   Using the above statement as stimulus, write the conclusion of a persuasive, discursive or imaginative text. You must include ONE stylistic feature from a text you have studied in Module C. (12 marks)
(b)  Reflect upon the influence of your prescribed texts for Module C in your writing in (a). Justify your selection and use of ONE stylistic feature. (8 marks)

Question 3
I am seeking. I am striving. I am in it with all my heart. - Vincent van Gogh
Use the statement above as a prompt for a discursive response about creativity and identity.

Question 4
‘We are shaped by the people around us, we are moved by the future we hope for, we find purpose in the places we go.’
(a)   Using the above statement as stimulus, write the opening of a persuasive, discursive or imaginative text that explores identity. You must write from the perspective of a character or persona or speaker in one of the prescribed texts you studied for Module C. (12 marks)
(b)  Justify the decisions you have made in your writing in (a). Explain how at least one of your prescribed texts for Module C has influenced your writing. (8 marks)

Question 5
‘There is no need for nostalgia and yearning for what might have been.’
(a)   Use this line from Pearson’s Eulogy in the closing of a discursive response that focuses on a key or influential moment in social or political history. (10 marks)

 (b)  Evaluate how the themes of the eulogy extract influenced the way that you have written the closing. (10 marks)

2015 Round-up and Congratulations!

Congratulations to my 2015 HSC students who were all incredibly successful in their exams. All of my students received a mark above 85/100 for Advanced English, with many students receiving a mark above 95! Extension 1 and 2 marks were equally impressive with all students receiving marks in the top Band E4!

Many of my students earned places on the Honour Roll which acknowledges students who earn a Band 6 result (90 or better) in a 2 unit course or a Band E4 result (45 or better) in an Extension course.

As a quick reference, here are the average overall scores my students achieved in 2015:
Advanced English: 94/100
Extension 1 English: 48/50
Extension 2 English: 49/50
(NB. I did not have any Standard English students complete the HSC in 2015.)

I was positively bursting with joy for my students in December and their success is testament to all of their commitment and hard work. A big thank you to all of them for being such a pleasure to work with and for being always excited and enthusiastic about learning new skills together. 

Here's to the Class of 2016!

A last minute helping hand

Each year I've known lots of students to have last-minute panics - the night before Paper 1 or even the night before Paper 2! For moments like these spending time in a one-on-one lesson can be tricky to fit in, so many students contact me for on-screen editing and feedback on their work. They usually send me essays or creatives and while they're studying at home I work hard to give great and thorough feedback on their work, finding some key areas where they could improve to maximise their results in their HSC exams.

The strategies I suggest are simple to implement and thorough, and offer solutions to the essay questions that students often find tricky to answer.

If you need some last minute guidance or support for your HSC exams get in contact with me now and we can get you back on track and ready for your next exam. 

CY

Practice Papers and Short Answer Questions

With Paper 1 scheduled for Monday I've found a great online resource for you guys! Ms T. Outred's Discovery website is an absolute gold mine full of Section 1 (Short Answer) questions and four teacher-developed practice Discovery papers. 

She's uploaded these practice questions and papers as different PDFs but you can click here for a single document that you can download and print off. (All credits are included in the PDF.)

I'd highly recommend choosing three different texts from the short answer questions sections and answering the equivalent questions (i.e. three sets of of three questions) in 40 minutes after 10 minutes reading time. This will help you practice under timed conditions and give you a real sense of what it's going to be like on Monday. 

I'd also recommend doing the practice exams under exam conditions. To help with this, here's the HSC writing booklet for you to download, print off and use. It's great to do practice papers in as close to identical conditions as exam day to normalise the experience so that it's not nearly as nerve wracking for you when you finally get there.

It's all getting a bit stressful for you HSC kids out there, but it's certainly exciting to be approaching the end of this crazy journey too. Good luck, kids. Write your hearts out. I know you'll do great. 

CC