Past Assignments - CW
Week 1: September 13
READING/EXERCISE DUE: The Secrets of Sensational Stories; What Should I Write About?
WRITING DUE: Picture Poetry
Week 2: September 20
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Show, Don't Tell
WRITING DUE: The Secret to Creating Conflict (read, then write a story based on a character you create)
Week 3: September 27
READING/EXERCISE DUE: The Key to Descriptive Writing; Specificity; The Words You Choose
WRITING DUE: Write a brief but HIGHLY DESCRIPTIVE story (2 or more pages) using one of the following ideas as its base. (Yes, you can combine them!)
Week 4: October 4
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Specifics and Your 5 Senses
WRITING DUE: Complete the following: "Fact of Fiction #1: Character"; Fact of Fiction #2: What My Character Wants; Fact of Fiction #3: Does My Character Get It?; and Fact of Fiction #4: How the Character Changes
Week 5: October 11
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Several Basic Plots
WRITING DUE: Pick one the basic plots and start planning a new story using the Story Structure Graph. Feel free to use the character you created last week, or another you have already written about or imagined.
Week 6: October 18
READING/EXERCISE DUE: No Homework :-)
WRITING DUE: No Homework! :-)
Week 7: October 25
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Effective Story Beginnings
WRITING DUE: Add a page or two to the story you graphed for Week 5 -- concentrate especially on making the opening strong.
ALSO DUE: Find an opening line from a favorite book and bring it to class.
Week 8: November 1
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Satisfying Story Endings
WRITING DUE: Write a 3-page character-based story on one of the following (yes, you can combine them!):
Week 9: November 8
READING/EXERCISE DUE: NONE
WRITING DUE: Write a 3-page story based on one of the following (yes, you can combine them!):
Week 10: November 15
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Cliché exercise
WRITING DUE: Write a Poem or a Song based on your own topic(s) OR on one of the following topics:
November 22 - Thanksgiving Break!
Week 11: November 29
READING/EXERCISE DUE: None
WRITING DUE: None
Week 12: December 6
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Narrations from Different Perspectives
WRITING DUE: Begin planning the story described here: Change the Perspective. For this week, you do NOT need to write the completed story. Instead, as we did in Week 5, start planning a story by completing a Plot Graph. The graph is a map for writing or revising your story.
Week 13: December 13
READING/EXERCISE DUE: none
WRITING DUE: Submit a finished draft of the story you started last week. You may also write a new story.
The completed story should have:
December 23, 30, and January 6 – Christmas Break
READING/EXERCISE DUE: The Secrets of Sensational Stories; What Should I Write About?
WRITING DUE: Picture Poetry
Week 2: September 20
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Show, Don't Tell
WRITING DUE: The Secret to Creating Conflict (read, then write a story based on a character you create)
Week 3: September 27
READING/EXERCISE DUE: The Key to Descriptive Writing; Specificity; The Words You Choose
WRITING DUE: Write a brief but HIGHLY DESCRIPTIVE story (2 or more pages) using one of the following ideas as its base. (Yes, you can combine them!)
- The clown stole the keys to my mom’s car.
- Kaylee ate David’s candy.
- The skeleton couldn’t decide what to be for Halloween.
- Barney the wrestler cried because no one else wanted to watch The Mandalorian.
Week 4: October 4
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Specifics and Your 5 Senses
WRITING DUE: Complete the following: "Fact of Fiction #1: Character"; Fact of Fiction #2: What My Character Wants; Fact of Fiction #3: Does My Character Get It?; and Fact of Fiction #4: How the Character Changes
Week 5: October 11
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Several Basic Plots
WRITING DUE: Pick one the basic plots and start planning a new story using the Story Structure Graph. Feel free to use the character you created last week, or another you have already written about or imagined.
- Decide on the climax first and enter it in the box marked number 5.
- Determine what exposition your reader needs to understand and like the protagonist. Enter this information briefly in the Exposition (#1) box.
- For the Rising Action (#2 through #4), enter the key beats/events that will lead to the climax AND cause the protagonist to change
Week 6: October 18
READING/EXERCISE DUE: No Homework :-)
WRITING DUE: No Homework! :-)
Week 7: October 25
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Effective Story Beginnings
WRITING DUE: Add a page or two to the story you graphed for Week 5 -- concentrate especially on making the opening strong.
ALSO DUE: Find an opening line from a favorite book and bring it to class.
Week 8: November 1
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Satisfying Story Endings
WRITING DUE: Write a 3-page character-based story on one of the following (yes, you can combine them!):
- A fairy, zombie, or pirate who moves in next door
- Someone who’s been sent to boarding school
- A character who makes a dramatic life change to pursue a goal he or she has secretly always wanted
Week 9: November 8
READING/EXERCISE DUE: NONE
WRITING DUE: Write a 3-page story based on one of the following (yes, you can combine them!):
- That girl can run faster than her sister
- This zombie circus was horrible
- Donkeys kidnapped my dog
- Baby Yoda runs away from home to join the cast of Hamilton
Week 10: November 15
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Cliché exercise
WRITING DUE: Write a Poem or a Song based on your own topic(s) OR on one of the following topics:
- Waking up late for Coop
- Kids with bad haircuts
- Saying goodbye to a friend
- A cat and dog getting married
- Dolphins driving too fast
- Worst. Vacation. Ever.
November 22 - Thanksgiving Break!
Week 11: November 29
READING/EXERCISE DUE: None
WRITING DUE: None
Week 12: December 6
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Narrations from Different Perspectives
WRITING DUE: Begin planning the story described here: Change the Perspective. For this week, you do NOT need to write the completed story. Instead, as we did in Week 5, start planning a story by completing a Plot Graph. The graph is a map for writing or revising your story.
- Decide on the climax first and enter it in the box marked number 8.
- Determine what exposition your reader needs to understand and like the protagonist. Enter this information briefly in the Exposition (#1) box.
- For the Rising Action (#2 through 7), enter the key events that will lead to the climax and also cause the protagonist to change.
- Enter what you think will be the Climax (#8) -- that is, where tension is highest.
- For #10 Resolution, enter how the story will be resolved.
Week 13: December 13
READING/EXERCISE DUE: none
WRITING DUE: Submit a finished draft of the story you started last week. You may also write a new story.
The completed story should have:
- ONE main character (protagonist, the one from whose perspective you tell the story) in pursuit of a
- clear, difficult goal the character wants to achieve
- clear obstacles the character must overcome
- purposeful, relevant dialogue (no chit-chat!) that a) advances the story and b) is correctly punctuated
- action that is shown, not told
- a series of at least five "beats" (events, even if they're internal) in the rising action that change the protagonist and lead logically to
- a clear climax
- a clear change in the main character caused by the story's events
- a clear resolution (one that wraps up any loose ends)
December 23, 30, and January 6 – Christmas Break
ACW
FALL 2021
Week 1: September 13
READING/EXERCISE DUE: The Secrets of Sensational Stories; What Should I Write About? (review for some of you)
WRITING DUE: Picture Poetry
Week 2: September 20
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Show, Don't Tell (video); Creating Conflict
WRITING DUE: 1) Write a short summary of the tips in the video. 2) Write a story (minimum: 3 pages) based on a character you create. Clearly reveal one of your character’s main values. Then bring that value into conflict, either with another positive value (for example, two people want the same dog) or by contradicting that value (one loves dogs; the other fears them).
Week 3: September 27
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Specificity and Concrete Language: How to Write Vividly (video). Exercise: The Words You Choose
WRITING DUE: Write a brief but HIGHLY DESCRIPTIVE story (3 or more pages) using one of the following ideas as its base. (Yes, you can combine them!)
Week 4: October 4
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Specifics and Your 5 Senses
WRITING DUE: Develop the stories from last week for at least two (hopefully more) pages in addition to what you already had. Be prepared to read aloud this week, even if you did so this past week.
Week 5: October 11
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Read Several Basic Plots; take the story you're writing and see which (one or more) of the basic plots your story seems to be following. Also review the Story Structure: Some Key Terms (attached)
WRITING DUE: Take the story you're writing and chart it our using the Story Structure Graph. For the Rising Action (#2 through #4), enter the key beats/events that will lead to the climax AND cause the protagonist to change. Alternatively, you can pick a basic plot and start planning a new story.
Week 6: October 18
READING/EXERCISE DUE: No Homework :-)
WRITING DUE: No Homework! :-)
Week 7: October 25
READING/EXERCISE DUE: The Hero's Journey, Part I
WRITING DUE: Add a page or two to the story you graphed for Week 5 -- concentrate especially on making the opening strong.
Week 8: November 1
READING/EXERCISE DUE: The Hero's Journey, Part II
WRITING DUE: TBD
Week 9: November 8
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Effective Story Beginnings
WRITING DUE: Add a page or two to the story you're working on -- concentrate especially on making the opening strong.
ALSO DUE: Find an opening line from a favorite book and bring it to class.
Week 10: November 15
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Satisfying Story Endings
WRITING DUE: Add at least 3 pages to your ongoing story, OR write a 3-page character-based story on one of the following (yes, you can combine them!):
November 22 - Thanksgiving Break!
Week 11: November 29
READING/EXERCISE DUE: NONE
WRITING DUE: NONE
Week 12: December 6
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Gaslighting (emailed)
WRITING DUE: Using a character from your main story (or a new one, if you prefer), write a scene or two where the antagonist(s) use the techniques described in the reading to "gaslight" another character (preferably the main character). This scene is just for PiRACTICE -- you don't have to use the result in your story, but let's take a shot at learning the technique.
Week 13: December 13
READING/EXERCISE DUE: TBD
WRITING DUE: Add two pages to the story you're working on. Separately, for your ongoing story, copy and paste the bullets below and complete the following:
December 20, 27, and January 3 – Christmas Break
Week 1: September 13
READING/EXERCISE DUE: The Secrets of Sensational Stories; What Should I Write About? (review for some of you)
WRITING DUE: Picture Poetry
Week 2: September 20
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Show, Don't Tell (video); Creating Conflict
WRITING DUE: 1) Write a short summary of the tips in the video. 2) Write a story (minimum: 3 pages) based on a character you create. Clearly reveal one of your character’s main values. Then bring that value into conflict, either with another positive value (for example, two people want the same dog) or by contradicting that value (one loves dogs; the other fears them).
Week 3: September 27
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Specificity and Concrete Language: How to Write Vividly (video). Exercise: The Words You Choose
WRITING DUE: Write a brief but HIGHLY DESCRIPTIVE story (3 or more pages) using one of the following ideas as its base. (Yes, you can combine them!)
- The clown stole the keys to my mom’s car.
- Kaylee ate David’s candy.
- The skeleton couldn’t decide what to be for Halloween.
- Barney the wrestler cried because no one else wanted to watch The Mandalorian.
Week 4: October 4
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Specifics and Your 5 Senses
WRITING DUE: Develop the stories from last week for at least two (hopefully more) pages in addition to what you already had. Be prepared to read aloud this week, even if you did so this past week.
Week 5: October 11
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Read Several Basic Plots; take the story you're writing and see which (one or more) of the basic plots your story seems to be following. Also review the Story Structure: Some Key Terms (attached)
WRITING DUE: Take the story you're writing and chart it our using the Story Structure Graph. For the Rising Action (#2 through #4), enter the key beats/events that will lead to the climax AND cause the protagonist to change. Alternatively, you can pick a basic plot and start planning a new story.
Week 6: October 18
READING/EXERCISE DUE: No Homework :-)
WRITING DUE: No Homework! :-)
Week 7: October 25
READING/EXERCISE DUE: The Hero's Journey, Part I
WRITING DUE: Add a page or two to the story you graphed for Week 5 -- concentrate especially on making the opening strong.
Week 8: November 1
READING/EXERCISE DUE: The Hero's Journey, Part II
WRITING DUE: TBD
Week 9: November 8
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Effective Story Beginnings
WRITING DUE: Add a page or two to the story you're working on -- concentrate especially on making the opening strong.
ALSO DUE: Find an opening line from a favorite book and bring it to class.
Week 10: November 15
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Satisfying Story Endings
WRITING DUE: Add at least 3 pages to your ongoing story, OR write a 3-page character-based story on one of the following (yes, you can combine them!):
- A child (or someone taking a child) trick-or-treating for the very first time
- A vampire or werewolf who moves in next door
- Someone who’s been sent to boarding school
- A character who makes a dramatic life change to pursue a goal they’ve secretly always wanted
November 22 - Thanksgiving Break!
Week 11: November 29
READING/EXERCISE DUE: NONE
WRITING DUE: NONE
Week 12: December 6
READING/EXERCISE DUE: Gaslighting (emailed)
WRITING DUE: Using a character from your main story (or a new one, if you prefer), write a scene or two where the antagonist(s) use the techniques described in the reading to "gaslight" another character (preferably the main character). This scene is just for PiRACTICE -- you don't have to use the result in your story, but let's take a shot at learning the technique.
Week 13: December 13
READING/EXERCISE DUE: TBD
WRITING DUE: Add two pages to the story you're working on. Separately, for your ongoing story, copy and paste the bullets below and complete the following:
- The ONE main character (protagonist, the one from whose perspective you tell the story):
- The clear, difficult goal the character wants to achieve:
- Multiple obstacles the character must overcome:
- A series of at least five "beats" (events, even if they're internal) in the rising action that change the protagonist (finished or planned):
- Climax:
- The main change in the main character caused by the story's events:
- The resolution (one that wraps up any loose ends):
December 20, 27, and January 3 – Christmas Break