Australian identity imaginative

Creating & Presenting - Unit 1

IMAGINATIVE WRITING Imaginative writing may entertain, but it also aims to stimulate thoughts and feelings; it often allows the reader to view an idea or argument through the eyes of a fictional character.

Imaginative writing is fundamentally fictional, although it can draw on real events, experiences and memories. It can include: • Narration and description • Reasoning, argument and persuasion • Reflection and dialogue.

In imaginative writing, you still need to respond to the prompt and find ways to include key ideas and/or arguments from the set texts.

There are many forms of imaginative writing which you might employ in order to address the key ideas of the Context and one or more set texts. You might write a short story, a radio play or the transcript of an interview. You may choose to write a letter from one character to another that responds to one of the central concerns of your Context.

You could write a diary entry, a monologue, a dialogue or even a eulogy.

As with expository or persuasive writing, the form, language, audience and purpose will be influenced by: • the demands of the prompt, including any stimulus material you are given • the need to include key ideas and issues relating to your Context • the need to use ideas and/or arguments from a set text • whether or not you are directed to write in a particular form, or for a particular audience and purpose.

You will also be influenced by your appreciation of your own strengths and weaknesses. From the list above, select two forms in which you feel most confident writing and consider the reasons for your selections:

The Context and you One way to write imaginatively about your Context is to relate key ideas to your own life.

Think about a key idea in a set text that is relevant to the Context and to an experience you have had. Briefly describe that experience: _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Now create a character who will have this experience. Write a short paragraph about this event, changing and developing it as appropriate.

VCE ENGLISH UNIT 1&2

Creating & Presenting - Unit 1

_________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Incorporating Ideas From A Set Text Some ways to incorporate ideas and arguments from a set text in a piece of imaginative writing are: • Interview a key character to challenge their viewpoint on a key idea.

• Write the obituary of a character who dies to evaluate the author's views as shown through this character.

• Write the epilogue for a set text to explore the implications of key ideas.

Keys to effective imaginative writing • Show rather than tell; convey your information through description rather than statement of fact, e.g. 'Julie felt tired' tells; 'Julie's lids were heavy' shows.

• Vary sentence length, e.g. short sentences for impact: 'His eyes blurred and he knew the truth, even before they told him. She was gone.'

• Use a range of senses: sights, sounds, smells, textures, tastes.

• Make your characters believable, e.g. show their strengths, flaws, likes and fears.

Imaginative writing practice Using the prompt below, write the first few questions and answers of an interview with a character from your text. In an assessed task, there would be more questions and you would finish with a concluding comment from the interviewer.

The true Australian identity is not defined by race. Discuss.

Focus on a particular event, situation or relationship in the text as your context for discussion of this issue. Decide whether you are going to be sympathetic, antagonistic (hostile) or neutral in your approach to the interviewee.

VCE ENGLISH UNIT 1&2

Creating & Presenting - Unit 1 Â

Introduction: Welcome the interviewee and introduce them to the audience by stating their name and position, perhaps in relation to other characters or the events of the text.

Interviewer: _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Contention: Introduce the issue to be discussed in the interview, a summary of the interviewee's position and perhaps an alternative viewpoint ___________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Question 1: This could be a question about background (event, situation or relationship in the text) to help put the issue in context.

Interviewer: _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Response 1: This should help the audience begin to understand why this character holds their particular point of view {e.g. family life, upheaval, failure, tragedy).

Interviewee: _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Question/response 2: Draw out your character's viewpoint and supporting arguments.

Interviewer: __________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________

VCE ENGLISH UNIT 1&2

Creating & Presenting - Unit 1

_________________________________________________________________________________________________ Interviewee: _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Question/response 3: Suggest alternative points of view and ask your character to give their opinion on these.

Interviewer: __________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Interviewee: _________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Short story Short stories tend to focus on one main character, with a few minor characters. They have a clear form, which is usually based around a problem or complication. The basic form is as follows: • Introduction - characters are introduced and the scene is set. This is the beginning of Henry Lawson's story 'The Drover's Wife': The two-roomed house is built of round timber, slabs, and stringy bark, and floored with split slabs. A big bark kitchen standing at one end is larger than the house itself, verandah included.

Bush all round - bush with no horizon, for the country is flat ...

The drover, an ex-squatter, is away with sheep. His wife and children are left here alone.

• Complication - a problem that the characters must face and/or overcome. In the case of Lawson's story, the drover's wife must battle with a snake.

• Crisis - the tension reaches a climax. In 'The Drover's Wife', the snake appears at the end of a long night of watching and waiting.

VCE ENGLISH UNIT 1&2

Creating & Presenting - Unit 1

• Resolution - the issue is resolved or a new understanding is reached. Sometimes the ending is unexpected - a twist. In Lawson's story, the snake is killed by Alligator the dog - no twist there.

Short stories can be narrated in the first or third person, but the third person is the most common. They often use dialogue to advance the narrative. Descriptive passages may be used to set the scene, but are not used extensively.

PERSONAL WRITING All forms of personal writing require reflection on our experiences. Sometimes you will want to write in a more consciously reflective, thoughtful manner in keeping with certain experiences; at others, you will want to capture the energy, humour and fun of memories.

How to use personal experience • Write about what you know.

• Use your creative skills and artistic licence to bring an experience to life.

• Draw on your five senses - sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste.

• Create some lively dialogue if possible and when appropriate.

• Build tension if you are recounting a frightening experience, an accident, a lucky escape and so on.

• Consciously set the scene. Draw on your memory and creative visualisation skills. Even re-visit a place to help you create atmosphere.

• Pay careful attention to detail. 'Specificity' writers call it; this often makes the crucial difference between lively and dull writing.

JOURNALS / DIARIES A journal or diary is a daily record of occurrences, experiences and observations that reflect the inner and outer worlds of the writer. Their freshness lies in the immediate responses to events.

TRY THIS:-> Make journal entries for several weeks Write 3-5 journal or diary entries across several weeks on one of the following: • learning to drive • the birth of a sibling • the return of someone from a long trip • the beginning of a relationship or a relationship break-up • a major performance or sporting event you took part in • preparing for a major event • what really goes on at my workplace • a theme or topic of your own choice

VCE ENGLISH UNIT 1&2

Creating & Presenting - Unit 1

Remember these are personal and immediate recordings, so emphasise specifics. Where were you? How did things look? Most importantly, how did you feel and what did you think?

REFLECTIVE WRITING Reflective writing is sometimes used to describe writing that emphasises thoughts and feelings. This kind of writing tends to use a central experience as the springboard; drawing on such experiences will allow you to be more detailed and honest in your response.

Novelists often create an adult character who writes about their childhood and reflects upon the ways particular incidents shaped them as a person. You could use this technique to write your thoughts and illustrate how your thoughts now differ from the responses of your younger self.

Here are two examples of an older fictional character reflecting on past events.

TRY THIS:-> A challenging event 1. List some positive and negative experiences you have lived through.

2. Select one that you feel really challenged you.

3. Make notes on why this was the case.

TRY THIS:-> A reflective, retrospective piece Think about these: • A pet • A loss • Your first love • A realisation about an adult you know • An important school day • Someone who disappointed you • The best surprise you ever received Write reflectively on this event. Try using a retrospective viewpoint (one that is looking back from your currently informed position) if possible.

MEMOIRS VCE ENGLISH UNIT 1&2

Creating & Presenting - Unit 1

A form of reflective writing, a memoir is a record of facts or events related to a particular subject, historical period or significant life experience. While published memoirs are generally about people in public life, they are based on memories, diary entries, newspaper reports of the day, commentary from other witnesses or friends and so on.

You can develop the skills of a memoir writer by recalling some vivid memories of major events in your own life. You might also like to read the following memoirs which provide vivid, touching, colourful and sometimes painful, recollections of childhood. E.g.

• This Boy's Life - Tobias Wolff • Lives of Girls and Women - Alice Munro • Falling Leaves - Adeline Yen Mah (See text chapter article p.104)

TRY THIS:-> A vivid memory Re-create a vivid recollection about a specific time in your life. For example: • Primary school - those were the days • Year Nine camp - survivors tell their stories • Before adolescence — memories of an acne-free childhood

TOPICS FOR PERSONAL WRITING • • • • • • • •

How embarrassing!

The journey of my life My security blanket Re-inventing myself School days The best/worst day of my life My hopes and dreams A degree of guilt

• • • • • • • •

The last time Crazy days You only live once Ducking for cover My worst fear Childhood Perfection Loss

• • • • • • • •

My weekend Beginning again What success means to me Waiting for...

My Hero Things I hate 2 am...

Not now

IMAGINATIVE WRITING REAL-WORLD' FICTION 'Real-world' fiction is set in the everyday world that we know so well but deals with fictional events and people. The human elements remain the same, yet the writer can work creatively with the plot line and the characters' emotions

OTHER-WORLD' FICTION 'Other-world' fiction moves beyond the boundaries of reality - think of science fiction and fantasy. Many of the world's greatest stories are focused around life in different places and different times: The Time Machine, War of the Worlds, The Day of the Triffids and Star Trek, to name a few.

VCE ENGLISH UNIT 1&2

Creating & Presenting - Unit 1

TRY THIS:-> Consider 'other-world' fiction With a partner, take five minutes to make a list of all the 'other world' narratives you can think of. Here are a few to start you off: Star Wars, Jurassic Park, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter - keep going!

Even though this type of fiction takes place in 'other worlds', the writer will use certain elements of human characterisation, relationships and conflicts to engage the reader.

Now, read this extract from Margaret Atwood's novel, The Handmaid's Tale: The red Birth mobile is parked in the driveway. Its back door is open and I clamber in. The carpet on the floor is red, red curtains are drawn over the windows. There are three women in here already, sitting on benches that run the length of the van on either side. The Guardian closes and locks the double doors and climbs into the front, beside the driver; through the glassed over wire grill we can see the backs of their heads. We start with a lurch, while overhead the siren screams: Make way. Make way!

"Who is it?" I say to the woman next to me; into her ear, or where her ear must be under the white head-dress. I almost have to shout the noise is so loud.

Continue this story for a few more paragraphs. See where your imagination takes you! You might like to check the novel now and see where Margaret Atwood takes you.

TRY THIS:-> Create your own 'other-world' fiction With a partner, develop a piece of writing set in an 'other-world'. Draw up all steps up to and including a plan.

Ask yourself the following questions: What is the setting going to be? As the setting is crucial, consider: • another time in history • a new planet • the future.

Who will be the main protagonists? Choose names. What will you have happen?

• What is the main conflict and why does this occur?

• How might it be resolved?

TOPICS FOR OTHER-WORLD' FICTION • The world with no sun

VCE ENGLISH UNIT 1&2

• My super brain power with my micro-chip implant...

Creating & Presenting - Unit 1

• • • • •

I am a clone of...

A one-gender world - surviving without (men or women) Attack of...

3020 AD Paradise

VCE ENGLISH UNIT 1&2

• • • •

Venus Underwater world Plague A world without transport