Virtual Creative Writing Club

Welcome everyone!

Over the course of the next few weeks, we'll be writing a short story. I don't want to give away too much just yet, so follow the steps in order from start to finish. I'll be trying to sharpen (geddit?) your creative writing skills to craft a story that has a structure and includes good characters, a realistic setting and good description.

So saddle up, pard'ner (that bit will make more sense later!)

First up, watch this video clip from Youtube:

Next, read the lyrics below whilst listening to the song:

The Baron by Johnny Cash

Chorus:
I wish I had of known you when you were a little younger 'round me you might have learned a thing or two
If I'd had known you longer you might be a little stronger
Maybe you'd shoot straighter than you do, maybe you'd shoot straighter than you do.

As he walked into the poolroom you could tell he didn't fit
In his hand made boots, custom suit, pearl handled shootin' stick
Tonight there'd be a showdown then everyone would know
Who shoots the meanest game around, The Baron or Billy Joe

Billy Joe looked edgy, about to lose his cool
But the Baron's hands were steady as the two began to duel
Yeah, he was like a General on a battlefield of slate
And he would say to Billy Joe each time he sunk the eight, he'd say...

Chorus

Now Billy Joe was busted but he hadn't felt the sting
And from the far end of the table he threw his Mother's wedding ring
And he said 'You won my money but it ain't gonna do the trick
I'll bet this ring on one more game against your fancy stick'

The Baron's eyes grew foggy as the ring rolled on the felt
And he almost doubled over like he was hit below the belt
Twenty years ago it was the ring his wife had worn
And he didn't know before he left that a son would soon be born

It sounded just like thunder when the Baron shot the break
But it grew quickly quiet as he lined up the eight
Then a warm hand touched his shoulder and it chilled him to the bone
When he turned and saw the woman who had loved him for so long.

The game was never finished, the eight ball never fell
The Baron calmly picked it up and put it on the shelf
Then he placed the ring in the hand that held him long ago
And he tossed that fancy shootin' stick to his son Billy Joe
And he said....

Chorus

Task 1

Think about the setting in the story: the bar. Brainstorm out as many details as you can that you would expect to see in a dive-bar like this one (think Moe's Tavern!) Use the video for inspiration, but try to make up as many details as you can as well.

Task 2

Watch me!

Follow the instructions in the video to write an opening paragraph to a story. This will be a practice for when you write the opening paragraph to your own story later...

S1 Country Reports

Hey everyone!

So today and tomorrow you will be writing your reports on the computers. We've done the research and looked at three examples of good reports. You should aim to:

1. Write about 100 words
2. Write in paragraphs, and organising your notes under headings
3. Spell and punctuate correctly (Word can help you!)
4. Improve the look of your report by using pictures and diagrams once you have finished typing!

A lot of you will have your own ideas about what headings you want to use, but I've written a basic plan below if you need a little extra help.

Introduction
(What country are you writing about, why did you choose it, etc)

Geography
(Where is it in the world, what is the climate like, what is it's capital city etc)

People
(How many people live there, what is it's main language, religion, sports and hobbies, etc)

Cool Facts
(Any other interesting things you have learned about your country that you couldn't fit into the other paragraphs.)

Conclusion
(Summarise your information on your country, finish your report in a way which is suitable for your purpose and target audience!)

Good luck!
Mr Sharpe

Rabbit

Quotes.

Duror:

Page 11
"When he was sure they were too far in front to hear him he came out from the pines. For a minute or two he stood beside the rabbit, pitying it not for its terror or pain or nearness to death, but for having so recently been the victim of the hunchback's drivelling sorrow".

Page 12
"The only window was not in the wall facing him, so that he cold not see inside; but he had been in their hut so often, they were in his imagination so vividly, and he was so close every sound they made could be interpreted; therefore it was easy for him to picture them as they went about making their meal".

Page 13
"Yet, though he was going home, he felt was leaving behind him in that hut something unresolved, which would never cease to torment him".


Neil & Callum:

Page 12
"They did not wash before they started to cook or eat. They did not change their clothes. They had no table; an upturned box done instead, with a newspaper for a cloth; and each sat in his own bed. They seldom spoke".

The cone gatherers quotes page 1 & 2

Callum - " The scent of the tree seemed to strengthen with the darkness until Callum fancied he was resting in the heart of an enormous flower"

"He stroked the branches and to his gentle hand they were as soft as petals"

"He became an owl himself, he rose and fanned his wings, flew close to the ground then swooped to rise again with vole or shrew squeaking in his talons, part bird, part man he suffered in the inelecutable predicament of necessary pain and death"

Neil - "gazed at the great house with a calm yet bitter intentness and anticipation, as if, having put a spell on it, he was waiting for it to change"

" Yet neil did not give the word to go down. It was not zeal to fill the bags that made him linger, for he had given up gathering. He just sat, motionless and silent."

Duror - " A destroyer had steamed seawords"
"sailor singing"
"sudden and swifter than hawks"
"aeroplanes had shot down from the sky"

The Cone Gatherers. Page 9-10 NB MF RMac

Callum.

"the clean report of the gun and the last obscene squeal of the killed dwarf"

"Into it had crept this hunchback, himself one of natures freaks, whose abject acceptance of nature, like the whining prostrations of a heathen in front of an idol."

Neil

"Tall, thin, grey-haired with appearance of harsh meditation obviously false in a man who read no books and could only spell through a newspaper word by word"

Duror

"He had waited for over an hour there to see them pass. Every minute had been a purgatory of humiliation: it was as if he was in their service forced to wait upon them as upon his masters."

"While waiting, he had imagined them in the darkness missing their footing in the tall tree and coming crashing down through the sea of branches to lie dead on the ground."

"Duror was alone in his obsession."

"Since childhood Duror had been repelled by anything living that had an imperfection or deformaty or lack: a cat with three legs had roused a pity in others, in him an ungovernable disgust."

Neil Quotes Pages 5&6

"Alone Neil would have been in trouble; he was as dependant on his brother as if he was blind."

"Neil had said little in reply, but had faced up to the gun raised once or twice to emphasise threats."

As he knelt, sobbing in his quandary, the rabbit's squeals brought Neil rushing back. 'Are you daft right enough?' shouted Neil, dragging him to his feet. His voice, with it's anger, sounded forlon amidst the tall dark trees, 'Didn't you promise to leave them alone?' 'It's just one Neil. It's legs are broken.' 'And what if they are? Are you such a child you're going to cry because a rabbit's legs are broken in a snare? Will you never grow up, Calum? You're a man of thirty-one, not a child of ten.' "

quotes for Duror pages 5-6

"It had come next evening when Duror, the big gamekeeper, had been waiting for them outside their hut. His rage had been quiet but intimidating. Neil had said little in reply, but had faced up to the gun raised once or twice to emphasise threats."

"Duror had sworn that he would seize the first chance to hound them out of the wood; they were in it, he said, sore against his wish."

"He remembered to the cold hatred of the gamekeeper; he knew that the penalty for interfering might be expulsion from this wood were he loved to work."

Notes on The Cone gatherers pages 5-6

Calum Quotes.

"Every time he caught his brother's foot and set it on a safe branch it was an act of love."

"Calum moaned at dismay at this dilemma of either displeasing his brother or forsaking a hurt creature. He remembered his solemn promise; he knew that the penalty for interfering might be expulsion from this wood where he loved to work; but above all he shared the suffereing of the rabbit."

Pages 3 and 4

Calum
"Part-bird then, part-men, he suffered in the ineluctable predicament of necessary pain and death."
" 'There seems to be death in the air.' Calum shivered: he knew and feared death."
" 'I ken you do, Calum,' he said. 'And i ken too that, though you're simple, you're better than any one of them.' "

Neil
" 'What's the matter with me these days, Calum? he asked. Is it i'm getting too old? Am i frightened at something? It just comes over me. Sometimes i think it must be the war.' "
"To look after his brother, he had never got married, though once he had come very near it: that memory often revived to turn his heart melancholy."

Quotes on pages 7 and 8 - The Cone-Gatherers

Quotes on pages 7 and 8 - The Cone-Gatherers

Neil: "And what if they are? Are you such a child you're going to cry because a rabbit's legs are broken in a snare? Will you never grow up, Calum? You're a man of thiry-one, not a child of ten."

"We'll just have to leave it for the keeper. He'll kill it soon enough. It's not our business anyway."

"The cones!" In anger Neil snatched from his bag a fistful of cones and flung them viciously into the trees."

Calum: "Put it out of its pain, Neil."

"But as he touched the long ears, and felt them warm and pulsating with a life not his own, he realised he could not do the rabbit this peculiar kindness"

Duror: Not mentioned in these particular pages

Thursday 28th October

In english today we read the rest of chapter 1 from 'the cone gathers'. From what we read that period we found out what the brothers, Neil and Callum, look like. We found out that Callum had a humpback but he has a beautiful face. Neil is tall and thin with grey hair. We aslo wrote down some valuable quotes from the first chapter that we will be able to use in our essays that we will be doing on this book.

The day in Mr Sharpes class we learned all about conclusions.
we looked at lots of dfferent examples and were finding out advanced ways to end an essay

when writing a conclusion you should try to always have,

-clear refrence it is a conclusion
-sum up points
-a personal response
-answer the question-
- and finish with a warm fuzzy glow

also you can finish your conclusion with a quote which doesn't need to be explained, but the quote must fit in with the question being answered.

Finally updated with my apologies by Stephen Robertson

In this lesson we learned how to make the perfect introduction. We know thats we have to state the name of the author, name of the poem and the genre. We can also use a quote to start of the introduction and we can have a big themactic opening.

-overview of the text

-outline your argument

-catch the examiners attention

This is an intro you can use for most things...

The theme of X is one which X us all and X the human experience. Its rare that we take time to consider X. Yet this is precisely what Y does in his X and Y "Z".  

In todays lesson we talked about how we don't need to use PEEL in an essay, that we can link our paragraphs together using conjunctions e.g but,furthermore,ultimately.
Each paragraph will link back to the one before, this means that we don't always need to link back to the question but can link back to the paragraph. We also tried writing out the poems we have been over in class (to his coy mistress & the flea) without looking at them, this will help us in our exam in 31 weeks time!

Friday 9th October

Today we took a break from focussing on our essays. Mr Sharpe let us design posters for the wall which had to be based on a quote from any of the poems we are studying (sonnet 73, to his coy mistress, the flea), we also designed our own illustrations to go with the quote.

in yesterday's lesson we we learned more on how to write an introduction to the poem that we will be focusing on,example:
the theme of x is one which x us all and x the human experience. It's rare that we take time to consider x . Yet this is precisely what y does in x and x ' z '.

Tuesday 6th October

Over the weekend the class were given questions on "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell for homework. On Monday's lesson as a class we marked our partner's answers and compared. We also learned how to gain a few extra marks and we were shown how much is expected for bigger marked questions.

On tuesday we saw a powerpoint presentation that showed us how to plan an essay properly, by writing notes about the piece of work you are writing about, and how to respond to an essay question.

Thursday 1st October

Today we went into further detail on 'the flea' by John Donne. We talked about how Donne uses different rhyming scemes and how he uses a mix of iambic tetametre and iambic pentametre. We also talked about how he uses religious carpe diem in 'the flea'.

Wednesday 30th September

In todays lesson we annotated the rest of the poem "To His Coy Mistress" and talked about what the last stanza meant, Mr Sharpe had found a poem that answers to Andrew Marvells "To His Coy Mistress" in the womens point of view seen as throughout his she doesn't get a chance to reply. We also started to take a look at the first stanza in "The Flea" by John Donne and took notes on the form.

Tuesday 29th

Today in english we analysed the rest of the poem To his coy mistress.

We learnt that in the second stanza of the poem the tone changes from being romantic to a less romantic and grim tone. The poet does this by describing her as his "vegetable love " which describes there slowly growing love to then quoting "then worms shall try that long preserved virginity" which shows all he's interested in is sex and if she doesn't honour him the worms shall take her virginity.

Mr Sharpe also gave us texual analysis homework on the poem The flea which has to be in for Monday the 5th of October.

28th september

In todays lesson we got our critical essay back on Sonnet 73 with feedback and the marking scheme. We looked over To His Coy Mistress and annotated poem and wrote ideas that we got from it.

In yesterdays lesson we marked our answers to the questions Mr Sharpe had prepared for us. We did this by comparing our answers to the marking scheme for " To His Coy Mistress."

Thursday 24th September

Today we learned about writing essays. We learned by writing essays. Mr sharpe is wonderful but his pens don't work.
Our no-homework claus is now used up.
RA

23rd September 2009.

In todays lesson, we continued on our questions Mr Sharpe had prepared for us on the poem "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell.
We also spoke about our deadline for the "Sonnet 73" poem essay written by William Shakespear which is due on Friday 25th September! We were given a paragraph planner sheet to help us with this essay.
We also learned that if we had any problems producing this, that we could go on to Mr Sharpes live chat and ask questions. Excuses like " I didn't know what to do" WILL NOT be tolerated!

TUESDAY, 22nd SEPTEMBER

Today in English we looked at the different types of questions that will be in the Higher exam paper. They are Understanding, Analysis and Evaluation.
Understanding - WHAT is the writer saying ?
Analysis - HOW is the writer saying it ?
Evaluating - HOW WELL is the writer saying it ?

Class Updates

Good work with the ultra-speedy update NB!

Just to be clear - crackers and cheese = a quotation sandwich! Use the POINT as first cracker, EVIDENCE and EXPLANATION as the delicious cheese, and the LINK back to show you are answering the question effective.

The carabiner (introduction) and string (ideas) are all about structure. Look at the 3 central points - a carabiner is a triangle. So think about 3 main things for an introduction - name the text, the author and the genre. Now see the screw-gate bit. To strengthen the lock, you give it 3 turns. To strengthen your intro, you do a 3 sentence summary of the text.

Now, you've got all your loose string, which represents your ideas. You use a looping sentence to join all your string to your carabiner, (or your introduction to your essay.) This is the bit where you outline what you are going to show, and how you are going to show it.

Finally, tie a knot in the string at the end. That's your conclusion. Tie off all the loose ends, and don't add in any new information.

Voila. Done.

18th September 2009

In todays english class we learned about,
P - Point
E - Evidence
E - Explain
L - Link
We also defined the significance of all exam techniques using crackers and cheese. We also used a caribena and some string to help us understand about the linking sentences (Looping Sentences) and about each part of every paragraph.

Thursday's Lesson - 17/9/9

Today we talked about Sonnet 73 and we looked at siblance and why it is used in the line.
"Death's second self that seals up all in rest"
we looked at how each metaphor is developed from each stanza and why it ends in a couplet.

Today we worked on sonnet 73, we talked about each stanza seperately to find the meaning of each which were autunm, twilight and fire. These are all less abstract than each other and all resolve around the one metaphor of death.

Monday, 14th September

Today's lesson was intended to get us to teach one another all about the poems we researched last week. Ross and Alesha won the competition and we all got stars.

Comic by JC

KS's Brilliant Comic

rmc

hudson

The last dog . . .

zombie dog

by kg    dd

Im making a box full of things that are funny!!!

I’m making a box full of things that are funny,
Including my cousin when she looses lots of money,
Megan’s puppies are included in this little box,
So you better watch out that they don’t chew your socks,
In McDonalds my brother stuffs his face,
So I guess her will loose in a race,
Also when my cousin gets her McFlurry all over her clothes,
She will soon go home and do a right good pose,
I will watch Spongebob everyday,
And never go and waste my life away

By ST

Funny Poem by JC

I’m making a box full of things that are funny
Like that scaff that goes to the shop to collect some money
I laugh at the fat people who waddle up the hill
So they can get their chocolate cakes that they kill for
But when they have to come back down the hill they just roll back home
So they can jump on their little foam chair
When I’m in America I see people in their kitchens stabbing cereal boxes
Because they are serial killers
With their big bushy eyebrows that smell like a pump
When I see nits in people’s hair I feel sick
When they jump from heads to heads

When I am an old fart
I shall wear body armour with a motorbike helmet that is red which doesn’t go.
I shall spend my pension on a hearts top, lacoste trainers and t bags and say we have no money for butter.
I shall bomb Osama Binladin’s house and nick his wife
And take over Easter road and Celtic park
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall pee in the rain and poo in other people’s gardens
And learn to wipe.
You can wear terrible Hats
and grow more fat and eat poo or cockroaches for a week
and hoard nuts magazines, guns, grenades and things in boxes.
So people who know me are not to shocked and surprised.

By JA and KW

My Warning by RMc

When I am an old pensioner I shall wear a G star top with Nike cottons which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on alcohol and mini motorbikes
And the shows when they come. I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And smash windows and steal motorbikes and steal from Tesco. And keep a mini base ball bat in my bag encase I am mugged
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out and strip in the rain
And pee in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shoes and grow more fat
And eat junk food or Chinese at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard homeless people in ma house and party till I am purple and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear lacoste tracksuits .

Funny Poem

I’m making a box full of things that are funny because when it is sunny I eat loads honey. Cause when it is nice I start loads of fights and when I need a laugh I get Demi to through me in the bath. I laugh at teachers when they are cross I hope to god he won’t be my boss.

KS..x

Funny Poem

I’m making a box full of things that are funny because when it is sunny I eat loads honey. Cause when it is nice I start loads of fights and when I need a laugh I get Demi to through me in the bath. I laugh at teachers when they are cross I hope to god he won’t be my boss.

KS..x

I’m making a box full of things that are funny

I’m making a box full of things that are funny
Like my friend’s name sunny
And an elephant that is in a hurry
My cat that is as fat as two boxes of honey
My teacher thinks she is funny
But my friend Kieran is funny

box full of things that are funny

I’m making a box full of things that are funny.

Like playing army of 2 it gives you a sore tummy.

Like cars crashing and people in a thrash
Grannies on bikes popping wheelies in a flash.

Like Lee Evans live at the o2 you’ll laugh so much it’ll make you poo.

And a special curry that makes it go runny
This is my box full of things that are funny.

Funny Poems

I’m making a box full of things that are funny .
Cause when it is sunny I eat loads of hunny.
When it is nice there are loads of fights.
When I need a laugh I get Demi to through me in the bath.
I laugh at teachers when they are cross
That they are not my boss.

Funny Poems

I’m making a box full of things that are funny .
Cause when it is sunny I eat loads of hunny.
When it is nice there are loads of fights.
When I need a laugh I get Demi to through me in the bath.
I laugh at teachers when they are cross
That they are not my boss.

I’m making a box full of things that are funny,
Like Spongebob’s farts that are so runny.
A fishmonger chopping a live fish,
To serve someone a large dish.
Hippopotamuses that are chunky,
Like a monkey trying to get funky.
A dead biscuit on the floor,
And Spongebob’s granny knocking at my door.
Some grannies on their bikes,
Talking about their likes.
A bald guy having no hair,
Telling people to do a dare.

Poem

I'm making a box full of things that are funny,
like my puppies who bark at money.
With a bad dancer who always falls,
Or my mum when she roams the halls.
Whenever some says something is "the bomb",
I start laughing and shout my brother Tom.


-MK.-x!

Training Puppies

When Hudson was a puppy
He thought he was the boss
He chewed on things and barked a lot
And made our neighbours cross

And so I had to train him
I thought it would take longer
He had his dinner after me
To show him I was stronger

It took about three days at most
Before he learned the game
I wonder how long my new S2
Will take to learn the same?

Shrek Comiclife

by DF

scorpio

Carpe Diem

Rm&Mf

Ac&Dj

 

 

To see the land in a dessert of sand

Thou thee young scorpions stinger is grand.

To thee heavens ye go, from that wee scorpio

To grasp new life between the gates of paradise

The sun should truly shine

 

Eternity in thy love the gift from above

Thee poisonous venom from that wild beast

The Cactus dry and deceased

That prick of pain 

Until one is broken all soft and moist

For that we all share 

Thy' Loaf O' Bread.

Thy’ Loaf O’ Bread.

Oh bread oh bread oh ye’ bread,
How lovely ye’ may be.
For now you are fresh,
For tomorrow you may be stale.

That male, oh how he kneaded you.
You are my yeast,
You make me rise.
If I get you it will be the ultimate prize.

I could be the filling in your sandwich,
When I’m with you, I feel rich.
For you, I would take an oath,
For you, are my daily loaf

S.R, N.E, L.C, S.B, K.B.

Tomato

It was love at first sight,

My heart skipped a beat with tremendous might.

I knew it was you I wanted so much.

You were sweet, you were ripe, pure to the touch.

I awaited the day, your vine would release you.

That day took to long, it was to late to reach you.

As my heart deeply saddened, the vine set you free. 

You're wrinkled, you're rotten, you're no good to me.

jordan & taylz!

Carpe Diem. NB & LMc

Oh ye rosebud
so beautiful and moist
As your roots tangle amongst others
on to you mine body foist.

Thee cannot await your smell
now you are a beautiful bluebell
We must hurry before autumn arrives
we have to do it before the suns arrise.

As i take your hand
in holy matrimony
the doves all sing
in perfect harmony.

Oh ye bluebell
once beautiful and moist
i await you once more
for now i cant foist.

For now thee will party
and try to waste time
for when i reach heaven
you will be mine.

CARPE DIEM

Carpe Diem Poetry…


My love for you grows faster
than French vines.
So let them grow around you until your mine.
We could bask in the pleasures of our silk heaven.
Our blood would intertwine and my feelings would only strengthen
Boundaries of my love would know nothing else than to lengthen.
Time would stand still as my love would pour into your chalice
My roses are now in season and are ready for your palace.
So let us wait no more
As you are the only I adore
As days go by I become infatuated even more.

D.M AND A.T

Carpe diem

As the sun rises
So to does my carrot grow
I beg for yes but you tell me no
You will never know my true lust
I want to be on you before you turn to dust.

You have the brains
I have the power
Together we can be a voluptuous flower.

Vegetable love

That petal of beauty still grows vastly
curved sides, along with those pin roots
Let those red rubies grasp the passion as it will come to an end
as in your last hour you will dwell over desires unforfilled
so sport us, thorough dreams
Let us devour in which dark streams froth
We shall transpire and unite as one
as you expose flesh to me it will be amoured by me lady, you deserve this state
as one day it will all decompose that cabbage will rot with desease and no more will lust be offered and suffer you will.

carpe diem poetry by tony and brad

A snake can take thy beauty but so can mine
so like the noughts let us intertwine
thy poison travels through us and will kill us before dawn
my vegetables are fully grown but will be dead before morn

the burrow of the snake is lost to him
but thee deny him access from the well where he drinks the water
and the ever rusting challis

The dog

I can be big or small
Or even thick or thin
We have wet and cold noses
Long and rough tongues
We can be soft or rough
And our teeth can bite


Mans best friend that what I am
The one you cuddle into at night
The one you like to walk
I need the attention
Some loving and caring


I’m hungry over you
Climbing to get to you
Where our noses like to explore
Yes dogs know love best.

Carpe Diem Poems

I saw a deer the other day
It reminded me of you
I love deer
I love you

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