Writing a good creative piece in an exam (1 Viewer)

[munkaii]

For those english wizzo's out there, how do you manage to make a creative piece out of thin air in such a small space of time. More often than not i am too 'event driven' when i write a creative piece. I tend to find that i lack any description or rarely any real meaning.

Creative pieces have been a part of my english thats let me down extremely bad.

Also expression is something i'd like to query. Would you be better off to use slightly less sophisticated language that you are positive makes sense or try extend the boundaries but lack proper expression in areas of your writing.

 

[c_james]

A useful tip I came across while researching medium for Extension 2 English was to know your ending/conclusion before you start writing - this way you'll be able to reach it more easily. This would curb your tendency to be event-driven, because if you're able to formulate an ending with substance before you commence writing everything that precedes your ending will culminate to it.

I'd suggest avoiding any pieces that are driven by fast-paced action, unless you can pull it off with adequate tension. I tend to write more dramatic stuff, as I find it's the best genre to communicate a thesis or concept. It doesn't necessarily have to be genre-defining or brilliant, but the dialogue should sound authentic and the events that occur in the creative piece should be plausible. You can only make characters and events so complex in such a short amount of time. I therefore suggest sticking to simple characters and small, self-contained events that aren't too cliched.

With regards to vocabulary, it never hurts to demonstrate your strong grasp of the English language to the examiner by dropping a few sophisticated words here and there. Just make sure it doesn't get so abstruse the examiner requires a dictionary to wade through a single paragraph. More important than demonstrating a wide vocabulary is coherence, proper syntax and condensation - the fewer words it takes to describe something, the better. If it comes to a showdown between a big word and a more succinct description, the succinct description should almost always win out.

 

[zenger69]

with creative writing I tend to brainstorm ideas and I use the most wackiest ideas I can think off.

Then when I get into a dead end in the story, I keep brainstorming and get the strangest and wildest ideas (such as endings).

so my suggestion is to brainstorm.

 

[Eagles]

No, I don't MAKE it on the spot. That'll be crap.

I prepared a piece before the exam. Since the topic will always be the same (AOS), I just change it to suit the question's format (feature article, letter, short story etc).

 

[Trebla]

No, I don't MAKE it on the spot. That'll be crap.

I agree. It's tough trying to come up with a good creative piece in exam conditions. It takes up precious time to plan. However, many people often do that because they usually get their stimulus from Section I. Just have some idea of what you may write before the exam.

I prepared a piece before the exam. Since the topic will always be the same (AOS), I just change it to suit the question's format (feature article, letter, short story etc).

This would only work if your prepared piece was lucky enough to actually suit the question and its demands. Don't rely on that piece entirely for that section. I know markers and teachers who say they can easily tell which students had written pre-prepared creative pieces and essays and in most cases this is almost obvious and distinguishable when reading responses. You might be marked down for it, since chances are that it may be of vague or even of no relevence to the question. Trying to shape it to suit the question is not a good idea since it may require changes in the perspective of the story as well as the purpose of the story. Trying to shape the story to suit a different purpose may consequently change the entire plot of the story, which is the equivalent to making up a story on the spot.

Practice is the recommended way to go. Once you have enough practice, all you need is an idea and control of the story. As c_james suggested, have an ending before you begin writing so you can work towards it. You must have complete control of the story so you can manipulate twists and language techniques. Don't let the "story control you".
Also it is essential that you "show" the story and not "tell it.

 

[munkaii]

I agree. It's tough trying to come up with a good creative piece in exam conditions. It takes up precious time to plan. However, many people often do that because they usually get their stimulus from Section I. Just have some idea of what you may write before the exam.

This would only work if your prepared piece was lucky enough to actually suit the question and its demands. Don't rely on that piece entirely for that section. I know markers and teachers who say they can easily tell which students had written pre-prepared creative pieces and essays and in most cases this is almost obvious and distinguishable when reading responses. You might be marked down for it, since chances are that it may be of vague or even of no relevence to the question. Trying to shape it to suit the question is not a good idea since it may require changes in the perspective of the story as well as the purpose of the story. Trying to shape the story to suit a different purpose may consequently change the entire plot of the story, which is the equivalent to making up a story on the spot.

Practice is the recommended way to go. Once you have enough practice, all you need is an idea and control of the story. As c_james suggested, have an ending before you begin writing so you can work towards it. You must have complete control of the story so you can manipulate twists and language techniques. Don't let the "story control you".
Also it is essential that you "show" the story and not "tell it.

Thanks for the tips everyone. I've got now a few basic questions about creative writing and my topic.
1. Considering the time constraints and the fact that i will probably have maximum 4 pages in order to write up a story, how many events does it take to become event driven..I.e (maybe 3-4 events?).
2. I've understood the concept of showing, not telling. But i am fairly borderline in terms of using it effectively in writing stories.
For e.g. The man tried to capture the moth flying through the air with his bare hands. << This would mostly be telling.
If i were to try and 'show' this. Would this be a good example:
With adrenaline running through his fingers, he lashed furiously at the moth in an attempt to capture it, only to retrieve fistfuls of air.

Perhaps that may/may not be a good example, but is it better to keep it realistic? My tutor told me that if your description gets to the point where its unable to be pictured realistically then it begins to lose its effect.

Also:
What are the most important ideas to focus on when writing about changing perspective.
e.g. A clear distinction between initial and changed perspective? etc.

 

[ur_inner_child]

create characters, or create a persona...

this helps wonders considering you can use these in a variety of text types

story - the characters

feature article - your interesting character/persona to write the article

journal entry - the persona etc

sounds pretty obvious, but it helps to have it planned.

 

[c_james]

I think you have the wrong idea of what the "show, don't tell" concept is all about. It refers to showing instead of telling your thesis or the theme of your piece.

For example, this would be telling:

They'd grown apart in recent years, never able to recuperate from the loss of their firstborn son. He'd resorted to alcoholism and she spent most of her time with "friends" - they truly were only together for the sake of keeping up appearances.

This would be showing that same scenario:

"I'm going out." She quickly donned her coat and made for the door, hoping he wouldn't protest.
"Fine, what do I care?" he snarled, taking another swig of whiskey.
The door slammed shut, leaving him in solitude. The car pulled out of the driveway, and he waited until he could no longer hear it cruising into the distance. Commencing his daily ritual, he unearthed a photo album from beneath his chair - every photo was of the same dark-haired, brown-eyed 6-year-old boy, and with every turn of the page he wept.

That wasn't the greatest of examples, but you get the idea. Your example of "The man tried to capture the moth flying through the air with his bare hands" is showing, not telling. Now, if you'd said "The man tried to capture the moth flying through the air with his bare hands in an attempt to rekindle thoughts of his carefree youth", that'd be telling.

This website explains the concept quite well: http://www.shirleyjump.com/articles/show-not-tell.htm

 

[munkaii]

"The man tried to capture the moth flying through the air with his bare hands in an attempt to rekindle thoughts of his carefree youth", that'd be telling.

So how do you "show" that he wants to rekindle thoughts of his youth?>

 

[c_james]

"The man tried to capture the moth flying through the air with his bare hands in an attempt to rekindle thoughts of his carefree youth", that'd be telling.

So how do you "show" that he wants to rekindle thoughts of his youth?>

I'd do it like this:

The man tried to capture the moth flying through the air with his bare hands. His father was always able to do it flawlessy, scooping up the insects with incredible grace and ease. He remembered how he used to imitate him on those warm nights by the riverbank, honing his skills while his mother and father, laying on the dewy grass and talking about matters he was far too young to be concerned with, gave him an encouraging thumbs up or smile every now and then.

It's pretty sappy...but again, you get the idea.

 

[munkaii]

hey c_james i took a read off the website you've posted. Its quite good. If anyone can comment on this piece i'll paste below.

I'm trying to describe: "It was hot"

Melissa gripped firmly upon the rusted deadlock. With a quick twist, she heard the distinct clicking sound of the lock detaching, and threw open the door. Inside, a cloud of fog suspended in the middle - it must have been smoke or excess moisture. She ignored the possibility of the room being cold. From her perspecitve, there sat only a chair and two sofas. The harsh afternoon sun beamed in from the Eastern Window. Her feet began to persperate. Across the room, a campfire slowly disintegrated wooden pieces. Its emitted energy channelled throughout the room. Melissa twitched her eyebrows, wiping perspiration away from her face. The room shone red like bloody slattering from a wound. Indeed, it was on fire.

 

[c_james]

hey c_james i took a read off the website you've posted. Its quite good. If anyone can comment on this piece i'll paste below.

I'm trying to describe: "It was hot"

Melissa gripped firmly upon the rusted deadlock. With a quick twist, she heard the distinct clicking sound of the lock detaching, and threw open the door. Inside, a cloud of fog suspended in the middle - it must have been smoke or excess moisture. She ignored the possibility of the room being cold. From her perspecitve, there sat only a chair and two sofas. The harsh afternoon sun beamed in from the Eastern Window. Her feet began to persperate. Across the room, a campfire slowly disintegrated wooden pieces. Its emitted energy channelled throughout the room. Melissa twitched her eyebrows, wiping perspiration away from her face. The room shone red like bloody slattering from a wound. Indeed, it was on fire.

Quite good. There was some uneeded repetition there, but on the whole your writing created a great atmosphere. Just be careful not to fall into the trap of attempting to show everything - the really trivial stuff can be told and, indeed, good writing involves a balance between showing and telling.

 

[munkaii]

Just on the topic of change. i dug up an old past paper (2003-Eng ADV, Section II. Story using stimulus)

I had to write a story about "pictures of change" and i selected a picture of this couple being married.

This is what i dug up for the first part:

It's such a shame that as a paparazzi, i often come under constant abuse, but it is my job and i earn money from it. But there was something perculiar about this latest task. Instead of snapshotting all the glorious women on the red carpet, i have to spy on one of the most ugliest celebs.

Basically..im going to snapshot this woman at her wedding..but b4 snapping i realise shes beautiful and thus i guess shows the picture of change? is it a realistic beginning for such a response? my friend found it quite humorous but i wanted an opinion based on its content.

(this is a rushed response because i have something to do)...