Name:______________________________
Creative Writing Mini-Unit Booklet
Name:______________________________
Creative Writing Summative This booklet will be completed over the c ourse of the mini-unit. It is designed to help w ith your writing process and it is a part of your summative assignment. This unit is meant to build upon what you learned last te rm (in the Global Citizenship unit), and it is meant to help deepen your understanding. Creative writing is a form of communication, and this unit will help develop your ability to present information. You are not expe cted to write a whole novel, but you will be creating original work, and you will be working with elements of the creat ive writing process. There are three parts to this assignment (all will be evaluated – rubric will be developed together): 1. Complete the Creative Writing Mini-Unit Booklet This booklet will guide your writing process, and it will be a helpful reference. o
You will include the research that your writing is based on, as we ll as a bibliography . Research can come from books, textbooks, internet sources, etc.
2. Write the first three pages (approximately) of your novel This is where you will put your writing skills to use and bring what you’ve learned to life! o
There will be drafting and peer-editing. The final draft m ust be typed.
3. Create a sample book cover (front + back) Think of a title for your novel, design a cover that represents your stor y, and write a blurb to entice readers.
What are you writing about? From the two options listed below, select one to base your creative writing piece on: 1. Set your story in a past or present-day environment. Your research into the country and environment should be evident in your process and in your novel. Explore developed or undeveloped countries, areas of high or low population densities, or nations that have an excess or lack of resources. You may also want to explore cultural and technological differences. (Focus on realism. Avoid time-travelling and the supernatural unless you can provide research and an explanation of its significance)
2.
Set your story during a realistic apocalypse apocalypse or during a realistic post-apocalyptic time. The
apocalypse should be based on real concerns such as the loss of fuel, food, or other resources. Explore the cause and the effects effec ts of the apocalypse. Reflect on how the apocalypse might have been avoided. (Do not write a zombie apocalypse unless you can provide research and an explanation about how it is a real concern. Do not write about the Mayan apocalypse. If you are reading this, obviously, that apocalypse did not happen and is not a real r eal concern.)
Name:______________________________
Research Chosen Option: What setting have you chosen to write in? What details about the setting do you want to explore? List what you think your research needs t o include.
Research your setting. Write your notes here. Include sources as you go. If you need more space, feel free to write on another page. Lots of research is encouraged.
Name:______________________________
Purpose Stories are everywhere. Every time you tell a friend about something funny that happened over the weekend, you are telling a sto ry. Stories are in books, in movies, and in the news, sending messages to different people and even reaching across space and time. Before you begin building your story, think about what you want the story to say, and to whom.
To whom are you writing this story? W ho is your audience? How will your story appeal to your audience?
What is the purpose of this story? How is it important (to yourself and to the reader)?
Name:______________________________
World Building Your story takes place in the real r eal world, but the world is a big place, so please explain the setting below:
SETTING Time: You do not need to give an exact time, but around when does the story take place?
Location: Exactly where does your story take place? Describe the physical environment.
Mood/Atmosphere: What is the mood of the world your story takes place in? Are people happy, sad, excited, hopeful, oppressed, or something else? Why does such a mood exist?
Social Conditions: What is life like for the characters? What is the social structure like? What are their daily routines?
Name:______________________________
Character Building Remember that a well written writte n character is complex, having both good and bad qualities. All characters can be built through four attributes: o
Thoughts, feelings, dreams, goals
o
Behaviour
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Relationships (How others relate to the character. What they say about the character.)
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Physical appearance
In the boxes below, please build your characters using the four attributes. Protagonist This is the main character.
Antagonist This is the main character’s opposition. There is not always a single antagonist; it may be a group of people or an organization, but for the purpose purpose of this assignment, describe only one antagonist.
Name:______________________________
Plot Building Things happen in stories because of conflict. There are t wo types of conflict: o
External Conflict: The struggle with a force outside of the protagonist. You may want to identify
an issue discussed last term. o
Internal Conflict: The protagonist’s struggles within their sel f to make some decision or
overcome some obstacle. You may want to identify a social issue, moral issue, or a life lesson that the protagonist personally struggles with. (Ex. Discrimination, ethics, self-acceptance). Conflict: Every story is driven by conflict. What is the central external central external conflict in conflict in your story? What is the central ? internal conflict ?
Theme: This is the main idea that a story tr ies to convey. What theme does your story have? How will your story demonstrate this theme?
Name:______________________________
Plot Outline This is where you put together the world, characters, and ideas you’ve built. Focus on explaining the
events that take place in the story. Do not repeat everything you have already written in the World
Building, Character Building, or Plot Building worksheets. This is where you explain how all of what you have written in those worksheets makes an appearance in the story.
PLOT OUTLINE Exposition: Introduce the setting and the characters that are needed to understand the rest of the story. Include the inciting incident which incident which introduces the conflict that conflict that drives the story.
Name:______________________________
Rising Action: This is where the characters are developed by a journey or a series of challenges that bring them closer to the climax.
Climax: This is where the protagonist meets their deciding moment, the turning point , where all the conflict ignites the most exciting part of the story.
Name:______________________________
Falling Action: This is the aftermath of the climax.
Resolution: The story wraps up. It doesn’t have to be a neat ending, but the protagonist and the reader rea der should feel satisfied.
