Creative writing (2 Viewers)

[n@ttyb]

I just wrote up one to remember for my upcoming trials ( english paper 1, aos), and it is only one page typed. What is recommended as a good length ?

 

[ROCKkillsTECHNO]

I'm looking for ideas for a story... i know i should think of my own but if i can get some ideas i could work from there.

As for you nattyb, i reckon about 4-5 pages is a good length (handwritten). Figure it out by the time you have to do it. You have 2 hours to do an essay, short answer things and a creative story right? work out how long each would take and figure out how long it can be from there.

 

[cagedflame]

i often used to have alot of trouble with finding an idea for creative writing! some advice that i got from one of my teachers who is a published author:
imagine a place that you have visited or been
think about a person who you may have seen there
write down some details about this person
for example if you are talking about, say a security guard,
rather than writing: John smith walked over to me in his security uniform
try something else like: As the guard approached me, i noticed that his shirt was one size too small and his name tag read John Smith. It seemed an unusual name as i expected it to be something like Tony or Barry.

some high mark responses are only about 3-4 writing pages long, however the longer stories generally have a better chance of making it into the high-range responses!

hope this helps

 

[ObjectsInSpace]

You want quality writing, not quantity. I did 16 pages for the HSC proper, but that didn't mean I was guaranteed a high mark.

And don't forget, creative writing can apply to just about any type of text except poetry.

 

[nwatts]

why can't it be poetry?

 

[ObjectsInSpace]

Too technical to be able to be done in such a limited amount of time. You've got, what, forty minutes? The aim of poetry is to say as much as possible with as few words as possible. The Board of Studies is able to ask that you write poetry for your creative writing piece, but it's generally accepted that they won't. It's simply a very difficult task to be able to do that in such a short amount of time. The point of my post was more to highlight that you shouldn't walk into the exam hall expecting a short story. A lot of people in my year made that mistake during the trials. They expected they would be asked for a short story but we were asked to write a speech. A lot of people also had pre-written answers for the HSC (which was a short story), but they found they simply couldn't work with it because of the nature of the question. They can ask that you write about anything, so pre-written answers - particularly for short stories - can really be a waste of time.

 

[nwatts]

Too technical to be able to be done in such a limited amount of time. You've got, what, forty minutes? The aim of poetry is to say as much as possible with as few words as possible.

bullshit. considering the preparation time (a whole year), 40 minutes is heaps. you aren't asked to write an epic. most people will give themselves time to write out a short story/speech/whatever and leave 5-10 minutes for editing. you won't write as much if you opt for poetry, so you'll have more time to edit, resulting in a shorter yet more refined piece.

to tell someone not to do poetry is ridiculous. if that is their particular strength, go for it. just practice.

 

[ObjectsInSpace]

Don't shoot the messenger, he's just repeating what he's been told. I wasn't suggesting you write an epic poem along the lines of the Mahabarata (sp?), I was simply repeating what I'd been told by a teacher who marked the paper every year since the new HSC was introduced. A year might be a long time to prepare, but there's a lot of other stuff you have to do as well. Like I said, the Board is allowed to ask you for poetry, but it's not really an option.

Writing is something I just happen to like doing probably because I can't think of anything better and that includes sex, probably because I'm so very, very bad at it.

 

[kylefifield]

hey i was just wondering, what should the piece work towards? What are the components of the imaginative journey module that need to be addressed to 'tick all the boxes'? I'm sure ive been told this sometime but i have definitely forgotten.

 

[princessrach]

Well, unless they ask for a specific type of journey like imaginative, inner, physical (which they CAN do but havent yet) you dont have to write about a specific type of journey, or so i was told, no matter what your focus is. But if you wanted to, you have to write a definition of an imaginative journey for your essay, no? So if, based on your definition, there is what you would class as an IJ then your set.

As to length, mine is only just over a page typed, but that doesnt matter, as its all about what YOU can write in the time given. If that is all you can write in that time then its fine. Its about quality. Just make sure that its very descriptive

 

[nwatts]

my teacher said the same thing as above re: types of journeys you're writing about. she was a hsc marker too.

also you are right that it needs to be quality, but if it's not long enough you aren't going to appropriately comment/establish your journey element. description has little to do with it, really. i wrote a very spare piece for my half yearly and then again as a practice for the hsc, scored band 6 both times.

 

[dagwoman]

Short aswer: one typed page is fine.

In the creative task, it is very true that it's QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. I only write a few handwritten pages of (prepared) creative writing, and I've gotten 15/15 every time. And my school is ranked 10th, so it's not like they mark easy. Good luck!

 

[ellejay145]

i havent read everyones reply, so dont get angry if i repeat something etc
firstly, my pre-written response is one page typed, and that is generally all i can manage to do in an exam; usually 4-5 pages handwritten. whoever said pre-writing a story is a waste of time, well im sorry my friend, but you are wrong. AOS is probably one of the only areas (ie you cant do it for extension eng or the like) that enables you to have a prewritten response, as the questions are so open ended that you can mould anything you have prepared to suit the question.
never write about typical things ie road trips, the stress of the hsc, something too melodramatic ie death and illness; you will never succeed with this types of responses. you need to keep it extremely simple, so that you can let your true writing talents shine through.
furthermore NEVER WRITE A POEM. NEVER NEVER NEVER. no matter how good a poet you think you are, you will NOT be able to pull it off. yes they are shorter so you can edit them, but (and sorry if i offend any up and coming poets) you wont be able to write quality in 40mins. believe me, a friend of mine (who one a poetry writing competition in year 11) wrote a poem in our yearly Year 11 exams, and he didnt do very well, as far as i heard. our teacher, who is a HSC marker, strongly advised against it, as it will not work.
whats more, always write about a place or experience that you personally know about; there is no use basing a story in an aeroplane if you have never flown in your life - it wont be realistic.
also, whatever point your story is making about imaginative journeys or journeys in general, make it subtle - if it hits people in the face it wont be as effective as a subtle piece.
so yeah .. any comments ...
Lisa

 

[n@ttyb]

im finding it very hard to write a story, just coming up with ideas is a pain.

 

[Sleiphnir]

For creative writing I have five written out already (obviously I might not use any of them). I base my ideas of things I already know in detail - for me it's modern history, so mine are historical based creative works; ie WW1, Russia, Vietnam, Cuba (phys journeys btw). If you have a subject like history that you can use and adopt a journey into its really easy to write about because you know what it should be like from other work.
My typed responses are always 2 typed pages (I use a laptop in the exams as well) and my essays are always 3 typed pages (with extended borders etc).
Does anyone know how much that is in handwriting (generally that is - my handwriting is really dodgy which is why I use the laptop).
I'm hoping to punch out the same in the actual exam because the one thing people tend to do is be contemptuous of the creative and leave themselves 20 minutes and I want it to be half decent. Perhaps.

 

[n@ttyb]

is there another reason u get to use a laptop besides dogy handwrititing ?
Cause my teachers ae always complaining my handwriting.
3 pages types for me is about 6 or more written

 

[Sleiphnir]

Yeah medical reasons and all that - I think it might be a bit late to apply for it now though - I did it at the beginning of year 12. You have to get a physical therapist report and do all these samples and essays handwritten + typed. I officially have disgraphia due to fine motor control - it's literally impossible to read my exam written stuff. I just say dodgy handwriting cause it's easier than explaining a medical condition. Other reasons can be like - really slow writing, hand injury? I guess.

 

[ellejay145]

That's unfortunate that you have a medical disorder, but i would so LOVE to be able to use a computer for the exams; i can type heaps faster then i can write, and im sure thats the case for everyone. I say we should all be able to use laptops, i mean we are in a computer age now arent we? but in response to what you wrote earlier, well my creative writing is one page typed and i think it is generally between 2-3 pages i think; depends on how creative i feel in the exam and to what extent i adapt and change my underlying story. for anyone stuck on stories, again - write SIMPLE, write about things YOU KNOW, and write WELL. don't think up elaborate stories with melodramatic endings and plots, as they say "keep it simple stupid". markers are looking for your creative writing ability, the ability for you as a writer to be able to develop a believable and realistic story line, unique and realistic characters, to write using things such as metaphors and similies, without conciously doing it, and to be able to put your own flair into it. so write about something you like.

 

[Sleiphnir]

Acquiring laptops for the thousands of students doing the HSC would be really expensive and I think handwriting the exams is still better (a lot of people have trouble typing fast + well so it would disadvantage them)

 

[ellejay145]

That's true, but we should just have the option of doing that, so those who want to handwrite can, and those who want to type can. During the trials exams i couldnt hold a pen properly each day or so after my exams, my hand was too sore.