Extension English narrative assignment (1 Viewer)

[Lollipop212]

I just received an assignment in extension English.
I'm feeling overwhelmed and don't know where to start. I am not all that confident when it comes to writing stories.

The narrative part of the assignment is
- 4000 words
- exploring Australian values that can taken through time ( values that can relate to different time periods)
- rounded characters

I need some help with how to start and general ideas. It's due in two months.
Thank you

 

[Evertone]

Quite cursory advice... but it looks you're heading for something like Tim Winton style literature. I would go with something to do with family tension perhaps.

 

[rumbleroar]

your themes are pretty broad...maybe examine how the concept of australia has evolved over time? or the shift from a monoculture to multicultural society over time has impacted on the dynamics of everyday life?

i would suggest looking at how these changing values have impacted on you as a person and try and extract stories from your personal experience or experiences of others

 

[britaker]

Changing cultural values from ancient times to a "white Australia" to a multicultural society? Maybe chuck in a theorist or two? You have a lot of words to work with I will say. But because of that I'd make it complex; perhaps more than one line of narrative? Idk. Idk man.

 

[Lollipop212]

Okay, I have started with it and appreciate your help. I am setting it at the end of World War One.
A father coming home from war to a family who are broke without his support. He has PTS and finds it difficult to work. Begins an addiction to alcohol and his family descends into poverty.
His personality slowly comes back when his friends from war come over.
Main themes and values are family, money, innocence and of course mateship.
This is set through his children s point of view.

 

[Simplice]

Be careful of setting the narrative from a child's point of view. It is very difficult to encapsulate their tone and mode of thinking without sounding a) contrived or b) too simplistic. The concept you have there is alright, but perhaps explore more nuanced Australian values instead of going for the archetypal 'mateship'. Good luck!

 

[Mdyeow]

4000 words?!?! that's a lot

I disagree with you all. Start with your characters first.

If you want to make things really interesting, go for non-human characters. You can tap into some of the Dreamtime myths here - maybe, for example, a snake that once created all the rivers but now has to go around grabbing scraps from trash cans. You'd do so obliquely, without directly saying "LOOK AT ME I'M A WASHED-UP DREAMTIME SPIRIT" but it would be interesting.

Then start to think about how your characters are interacting with each other. For example, does the owner of "Big Bill's Tuckshop" (selling gourmet meat pies) talk to the snake about the state of national politics, or does he just chase her away each day? What do the two magpies who sit outside the tuckshop gossip about? Will Big Bill - who's always been intimidated by women because he's only 5.5 feet tall - ever pluck up the courage to say hello to the Vietnamese girl selling banh mi from the stall opposite him?

Don't think themes and values first. That's like having to build a house and starting with what tiles you'll use for the bathroom. Choose your characters and plot wisely, and you won't have to worry about all the other stuff.

 

[Darth_Duplicity]

Okay, I have started with it and appreciate your help. I am setting it at the end of World War One.
A father coming home from war to a family who are broke without his support. He has PTS and finds it difficult to work. Begins an addiction to alcohol and his family descends into poverty.
His personality slowly comes back when his friends from war come over.
Main themes and values are family, money, innocence and of course mateship.
This is set through his children s point of view.

I have to say that this sounds horribly cliched. Ext 1 requires more sophistication. I'd try using a motif, especially a natural landmark (Australia's famous for its land). I.e. A guy plants a tree and over the generations his family takes care of it and their lives unfold beneath its watchful gaze or something like that. And if you want a sad ending have it get cut down so there is a rejection of values.