please help my creating writing! (1 Viewer)

[dichotomy]

For my trial exam we had to write a narrative, so I used one I'd already prepared, which I think is an OK concept. The basic plot is that this man decides to commit suicide (i know, i know... therein lies the problem!) and attempts to do so. Much to his chagrin, however, he is saved in the process. He is put into an institution for mental illness and told that, although he is alive, the suicide attempt caused such damage to his body that he'll die in a week anyway. So.... this prompts a process of reflection and speculation whereby he begins to see wasted potential for his life (had he not been 'sentenced to death') and basically decides he would like to live. In the end, we find out he is actually the picture of health and the psychiatrist merely told him he was going to die to prompt the desired psychological rehibilitation.

The marker comment said that I wrote really well, etc and the only problem was the use of the suicide (cliched etc), which I was fully aware of and am now very worried about!!!! SOOOO.... I need to find a way to use the some narrative without the use of the suicide theme.

can anyone help??? If you can ABSOLUTELY ANY comments would be great!

xxxx

 

[glitterfairy]

One of the spectacular things about writing is that one does not require a cataclysmic event to spark off reflection. I've read great stories about people reminicing in bathtubs, or thinking they see the fairies of their childhood hiding amongst the petals of a rose.

From a personal perspective, I'm interested in the small things in life that can make my mind tick. I hit upon the concept for my EE2 short story as I was walking home from the train station one day, having nothing better to do than trudge and think about my life. And voila. A story was born.

Think about your own lives - a magazine clipping may mean nothing to you, but it could be a great deal to the old man sitting behind you, because the girl in the ad happens to look like his grand-daughter who died in a car crash two years ago. A garden that looks positively nail-filed might be pretty, or it might be the work of a man obsessed with symmetry and perfection (in all aspects of life). You can make a story out of everything - if you look for one, rather than trying to "create" one from fragments of over-used themes of angsty drama, you can avoid the terribly overdone death/suicide concept.

Remember, the markers have to go through thousands of creative writing pieces. If nothing else, give them something entertaining - they'll love it! (I wrote about a piece of Gak that got stuck into a fishbowl - yes, you can indeed find stories everywhere).

 

[azza_3761]

Wat u write your story on or how entertaining your story is should NEVER affect the marks you get, no matter how cliche it is. As you said it was written well so that should be good enough for the markers too.

 

[dichotomy]

Thats exactly what I thought and the mark itself wasn't bad (12/15), considering that my strengths definately lie in critical responses.

If the story is well written and original, then why do we have to avoid certain themes simply because some people choose to employ them in a cliched or trite way? I was really concious of not going into detail about reasons for the suicide or making it teen angsty at all, but at the same time I think I'd be better off with a different catalyst for the process of reflection/speculation/imaginative journey.

 

[glitterfairy]

^^ Because markers have certain prejudices. Better to be safe than sorry.

We have a very similar issue in EE2. Any references to the HSC or stereotypical teen angst have a documented history of being ill-favoured by the markers, regardless of how well or badly written then are - and there are a lot less EE2 students than AOS creative writing pieces!

Life is not always fair, and creative writing pieces are ALWAYS going to be subjectively marked. If you want to stand out and do something a little different, I say it's a good idea.

 

[nwatts]

Wat u write your story on or how entertaining your story is should NEVER affect the marks you get, no matter how cliche it is. As you said it was written well so that should be good enough for the markers too.

Ahh... what?

I have first hand evidence that you're 100% wrong. From a HSC marker, who marked my Extension 1 trial.

 

[Captain Gh3y]

*sits down at the marking centre*

*picks up his first section II paper for the day, squints to read the barely legible handwriting... damn pot smoking kids*

Woe is me...

*stops reading*

*gives a 4, passes to 2nd marker*

*picks up his second section II paper for the day*

Woe is me...

...

*7.9 hours later*

*picks up his last section II paper for the day*

Woe is me...

*Gives a very beautifully penned "4", having had lots of practise writing them on this particular day*

*goes home*

Get the idea?

 

[sychikmoron]

(I wrote about a piece of Gak that got stuck into a fishbowl - yes, you can indeed find stories everywhere).

but doesn't your piece of writing have to be related to the concept of the journey?

 

[glitterfairy]

Who said my piece of Gak didn't go on a journey? Because he did!

Oh, but his journey didn't involve displaced families, or dying relatives. But nevertheless, it was still a journey and he changed as a result of that journey by the end of a story (he did a lot of reflecting whilst stuck between the plastic castle and the glass wall).

Honestly guys, the moment you start limiting a definition of a "journey", you start limiting what kind of creative responses you can come up with. A journey is pretty generic, I don't believe I've ever read a single story that didn't have a journey of some sort in it (same thing goes for Change).

Captain_Gh3y actually re-enacts it quite beautifully. Most of the english teachers at my high school were HSC markers, and all of them almost got on their knees and BEGGED that we write something entertaining (but good).

 

[_Benji_]

Has anyone else noticed the google ads? lol

edit:: hey where did the $75 for a suicide survey ad go? and answers now ad from god.com?!

I think ur suicide story is ok.... i mean sure...its about death... but personally i think your twist is pretty darn clever!

glitterfairy I would love to read your creative responses.... i think you would bring the world of gak (HEY i remember that stuff!!) alive

Now i'm writing some sickly wrong story about a boy's life mission to "off his aunty".
I can't help writing with my dark sense of humour.... but i think the markers will think i'm just taking the piss about the whole journey thing seeing as the half piece ive written is a bit too satirical.

Ok... i'm going to create a "serious" story...

 

[nwatts]

No. Use your skills at satire. Work with them.

WORK WITH YOUR STRENGTHS, PEOPLE!

 

[glitterfairy]

Personally, I avoided "serious" death-related AOS creative writing stories like the plague. Being an avid reader myself, reading more than a few depressing stories at a time drives me over the edge. Even reading the *good* dark stuff like Angela Carter is VERY hard to do for more than a few hours at a time.

Benji: If I had a copy of the story around I'd email it to you, but otherwise the first (and only) draft is in my HSC paper. I walked in thinking that Gak would be cool to write about, and that's pretty much it

A lot of people have this misconception that something dark and serious is good. Not true... killing off a character in order to evoke emotional response from an audience is one of the cheapest and most over-done trick in the creative writing handbook, hence why there are a bunch of people (including myself) who stay miles away from it unless it actually works out properly in regards to the rest of the plot (mind you, I'm a novel-length writer, so I have a *lot* of time and space to work my stories how I like them).

Repeat after me, kiddos. "Humour is good! Humour is good! Humour is good!" Dark satire isn't a bad thing - provided you do it well, it should engage and entertain the markers, and they really want that sort of thing!

 

[_Benji_]

I still can't believe you actually wrote about gak....
ok i'll try and think of a funny journey....but i think an ability to be funny would be somewhat limited in an exam

i think I'm having a little too much fun sitting around and "studying" for section II

 

[glitterfairy]

^ My friends and I went into our Eng AOS exam with gusto. We all dared each other to write stories about the wackiest things we could think of - I can't really remember what the others wrote about, although I can remember mine was about Gak. I think someone else might have written about a Tamogachi... meh, really can't remember.

I agree that it's difficult to be funny when you're stressed. Therefore, play around to get some humour in there. I *could* have written about a little boy loosing his dog, or I could write about a hairbrush loosing its beautybag buddie (the OPI nail polish). Anything goes, really. You just have to open up your mind, and give it a shot.

 

[Kyroth***]

*looks around nervously* ummm... what's gak? Please don't hurt me...

For the trials I tried to write a deep piece, but it wasn't about death, it was about a tree who suddenly realised he was human! He was pretty scared by that...

We were discussing this in class recently, and we decided what would really make you stand out, and make the markers actually like reading it, would be a choose-your-own-ending response, preferable an essay, but its easier to do for section II. You know the kind I mean, "You are walking along a road and you hit a crossroads, which way do you want to go, go to page 2 for left, page 3 for right." That would be tricky though. But different!