C3 - SHORT STORIES/EXTRACTS FROM STORIES

*Miss out the exposition (start in the middle of something)

"Fred recognised the trackmarks that stretched out in front of him. Wolves. In this part of the country, things were never easy."

*Use APTRONYMS for your characters. If you want your character to appear brave, give them a name that reflects this. If you want them to appear cruel and twisted, give them a name that hints at this also.

*Use semantic fields to establish a tone within your narrative, and don't be afraid to add semantic shifts when you want the mood to change. For example, you could go from making lots of references to the breeze "Jemima tiptoed lightly along the gentle wind's meandering path, following closely behind a perfectly formed maple leave which fluttered through the clearing." and then move to mentioning darkness at blindness. "Out of nowhere, the gloom shrouded her vision. Great curtains of mist dropped from the canopy as if let down by some chaotic force, and she stumbled onward, desperately trying to feel her way home."

*Use a symbolic and intriguing title.

*Do not feel you have to END it - leave out the resolution section of Freytag's pyramid. But don't end it on a 'for now...'

End it on something that gets people highly engaged and thinking.

"As the final shards of light faded into utter inky blackness, one final thought transcended the gloom and lit a hopeful candle in her mind. This could not be the end, for she hadn't yet become her true form."

*Mystery is absolutely fine. It is only an extract/short story.

*MAKE SURE YOU USE A FULL RANGE OF PUNCTUATION. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK YOUR SPAG.

C3 - MONOLOGUES

 Monologues has come up A LOT in the past, so be prepared for this. Make sure you are totally familiar with what a monologue's conventions are, and USE THEM.

1. Establishing stage directions (in brackets). This can include all manner of symbolic inclusions such as elements of setting, lighting, sound, props and costume. Anything you mention MUST be symbolic or useful in some way. Here is a good example of what they could look like...

(Lights come up on a woman in her 30s sitting in a darkened dining room of a grubby bedsit. The curtains are drawn, allowing only a small sliver of light to stream through. The light has a dull tone to it, implying it is raining outside. The lone song of one bird can be heard faintly outside).

2. Embed other stage directions within the monologue. If there are any lines that you want to be delivered in a certain way, say so before the line. For example, "(In a depressed manner)" or "(Nervously scratching her wrist)

3. Look through everything this person says. A monologue should sound like a real person. Make sure that what you write is not too 'flowery' or literary. It should sound like what a person would actually say

4. Consider a scene change. Monologues often show a character starting in one mood or state, and then a later scene shows a development in their circumstances. Maybe a sense of optimism could be introduced, or the character could realise something or begin to cope with something? Or they could end up running away from something and be in a totally different setting.

Also, remember that monologues should be from a FIRST PERSON perspective, always be speaking in PAST TENSE and should NEVER feature dialogue with another person.

For example...

Every single day, it's the same. That boss of mine just does not know when to give up. I got into work this morning, and he was already there at the doorstep waiting for me telling me I'm 'late'. 

'By literally TWO MINUTES' I snapped at him. 

'Late is late' he snarled back at me. I just wish someone would wipe the smile off his face.

(Fade to black)

(New scene....)

C3 - Punctuation

 : ; ( ) - ""

Don't forget A RANGE OF PUNCTUATION - try to get a semi-colon/colon/brackets/dashes or two into your writing to show range. It's not difficult, and you can EASILY look up how to use them correctly if you're not sure. Also, if you put speech into a story or similar, make sure you're punctuating it right! Again, look it up if unsure.

C3 - Mega tips extended

 You have to be very perceptive when it comes to GENRE – you have to show the examiner that you understand that different genres follow different rules and conventions.

• The VERY FIRST thing that you need to do is to set yourself a mini-brief by detailing which features and conventions you are going to include. This is like the recipe/buying ingredients stage of baking a cake.
• If it gives you a really unusual genre, and there’s no way around it (ie, the other question is even worse) then you simply use your common sense.
• For example, write a section of a short story where a battle is taking place during a mass-war. Brutal imagery, clear enemy who we are supposed to dislike, semantic field of weapons and destruction, ß I have no idea if these ARE key conventions of the war-literature genre, but they certainly SOUND sensible to me, so I’m going to use them as my mini-brief. Now, I will feel a lot more confident in putting my writing together.
• THE SECOND thing that you do is to carefully put your piece of writing together, using all of the ingredients that you identified in the first process. But, the key thing here is DON’T RUSH IT. You have got LOTS of time to write a really good piece. You should make sure you read over every sentence to make sure it is worthwhile and that you are spelling/punctuating really well. MAKE SURE IT IS THE MOST PRECISE AND WELL PUT TOGETHER WRITING THAT YOU ARE CAPABLE OF – that is literally what they are testing. ß this is like BAKING the cake.
• THE THIRD thing is the commentary. There is literally nothing to worry about here. There is no real set formula – although I will suggest one that has worked in the past. All you really have to remember is: What have you done? Where did you do it? (with terms) and Why did you do it?
• In terms of how many points you should write here – simple answer, as many as you can in the time you have left. If you do CRAVE a structure, as I know some of you do, then do something like this: 3-4 genre conventions 2-3 attitudes 2 more or so on things like purposes/sub-purposes of you writing/specific target audience/etc ß this section is like the bit on Bakeoff where Paul Hollywood goes round and asks you how you made your cake.

C3 - Mega tips

 *Remember there is a CHOICE of questions. Choose wisely. (You cannot mix and match)

*Be ESPECIALLY prepared for MONOLOGUES and SHORT STORIES as these have both been up multiple times.

*Key word the question PRECISELY. If you even SLIGHTLY answer the question wrongly, it will ruin your mark.

*Take you time. Take your time. Take your time. You have PLENTY of it - this is definitely a QUALITY over quantity exam.

C3 - Example PARAGRAPH of analysis - you need lots!

"Following an established convention of guidebooks, I have used lots of fronted imperatives in order to influence my target audience where to go. The dynamic imperative verbs, ‘Stride’, ‘Walk’ And ‘Wander’ all advise the audience how best to enjoy the attraction in an active way. Similarly, I have met the conventions of the genre by showing a voice of expertise, visible through the verb and first person pronoun, ‘trust us’ and enumerator ‘100’ before the noun phrase ‘years experience’. Both of these examples would imply the organisation was reliable and make the reader more likely to follow the guide. An educational tone, another convention of guides, can be seen where I state ‘This was Shakespeare’s favourite hideaway’ - the proper noun ‘Shakespeare’ and compound noun ‘hideaway’ implying that the audience are being given secret and informative knowledge about the place. Similar to other guides I have read, I have...."

Etc etc etc

Notice how the paragraph follows the same pattern repeatedly.

*Identify a convention (making it clear that it is a convention of the genre)

*Give an example of two

*Apply terms

*Discuss the effect on the audience 

You can then follow the exact same structure on your other paragraphs.

C3 - Advice from a past blog

 Here is a pretty complete overview of what we discussed in the lesson today - read it and make sure it all makes sense.

*EMBRACE THE CRINGE - For years, I have witnessed students hiding, ripping up very good creative writing work because they get cringed out by their work once they have put feeling and effort into it. This is one time where you MUST NOT be ashamed of your efforts. THe whole point of creative writing is that you are expressing yourself and being creative. Sometimes this may feel cringey when you are the one who wrote it, but you need to GET OVER this. What will get you the best marks in this exam is ADOPTING STRONG VOICES, being CONFIDENT and making AMBITIOUS language choices. If this makes you cringe, so what? Just write it, and be safe in the knowledge you have given it your all.

*You are given a choice of questions, each with 3 parts (a,b,c). You choose one and answer all parts. So EITHER 1abc or 2abc. NOT BOTH.

*Each question comes with a stimulus extract. For some writing tasks, you will be required to pick out details from the stimulus (like if it has asked you to write from a character's perspective) - but in other tasks, you will not need to refer to the stimulus at all. THE STIMULUS IS THERE TO HELP YOU AND GIVE YOU IDEAS/DETAILS, not to restrict you.

*Make sure you KEYWORD the question. Last year, many students messed up because they were asked to write a study guide which gave advice to students about how to avoid DISTRACTIONS. A lot of students missed this word, and just write generic study guides. So, READ EVERY WORD CAREFULLY.

*We do not know if tasks will be FICTION of NON-FICTION. Could be both. Just be prepared for any genre, and use your COMMON SENSE when writing it.

*The commentary is on ONE of your writing tasks, not both.

*Often, the question will ask you to write and EXTRACT, INTRO or ENDING rather than a full piece. Be careful to take notice of this. If it is an EXTRACT then it is fine to start it in the middle of a piece of action, or in a dynamic scene. 'Darius lurched forward, and grasped the cold steel blade.' for example, is a perfectly acceptable way to start your piece.

*Don't obsess over ACTIONS. Yes, some action and movement is essential in fiction writing, but successful writing also consists of a character's internal emotions, flashbacks, heartache, memories, plans etc. Don't be afraid to spend whole paragraphs which explore feelings and emotions rather than physical actions.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Short stories are, I suppose, reasonably likely to come up as a genre, though it may specify a type (sci-fi, detective, crime, thriller etc).

Here are some very useful rules/conventions to follow in your writing if it does:

*Adopt a strong, personal narrative voice

*Use well chosen adverbs – these can help to characterise a person without saying things explicitly

*Aptronyms – Use names which hint at character properties

*Symbolic use of setting – Mention things like light/shadow/gloom to make the reader feel a certain way

*Pathetic fallacy could also be used here.

*If beginning an extract without an exposition – explain why you have done this and analyse how the opening sentence would make the reader feel.

*If ending the extract without a resolution, do the same

*Multisensory descriptions

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How to actually construct a piece / commentary as a pair.

You may not know which of your two pieces you will use for the commentary until you have actually finished them. Don’t choose the one you LIKE the best, choose the one you have the MOST to say about.

To begin: -

Once you have chosen the question that you are going to answer, keyword the Q and prepare to write in that genre. You should begin by giving yourself about 5-6 rules that you are going to abide by when writing your piece.

For example: -

A short story must have these conventions: 1. Characterisation techniques 2. A meaningful/symbolic setting 3. A strong narrative voice

I want my character to display the following attitudes: 1. Independent/feisty 2. Unforgiving

I want my story to be clearly aimed at: Teenagers

STRUCTURING THE COMMENTARY

Then, all you do in your commentary is to unpick what you have done, like this:

Conventions: (But don't actually write sub-headings. This is just a guide for you)

Firstly, I was keen to meet the genre convention of including techniques to characterise the main protagonist. I have done this where it says ___________ within which the word ________ is important because _____. I hope that this would make the audience feel _______. A second convention I wished to address was to include a symbolic setting in order to sway the reader’s emotions, seen through the quote ________. Here, _______ is important because ______. This was included in order to make the reader think _______. A final convention that I hoped to address within my writing was to make sure my narrative had a clear and individual voice. I have mainly achieved this through declaratives such as __________ within which the word ________ was chosen to make the audience feel _______. Additionally, the word _________ was used to suggest to the audience that _________.

Attitudes: (same again)

Because of the given brief, I decided to create a character who was feisty and independent, shown through the declarative statement __________ which uses the word _______ to prove to the audience that ____________. On top of this, I felt it was important for the character to appear unforgiving due to the context of __________. I have achieved this by describing the character as ________ and by having her say "__________". Here, the words __________ and __________ both combine to make the audience feel _________>

Audience: (same again)

In order to ensure that my writing clearly appeals to an audience of teenagers, I employed a semantic field of _________ such as in the statement ________. Here, the word _______ and the phrase ______ have been used to make a teenage audience feel ________. Additionally, I feel that the declarative _________ would appeal to a teenage audience due to the connotations of ______ and ________. This would probably make them think __________.

To finish the commentary:

If you have more time, and hopefully you will, just make a series of points where you pick out ANY OTHER deliberate language choices you made. Structure them like this:

What did you do? Give an example? What effect were you hoping it would have on the audience?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q. How many paragraphs for the commentary?

Paragraphs for the commentary:

Begin with one big paragraph (as above) which deals with the different conventions you have used. Aim to mention 3-5 conventions. (this can be 2 paragraphs if it is getting a bit long)

Then, do another big paragraph where you discuss any attitudes you have woven into your writing. Aim to mention about 3-4. (this can be two paragraphs if it is getting a bit long)

Then do a paragraph about who your target audience is, and how you appealed to them throug7h deliberate lexical and literary choices.

Then, individual paragraphs on any other deliberate choices of language that you put into your writing for any effect.

Result = 3 big then some small

C3 - What to do if you get an ODD genre

 In past years we looked at a number of potentially confusing or obscure genres that could come up: a tourist guide, a sci-fi/fantasy novel extract, children's literature...

I have provided you with some resources which outline suggested conventions of some of the more likely genres. However, it is possible they might throw you a bit of a 'curve ball' and give you a genre that makes you think, 'What the heck is that?' or 'How the flip am I supposed to know what the conventions of that are?'


Again, remember our number one rule - REMAIN CALM.


If this happens, it is likely they are testing your common sense. It is also likely that everyone up and down the country is feeling the same as you. So, the best thing you can do is to think it through logically, be decisive, and come up with your conventions anyway.


One example question in the SAMS says, 'Write the opening to a murder mystery novel...'


Being totally honest with you, I have never read a murder mystery novel. I'm assuming most of you have not either.


Does this mean we panic? cry? throw up? No! Of course not - because most people reading the question will not have read one either.


What we do is stay calm, and decide what FOUR/FIVE likely conventions of the genre will be.


So how do we work this out?


Well, firstly, are you familiar with any similar genres? Yes - short stories! So we can borrow at least a couple of conventions from there.


Aside from that, just use your common sense.


*It is likely to be quite mysterious, so my first convention will be to use a semantic field of mystery in my writing.
*There will be a detective of some sort, who will be a strong character, so I will characterise him or her as strong, inquisitive and decisive.
*The setting will be important - usually (I imagine) these novels will be set somewhere very atmospheric like a castle or stately home, so I'll set it there.
*There will normally be lots of foreshadowing that something bad will happen (remember it is the START of the story, so the murder might not have taken place yet). So I'll use pathetic fallacy (mist/ thunder and lightning), sounds and descriptions to add tension.


And there we have it - the conventions of a murder mystery! And I've never read one! But I can guarantee my suggestions will be as valid as anybody else answering the exam.


All you need to do, whatever the genre, is stay calm, and be decisive. You can't go wrong if you do that.

C3 - Genre conventions

 On this post, I will list as many genres as I can think of with sensible conventions that you should try to include if these genres come up. I will keep adding to this post as I think of different genres, so check back regularly.

Short stories


Clear plot arc, but may decide to omit EXPOSITION or RESOLUTION for effect; characterisation of protagonists/antagonists through adverb/movement/adjectives; aptronyms; symbolic use of setting; descriptive language and modifiers throughout; multisensory descriptions; feelings/emotions; Third person may be simpler as a narrative style.


Monologues


Clear individual voice for character; stage directions to set scene; embedded stage directions to add tone; setting may be important; honest and confessional tone; some non-fluency features for effect; aptronyms; fade to black/scene change. movements and actions denoted by minor stage directions.


Reviews
Opinionated and decisive tone; likens product to other products to show experience; use of humour; uses statistics to support opinions; mixed register (sometimes very formal, followed by very informal for comic effect); hyperbole and exaggeration; very descriptive; does not give things away that could ruin the subject; gives ratings.


Guide to a place
Sometimes imperative tone 'take a walk along the sandy beach and enjoy...'; sometimes interrogative to show choice, 'why not try one of our local...?'; uses proper nouns and place names to help show you around; makes suggestions and gives options; informs about the place giving factual information; provides historical facts where relevant; separates text into sections which all deal with a different practical element, 'what to do', 'how to find us', etc.


Guide to a product
Imperative tone; technical information about product; hyperbole and exaggeration to describe features; excited mood throughout and a suggestion the product will improve your quality of life; direct address; helplines/customer service information etc.


Magazine articles
Catchy headline, sometimes using puns/rhymes or maybe even just a sensationalist 'my babysitter ran off with my dog' type declarative; subheading to add more context and information to the piece; opening paragraphs will hint at issue but not give too much away as readers will then be encouraged to read on; paragraphs often topped with their own subheading such as 'the truth behind the lies' or 'the grim reality' or 'life after the surgery'; will contain an exaggerated and hyperbolic narrative style, and incorporate quotations from people concerned with the story. DO NOT PUT PICTURES IN OR WRITE IN COLUMNS.

Travel writing

Written in present tense, e.g. 'As we approach the pyramid itself, I am filled with a sense of wonder.' You must maintain tense throughout; gives factual and historical information (make this up, obviously); lots of descriptive detail; reflective and emotive account, often reflecting the idea that the experience has affected the writer somehow; an honest summary, often mixing negative and positive aspects of the experience; multisensory and emotive descriptions; NOT written to persuade - focus is on reflection, informing and entertainment.

Persuasive leaflet

Lots of emotive language; use of anecdote for one paragraph to illustrate point or need for support 'take poor Timmy for example...'; lots of direct address and rhetorical questions; lots of descriptive detail; clear suggestions of how your support will help; cloaked and polite imperatives; will cater to negative face needs of reader.

Newspaper article

In all seriousness, go and have a look at a few and see how they look. Catchy/entertaining headline; subheading which expands slightly on the story at hand; opening paragraph or two which outline the main basic facts of the story to entice the reader, but without giving any complex details away; a formal account of how the events unfolded; responses from public; quotes from witnesses and experts; writer's name at end of article.

Blog

Informal tone; a sense that this is one post in an ongoing work - may refer to previous posts 'as I've stated before' or future posts 'in tomorrow's section, I will..'; speaks to'followers' and 'friends' directly; informative and entertaining; uses of humour whilst still conveying information; each individual blog post has its own title and a date stamp.

Dramatic script

Very similar to blog conventions except each individual speaker should have their name written in capitals in the left hand margin; speakers rarely overlap unless to show tension; stage directions at start of scene should outline who is present and where they are/what they are doing; will often start relaxed and build in tension as scenes progress; tension hinted at through structure of dialogue and subtle embedded stage directions.

Radio drama

A very unusual genre but it is exactly what it sounds like - a drama for radio airing. Because of this, you'll need to ensure ALL stage directions are SOUND BASED. 'Sounds of typing, traffic coming through an open window, the sound of glasses clinking together' etc. Put them at the start of each scene AND embed them wherever necessary. Remember, the audience can't see ANYTHING. This must be reflected in your writing. Often scenes will be much faster moving than a stage drama to keep the interest of listeners, so scene breaks will be short and frequent, demarcates by their own set of brief opening stage directions. Other than this, follow conventions of a dramatic script.

Podcast

Another very unusual genre. A podcast is a downloadable short broadcast which informs on a particular topic in an entertaining way; often take the form of a scripted conversation where two speakers pretend to be spontaneous, but without the stutters and interruptions; speakers will often have hilariously contrasting personalities e.g. One may be immature and act a bit bored or impatient, asking lots of questions about the issue whereas the other one may be sensible and informative. By using this structure, the writer is able to deliver specific information on a topic by entertaining the listening audience through a manufactured conversation. If you want to see a good scripted example, look at the UFO podcast on this link...

https://issuu.com/marshdalek/docs/gce-langlit-voices-anthology


Diary entry

Very personal tone; first person perspective; written in immediate past tense; confessional and reflective content; will catalogue events in chronological order using adverbials; lots of descriptive detail; feelings and emotions included; critical voice; written not be read by others; date at the top of each individual entry; will talk about effect of experiences.

Letter

Writer's name and address in top right; start with 'Dear Sir/ Madam' unless you know their name; sign off with 'yours sincerely' if you know their name or 'yours faithfully' if you don't; separate paragraphs by topic or subject.

Remember these basic rules...

We don't know that the above genres will come up, but similar ones will. Whatever happens, remember three basic rules: remain calm, be sensible and be decisive.

And READ THE TASK CAREFULLY! You can throw away marks on this by not doing exactly what it asks. If it tells you to write an INTRO write and intro, not a whole story. If it says to write a SERIES of diary entries, then write a series, not just one. Fairly simple, but an easy way to mess it up.

Be careful and good luck!

Nick

Component 3 - Walkthrough

 1hr 45 mins long.

Spend about 35-40 mins on section (a)
Spend about 35-40 mins on section (b)
Spend about 35 mins on section (c)

The task will ask you to construct 2 short creative pieces by naming GENRES. For each task just do the following:

The 2 pieces

*Look at the genre
*Decide on 5 conventions you would find in this genre.
*Write a piece which includes these conventions.

SIMPLE!

*If the question requires you to take close inspiration from the stimulus text, make sure you include 3-4 details from the stimulus text.

The Commentary

*Write one big paragraph or a few smaller where you talk about all of the genre conventions you included in your work. Name each convention, give an example, analyse key words with terms and discuss the effect on the reader.

*Write one big paragraph or a few smaller where you talk about all of the attitudes you included in your work. Name each name each attitude, give an example, analyse key words with terms and discuss the effect on the reader.

*Write two more paragraphs where you discuss other deliberate language/feature choices that you made, and explain what effect you were hoping to achieve on the reader.

THE ABOVE IS AN ABSOLUTE MINIMUM.

The more able students among you should attempt to add more paragraphs.

*Write one small paragraph where you talk about all of the influences from the stimulus you included in your work. Identify each influence, give an example, analyse key words with terms and discuss the effect on the reader.

*Write smaller paragraphs where you identify any other deliberate language choices in your work. What did you do, why did you do it, give an example, analyse key words, discuss effect on audience.