Creative Writing: Breaking down the AOS rubric!

[jamonwindeyer]

Thank you so much for breaking the rubric down! I have a creative exam coming up so this has really helped me understand what the rubric is asking for.

If you hang around the site a bit and get 15 posts on the forums, you can get some feedback on your Creative before the exam! Best of luck with it all

[bholenath125]

Elyse

Could you please outline how to write an effective creative. I wrote one but it is terrible

What i did was that I set up the scene.
Like i mean,
that i thought that
You show something thats wrong with the person and then a discovery happens which generates a renewed understanding of the familiar. but its wrong. s

the whole creative is supposed to be about discovery.

My story is essentially about a mother who lost her family in a tsunami, and now has gone back to the beach in front of the hotel where they stayed. She hurls wires into the ocean but she sees a toy that belonged to her younger son. So she looks for more and more remnants of their past. And she gets frustrated coz all she manages to find is alcohol and smokes. so she keeps getting drunk.. and then one morning she gets up to scavenge. But she trips over a bump in the sand. She's so annoyed she wants to find out what made that bump and she starts digging and she has a flashback about the last time they were on the beach. And when she comes out of the flashback she feels so tired from digging. that she just falls in.

My discovery was supposed to be that she realises that there was nothing in the hole.. and that she (literally and figuratively) dug a hole for herself. So she throws away the alcohol and climbs out of the hole.

This is where the creative ends. and also, its written as a feature article.

But the creative is supposed to be about the consequences of discovery and my discovery is too late. So would you please help me out as to how to solve this problem..


Thank you

[elysepopplewell]

Elyse

Could you please outline how to write an effective creative. I wrote one but it is terrible

What i did was that I set up the scene.
Like i mean,
that i thought that
You show something thats wrong with the person and then a discovery happens which generates a renewed understanding of the familiar. but its wrong. s

the whole creative is supposed to be about discovery.

My story is essentially about a mother who lost her family in a tsunami, and now has gone back to the beach in front of the hotel where they stayed. She hurls wires into the ocean but she sees a toy that belonged to her younger son. So she looks for more and more remnants of their past. And she gets frustrated coz all she manages to find is alcohol and smokes. so she keeps getting drunk.. and then one morning she gets up to scavenge. But she trips over a bump in the sand. She's so annoyed she wants to find out what made that bump and she starts digging and she has a flashback about the last time they were on the beach. And when she comes out of the flashback she feels so tired from digging. that she just falls in.

My discovery was supposed to be that she realises that there was nothing in the hole.. and that she (literally and figuratively) dug a hole for herself. So she throws away the alcohol and climbs out of the hole.

This is where the creative ends. and also, its written as a feature article.

But the creative is supposed to be about the consequences of discovery and my discovery is too late. So would you please help me out as to how to solve this problem..


Thank you

Hey there! Have you read this creative writing guide I wrote? I'm also interested in how you've put such a narrative into a feature article. What's the tone like? I want to know more and then I might be able to give you some pointers

[Neilab]

in regards to creative writing... do you always have to explicitly and physically address the stimulus or can it be more implicitly/metaphysical?

[jamonwindeyer]

in regards to creative writing... do you always have to explicitly and physically address the stimulus or can it be more implicitly/metaphysical?

It can definitely be implicit! However, a marker should read your story and go, "Yep, this is the stimulus they have used." It should be clear which you have chosen - If it isn't, the stimulus isn't being implied strong enough

[Younem]

Awesome advice!
Would you recommend having different creative ideas that privilege some aspects of AoS above others.
 

[pikachu975]

in regards to creative writing... do you always have to explicitly and physically address the stimulus or can it be more implicitly/metaphysical?

A creative stimulus will always link implicitly. Even a photo of a rock can showcase the challenges and obstacles in discovery while its largeness reveals the possibilities of discovery. Try include it explicitly too!

[jamonwindeyer]

Awesome advice!
Would you recommend having different creative ideas that privilege some aspects of AoS above others.

It's not a bad idea!! You could also come up with slight variations of the same idea, different scenarios for the same character to be in for example. Having common elements will ease your preparation, and give you tools (characters, settings, plot points) that can be used in pretty much any way, to give you the most versatile approach to any potential question

[justwannawish]

Hey, I was just wondering how to tackle some of these themes for creative writing.
1. the ramifications of discoveries.
Could you talk about how it shocks someone and transforms their worldview so that it's a spiritual self-discovery. Or does the ramification have to be combined with somethign physical
2. Discovery is present in everything we do.
This seems like a really obvious generic question, but how do we explicitly link this to anything?

[_____]

Hey, I was just wondering how to tackle some of these themes for creative writing.
1. the ramifications of discoveries.
Could you talk about how it shocks someone and transforms their worldview so that it's a spiritual self-discovery. Or does the ramification have to be combined with somethign physical
2. Discovery is present in everything we do.
This seems like a really obvious generic question, but how do we explicitly link this to anything?

1. Yep - doesn't have to be physical. Some ramifications from the syllabus would be reconsidering our future activities or developing renewed perceptions of ourselves or others.

2. Others will have better ideas but you could try make a creative that involves an everyday situation like going for a walk - nothing too crazy happens (like being abducted by aliens), demonstrating how discovery is pervasive in our everyday activities. Or maybe a character makes a number of smaller discoveries in a certain day.

[Tech9]

Below i have attached some creative tips from a classmate from my cohort who is rank 1 overall in English. He received 15/15 and 14/15 respectively for both creatives. I feel like these tips will be greatly beneficial as they are elaborate yet succinct. Personally I have realised my flaws and how to improve. I hope it helps

Thanks!

[elysepopplewell]

Below i have attached some creative tips from a classmate from my cohort who is rank 1 overall in English. He received 15/15 and 14/15 respectively for both creatives. I feel like these tips will be greatly beneficial as they are elaborate yet succinct. Personally I have realised my flaws and how to improve. I hope it helps

Thanks!

Victor sounds like a bit of a legend! Does he mind you sharing this with us? What a great resource! Loved reading this - equal parts funny, relatable, and useful!

[justwannawish]

1. Yep - doesn't have to be physical. Some ramifications from the syllabus would be reconsidering our future activities or developing renewed perceptions of ourselves or others.

2. Others will have better ideas but you could try make a creative that involves an everyday situation like going for a walk - nothing too crazy happens (like being abducted by aliens), demonstrating how discovery is pervasive in our everyday activities. Or maybe a character makes a number of smaller discoveries in a certain day.

Thank you so much for your help, I think I have a clearer idea of what to do now

[KeelzeyMac]

Hello!
I have a quick question regarding the 2017 Catholic Trials Question on Discovery; it asked for us to "compose a piece of writing about how other people's stories can provoke self-discovery." I completely bombed this section because I had to quickly think of a new story on the spot, and ultimately didn't finish it. I was wondering what section of the rubric this question would apply to? Thanks in advance!

[winstondarmawan]

Hello!
I'm just wondering what is the go-to plan when the stimulus completely destroys a prepared narrative.
I am terrible at writing narratives on the spot, so advice would be greatly appreciated.
TIA.