Gateway Online Class

H E L LO !

Session Twelve 11th June

 Hello again to the Gateway Gang!
I hope you are all keeping well... I have missed you!

This week we will be doing something slightly different with our art class - Creative
Writing! As a result, there is no video this week. All of the information needed is within
this document.

Materials Needed: writing materials and your imagination!

 Introduction
“Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal
professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include
novels, epics, short stories, and poems."

Creative writing focuses on elements such as character development, narrative, and plot, infusing its structure with
imagination and story.

Examples of  creative writing  include: Poetry, Plays, Movie and television scripts, Fiction (novels, novellas, and short
stories) Songs, Speeches, Memoirs and Personal essays.

The out come of this project is up to you. Your creative writing can take any form that you would like.

This week I am going to detail some creative writing exercises for you. Creative writing exercises are short bursts of
improvisational writing. From one line to a short story, these writing drills prompt a writer to approach a familiar topic
in a new way.
 Exercise 1 - Let your stream of consciousness run.

Start with a blank page.

Then just start writing.

Don’t stop to edit or think about what you’re saying. This is called free writing. This writing exercise is what Julia
Cameron, author of  The Artist’s Way, calls “morning pages.” She suggests writers do this every day right when they
wake up. Stream of consciousness writing can draw out some interesting ideas. Just let your brain lead and your
fingers write.

“The consequence [of writing] is that you must  start by writing the wrong meanings in the wrong words; but keep
writing until you get to the right meanings in the right words. Only in the end will you know what you are saying.” -
Peter Elbow

Free-writing, a writing strategy developed by Peter Elbow in 1973, is similar to brainstorming but is written in sentence
and paragraph form  without stopping.  Thus, it increases the flow of ideas and reduces the chance that you’ll
accidentally censor a good idea.
 Example:

I am writing an example of free writing and I don't really know what to say and I am aware that I am making mistakes
and I am sitting up straights and my back feels strong and my legs are lightly crossed and I like the sound of the typing
and i like the smell of the cooking and i am hungry and I am looking forward to lunch and the rest of my day ahead
after that and I sneezed a big sneeze and i have hay fever and it is worse for I have been in the garden and I love my
garden though I am searching for some new...... etc
 Exercise 2 - Write from Someone Else’s Perspective

Choose someone you know well and practice writing from their perspective.

Visualise yourself waking up like this other person. What is their life like? What’s on their mind? What are their goals?
What are they afraid of or avoiding? Really think about what it’s like to walk in this person’s shoes, feel what they feel,
and react the way they would react to the world.

This writing exercise is great because it’ll help you develop a character you are intimately familiar with in real life, and
it’ll help you develop more empathy, compassion, and understanding, which is one of the great benefits of becoming a
better creative writer.
Example:
I like awake and wait.

Envious of her ability to stay asleep during the thunderstorm that is our house coming to life. I meticulously make two
coffees, with extra for the house and climb back to bed. I flurry of morning laughter followed by the sad wonder of the
news headlines. Its 28 degrees in Sao Paulo. 

As I drain my black coffee I head outside and pick my theme song - repetitive. I begin. 20 lunge squats, 10 each side.
20 sumo squats. 20 calf raises, (easy to sneak a quick peek at the neighbors garden during these, as I have to stand on
a wall. They have a fancy bird feeder which we all reap the reward of). 20 push-ups. Mountain climbers. And repeat. 

As I sit savasina after my morning flow I feel the rain lightly splatter my face and I rush inside- dam! My Phone! I bet it's
broken now, I bet it will be expensive to fix, ill have to get a new one. Dam I broke my phone. I just got this phone I like
this phone. I dried it. It's fine. I meditate. Work starts at 10 but at 9.50 I am sitting in my living room at my desk.

Prepared for my day.

 Exercise 3 - Alphabet Writing Exercise

Begin writing a story by starting each sentence with a different letter of the alphabet.

You must use all 26 letters from A to Z to begin the first word in each of the first 26 sentences.

This writing exercise is great because it will challenge you to think of rare words you don’t use very often, look up
words in a thesaurus or dictionary, and find a way to start a sentence with uncommon letters like X and Z.
Example:

A while ago, it was about 4 months. Bound for brazil was I. Carefully packing my bags. Darned if I won't fit it all in. Even
the shampoo. For I won't have time to buy it there. Gathering my things. Heading for the door. I love the taxi ride to
the airport. Just in time for our flight. Knitting in the bag to ease the nerves. Long flight passes easily  through
excitement and fun. Munching on sweeties and watching movies. Never a dull moment spent. Our flight landed late.
People they did wait. Queuing in the car park. Reeling with delight at the very sight of the family from afar. Smiles all
round. Thwarted by sleep. Until tomorrow we sleep. Venturing out in the morning sun. We sit on the balcony and bask
in the sun. X-ray patterns from the mesh fence. Yearly we say, we will be back. Zealously we hold this thought.
 Exercise 4 - Write With Inspiring Images

Find pictures online that inspire you or cut images from any magazine or newspaper.

After collecting a set of five or six photos, you can write a story about each of them and try to link them together.

How can you connect the images in a meaningful way?

Example:

I lightly grasp the water's thin film with my fingers. She is disturbed. And
it is cold. And I am cold.  

The boat rocks lightly to the orchestra of nature and lapping water.
Steady. So sure of themselves. I touch the water again. And I watch the
ripples I create. I close my eyes and try to hear the lapping of my
fingers.

The noises I make are out of place. Like I have disturbed something. I
have disturbed the water's film. The boat breaks the water but she
welcomes him. He is warm. She is cold. And so am I.
 THANK YOU!
Well Done!!

Well Done!!
I cannot wait to hear some of the amazing
stories you have written.

I look forward to our next virtual class!