Writing challenge: Write a short story where something, by chance, helps someone understand a problem they have. An example is shown below. Two women are on holiday when one of them examines a spider’s web which, by chance, helps her understand a difficult situation she is in.

Descriptive writing based on random chaos Read your students this short story where Frank demonstrates to Oliver that random biscuit crumbs can become fascinating pictures and all it takes is a little bit of imagination. “The human mind does not like meaningless chaos and so when we see a collection of crumbs which are random our minds impose a pattern, an order onto the shapes to forge something that makes sense.” Once you have engaged their curiosity with the specially written story (by Johnnie Young) ask them to continue the story from their own imaginations. It is a good idea to set them a piece of research homework to follow this idea up: “Research the work of the German artist Max Ernst (1891-1976) and write, in your own words (crucial requirement), a summary of how he used random shapes and patterns to give him artist ideas for his own work.” Also it is an interesting idea for the students themselves to try using randomly sprinkled crumbs of a biscuit to use it as the story does – that is to take a picture of the crumbs, print it out and use coloured pens to create a picture based on the crumbs. The results are fascinating. Again, this part works much better if it is organised carefully, with written instructions, for homework.

The Story of Wendy buying the Cherries – told ten different ways You read your students the short baseline story and then ask them to re-write it in different ways. It will help with experimentation of story writing skills, style and genre as they experiment and have fun. Ten versions are included for teacher reference: Version One is the plain base story. Version Two focuses on Wendy’s thoughts before she leaves the house and when she returns but misses out the part in the middle. Version Three focuses on a conversation that Wendy has a few days later with her friend at work. Version Four is in Gothic horror style. Version Five is the story told from the perspective of the market seller. Version Six is the report of the story made by a police officer. Version Seven is the story told by a bystander who happens to be an artist. Version Eight is in the style of a Western Version Nine Newspaper report Version Ten is the story told with a focus on sounds

By The Sea by Christina Rossetti This resource offers a way to come to understand this great poem by using creative imagination. Read the poem through to your students a couple of times then ask them to imagine something. They are the captain of a ship moored in a deep harbour quite close to the shore and nearby is a wide river estuary. It is dusk and rapidly becoming night. Write out a captain’s log, which uses the information in stanza one to describe the scene and the feelings of the captain. Try to use quotes from stanza one and feel free to bring in extracts from other great poems to illustrate thoughts and ideas. Then ask them to imagine they are a diver who goes down and explores the sea-bed. Again use ideas and, if possible, quotes from stanza two and three to bring the descriptions alive. The next step is to read out the captains’ logs and then read the poem out loud again and see if the creative writing exercise throws light and understanding and importantly, appreciation, onto the poem itself. An example from stanza one is provided and all the direct quotes from the Rossetti poem are underlined for ease of reference.

Desmond solves the mystery – can you? Desmond loved solving puzzles and was extremely good at it. In the one you’re going to read he successfully figures out, in advance, a crime and, because of him the culprits are apprehended by the police. Ask your students to listen to the facts very carefully and see if they can work out how Desmond figured it all out. It’s not easy but it is solvable. A fully explained solution is provided to read after your students have had a go at solving it themselves. I hope you have fun with this.

Imagine a farm worker suspected of ill treating the animals. Imagine if things don’t go too well for him. Read this short story to your students and then ask them to write their own story from their imaginations about some clever insects. The short story is approximately one thousand words long.

The Tempest by William Shakespeare This exercise is a fun and active way for your students to demonstrate their knowledge of the play. Description of activity: Write out an imaginative interview between an interviewer from a local newspaper and an old person who has retired from acting recounting his experiences of acting a particular character in the Tempest. Put in quotes from the play and maybe describe things that went wrong. Bring into the writing descriptions of the theatre in which the production was performed to give it a sense of realism. Also focus on any particularly dramatic moments. Keep the descriptions to Act 1. An example is provided below for you to read to your class.

The inventor has died but are the robots still there? Dexter and Gavin are teenage schoolboy friends who are intrigued when they hear about an old inventor who had died and left a house which might be full of robots. The house has become abandoned and the boys can’t resist an adventure. They cycle over to the place on night with a view to exploring it, hoping to find what might remain of the robots but they get more than they bargained for. The story is specially written to engage the imaginations of your students and then, at a dramatic moment, the story stops and your students have to continue it. A powerful and fun way to encourage your students to write creatively.

How a description of a door, carefully written, can suggest the beginning of a story. In descriptive writing one of the most common problems is that students write descriptions without thinking about the function of the description. This lesson is designed to help with that problem. A specially written description of a door is given to be read carefully. Then the beginning of a story is provided which is suggested by the description. The students can then continue with the story or write their own description of a door and the beginning of their own story suggested by the description.

“Toto the Great Magician” – what happens next? Full details for a great one hour lesson. This resource encourages your students to listen to a specially written story and then to write their own continuation and then hear the second part of the story. Very detailed learning management notes are included together with a summary of a one hour lesson plan. Read the start of this story to your students. It has been specially written by Johnnie Young to engage their interest. There is a certain point in the story indicated (after 18 minutes of reading out loud) where you pause and then ask your students what they think might happen next. Get them to discuss that and then say: “I’m going to continue reading the story in a moment but just jot down in writing, in your own words, just for a few minutes, what you think might happen next which fits in with what we have read so far. Oh yes. Try to write in the same style as the story so far if you can. Use your imaginations and creative skills. Ready, start writing now please.”

Inspire them with sunshine. In this creative writing activity you prepare your students to write a description of sunshine using six phases. Phase one : create a particular scene in their minds. “Imagine a lake one sunny morning, surrounded by trees with the breeze gently rippling the surface of the water. Then focus your description on the effects of the sunshine as it sparkles on the water.” Phase two: ask them to write out that scene adding details and development from their own imaginations. Phase three: show them and read them the worked up example to inspire. (“Sunshine on the Water” – below) Phase four: ask them to think of another scene where the focus of the description is the sunshine and to write it out. Phase five: ask students to read out their work and discuss. What particular parts where particularly good? What particular parts could be enhanced? How might they be enhanced? Phase six: encourage them to rewrite their work to improve it.

The story behind the story – Mountain Challenge Read with your students the story “Douglas wakes up.” This has been especially written by Johnnie Young and based on thirty years of teaching students creative writing is designed to intrigue them and evoke creative responses. Then ask students to continue the story and then explain what is happening for this set of circumstances to come about. 1300 words A full example of an explanation is provided for the teacher to use to compare and help the students with their ideas. This of course will not be shown until the students have had a go themselves.

Continue the story entitled “I saw strange things by that river.” Read your students the following beginning of a story which has been specially written by Johnnie Young and designed to captivate the attention of your students and inspire them to continue the story in their own words and from their own imaginations. The story beginning is 723 words and will take 3 to 4 minutes to read.

Exercise for writing an interesting description of the countryside. Instructions. Ask your students to write a description of a countryside scene. You may wish to use a list of key ingredients to prompt them: EG: Grass, wild flowers, dew, ants, cracked mud, puddle, reflection in the puddle. They might produce something like “draft 1”. I have seen students produce similar things thousands of times. Challenge: how to use that raw material and develop it in an interesting way. Advice to students. Take each part of the description and be imaginative and develop it. Think about using detailed observation. Experiment with phrases like “look closer”. Introduce verbs and put action into the writing. So, show them just draft 1 (below). Discuss Then show them draft 2 and ask them to continue it in a similar style. Then show them draft 3 (which is draft 2 extended) and compare to their own writing. What might they learn from the comparison?

Describing objects can be an interesting exercise in creative writing. This idea gives the students a chance to make the description intriguing by involving it with a memory. Ask your students to think of an object. Now ask them to imagine that object as they look at it closely. Note it can aid the imagination if pictures of objects are provided to help the imagination. They then imagine that they touch the object and describe it. As they look at it and touch it the object evokes a memory. The object is then described in terms of that memory. An interplay between object and memory develops. Purpose of the exercise: To create an intriguing structure in creative writing. To add a sense of psychological realism to the writing. To give an abstract idea a concrete form. To practise creative thinking in creating a meaningful and interesting comparison between the object and the memory. Teaching students that good crafted writing involves dynamics. A description hanging on its own in space without connection, rather than enhancing the quality of the writing can actually distract from it.

This is a story about an old legend on the Cornish coast. Read it to your students. It has been especially written by Johnnie Young to engage the interest of your students with a view to engendering a piece of creative writing . Let them have a copy of it for reference. The writing builds almost to a climax and the writing task is for your students to write out, from their own imaginations and based on the information provided, the missing part of the newspaper article. It is incredible to see, once the necessary information is fed in, what your students will produce in response to this challenge. A good way to introduce it is to use these words: “I’m going to read to you about an intriguing legend connected to a part of the Cornish Coast. I want you to listen carefully and try to remember the key points as we go along. At the end there is a writing challenge for you. I want you to imagine what happens next and then I want you to have a go at writing it down.”

This is an intriguing beginning of a story especially written by Johnnie Young to capture the imagination of the students. Read it to your students and let them have a copy of it for reference. Then ask them to continue the story.

This assembly starts with the words of a poem “Peace in the Welsh Hills” by Vernon Watkins and uses it to illustrate the main idea of the assembly which is about how to cope in a world which seems so full of change and uncertainty. Hard work is the key for the preparation for the adventure ahead, whatever the changes are. Teachers too have had to change and adapt their role which is essential to motivate students. The poem is used as a base to make the idea interesting showing that when opportunities present themselves after the storm the students will be best placed if they are prepared. The assembly encourages an optimistic attitude in tough times.

Arrange your class into groups of four. Place a bowl at the front and put into it an orange and a banana. (This is to add dramatic effect to the task). Explain to your class that you are going to set them a creative writing challenge. Read them the challenge and give them a typed copy of it for them to refer to. Allow twenty minutes for them to discuss, plan, exchange ideas, and then write a first draft. At the end of the time allowed request two or three to be read out. Important learning behaviour management tip: at the end of twenty minutes many will ask for more time saying that they haven’t finished. It is important for you to then say: “I realise that some of you may not have finished but I do need to hear what you have done so far please.” Be clear about this. If you allow more time two disadvantages soon appear: Students who have finished will get bored and start to fidget. Students who haven’t finished will lose the sense of urgency and the whole shape of the lesson will soon sag. Next step is to hear a few read out then hand them a copy of the sample answer and read it to them. Then get each group to compare what they have done to the sample using the checklist provided. In this way they will take the pressure off of you because they are self assessing together and your role can become supervisory as an overseer of the process. At the end of the lesson ask them to redraft their own work in the light of what they have learnt by comparing it to the sample to enhance and improve their own work. WRITING CHALLENGE DESCRIPTION Write a story in 400 words which includes the following: A man named Arthur Smith. A railway café with a woman called Belinda who works there. A focus on the meeting of a banana and an orange. An argument which results in Arthur being asked to get out. A man reading a newspaper who has surprising news.

How to teach the use of symbol in creative writing. Explain to your students that their creative writing can be enhanced with the use of symbol. Show them the two texts below. Text 1 is called, ‘Childhood Comfort’ and text 2 is called, ‘Giant Polar Bear’. Both texts are monologues (unfolding thoughts of the writer) about the comfort that memories of childhood can provide but text one does not use symbol whereas text 2 does. After reading the texts discuss with your students the use of symbol. Learning point. Text 1 is based on many examples I have read when students write about childhood experiences which exhibit a common problem of describing things in a vague, non specific way. Text 2 provides a solution to this problem as the use of a symbol can automatically engender specific reference and an ease of association in the reader’s mind. Then set then this writing task: ‘Write about childhood memories that you feel strongly about and choose and use a suitable symbol as a centre piece of your writing.’

Continue the description of the alien world. Imagine that sometime in the future an explorer from an alien world returns to earth and is asked about what he saw. Read his account and show your students a copy, and then ask them to continue their descriptions, in detail, of other features observed in the alien world. At the end of this resource is a checklist to assist the prompting of ideas and some additional ideas for what to do with their finished written work. You will find that once your students see an example their minds will create their own ideas and write very original and interesting descriptions.