Monday, October 27 - Fairy Tale Name Poem

We are almost done with our fractured fairy tale unit.  In this creative burst, I want you to think about all the fairy tale characters you know something about.  Which character do you share something in common with?  Think deeply!  Then write a name poem based on the following directions:

Friday, October 24 - X Marks the Spot

Aye, Aye, Matey!

You're a pirate on a small pirate ship that consists of only you, one other pirate named ____, and Captain _____.  Recently you ransacked another ship and found a treasure map.  After weeks of following it, you have finally found the island where "X" marks the spot.  Write a scene where you find the buried treasure, only it's not exactly the treasure you expected to find.  

Thursday, October 23 - That's punny!

Refresh your mastery of puns, both funny and possibly not so funny; write a verbal battle.  Set the stage; tell the reason for the disagreement, which has caused the onslaught of puns.  Who are the characters?  What are their personalities?  Quite literally, what is your stage?  Where is this heated discourse occurring?  Who's listening?  How do they react?  

The Situation:  You're in an epic pun off; whit is spewing from your mouth and your opponent's mouth with punishing purpose.  What are some sweet puns you use while trying to wipe the smile off your opponent's face?  Make sure not to frown on the worst of puns -- they are beautiful.  Craft this scene, the Battle of the Puns.

Tuesday, October 21 - Deja Vu

Déjà vu is a French word that literally translates to "already seen."  It is the phenomenon of having the strong sensation that an event or experience currently being experienced has been experienced in the past, whether it has actually happened or not. Scientific approaches reject the explanation of déjà vu as "precognition" or "prophecy," but rather explain it as an anomaly of memory, which creates a distinct impression that an experience is "being recalled."  This explanation is supported by the fact that the sense of "recollection" at the time is strong in most cases, but that the circumstances of the "previous" experience (when, where, and how the earlier experience occurred) are uncertain or believed to be impossible. 

Have you ever experienced déjà vu?  

Think about the sensation of deja vu.  How does it make you feel?  Incorporate those feelings into the story prompt below.

Friday, October 17 - Refine a Creative Burst for Submission to Slip of the Pen

In an effort to produce innovative pieces for the literary magazine, please go through your Creative Bursts.  Pick one that you feel is your best.  Refine it, edit it, and then print a copy with your name on it. Give this to me and I will pass them along to Kaitlyn, the literary magazine's editor-in-chief, for submission to Slip of the Pen.

DO NOT assume that your writing is flawless.  Just because you wrote it, does not make it perfect. Always before submitting or publishing a piece of work, proofread your writing and make appropriate changes.  DO NOT submit a piece of writing with mechanical errors.  If you need to do so, have a peer proofread your work before you turn it in to me.

Thursday, October 16 - RAIN

Ahhh....it seems never ending, this deluge of water. Rain, rain, go away....

As much as I don't like the rain, I will admit that it's a necessity to life on Earth.  However, rain makes me sad; it can literally ruin my day.  While some days, I love the rain....days I can stay curled up in bed.  A good thunderstorm on the safety of a covered front porch or a screened deck is actually relaxing.  And yet, getting out and about in the rain with small children is actually a form of torture.  I guess I have a love/hate relationship with the water that falls from the sky.  However, if precipitation comes in the form of snow, I'm all for it.  These are just my rambling thoughts!  What do you think of rain?  How does it make you feel? Do you enjoy it at times?  When?  Do you always dislike the rain? 

Wednesday, October 15 - I remember when...

Today, I give you a story starter and that's all. Begin a short story, faux newspaper article, poem, song, etc. with the phrase "I remember when..."

Friday, October 10 - Pet Peeve

Ohhh....so many peeves...where to start???

Tuesday, October 7 - The Flip Side

To continue working with persona poetry, think of something that has happened to you recently that was stressful, traumatic, or unpleasant, something that perhaps made you mad.  Write a poem about this event as you experienced it, regardless of anyone else's perspectives or feelings.  Then rewrite the poem from the perspective of someone else involved in the situation.  This new poem may not reflect the truth (or maybe your side didn't reflect the truth), but sometimes it's important to remind ourselves that everything has a flip side.  

Monday, October 6 - Persona Poem

Imagine, for a moment, that today you aren’t you. You don’t have to drag yourself from bed to go to school or prepare for an eight hour work day. You no longer live in your house or in your town. You don’t have a dog. Or now you inexplicably have dozens of them. Today, you can be anyone you want. Yesterday you were 16, but today, you might be 73, a different sex, work a different job, drive a different car. Your sister stole your inheritance. Your car broke down. You’re a pastry chef or a spy. Today, you’re the astronomer Williamina Fleming discovering the Horsehead Nebula or Jack the Ripper prowling alleys. Only one thing is certain: you are finally free of the chains that have plagued you your entire life—“just be yourself”—because today you must be someone else. 

What a relief!

The desire we all have at some point in our lives to run away from ourselves isn’t one we can regularly indulge—at least not without serious repercussions. But through writing and reading persona poetry, we can put on masks (or personae, in Latin) and see with different eyes.   

Complete the Persona Worksheet and write a 15 line Persona Poem.  This poem should be about someone who is alive or who once was, a historical figure, a deceased relative, a Hollywood actor or actress, etc.  Your Persona Poem MUST be about a PERSON other than yourself.  

Thursday, October 2 - The Frog Prince

The Frog Prince gets a new spin!  If you are unfamiliar with the story, read it here. 

The Frog Prince by The Brothers Grimm

After you've familiarized yourself with the fairy tale, FRACTURE it.  Have fun with it and definitely think outside of the box.

Wednesday, October 1 - Fairy tale characters

Have some fun with characters you know and love from the fairy tale genre.  Feel free to try to fracture them if you want.