For those of you participating in APEC's "Writing Contest 2016," we are providing some quick exercises to help your students get started.
Short Stories:
- Take a real story from your life. Since the writing contest theme is "adolescence," think of something that happened in your teenage years. Change three things about the story. For example, have it happen to your friend and not to you. Have it happen in another, different, setting. Have something change about what happened (ask yourself "what if..."). Change the gender of one of the characters. Having a real incident to base the story on helps to give you something to work with.
- Draw your story as a comic strip before writing it. Conveying the story in pictures helps you to focus on action rather than explaining. Think of your story as scenes from a movie. Draw the key scenes. Use the comic as a guide in your writing, but feel free to go where the writing takes you.
Poems
- Try a list poem. Make a list of something related to your theme. For example, "things I wish I had known before I became a teenager," or "bad advice that adults give teenagers," or "things every teenager should know." Making lists of objects is also helpful, such as "things I carry with me every day." For this last one, think beyond objects as well. Perhaps you carry the responsibility for your younger siblings or the weight of your parents' expectations for you...
- Use the "Five Easy Pieces" activity on this blog or the other poetry activities.
Essays
- There are two main kinds of essays: argument essays and personal essays. For the argument essay, you need to think about something you have an opinion about. One way to start is to think about your daily life and make a list of things that make you angry or annoy you. For example, I get annoyed by the lack of respect for traffic rules when I am trying to walk in the street. Once you have your list, think about an item that applies to most people your age. For example, you might be annoyed that adults give you advice that they don't follow. Next, think of some examples of what you are talking about. It helps to make a map or outline of your ideas. Start your essay with a little story to capture the reader's interest. What made you think of that item on your list? In each paragraph explain your reasons, giving supporting details. Tell your reader what you think in the concluding paragraph.
- A personal essay is a little different. In this kind of essay, you tell a story to illustrate a point. Think of some experiences you had that taught you lessons. Make a list. Choose one. Describe the experience in as much detail as you can. Conclude by showing the reader what you learned from the experience.
I hope these suggestions are useful. Please comment with any questions you have.
