Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Sketch Writing: Conclusion; Workshop & Revision

1. Read the advice about playwriting.
2. Get into your reading/workshop groups and help each other succeed.
3. Go back to your computer and correct, add, edit, cut, check grammar, of your play script. Prepare it for Geva's contest.

Some advice about playwriting: (please read)
  • People tell stories all the time. Listen for them and you'll soon start spotting them everywhere, from newspapers to bits of overheard conversation. You'll hear a lot in the hallways,  lunchroom, restaurants, bathrooms, and classrooms. Pay attention to how people tell stories.
  • Ask yourself what your story is. You could try summarizing it in a sentence or two in your journal and/or sticking it by your computer, so you can keep it in mind while writing.
  • Get into the habit of writing. If you're short on time, try writing little but often. Start with 1/2 a page per period, then move to 1 page per period. Soon you'll be writing 1.5 or 2 pages per period. Go with the flow!
  • Write, then worry about whether or not it's good. Stop beating yourself up! Writing is a process. Let it process...
  • Overwrite, then cut or edit. Avoid editing while you are writing, as this breaks your stride. 
  • Give your main character obstacles to overcome. He/she should have changed by the end of the play, if only fractionally.
  • What are your characters' wants and objectives? These might change from moment to moment.
  • Make your characters extraordinary or larger than life in some way. people generally don't spill their guts to other people. Let these people spill their guts. Everything they want or think or do should be part of your dialogue.
  • Think about the subtext of your dialogue and remember that people often don't say what they want to say - or say the opposite of what they think.
  • You might find it useful to interview your characters. Assume the identity of one of your characters and get someone to ask you questions about yourself. Or ask questions yourself of your characters. One easy way to do this is to have a character on stage ask another character on stage why he or she is saying, doing, or acting that way. Have characters ask questions to each other! Their answers will build your backstory and characterization.
  • Read your play out loud to yourself. Or better yet, gather your friends and read it out loud together!
  • Women tend to write subconsciously, men tend to plan more. Do whatever works for you! Plan if you need to, improvise if you need to. The important thing is to write!
Please complete your workshop today and (when you are done) revise and/or complete your play scripts for Geva's contest. See the advice above for some help and/or motivation.

I'll stop class around 9:25 to prepare you to submit your play draft to the contest. Details will follow.

If you finish revising, editing your play before the end of class, take a look at some of these play writing tips:
HOMEWORK: None.

Sunday, February 25, 2018

Sketch Writing: Day 2 & Workshop

Sketch Writing:

Complete your sketch today in class (hopefully by 10:15). After 10:15, we will get into small groups and share/read our sketches with each other. Peer editors should help identify any grammar mistakes or make suggestions on how to strengthen or improve the scenes you read. Writers should listen and take notes, ready to update and correct mistakes for next class.

If you finish earlier than 10:15, do the following:

  • Give one or two of your characters a monologue (long speech) that helps define:
    • The setting of the play/sketch (allow the character to speak about what we cannot see on stage; setting)
    • The character speaking (what is his/her motivation to speak or act?)
    • The other character(s) speaking (give us details about who these characters are)
    • The background or history of the character before this moment (backstory)
    • An important event that happens off-stage before or during the scene (exposition)
  • Add detail to your script by making vague nouns into specific ones, or passive verbs into active ones. 
  • Correct your grammar (call me over if you have questions about your grammar...!)

Rubric:

  • Your script should be between 5-9 pages in length (in play publishing format)
  • Your script should have a consistent format (skip a line between each new speaker or line of dialogue! No need for quotation marks; see models of play scripts for assistance...)--NOTE: DO NOT DOUBLE SPACE YOUR SCRIPT!
  • Your script should be well written, detailed, and match the tone or intentional theme of your scene. Your dialogue and story should be interesting and creative, but also produceable for the stage.
  • Your script should be free of grammar/mechanical errors.
  • Your script should have a brief character list and description of your setting (usually this includes time and place information)
  • Your play/script should only use 1 setting (this is not a film script)
  • Your script should have a title page with the name of the title, your name and full address (including zip code and phone # or email address)
  • Your play should be complete and ready to submit Wednesday to Geva's play writing contest. 

HOMEWORK: We will submit your scripts Wednesday to Geva. Make sure your script is the best it can possibly be before next class.

Also, check out this contest about overcoming odds/struggles.  You may submit to this contest for extra credit (deadline is Wednesday as well). 

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Sketch Writing: Day 1 (lab)

A sketch is a short play or slight dramatic performance. It differs from a play in that there is not necessarily a major theme or point in the sketch. Usually sketches are simply meant to be enjoyed. Most sketches attempt to be funny. Deep discussion dealing with the human condition is left to PLAYS.

Sketch Writing:

1) Choose a setting. Avoid common set-ups. Think original. Only set the sketch in one location.
2) If you're trying to sell your material [or enter a contest], don't put in anything expensive like a helicopter [or car]. Most TV shows [or theaters] are on a tight budget.
3) Three [or four] characters is more than enough for a short sketch. Don't write for a big cast. Avoid crowd scenes where the actors do not speak.
4) Think about what is happening visually as well as the words you use to communicate an idea. Be specific! A speckled trout wearing a fake mustache is funnier or more vivid in the audience's mind than a fish.

Types of Sketches

To help you get going, here's a few tried and tested comedy formats for sketches.

1) Escalation: Funny idea starts small and gets bigger and bigger, ending in chaos of ridiculous proportions.
2) Lists: Sketches in which the bulk of the dialogue is a long list of funny items. The best example of this is "Cheese Shop" in Monty Python. (You can find all the Python sketches at www.planetcomedy.force9.co.uk/bookstore.html.)
3) Mad Man, Sane Man (opposites): This format speaks for itself, but don't go for obvious settings.
4) Dangerous Situations: For example, sketch set on a flight deck of aircraft.
5) Funny Words: Sketches which use the sound of language itself to be funny. For example, use of the words "blobby" or "wobble"; Names can be funny if you want people to think of your work as comedy or humorous. Some names are just funny: Aloysious Butterbean is a funnier name than Tom Johnson or man.
6) Old and New: Getting a laugh from putting something modern in an historical setting (Or, vice versa) Example: Abraham Lincoln using a cigarette lighter shaped like a handgun. Benjamin Franklin inventing the fidget spinner, Alexander the Great using a cell phone, Jesus dining at the Cheesecake Factory, etc.
7) Big and Small. Getting humor from large differences in scale. For example, a pig trying to make love to an elephant (South Park).

Look here for samples of fine sketch writing (read the packet of scripts I gave you as models):
Try your own hand at writing a 5-6 page sketch. Use the prewriting we did last class to help you get an idea for your sketch. Skip a line between each complete line of dialogue (but do not double space scripts!) Describe your setting briefly before you begin. Give each character in your scene a specific action to do. Describe that action after describing the setting.

Example: A cheese shop in the middle of London. A band is playing Greek music. A MAN enters awkwardly and rings the bell. The PROPRIETOR (owner) of the shop pops up from behind the counter.

Scripts are not due yet! You should write at least 2 or more pages today during the lab! Use your time effectively. The more you talk, the shorter your deadline will be.

HOMEWORK: None. You are welcome to complete your play/sketch drafts for the Geva contest. Students will be required to enter at least 1 original play to that contest (deadline March 1). Also, check out this contest about overcoming odds/struggles. 

Monday, February 12, 2018

A Writer's Life (discussion, day 2); Sketch Writing & Geva Playwriting Contest

Class Discussion: (until 10:00ish)
  • I'd like us to consider a few passages in the chapter that pertain to us as writers
  • I'd also like to know if you had questions about what you read, or comments about the chapter
  • Overall, we'll discuss the life/experience of a writer
Period 4: (10:00) Sketch Writing/Young Writer's Showcase:

One way to publish your work (Writing for Publication) is to win a writing contest. We will (and have) entered a variety of writing contests. Our next one is a play contest from local Regional theater Geva. Selected plays will be presented in readings this year and then full productions next year. This is an opportunity to see your words acted by professional actors and gain a professional writing credit.

The contest rules are as follows:
  • Showcase date: Saturday, May 5
  • Submission deadline: March 1, 2018
  • Eligible for students in Monroe County aged 13-18 (You!)
  • Your submission should have a tile page with your name, full address (including zip code), phone #, and an e-mail address
  • Plays should be between 5-10 pages (no scripts under 4 pages, or over 10 pages!)
  • No more than 8 characters (I would suggest 3-5 at most)--the shorter the play the smaller the cast!
  • Submit plays online to: youngwriters@gevatheatre.org 
  • Plays must be in .doc or .pdf format
  • Do not submit your play until we've had time to workshop/edit it!
To help you with an idea, consider the comedic sketch:

A sketch is a short play or slight dramatic performance. It differs from a play in that there is not necessarily a major theme or point in the sketch. Usually sketches are simply meant to be enjoyed. Most sketches attempt to be funny. Deep discussion dealing with the human condition is left to PLAYS.

Sketch Writing:

1) Choose a setting. Avoid common set-ups. Think original. Only set the sketch in one location.
2) If you're trying to sell your material [or enter a contest], don't put in anything expensive like a helicopter [or car]. Most TV shows [or theaters] are on a tight budget.
3) Three [or four] characters is more than enough for a short sketch. Don't write for a big cast. Avoid crowd scenes where the actors do not speak.
4) Think about what is happening visually as well as the words you use to communicate an idea. Be specific! A speckled trout wearing a fake mustache is funnier or more vivid in the audience's mind than a fish.

Types of Sketches

To help you get going, here's a few tried and tested comedy formats for sketches.

1) Escalation: Funny idea starts small and gets bigger and bigger, ending in chaos of ridiculous proportions.
2) Lists: Sketches in which the bulk of the dialogue is a long list of funny items. The best example of this is "Cheese Shop" in Monty Python. (You can find all the Python sketches at www.planetcomedy.force9.co.uk/bookstore.html.)
3) Mad Man, Sane Man (opposites): This format speaks for itself, but don't go for obvious settings.
4) Dangerous Situations: For example, sketch set on a flight deck of aircraft.
5) Funny Words: Sketches which use the sound of language itself to be funny. For example, use of the words "blobby" or "wobble"; Names can be funny if you want people to think of your work as comedy or humorous. Some names are just funny: Aloysious Butterbean is a funnier name than Tom Johnson or man.
6) Old and New: Getting a laugh from putting something modern in an historical setting (Or, vice versa) Example: Abraham Lincoln using a cigarette lighter shaped like a handgun. Benjamin Franklin inventing the fidget spinner, Alexander the Great using a cell phone, Jesus dining at the Cheesecake Factory, etc.
7) Big and Small. Getting humor from large differences in scale. For example, a pig trying to make love to an elephant (South Park).

Look here for samples of fine sketch writing:
Try your own hand at writing a 5-6 page sketch. Skip a line between each line (but do not double space scripts!) Describe your setting before you begin. Give each character in your scene a specific action to do. Scripts are not due yet! We'll work on them next week as well!

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Epistolary Project Draft Due!; The Writing Life; Sketch Writing; Young Writer's Showcase

Period 3 (until 9:30):

Please clean up, edit, and prepare your drafts of the Epistolary project. I have Group B's shared file, but both A & B can still revise/work on their project. Group A, make sure you share your Google file with me by 9:30 (bradley.craddock@rcsdk12.org); We will share these stories with the class next week. Please complete a self/peer evaluation for up to 2 other group members.

Period 3/4: Discussion & Blog Post on The Writing Life (chapter 1)

Blog post (until 9:45ish): On YOUR blog, please post a response to The Writing Life by Annie Dillard.
  • What lines or passages from Dillard's chapter did you find to be well written? Why, in your opinion, are they well written? What is Dillard doing that WORKS in her writing?
  • How do you relate to Dillard's observations/advice about writing? Is she right about writing? Is there any passage in the chapter that you found to be TRUE for YOU? (make sure you quote the passage in your blog post so a reader knows to what you are referring...!)
  • Finally, what is your own relationship with writing? Explain in the post what works for you or what you think of writing as an Art form?
Class Discussion: (until 10:00ish)
  • I'd like us to consider a few passages in the chapter that pertain to us as writers
  • I'd also like to know if you had questions about what you read, or comments about the chapter
  • Overall, we'll discuss the life/experience of a writer
Period 4: (10:00) Sketch Writing/Young Writer's Showcase:

One way to publish your work (Writing for Publication) is to win a writing contest. We will (and have) entered a variety of writing contests. Our next one is a play contest from local Regional theater Geva. Selected plays will be presented in readings this year and then full productions next year. This is an opportunity to see your words acted by professional actors and gain a professional writing credit.

The contest rules are as follows:
  • Showcase date: Saturday, May 5
  • Submission deadline: March 1, 2018
  • Eligible for students in Monroe County aged 13-18 (You!)
  • Your submission should have a tile page with your name, full address (including zip code), phone #, and an e-mail address
  • Plays should be between 5-10 pages (no scripts under 4 pages, or over 10 pages!)
  • No more than 8 characters (I would suggest 3-5 at most)--the shorter the play the smaller the cast!
  • Submit plays online to: youngwriters@gevatheatre.org 
  • Plays must be in .doc or .pdf format
  • Do not submit your play until we've had time to workshop/edit it!
To help you with an idea, consider the comedic sketch:

A sketch is a short play or slight dramatic performance. It differs from a play in that there is not necessarily a major theme or point in the sketch. Usually sketches are simply meant to be enjoyed. Most sketches attempt to be funny. Deep discussion dealing with the human condition is left to PLAYS.

Sketch Writing:

1) Choose a setting. Avoid common set-ups. Think original. Only set the sketch in one location.
2) If you're trying to sell your material [or enter a contest], don't put in anything expensive like a helicopter [or car]. Most TV shows [or theaters] are on a tight budget.
3) Three [or four] characters is more than enough for a short sketch. Don't write for a big cast. Avoid crowd scenes where the actors do not speak.
4) Think about what is happening visually as well as the words you use to communicate an idea. Be specific! A speckled trout wearing a fake mustache is funnier or more vivid in the audience's mind than a fish.

Types of Sketches

To help you get going, here's a few tried and tested comedy formats for sketches.

1) Escalation: Funny idea starts small and gets bigger and bigger, ending in chaos of ridiculous proportions.
2) Lists: Sketches in which the bulk of the dialogue is a long list of funny items. The best example of this is "Cheese Shop" in Monty Python. (You can find all the Python sketches at www.planetcomedy.force9.co.uk/bookstore.html.)
3) Mad Man, Sane Man (opposites): This format speaks for itself, but don't go for obvious settings.
4) Dangerous Situations: For example, sketch set on a flight deck of aircraft.
5) Funny Words: Sketches which use the sound of language itself to be funny. For example, use of the words "blobby" or "wobble"; Names can be funny if you want people to think of your work as comedy or humorous. Some names are just funny: Aloysious Butterbean is a funnier name than Tom Johnson or man.
6) Old and New: Getting a laugh from putting something modern in an historical setting (Or, vice versa) Example: Abraham Lincoln using a cigarette lighter shaped like a handgun. Benjamin Franklin inventing the fidget spinner, Alexander the Great using a cell phone, Jesus dining at the Cheesecake Factory, etc.
7) Big and Small. Getting humor from large differences in scale. For example, a pig trying to make love to an elephant (South Park).

Look here for samples of fine sketch writing:
Try your own hand at writing a 5-6 page sketch. Skip a line between each line (but do not double space scripts!) Describe your setting before you begin. Give each character in your scene a specific action to do. Scripts are not due yet! We'll work on them next week as well!

HOMEWORK: None. If you did not complete your 4th blog post in class or are missing work, please complete on your own time.

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Epistolary Project: Day 4

Complete and edit your draft of the Epistolary Project. See posts below for more details. Feel free to consult your group to check on character names, important plot points, settings, etc.

Group A: Farhan, Bisharo, Michelle, Tia, Makenna, Seyena, Keniah*, Emma*, Melinda, A'Layze, Lesana, Aalaysia, Liz, Zachariah*, Jonaya*, Amir

Group B: Degraj, Valerie, Madison, Tali, Wesley

* = I haven't confirmed that these students have chosen Option A. It's just a guess. They may be writing Option B.

Clean up your stories for continuity; Use the graphic organizer notes to help you keep track. You may write another scene if you feel your story needs or would be improved by adding another scene/chapter.

If you complete your project: proofread and correct yours or a peer's writing. Offer suggestions as to how a peer might strengthen his/her writing. Share your work and gather with your group to decide where your "chapter" falls in the story. You might write a table of contents, for example. Work together to order your group story.

If you finish early, please read Annie Dillard's chapter from The Writing Life. Be prepared to discuss this essay in class next class--or write in your journal or on your blog.

HOMEWORK: Read Annie Dillard's chapter on writing from her book The Writing Life. Complete the essay by next class (Friday) so we can write/discuss it. Annotate the article with emojis. Look for passages you like, passages that confuse you, passages that you would share or think are interesting, etc. Complete any missing work (you should have written 3 blog posts by now) or write in your journal. 

Sunday, February 4, 2018

Epistolary Project: Day 3

Class blogs are posted below this post. Make sure you have completed the 3 required posts so far...
  1. An introduction
  2. A review of Tears of a Tiger
  3. A post on something you are passionate about
Use your time during period 3 and some of 4 to complete your draft of the Epistolary Project. See posts below for more details. By 10:00 you should have something to share with your peers. We'll get together with each other then, and discuss/share our currently written drafts.

Group A: Farhan, Bisharo, Michelle, Tia, Makenna, Seyena, Keniah*, Emma*, Melinda, A'Layze, Lesana, Aalaysia, Liz, Zachariah*, Jonaya*, Amir

Group B: Degraj, Valerie, Madison, Tali, Wesley

* = I haven't confirmed that these students have chosen Option A. It's just a guess. They may be writing Option B.

After sharing today, you will have time to clean up the stories for continuity (keep some key details consistent...like dates, times, who shot who, or who went missing, etc.); Use the graphic organizer to help you with your notes. 

HOMEWORK: If you don't have your draft completed by this time, please complete as homework. Begin reading Annie Dillard's chapter on writing from her book The Writing Life. Complete the essay by Friday so we can write/discuss it. Annotate the article with emojis. Look for passages you like, passages that confuse you, passages that you would share or think are interesting, etc.

The Graveyard Book - Discussion Questions

  In your discussion groups, please answer 5 of the 10 discussion questions. Choose a member of your group to record your answers. Make sure...