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 you list the names of students who participate so they receive credit as well. [When discussing, try to be specific. Use the book and reference chapters, characters, passages, page #'s, etc.]

1. Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean are frequent collaborators. How do McKean's illustrations contribute to your reading of the story? Why do books include pictures? Are books better with pictures? Why or why not? 2. There is a rich tradition of orphans in children's literature, as well as a tradition of child-of-destiny themes in fantasy literature. The Graveyard Book is also a book about growing up. Discuss how Bod fits squarely into these categories. 3. The graveyard is populated with characters we typically think of as evil. How does Gaiman play with this idea, particularly in the characters of Silas, Miss Lupescu, and Eliza Hempstock? What do these characterizations suggest about human nature? Which characters are truly evil? What does Gaiman seem to be suggesting about the nature of evil in this book? 4. At the close of the novel, Mrs. Owens sings about embracing the human experience: "Face your life / Its pain, its pleasure, / Leave no path untaken" (Chapter 8). How does this theme resonate throughout the novel? 5. "A graveyard is not normally a democracy, and yet death is the great democracy" (Chp. 1). How is death the great democracy? How does Gaiman explore the relationship between the dead and the living? 6. It is often said that it takes a village to raise a child. How does the graveyard come together to raise this particular child? Describe the special mentoring relationships that Bod has with Silas and Miss Lupescu. 7. Boundaries—between the living and the dead, the graveyard and the world—are an important part of the novel. How does Bod test these boundaries? What are the consequences of Bod's actions? How do teenagers (like yourselves) test boundaries? What are your consequences for crossing boundaries? Discuss. 8. Bod's human interactions are limited to a short-lived friendship with Scarlett (chp. 2, 6 & 7) and a brief stint at school. Discuss how these experiences change Bod. How do our friendships and associations with others affect us? 9. How does The Graveyard Book compare to Gaiman's first novel for young readers, Coraline? What are some similarities and differences in the plot, characters, writing style, etc.? 10. Like much of Gaiman's work, The Graveyard Book manages to fuse elements of humor, horror, fantasy, and mystery into a single story. Identify examples of these genres and elements. Discuss how they work together. How might the story read differently if one or more of these elements were removed?

Baseline Fiction Draft & Coraline

We'll take the first half hour today to look at getting an idea for a story with advice from writer Neil Gaiman on Truth in Fiction, Judy Blume (Finding Ideas, Part 1), and writer David Sedaris on observing the world. As we watch and learn, feel free to take notes on the advice and process these writers use to get ideas for a story. Then, let's start a story. Using the character you created in your character sketch assignment, tell a short story involving this character. How you tell your story is up to you, but you should look over your character sketch design as inspiration. [If you did not complete your character sketch, do that first. You do NOT have to stick with your first idea(s) from the character sketch, but you DO need a character you've thought something about...!] Other considerations: 1. Use restrictions to make your job of telling a story easier. Set limitations or rules for yourself before you begin. If you use this method of coming up with story ideas, include the rules at the top of your draft. 2. Using Neil Gaiman's advice: what "truth" do you want your story to "teach" your reader? If you use Gaiman's advice, include the "truth" you want your reader to know at the top of your draft. 3. If you use Judy Blume's advice and draw your story on your observations or your own experiences (not necessarily your own life, but what you listen to, see, or details you notice). If you use heightened awareness to inspire your story, include a short explanation or list of what you noticed at the top of your draft. 4. Using David Sedaris's advice to find a moment from your life that "feels like a story", use a small event that you can recall about your life and be open to exploring that moment. Take the best you can do and tell a story. If you use David Sedaris' advice, include a short description of the small event you are open to exploring. In any of the 4 cases, apply these ideas to your fictional character. Perhaps your fantasy character, after battling evil demons, needs to do something as mundane and "normal" as finishing homework or studying for a test or learning to drive a car [something you might have also had to experience, for example]. There's no wrong way to write a story draft. Your job is to find a way that works for you. Once you have an idea and a character, begin writing your short story draft.

Coming Up with Story Ideas

YouTube video   ‪3 minutes‬

Please read Neil Gaiman's book Coraline. You can find a PDF copy in the attachments below. As you read, notice how Gaiman establishes his characters, introduces his setting and conflict. Consider what is "true" about the human condition in Coraline.

427977636-Neil-Gaiman-Coraline.pd

The Writer's Journal

 For this class you will need a physical writer's journal. This journal might be a bunch of loose-leaf papers, or a composition notebook, or a fancy "writer's" journal, or even a digital file you name: My Writing Journal as a Google Doc.

Learn more about keeping a writer's journal (let's see the video below...)

Let's begin our writer's journal with up to 200 words on the following topic in 5 minutes: 1. This is what I love about writing... 2. This is what I am most frustrated about writing... Then, turn that page. We'll learn a little more about truth in fiction by master writer Neil Gaiman, then, you guessed it! We'll come back to our writing journal with your SECOND writing task. Here it is... To practice honesty in your writing, choose one of the following moments and write a few paragraphs in your journal about it. As you write, pay attention to your inner register about what you’re writing, noting the particular things that make you uneasy. Try to be a little “more honest than you’re comfortable with.” Remember that being brave doesn’t mean you’re not scared; it means you do it anyway. • A time when you were deeply embarrassed. • When you regret something you did. • The saddest moment of your life. • A secret you are afraid to talk about. Take the work you wrote above and either read it aloud to someone you trust, or read it alone and pretend that you have an audience. Listen to the way you SOUND and pay attention to the sensations in your body as you’re reading the difficult moment. Consider what you’re afraid of being judged for, or afraid of saying out loud. Then write those things down in your journal. You will not need to turn in this writing exercise, but it SHOULD be written in your writing journal.

How To Keep A Writer's Journal - Writer's Saturday

YouTube video   ‪5 minutes‬

Who's Writing This? Borges & I Activity

Who's Writing This? Let's read a short essay by the Argentine writer Jorge Borges. 

"Borges and I" -- Jorge Luis Borges

The other one, the one called Borges, is the one things happen to. I walk through the streets of Buenos Aires and stop for a moment, perhaps mechanically now, to look at the arch of an entrance hall and the grillwork on the gate; I know of Borges from the mail and see his name on a list of professors or in a biographical dictionary. I like hourglasses, maps, eighteenth-century typography, the taste of coffee and the prose of Stevenson; he shares these preferences, but in a vain way that turns them into the attributes of an actor. It would be an exaggeration to say that ours is a hostile relationship; I live, let myself go on living, so that Borges may contrive his literature, and this literature justifies me. It is no effort for me to confess that he has achieved some valid pages, but those pages cannot save me, perhaps because what is good belongs to no one, not even to him, but rather to the language and to tradition. Besides, I am destined to perish, definitively, and only some instant of myself can survive in him. Little by little, I am giving over everything to him, though I am quite aware of his perverse custom of falsifying and magnifying things.

Spinoza knew that all things long to persist in their being; the stone eternally wants to be a stone and the tiger a tiger. I shall remain in Borges, not in myself (if it is true that I am someone), but I recognize myself less in his books than in many others or in the laborious strumming of a guitar. Years ago I tried to free myself from him and went from the mythologies of the suburbs to the games with time and infinity, but those games belong to Borges now and I shall have to imagine other things. Thus my life is a flight and I lose everything and everything belongs to oblivion, or to him.

I do not know which of us has written this page.

 

Borges writes of himself as a writer and person as an objective observer (as opposed to subjective, which is more natural and common). I'd like you to write about your own personality and your own self as a writer from an objective observer's POV. You want to observe yourself from the point of view of an outsider looking at yourself...rather than your own criticisms and hang-ups. You might ask yourself objectively some of these questions:

• What does your writer self think about the world? 
• What does your writer self think about your friends, family, or school? 
• What does your writer self think about writing? 
• What does your writer self choose to write about? 
• What does your writer's self do with their day or how do they occupy their time?
• What is most important for your writer self (perhaps as a contrast to your own opinions...)?
• Who's writing this? Tell me. In writing. 

Use Borges' short essay as a model for your own objective biography. It's a good idea to use your Google drive & Chromebook to write this assignment. When you're done with a draft, please upload it to our Google Classroom. I expect your draft completed by next class. Let's get writing!

If you didn't complete it, please turn in your "baseline writing draft" to Google Classroom!

Survey Results

Survey results from our genre survey: (in order of popularity, # of students who gave the genre a 3 or higher on a 5 point scale)

Mystery/suspense: 15

Fantasy: 14

Horror: 13

Comedy: 12

Realistic/General fiction: 12

Children's Lit: 11

Plays: 11

Romance: 11

Historical Fiction: 10

Science Fiction: 10

Poetry: 10

Autobiography/Memoir: 10

Journalism: 8

Westerns: 8

Thank you for taking the survey! 

Welcome!

Welcome Class of 2024!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Check this blog each class period for agendas, deadlines, educational information, advice about writing, and a whole lot of links to enhance your education. You are responsible for reading and interacting with the material I post on the blog and in our Google Classroom. The blog and classroom are useful resources for the course. 

Assignments will be posted on our Google Classroom. The writing drafts you will be creating will shape your writer's voice and will form your writing portfolio. 

If you're absent or missed something in class, please check the blog or Google Classroom to get caught up. Please ask for help if you need it. If you have a question about an assignment and are too embarrassed to speak to me in public (or you have a question that you think you will forget to ask), feel free to use the comment section or send me an email. It is your responsibility to talk to me about your needs. This is your education. Make it worthwhile.

Task #1: Your Writer's Manifesto

This morning, your first task is to write your writer's manifesto. What do you want to accomplish with your writing this year? Set some goals. When you have completed your list, send me a copy through Classroom site as participation credit. 

Then, with your partners, discuss and complete the following tasks for your group: 

A. Together list ways in which humans communicate (humans communicate through...) 

B. Reasons why humans communicate

This begins our first step as creative writing majors. It is important for us to examine how and why (and when), as human beings, we decide to communicate. Of course, communicating through writing is only one way we, as humans, communicate with one another. This course will cover areas of communication, the communication process, techniques of effective communication, along with performance skills, public speaking, and various writing projects (fiction, poetry, scripts, personal narrative, essays, etc.) If you go on to study the arts, literature, political science, divinity, history, business, advertising, marketing, teaching, law, journalism, communication, or media, you will definitely need a basic understanding of these concepts.

Task: Short Introduction Speech.

Our first speech will be rather short. On a Google doc or a notepad or journal/notebook, jot down any of the following answers to these personal questions:

• What is one thing you want other people to know about you?
• What do you want to do after you graduate?
• What is one event that happened to you that changed your personality/outlook on life forever?
• What is one thing you're proud of that you never told anyone?
• What single event in your life has made you a better person?
• If you could accomplish one thing in your life, what would you like it to be?

Answer some of these questions (at least one) and jot down at least 3 main points (or reasons why you answered in this way) you would want to share with the class about your answers. When you are called, unmute yourself and share your answers in a short introductory speech. 

Start with an introduction: who are you? (what's your name, etc.) then hit your 3 main points. Try to sustain your short speech with some details. End your speech after your details...you can thank us for listening, or leave us with something to remember, or inspire us with an image or detail that helps summarize your main points. 

For homework (due Friday) begin your baseline non-fiction assignment in Google classrooms.

HOMEWORK: Complete a draft of your baseline assignment and submit your work from the system (Google Classrooms) by Friday, Sept. 18.

District News: The Opening of the School Year

 The District has adjusted the start of our school year to include four Superintendent’s Conference Days from Tuesday, September 8 through Friday, September 11. Students will begin their classes online on Monday, September 14. 

See you then!

Agatha Christie & Then There Were None

Agatha Christie's stage play The Mousetrap opened in 1952 in the West End of London (its theater district) and is still running. It is the longest non-musical stage production ever. It began as a radio play based on her short story: "Three Blind Mice."

Information about the author Agatha Christie can be found at this link. Take a moment to get to know her.

A bestselling author for the past eighty or so years, Agatha Christie has sold over two billion books worldwide and her novels and plays have been translated into over 45 languages. The world knows her name and her writing. She has eighty novels, several short story collections and over a dozen plays to her name.

Here are a few clips from various Agatha Christie films:

• Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
• Murder on the Orient Express (1972)
• Death on the Nile (1974)
• Evil Under the Sun
• And Then There Were None (1945)
• 10 Little Indians (1974)
• And Then There Were None (BBC)
• The Mirror Crack'd (1980)
• Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

The queen of the whodunit is undoubtedly Agatha Christie. But various sleuths have graced the pages of British Lit. Among them, the granddaddy of detection is the character Sherlock Holmes, created by Arthur Conan Doyle. Other important sleuths include Inspector Morse (Colin Dexter), Albert Campion (Margery Allingham),  Adela Bradley (The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries by Gladys Mitchell), and Welsh brother Cadfael (Edith Pargeter). For children, you probably know kiddie sleuths like The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, or the Baudelaire children from Lemony Snicket's series.

Basically, a whodunit or mystery story involves a pretty good plot along with compelling characters. Keep some of this advice in mind when reading or writing mysteries:

1. Plot is king. Planning a plot is essential for a mystery. You can't write this kind of thing organically (like you're used to) and therein lies the difficulty (and challenge!)
2. Start with a crime in mind. Research crimes of this sort to get ideas. Choose a crime you'd be interested in exploring. Some basics are: murder, theft, sabotage, treason, manslaughter, breaking and entering, assault, kidnapping, etc.
3. Consider starting with the crime scene, then planning backwards.
4. Outline the story before starting to see if each scene fits (and how) into the plot. Each scene should advance the plot. (Good advice in writing all fiction!)
5. Rearrange necessary scenes in an order. In Agatha Christie's work, for example, she often arranges chapters to revolve around the questioning of a suspect. She cuts back and forth between key, important characters during a chapter or between scenes.
6. Using a flow chart can be helpful too in order to show dead ends.
7. Introduce what is called a "red herring" or "macguffin" (also mcguffin), a goal or object that the protagonist or antagonist is willing to sacrifice almost anything to get or pursue, often with little explanation as to why it is considered important. The macguffin is usually unimportant and leads the reader astray. Very helpful in designing mysteries.
8. Consider the plot as the way in which the problem (the crime) gets solved.
9. Put your protagonist in danger. Allow for dead ends to misdirect the reader.

10. Use minor characters (particularly their motivations) to misdirect or hint or provide clues that lead to the solution of the mystery.

 Please refer to our Google Classroom about a blog post and assignment for Agatha Christie.

Brainstorming Detective/Mystery Fiction

Tips on Writing in the Detective Fiction Mystery Genre

• 5 Tips to Improve Your Critical Thinking
• Writing Detective Fiction

Extra: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes (and become smarter...)
Now try these strategies and solve these riddles/puzzles: 13 Short Detective Stories & Math Riddles to Test Your IQ

Let's pick a crime. Please watch the video, then record a crime & a "country". The crime will be used in the prompt below. The "country" will help you further define your character or victim(s). Most common crimes in the US:

• Theft (the action or crime of stealing)
• Larceny (theft of personal property)
• Burglary (entry into a building illegally with intent to commit a crime)
• Assault (physical attack or violence against a person)
• Robbery (theft using force or threatening force)
• Drug use (illicit drug use)
• Drunk driving (DUI)
• Fraud (a person deceiving others intended to achieve financial or personal gain)
• Blackmail (demanding money or profit in return for not revealing information about the victim)

How to Observe a Person (Things to Look For)--building a clue list. Using the information in this linked video, create a list of 4, 8, or 12 clues that might go along with the kind of crime you have selected.

From: edeverell.com (Eva Deverell)

• Choose 1 of the prompts below.
• Write whatever details come to mind for 5 minutes. Do not leave off your writing or disrupt others or stop writing or leave the room or put your pencil down (or you have "died"). Survivors will receive a prize at the end of this exercise. 
• You may start a new prompt from this list if you finish one before time is called.
• Stories do not have to be linked to events that occurred before you started writing (you do not need to write from beginning to middle to end...)
• This is just an exercise--this is not intended to be the final draft of your mystery story. 

Choose 1 Prompt to Start & Write for 5 Minutes without Stopping:

01	A note is discovered.	Who was the intended recipient?
02	A character who was thought lost or who departed reappears.	Why did they stay away until now?
03	A new (contradictory) clue is discovered.	Is it a red herring?
04	An old clue is reevaluated.	How has the evaluator’s perception changed?
05	Suspicion shifts to another person.	Why were they not previously suspected?
06	The investigator examines the scene of the mystery.	What seems out of place?
07	A previously innocent or unrelated person is connected to the mystery.	Why wasn’t their connection noticed earlier?
08	The investigator explains their own interest in the mystery.	Are they qualified to try and solve this?
09	A character puts two and two together.	What leads them to the connection?
10	A character finds they’ve misread someone’s MOTIVATION.	How were they misled?
	Write a SHORT scene from one of these prompts...this is NOT your mystery draft.

Student Blogs

Elani
Eniyah
Ari
Janiya
Jahna
Kanene
Tashianna
Anthony
Kyla
Roxy
Gabrielle
Fardowsa
Shaolin

Mystery Writing

Click on the links and read/watch the following short videos/articles about writing for the Mystery genre:

• A Short Guide to Mystery Genres
• Writing Detective Fiction
• How to Write a Mystery  
• Thriller Crime Fiction #1 
• Thriller Crime Fiction #2 
• A Short History of Detective Fiction

TASK (homework): On YOUR blog, write a post where you discuss some of the elements of detective fiction that you learned from these videos/websites. What do you think personally as a reader about this genre? Have you read or seen a lot of mysteries? What do you like or dislike about the genre? What are some tropes that good mystery stories usually seem to have in them? Discuss any of these issues on your blog.

See the assignment in our Google Classroom.

Resources for the Stressed & Families

We're all in this together!

There's a lot of concern and anxiety surrounding the coronavirus outbreak. If you or your family needs help, or if you would like to help those in need, some of these resources may help:

In addition to the CDC Foundation launching a crowdfunding campaign to expand the agency's public health response to the coronavirus, there are many other local organizations and government agencies working to help individuals and businesses:

• The New York State Department of Health has also set up a hotline to answer all your questions about the coronavirus at 1-888-364-3065.
• Additionally, if you need to speak with a mental health professional, NYS has set up a hotline at 1-844-863-9314.
• For any city residents in need of food or require help getting food delivered, visit nyc.gov/getfood

SCHOOLS & CHILD CARE

• As schools across New York City and state start to close, parents/guardians can get help with child care using the Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies website. There are 34 CCRRs available in New York State. Here's their website. For Rochester, you can find help here.
• See if you're eligible for Child Care Subsidy Program. Child care subsidies can help parents pay for some or all of the cost of child care services.
• The Rochester Teacher's Association has resources for parents/students. You can find help here as well.
• The Rochester City School District has information as well on their website.
• For the most recent information for families needing resources or help with food/health care, etc., please refer to the Superintendent's (for now) letter.
• And, of course, the City of Rochester has many resources as well.

UNEMPLOYMENT & FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

• New York state has waived the 7-Day waiting period for Unemployment Insurance benefits for people who are out of work due to COVID-19 closures or quarantines. Click here to learn more about how to file a UI claim.

REPORTING HATE CRIMES AND BIAS-BASED INCIDENTS

• Amid a rise in reported harassment and verbal/physical assaults (especially of Asian Americans) as coronavirus spread, New York Attorney General Letitia James launched a hotline to report hate crimes and bias-based incidents. You can email civil.rights@ag.ny.gov, or call 1-800-771-7755.

Stay well and seek help if you need it!

MP4: Short Story Markets & The Publishing World

This marking period we will be covering the publishing industry, while we also continue learning about writing markets--how to write in a particular genre and get your work published.

Most of the assignments will be weekly assignments (like Ms. Gamzon's class), but I will be trying to contact you daily through email, this blog, and our Google Classroom. Please make sure you are checking your email addresses. The RCSD wants us to contact you daily with a continuity of instruction.

I am available M-F all day practically through email. I will get back to you within 24 hours of you sending me an email (usually a question or concern). If you need to speak to me in person, please send me an email requesting a ZOOM meeting.

Keep reading!--there's a lot of reading you should be doing to supplement your writing skills.  

HP Lovecraft; Advice About Writing Horror Stories

All work for MP3, up to March 13 must be in today (or email me about an extension if you need one). Otherwise, I need to start closing my MP3 grade book. Thanks!

Welcome to Marking Period 4! While our closure has certainly done a number on our progress, it is the expectation that you continue with your classes (including assignments). We know that we will not be returning to the physical classroom until after May 15, so any assignments here will ultimately be required of you by the end of the marking period. Please make sure you work on these assignments/activities periodically to avoid having a raft of work to complete at the very end of the academic year.

As always, please email me, ask for a Zoom meeting with me if you need one, and keep in touch. I am available throughout the week (daily) and will get back to you within 24 hours if I receive your email or contact. Weekend responses may be a little longer. I have a life too.

Today, let me introduce you to H.P. Lovecraft. We'll continue to examine his work into next week as well. Here's a start.

"My reason for writing stories is to give myself the satisfaction of visualising more clearly and detailedly and stably the vague, elusive, fragmentary impressions of wonder, beauty, and adventurous expectancy which are conveyed to me by certain sights (scenic, architectural, atmospheric, etc.), ideas, occurrences, and images encountered in art and literature." -- H.P. Lovecraft 

The great American horror writer, H.P. Lovecraft wrote a little book called Supernatural Horror in Literature in 1927 and an essay entitled: "Notes on Writing Weird Fiction". He also continued to train other horror writers of the time, as well as influence new horror writers of today.

He wrote: "The true weird tale has something more than secret murder, bloody bones, or a sheeted form clanking chains according to rule. A certain atmosphere of breathless and unexplainable dread of outer, unknown forces must be present; and there must be a hint...of that most terrible conception of the human brain–a malign and particular suspension or defeat of those fixed laws of Nature which are our only safeguard against the assaults of chaos and the daemons of unplumbed space."

In other words, horror writing is not just writing about blood and guts or by revealing the monster. It's all about tone/mood--the atmosphere of dread. Your protagonist is up against something that is utterly unknown or foreign--something unbelievable, or something odd or out of place in our normal, everyday lives.

To this end, the monster in horror stories is often a metaphor made real. A person suffering from cancer might be a protagonist who is being hunted by an amorphous, malignant mass--or a teenager who is tempted to take drugs, might be accosted later by a roomful of zombies. Cancer = monster, the drugs = zombies. Many horror stories work on this level of metaphor.

So--if you want to write a horror story, you're going to need to write with an effective tone and use diction (specific word choice) to create a specific mood for the reader.

H.P. Lovecraft describes his writing process: "As to how I write a story—there is no one way. Each one of my tales has a different history. Once or twice I have literally written out a dream, but usually, I start with a mood or idea or image which I wish to express, and revolve it in my mind until I can think of a good way of embodying it in some chain of dramatic occurrences capable of being recorded in concrete terms. I tend to run through a mental list of the basic conditions or situations best adapted to such a mood or idea or image, and then begin to speculate on logical and naturally motivated explanations of the given mood or idea or image in terms of the basic condition or situation chosen."

Let's take a look. "The Color Out of Space" by HP Lovecraft. This was recently (again) turned into a movie. Here's a few clips of some of the films inspired by this story...

• Die Monster Die!, 1965
• The Curse, 1987
• The Color Out of Space, 2014
• Color Out of Space, 2020

Here are more resources if you'd like to expand your idea of cosmic horror & H.P. Lovecraft:

• The Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft
• Lovecraft's short stories online (free) at Dagonbytes
• The HP Lovecraft Historical Society
• The HP Literary Podcast

Reminder: End of Marking Period Coming Up!

Class:

Again, I hope that you and your family are safe and healthy. This is just to remind you all of a few logistical details about our course this marking period.

1: Your assignments/activities are still due. The expectation from the RCSD is that you continue your coursework. While I haven't required too much so that you can progress and pass your academic classes, your writing is important. Most of our missing assignments were due BEFORE the closure of schools. These assignments count. Please spend the next week completing them if you haven't turned the work in yet.

2: I will not be collecting your journal (obviously), but I am grading your blog posts. Please make sure you complete the required blog posts. See this blog or Google Classroom for details.

3: Your Stephen King short story draft is due tomorrow. Please make sure you complete that by the end of next week (April 17). It's worth a grade... see our Google Classroom for more details.

4: You should have finished "On Writing" by Stephen King by this time. If you haven't, you're missing a lot of helpful and good advice about "writing for publication." If you don't have your copy that I gave you in physical form, there is a PDF copy of the book on our Google Classroom. You can find it there.

5: Stay well, but also remember that your teachers are trying to contact you daily (mostly through your student email accounts). Please make sure you are checking your district email regularly.

6: If you need to contact me, please do so. I am available 24/7 through email. You can also request a Zoom meeting with me if you need to talk to me directly. See the posts on Zoom and my email address if you need it.

Remember to check your Google Classroom for required assignments/activities and resources! Stay in touch!

My Email

Some people are mistyping my email then wondering why I'm not receiving your work. Here, again, is my actual email:

bradley.craddock@rcsdk12.org

or

1299861@rcsd121.org


NOT: bradley.craddock@rcsd121.org! No, no, NO!

If I do not respond to an email within 24 hours during the week (Monday through Friday), please drop me a comment on our blog (this one) or one from our Google Classroom and I'll see what the problem might be.

Stephen King Short Stories

Since I cannot hand you physical copies of some of King's stories, here is a link to find some of his stories online:

• 14 Free Short Stories by Stephen King

Please check the Google Classroom for the assignment that goes with reading one of these short stories!

You should have finished "On Writing" by now. If you have not (copies of the book can be found in our Google Classroom if you lost your physical copy!), please aim to finish this by the end of this week.

Take care and stay in touch!

Hold on there: Zooming might need to stop!

You might have heard that there have been some strange issues with Zoom as of late. Here's an article to peruse before you use...

"A Must for Millions, Zoom Has a Dark Side--And an FBI Warning" (NPR, Shannon Bond, April 3)

Check in with each other; Hold a Writer's Workshop!

Just in case you don't know how to set up or host a Zoom meeting or join one, here's the info you might need...

You can use a Zoom meeting just as easily to workshop your writing during our school closure. You don't even need me to do it! Here's the info:

How Do I Host A Video Meeting?

1. Signing In

Go to http://zoom.us and click on Sign In.
You can use the "e-mail" and "password" that you have created, or use your Google (Gmail or Google App) or Facebook account to sign in with.

Note: If you do not have a current Zoom account, please click on Sign Up Free to create a new one.

2. Hosting a Meeting

If you do NOT have the Zoom app installed, go to zoom.us and select "Host a Meeting" to start the installation. If you DO have the App installed, see below (#3).
Open your Zoom app on your desktop and click Sign In.

Log in using the E-mail and password that you have created, or with Google(Gmail), Facebook, or Login with SSO. Click the downward arrow and select Start with video, then click New Meeting to start an instant meeting.

3. Join a meeting using one of these methods:

• Click Join a Meeting if you want to join without signing in.
• Sign in to Zoom then click Join.
• 
• Enter the meeting ID number and name.
• If you're signed in, change your name if you don't want your default name to appear.
• If you're not signed in, enter a display name.
• Select if you would like to connect audio and/or video and click Join.

That's pretty much all you need to do. Check-in with your friends! Discuss your writing. Have fun and stay safe!

As always, if you have a question or concern please email me or drop a comment on our Blog or Google Classroom site. If you need to talk with me through Zoom, please send me a request. Take care!

Continuing On: Stephen King On Writing

Stephen King: On Writing Post Ideas

READING: Read On Writing. In your journal, take notes about key or important tips about writing as you read.

Stephen King invites us as readers into his life. He says of his memoir that it is his attempt to "show how one writer was formed...snapshots, most out of focus" (page 4, On Writing). Along the way, he drops some pretty solid advice to young writers. Read for these nuggets of wisdom. You can also gain nuggets of wisdom from watching these short interviews/videos with Stephen King:

Stephen King on "The Outsider"
Stephen King: On Childhood
Stephen King: Top 10 Amazing Facts about Stephen King

WRITING TASK #1: Write a short (200-300 word) scene that involves a specific character involved in a specific conflict. Keep your scene tight--in other words, just focus on the now of the character in the conflict.

For now, just write that scene...you will be adding to this scene in future writing sessions. To get you started, you may use material from your journal as to character, situation, and setting--or choose a similar character and situation from a book you are reading. Don't plagiarize, just borrow the type of character or conflict in the chapter you're on, for example. Change names/details as necessary.

Please keep the draft of your 200-300 word story safe for next week's lesson!

While are not going to read Stephen King's first section of his book On Writing due to length and time. We can still use what he wrote to spur us on to greatness and a bunch of ideas for our own writing.

WRITING TASK #2: In chapter 5 of his book, Stephen King provides writing students with an exercise. He provides a detailed backstory for two characters. Then asks you to alter the story a bit, and write a 6-page story. Do that. Except, instead of 6 pages, write at least 6 paragraphs. [If you want to try the whole 6 pages, feel free to do so!]

Try to add some of the suspense techniques we covered in our last class (see the previous posts for details on how to do this!)

You will turn in this draft in our Google classroom by the end of the marking period. More details and support coming your way! 

Stephen King: On Writing Post Ideas for YOUR blog

BLOG WRITING TASKS: Stephen King invites us as readers into his life. He says of his memoir that it is his attempt to "show how one writer was formed...snapshots, most out of focus" (page 4, On Writing).

For your next few blog posts, you will be asked to reflect on your OWN life as to how YOU were formed. These 'snapshots' will be collected together for your own mini-autobiography/memoir that will be collected on YOUR BLOG as part of your final journal. I will be adding to this list as we continue.

Please use any of the following prompts to write your posts. You may write as many of these as you can or want.

Remember: our goal is to approach writing fluency. You can't get better at writing by avoiding it. Use these prompts to give your ideas a good jumping-off point for your inspiration and reflection. Above all, try to tell as much of the truth as possible. Where you don't recall a detail, it is fine to make something up. Feel free to use dialogue, imagery, or other effective writing techniques to tell your story or communicate your ideas.

PROMPTS (with chapter models from On Writing by Stephen King):

• Chapter One: Write about your earliest memory.
• Chapter One: Write about an injury you suffered when you were young.
• Chapter Two: Write about one of your babysitters (or one of your babysitting jobs, if you'd like)
• Chapter Two: Write about a time when you were sick or violently ill
• Chapter Three: Write about a crazy stunt your brother, sister, or you did
• Chapter Four: Write about your experience or first memory of death (if you can't think of one, ask your parents, or a sibling)
• Chapter Five/Six: Write about getting a childhood sickness (the measles, chickenpox, pneumonia, ear aches, stomach viruses, etc.) or operation (even your first shot at the doctor's office...)
• Chapter Five/Six: Write about a doctor's visit (include some dialogue...)
• Chapter Seven/Eight: Write about your first story you ever wrote
• Chapter Nine: Write about your first crush, kiss, or date
• Chapter Nine: Write about an embarrassing moment (how did you survive?)
• Chapter Ten: Write about one of your siblings (or a friend, if you are an only child)
• Chapter Ten: Write about your first "scientific experiment"; or write about your first experience with a "blackout" or when the electricity (or internet) went out
• Chapter Eleven: Write about a favorite t.v. show when you were growing up
• Chapter Twelve: Write about your first 'rejection'

HOMEWORK: Read Stephen King's On Writing (from the packet you received in school...if you don't have it, there's a copy on our Google Classroom). Begin the writing prompts detailed on this post. Stay safe and healthy!

A Message from our Superintendent

I will be contacting you through this blog site and our Google Classroom for updates or important new information regarding our course. In the meantime, please stay safe and calm. See the following message from our Superintendent...

"After consultation with Monroe County Executive Adam Bello, Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mike Mendoza, and the Monroe County Superintendents, it was decided that all Monroe County Public Schools, including the Rochester City School District, will be closed to students beginning Monday, March 16 until further notice. This closing includes all school-related activities including sports and other extracurricular activities.

[If you need any assistance or have questions/concerns or additional help, please call the Main Office at SOTA and we'll try to help!]

While this situation remains fluid, RCSD will begin implementing supports for families, including meals for students, beginning Monday, March 16. Please check the District’s Updates and Resources About COVID-19  (www.rcsdk12.org/covid19) webpage for information about these resources, as well as other updates.

We will continue to monitor this situation in partnership with the Monroe County Health Department and school leaders on a week-to-week basis and will provide an update by midday Friday. As a reminder...monitor your email regularly for updated communications. Please continue to check the District’s Updates and Resources About COVID-19  (www.rcsdk12.org/covid19) webpage for updates as well.

Our goal is to provide as many supports and resources to you, our students, and the entire community. In times like these, it is essential for us to prioritize health and safety while doing everything we can to support our students and families throughout this ever-changing situation. Please take care of each other. We will get through this working together as one Rochester family.

Sincerely,

Terry Dade

Superintendent of Schools

Stephen King: On Writing: Day 2

If you have not already done so, please submit your Thief of Always story draft to our google classroom. Title your story the name of the chapter you chose to inspire you.

Let's begin reading Stephen King's On Writing (his book has 5 parts, you're only reading part 3). As you read, consider your goals as a writer. Consider how a master storyteller like Stephen King can help you achieve your writing goal(s). Take his advice. He's a successful writer and probably has something to teach us. 

We'll read pages 135-150 (chapters 1 & 2) together and stop occasionally to discuss what's important in these chapters.

Stephen King: On Writing Post Ideas

TASK #1: Read On Writing. In your journal, take notes about key or important tips about writing as you read. We will use your notes to help us create class discussions in future classes in this unit.

TASK #2: Stephen King invites us as readers into his life. He says of his memoir that it is his attempt to "show how one writer was formed...snapshots, most out of focus" (page 4, On Writing). Along the way, he drops some pretty solid advice to young writers. Read for these nuggets of wisdom.

HOMEWORK: Read Stephen King's On Writing, Part 3 (the handout you were given) pages 150-170 for homework. If you are ready for it, please complete the assignment King gives you in chapter 5.

Please bring your packets back to our next class Monday, March 16.

Stephen King on "The Outsider"
Stephen King: On Childhood
Stephen King: Top 10 Amazing Facts about Stephen King

Stephen King: On Writing Introduction; Chapters 1 & 2

Stephen King: Creative Writing

In Stephen King's book On Writing, he has a section called "Toolbox" in which he reminds us that:

• Writers have a figurative "toolbox" just like a carpenter does. We use the tools of our trade to make stuff or fix stuff.
• On the first shelf of the writer's toolbox is: vocabulary. Words. The more words you know or come to know, the better. Some writers use a lot of words, others not as many, but writers have a way of collecting words so they can use them in their writing. You can too!
• Write a short list of your favorite words (try to get at least 10) in your journal. You can also write a post on YOUR BLOG discussing with the world your favorite words and why they are your favorite...
• On the second shelf is grammar. While you are learning this, note that well-constructed sentences can have a lot of power in a story. You have to master enough grammar to communicate your ideas effectively when you write. There's no way around this. Luckily, you're currently in the right place to improve your grammar.
• Write a short sentence that is grammatically correct.  Ex. The cat scratched him.
• Then write a long sentence that is grammatically correct that communicates the same basic information.  Ex. The black and white calico cat reached out her paw without hesitation or provocation and slashed him across the back of the neck, drawing rigged welts of blood in parallel lines, forcing a shrill screech to fill the otherwise quiet and dark basement--then the cat fled back up the stairs, leaving him alone in stinging pain.
• Then write a third time, dividing up your long sentence into a variety of short and long sentences. Ex. The black and white calico cat reached out her paw. Without hesitation or provocation, it slashed him across the back of the neck. The claws drew rigged welts where blood appeared slowing, like peeking from behind a curtain of skin. A forced and shrill screech filled the quiet and dark basement. The cat fled. It scampered back up the stairs. He was alone with his stinging pain.
• And finally, on the third shelf is style. Style includes your use of tenses (present, past, future), POV (1st, 2nd, 3rd), diction (word choice), paragraphs (how long or short they are), sentence length, and, of course, the use of various literary elements and techniques. We'll discuss this more at length later.

Throughout this unit, we will be working with the techniques of suspense. For mystery, suspense, action, and horror writers, this skill is essential. But any writer's story can be improved with the use of suspense. Suspense is used in all good storytelling, no matter the genre. Romance and Science Fiction or Westerns and Fantasy or Comedy or Realistic Fiction and children's literature. Even poetry and plays use suspense. So let's learn how to improve our craft.

Stephen King: Writing is Hypnosis
Stephen King: Writing Process

Suspense: delaying the reader's gratification. The intense feeling (often of anxiety) a reader feels when characters in stories/films, etc. are either in danger, threatened or the outcome of the story is in question. This uncertainty creates a feeling of suspense. The feeling a reader gets is called MOOD. The way the writer uses words (diction) to create that mood is called TONE. Tone is your job as a writer. With the proper tone (say a suspenseful tone) your mysteries, horror, and suspense stories will be more effective.

As writers, we want to make sure our readers ask: what's going to happen to my favorite character in this situation or what will happen because this is happening to my favorite character?

Some ways to create suspense:

• Show (describe) the danger or threat
• Hint at possibilities through your diction (careful word choice) and imagery
• Delay gratification by keeping your reader guessing as to what will happen next
• Use description as a way to break up or slow down the resolution of events
• Use dialogue as a way to break up or distract characters from the resolution of events
• Cut to a different scene--use white space to transition from one scene to another
• Cut to the POV of a different character--this is called parallel action
• Stop the scene before you resolve it--this is often called a cliffhanger

YOUR TASK: Let's begin reading Stephen King's On Writing (his book has 5 parts, you're only reading part 3). As you read, consider your goals as a writer. Consider how a master storyteller like Stephen King can help you achieve your writing goal(s). Take his advice. He's a successful writer and probably has something to teach us. 

We'll read pages 135-150 (chapters 1 & 2) together and stop occasionally to discuss what's important in these chapters.

Stephen King: On Writing Post Ideas

TASK #1: Read On Writing. In your journal, take notes about key or important tips about writing as you read. We will use your notes to help us create class discussions in future classes in this unit.

TASK #2: Stephen King invites us as readers into his life. He says of his memoir that it is his attempt to "show how one writer was formed...snapshots, most out of focus" (page 4, On Writing). Along the way, he drops some pretty solid advice to young writers. Read for these nuggets of wisdom.

If we finish early, I'll give you time to continue working on your short story drafts from The Thief of Always. Try to complete a draft of this story by next class if you can or, at least, by the end of the week. We will be starting something new next class, so don't delay your draft.

HOMEWORK: Read Stephen King's On Writing, Part 3 (the handout you were given) pages 150-170 for homework.

Please bring your packets back to our next class Thursday, March 12.

Stephen King on "The Outsider"
Stephen King: On Childhood
Stephen King: Top 10 Amazing Facts about Stephen King