The Thief of Always Draft & Discussion; Introduction to Stephen King's On Writing

Period 3:

If you were absent last class, please take the test on The Thief of Always in our Google Classroom. This is NOT an open book test.

For the rest of us, while we wait for the other students to finish their test, please continue to work on writing your project. Drafts will be due next week:

• Write a story that includes the following elements: (we started this story last week...pick a chapter heading from The Thief of Always and use it to inspire a story.
• Title your story the name of the chapter (for now)
• Your story will be graded on or should have the following elements:
1. A beginning, middle, and end
2. A motif (remember that you will need to establish your motif by repeating your event, object, or character at least 3 times--see previous posts for help.)
3. Personification (at least 1 or more examples of personification)
4. Similes (at least 1 or more examples of similes)
5. Names that add to the theme and tone of your story
6. Transformation (your protagonist should be dynamic and change in some way (physical or mental or emotional, such as maturing in a coming of age story, etc.) by the end of the story.
7. Horror tropes (see link for some ideas); include an element of horror in your story. See and read about the tropes at the link. Try to incorporate one in your story draft.

Period  3 or 4:

After absent students complete their tests, we will have a class discussion on The Thief of Always. Please follow instructions for our class discussion & scoring. 

Discussion Questions:

• What kind of reader would enjoy this book? Did you enjoy the book? Why or why not?
• Which character is your favorite? Why?
• What scene/chapter/event is your favorite in the book? Why?
• What did you learn about writing from reading this book?
• What surprised you or made you question or think about your own life while reading this book? Can you relate to the characters/events? Why or why not?
• Discuss the setting of this book. Would the story be better or worse in your opinion set in a different place? Why or why not?
• Discuss the lesson or theme central to this book. How is this a "coming of age" story?
• What horror tropes do you recognize in the book? 
• Does Barker surprise us with them or did you expect the plot to happen as it did?
• Placing this book on a scale from favorite to least favorite--where would you place The Thief of Always? Would this book make a better movie or play or graphic novel or video game or tv show? Why do you think Barker chose to tell his story through the idiom of writing young adult horror fiction? 

With time remaining we will pick up Stephen King's On 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 his 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 his 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.

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: Read 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. 

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). We will not have this class Friday, so please make sure you make an honest attempt at reading the packet over the next week. Start today and read a little each day to keep up! Please bring your packets back to our next class Tuesday, March 10.