N5 Writing

1. N5 Writing Creative Personal and Reflective Writing

2. What do I have to do? • Choose an interesting topic/incident/experience • Include your thoughts and feelings • Use a variety of stylistic techniques • Try to entertain your reader

3. Choose an interesting topic/incident/experience • Try to be original – avoid clichéd topics • Make a short list of 3 or 4– flesh out your ideas for each. • Develop your ideas for the one which has the most potential. • Make a plan, ensuring you’re not simply retelling the story – consider your thoughts/feelings and reflect

4. Ideas -1 • Hobbies/sports and what they mean to you • Sibling rivalry – position in family/only child • A narrow escape – what it taught you • Your family – or family member and what they mean to you

5. Ideas - 2 • Challenges you have faced • The passing of time • What really annoys you? • A place that means a lot to you • Your hero – who do you admire and why • Being part of a team

6. Idea - 3 • Friends and what they mean to you • Living in – Scotland, Forres, etc. • Moving – how you’ve coped • A keepsake/favourite possession • Choose a photo and reflect on the occasion

7. Ideas - 4 • Solitude – why you like/don’t like being alone • Hopes and aspirations • Your idiosyncrasies – OCD traits, being late/ early • Obsessions – collections, games, etc • Technology – how it affects your life

8. Ideas - 5 • School – why you love it/hate it • A trip which has had a huge impact on you • An achievement – your thoughts and feelings about this • Participation in a performance- music, drama, sport

9. Getting started • Think of a really effective opening: • Start with a key event and then go back and explain • Start with a quotation • Start with a definition • Open with a description • Use unattributed dialogue • Make a statement

10. Techniques to include -1 • Be selective –pick what you think will interest/ entertain your audience • Think about tone – use humour, sarcasm • Use parenthesis and/ordash tags to make comments, asides • Add description – figurative language, etc • Address the reader – use 2nd person: you

11. Techniques - 2 • Use a chatty, informal style • Use hyperbole/litotes • Use repetition • Use a variety of effective short/complex sentences • Use of emotive language, word choice

12. Reflection - 1 • Ensure you integrate your thoughts and feelings. • Consider how you acted/reacted? • Consider how you felt at the time and then with hindsight

13. Reflection – 2 • Consider if you made the right choice/decision • Consider what the future holds for you as result • Consider what other people thought then and now

14. Reflection - 3 • Some helpful phrases: • I realise… • I now know… • Since this happened… • Now that time has passed… • Looking back, I now appreciate… • I learned so much about…

15. Ending • Be sure to think of a good way to end your piece: • Use some of the techniques suggested to start your piece • Add a final reflective comment • How have you as a person moved on/changed/what have you learned about yourself/others/the world?

16. Finally • Give your piece an effective title – try a pun, one word, a question, use alliteration • Your piece should be no more than 1000 words – note length at the end • Read your piece aloud to someone – were they impressed/ entertained?

17. Before you hand it in Proof read careful to ensure all errors have been eliminated: • spelling • punctuation • paragraphing • layout – 12, 1.5 line spacing • Can you improve your style, add further techniques, cut out sections, add further reflection?