Writing task: The Pale Man
Sometimes,
if I tell my tutees that we are going to write a story, they look at me in
horror. “But I have no ideas!” they exclaim. “I can only write half a page and
then I can’t think of anything.”
I have found
the most useful way of dealing with writer’s block is to provide the idea for
them in the form of a movie clip. That way, they don’t have to think of any
ideas at all; the ideas are all in front of them. They can then concentrate solely
on writing it up in such a way that they can bring it to life.
I have used
this clip from Pan’s Labyrinth numerous times with older teenagers and it has
enabled them to produce some really imaginative writing:
WARNING: This movie clip is from a
film rated 15. It’s
a bit gross when the monster bites the head off of one of the fairies, so not
one to watch if you are squeamish about that kind of thing!
I always
find that students find it less overwhelming if I ask them to focus on
something specific. For this clip, I encourage them to focus on adjectives and adverbs.
Below is one
example of a piece that I put together with one of my tutees. Remember, it is
NOT a model answer. It is just one interpretation. I have highlighted some
adjectives and adverbs as an example of where they could be incorporated.
Lifelessly, he sat on the large,
leather chair. Rhythmically,
his long, black, blood-stained
fingernails tapped on the long,
wooden table. His translucent,
hairless, freckled skin was stretched tightly across his muscular arms and his ribcage could be clearly seen.
The bones on his shoulders protruded through the white skin. Above his wrinkled neck, hung a small
piece of blackened
flesh and his mouth looked savage.
Like two pierced holes, his nostrils were open wounds. Disconcertingly, he had no eyes. Where the
eyes ought to have been was merely more pale skin.
Suddenly, the tapping ceased. Languidly, he turned his
palms upwards revealing two gaping
black holes like the void of night. On a delicate, china plate in front of the creature sat
two revolting bloodshot
eyeballs. As he went to pick up the vile, tawny eyeballs, his jet black nail dug into the sides of them as he placed them in the
voids. The squelching sound was audible. They twitched perceptibly from side to side, absorbing
their surroundings. His blood-stained fingers separated, fully exposing the repugnant eyeballs. Gradually,
his long, skinny arms raised above his broad, bony shoulders and he placed his hands onto his pale face,
where his eyes ought to have been.
It wasn’t until she felt the harsh
breath against her neck that she noticed the
monstrosity that towered behind
her. She ran. Her small
feet tapped against the creaky
floorboards.
Finally, she reached the end of the dark and mysterious hallway.
Filled with horror, she stared as the last grain of sand fell.
Remember, it
is often best to create a plan before starting to write. You could watch the
clip and then brainstorm some adjectives and adverbs using a thesaurus.
It is also a
good idea to write a very short plan for each paragraph. I usually write the
numbers 1-3 and then think of 3 different things to focus on. For example, the
plan for the piece above could have been:
1) Describe
the creature’s fingernails/skin/mouth/nostrils and eyes (this is what is known
as a “zoom out” paragraph, where you focus more generally on something before
“zooming in” on something more specific).
2) Zoom in –
describe the creature putting the eyeballs into the sockets in his hands.
3) Describe
when the girl notices that the narrator is behind her.
4) The last
grain of sand falls in the egg timer – leave on a cliff-hanger.
You could
try to create a mixture of long and short paragraphs to build tension, as in
the example above.
Don’t feel
disheartened if your attempt does not seem as detailed as the one above. This
will come with practice, I promise. I have several tutees who used to dread
creative writing. However, they have committed to producing just one piece of
creative writing per week for “homework” each week for the past year and the
difference in their writing is incredible; I could not be prouder of them. My
only part in this has been a quick 5-minute feedback session at the beginning
of each week. The improvement they have made is solely down to their
willingness to practise. As with all skills, there really are no short cuts.
One piece of
carefully crafted writing per week will make the world of difference.
Enjoy!
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