Creative Writing Unit 1-3

Creative Writing Unit 1-3

Introduction to Creative Writing and Fiction (pt 1)

Who's On first? establishing a point of View

1-1 Due Date 1/29

1-2 Due Date 2/06

1-3 Due Date 2/09

1-4 Due Date 2/14

CST 1.5.2 TST 1.5.3 Due Date 2/16

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• Explore the craft tools of first-, second-, and third-person point of view.

• Explore omniscient, limited, and stream-of-consciousness narration.

• Observe and explore the use of point of view and narrative perspective in prose writing through guided close reading.

• Reflect on and inquire further into the effects of different types of point of view and narrative perspective.

​1.3.1 page 1

​In fiction, the point of view is often closely related to a narrator, the person who tells the story. The narrator speaks directly to the reader, though the narrator may or may not be a character in the story itself.

A man and a woman are having dinner at a restaurant, and a waiter has just spilled a drink all over the man's shirt.
Imagine you're the customer with the wet and stained shirt. How would you tell a friend about what happened in the restaurant?

Now, imagine you're one of the cooks looking out from the kitchen. Your point of view would be different.

​1.3.1 pages 2 - 3

​A first-person narrator uses the pronoun I to describe events as if they have happened to him or her.

I held my nose, closed my eyes, and drank the purple milkshake.

A third-person narrator describes events as if they happened to someone else. (In fact, the reader will often not be overly aware that there is a narrator in a story using third-person narration. It simply seems like the narrator is the author.) Third-person narration often uses the pronouns she, he, and they.

Carmen held her nose and closed her eyes. Then, she drank the purple milkshake.

​1.3.1 page 3

​The second person is a less common type of narration in which the narrator addresses another character using the pronoun you. Although rare in fiction, the second person can be used to achieve interesting effects.

You held your nose and closed your eyes. Then, you drank the purple milkshake.

​1.3.1 page 5 - 8 First-Person POV

​All first-person narrators are characters, too. They have personalities — thoughts, feelings, hopes, and fears.

The personality of a first-person narrator influences the details he or she notices and the way he or she describes things.

This narrator is telling us about a situation as she sees it. We can start to "hear" her voice through the writing. And we can also guess that other characters — such as her brother and her friends — might have a slightly different perspective.

​can really develop characters...BUT.. no one else's thoughts

​1.3.1 page 9 - 13

​Although third-person narrators tell about things that happen to other people, they are not characters in the story.

Instead, they give the illusion of being outside observers. This means they can describe the details of a scene in language different from what the characters would use.

So, even though third-person narrators observe from the outside, they also (to varying degrees) know what their characters are thinking and feeling.

Just like the third-person perspective, it's possible for the third person narrator to "enter the mind" of a main character and see the world from his or her point of view. However, the narration describes the character's thoughts and feelings using third-person pronouns such as he, she, and they instead of I. The third-person point of view also has the potential to go into multiple characters' heads, revealing more of the situation or story.

​1.3.1 page 14 Second-Person Narration

​There are a variety of ways to use the pronoun you in second-person narration. Sometimes the second person can mean the narrator is directly addressing another character.

You always remembered your stuffed polar bear, even years after you lost it on the airplane. You were so serious, even then - you didn't cry, but instead said, with sensitivity beyond your years, "I'm afraid he'll get lonely."

​Other times, second-person narration describes what an experience will be like for someone else, as if the narrator has already experienced it.

You walk up to the microphone, and the lights nearly blind you. You can't see a thing, but you can hear the audience; the snaps of their cameras; their eager, awestruck murmurs. You're the one they've come to see, and you suddenly understand this, as if for the first time.

​1.3.1 page 15

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While second-person narration is less common than first and third in fiction, you might have experienced it as a kid when reading a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book.

While second person can be an interesting experiment in fiction, it is often very difficult to write convincingly, and it can really limit your options as a storyteller. That is why most authors use second-person narration sparingly — if they use it at all.

​1.3.3 page 2

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When you write in third-person perspective, even though the narrator is objectively observing the scene, there is still a range of perspective for that point of view.

On one end of the spectrum, we have the omniscient narrator, who knows everything about the story, what's happening in multiple places, and what each character is thinking and feeling. The word omniscient means "all-knowing."

On the other end of the spectrum, we have the limited narrator, who is still observing from the outside and has some access to thoughts and feelings but can only access the thoughts and feelings of one main character.

​1.3.3 page 3 - 7

​An omniscient narrator gives the impression of understanding the inner life and motivation of many different characters. Read the paragraph below. Notice how the third-person narration deals with each character and the overall scene.

​The guests at Jamal's birthday party were an unpleasant bunch. There was Melissa, who cared only about how her hair looked and could not stop glancing in the mirror. There was Jordan, Jamal's best friend, who could only talk about his band and the new album he was recording. There was Tamar, who was bored and annoyed by Jordan but unable to resist the social power that came from being seen with him. Jamal drifted around the room, wondering, If this is my party, how come I'm not having any fun?

​1.3.3 page 8

​Not all third-person narrators are omniscient. You can also choose a third-person limited narrator. This type of narrator has access to the thoughts, feelings, and perspective of just one character.

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Max was exhausted. As he climbed the wooden stairs to his third-floor apartment, the weight of his backpack dragged on his shoulders like a two-ton anchor. He felt uncertain that he'd be able to perform even the simplest actions: finding his keychain, selecting the correct key, and inserting it into the lock. He stood on the top step, eyeing the welcome mat in front of his door, thinking how much he'd like to curl up right there, with his cheek on the W, and fall asleep.

Multiple Choice

“Sometimes you do have to laugh to keep from crying. And sometimes the world feels all right and good and kind of like it's becoming nice again around you. And you realize it, and realize how happy you are in it, and you just gotta laugh. ”
― Jacqueline Woodson, Peace, Locomotion

• First Person

• Second Person

• Third Person Limited

• Third Person Omniscient

Multiple Choice

"Leslie sat in front of Paul. She had two long, brown pigtails that reached all the way down to her waist. Paul saw those pigtails, and a terrible urge came over him. He wanted to pull a pigtail. He wanted to wrap his fist around it, feel the hair between his fingers, and just yank." Sideways Stories From Wayside School, Louis Sachar

• First Person

• Second Person

• Third Person Limited

• Third Person Omniscient

Multiple Choice

The girl stopped and looked as if she might pull back in surprise, but instead stood regarding Montag with eyes so dark and shining that he felt he had said something quite wonderful.  But he knew his mouth had only moved to say hello.  "Do you mind if I ask? How long've you worked at being a fireman?" the girl asked.  "Since I was twenty, ten years ago," said Montag. They walked farther and the girl said, "Is it true that long ago firemen put fires out instead of going to start them?" "No," Montag replied, "houses have always been fireproof, take my word for it," but the girl knew this was not true. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

• First Person

• Second Person

• Third Person Limited

• Third Person Omniscient

Multiple Choice

“What would you do if you could fly?" Mrs. V asks as she glances from the bird to me.

"Is that on the quiz?" I ask, grinning as I type.

"I think we've studied just about everything else." Mrs. V chuckles.

"I'd be scared to let go," I type.

"Afraid you'd fall?" she asks.

"No. Afraid it would feel so good, I'd just fly away.”

― Sharon M. Draper, Out of My Mind

• First Person

• Second Person

• Third Person Limited

• Third Person Omniscient

​1.3.3 page 14 - 19

​Another type of narration you may encounter is stream of consciousness. This is narration that gives the illusion of closely following a character's thoughts as they unfold. These thoughts may include odd details or abrupt changes of subject, similar to real thoughts.

Stream-of-consciousness narration can occur in the first, second, or third person.

​Hot today, well not too hot, as it used to be in Nashville. Hot for here, as Eva says. She always says, "For here." Good show at the symphony — for here. Here is where we are, I tell her; why always talk about "for here" as if there's also a "there"? She left all the dishes in the sink this morning and the paper napkin, too, and it was soggy and wet shreds of paper stuck to everything. Eva's pretty when she's angry, but she's prettier when she isn't.

​1.3.5 READ

​Read Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper."

Pay attention to the point of view as you read.

The Study Guide will be very helpful.

​1.3.7 Discuss

​The assignment asks you to respond to only one question. There is no need to respond to what your classmates say, but you may if you'd like.

Please write a thorough and specific response to earn full credit.

In chat....... to me

What does Omniscient mean?