Workshop Creative Writing

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 1

Welcome to lesson 1 of 

Creative writing 

My name is Loes van Kempen 

Today's class

* Warm-up

* Ten minutes of uninterrupted writing

* Share your favourite part

* Another round of this

Warm-up

Please fill in one English word in each category.

Do not overthink this, the first word that pops into your brains is the right word! 

Share and compare!

Work with a neighbour and compare your answers.

Please hand in your worksheets

Let's write!

We will now use a great and often used writing strategy.

You are going to write a story for ten minutes straight.

Your pen will not leave the paper.

You just keep on writing about whatever. 

We all start with the same sentence. 

There's a catch...

I will say a word every now and then that you HAVE TO use in your stories.

Some of you might recognise the words I use... 

You can adapt the word if necessary, but you have to use the word. 

This will test your creativity and flexibility 

Your first sentence:

At first when I woke up, everything seemed normal... 

Relax everyone! Time is up! 

How was this writing experience? 

Find the gem!

Re-read your story.

Look for a sentence or sentences or part of your story that you  actually find pretty good (or at least: OK)

Mark or underline those parts. 

Sharing is caring!

Share your 'gem' with a neighbour.

Tell the other the general idea of your story and read out your great/good/OK part. 

This might make a great starting point for a new story! 

Cherish your gems! 

So, let's do another round.

This time, start your story with your 'gem'!

And if there is nothing usable, use this sentence: It was a bit warmer than expected, but...

Your first sentence:

It was a bit warmer than expected, but...

Relax everyone! Time is up! 

Find the gem!

Re-read your story.

Look for a sentence or sentences or part of your story that you  actually find pretty good (or at least: OK)

Mark or underline those parts. 

Sharing is caring!

Share your 'gem' with a neighbour.

Tell the other the general idea of your story and read out your great/good/OK part. 

That is enough for today! 

If you feel inspired, feel free to work on your story and turn it into something worth publishing!

Next week's class: show don't tell 

How do writers of fiction suck you into their stories? 

A quick practise! 

Choose one of the sentences. 

Apply the 'show, don't tell' principle to get your message across. 

1. Jessica dresses unusually.

2. The movie was boring.

3. My room needed cleaning.

4. The roller coaster ride was scary.

5. My stepdad's cooking was not great.

Time is up! Thank you for your attention and hard work!