Imaginative Writing
THE BIG PICTURE
writing a story
the elements
setting
character
one event
turning point
Your task at the end of this unit is to write
A GHOST STORY.
In your story you will entertain the reader by
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Describing a strong sense of setting
Use language to create a convincing atmosphere
Describe the main character to interest the reader
Have a turning point which brings your story to a climax
To create a setting for your reader you
need to describe
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
what the place looks like
if the place is light, dark, or
has certain colours
what the weather is like
what sounds there are
any other impression made on
the senses – touch,taste, smell
All writers let their readers
know WHERE and WHEN the
story takes place by describing
the setting. This usually
happens at the beginning of a
story. (but not always!)
A. Read the passage
B. List the elements used to describe the setting.
C. Decide which of the elements are most effective
1. a strange and rambling house,
1. full of old oak stairways.
1. long and narrow corridors
1/2. dark and evil secrets.
3. no warming sunlight,
1/2. gloomy views of shadowed
courtyards
1/2. blank, blind faces of houses
2. a shroud of darkness
4/5 blazing log fires
5. hissing gaslight was strangely
dimmed.
It was a strange and rambling house, full of
old oak stairways. Long and narrow
corridors seemed to hold dark and evil
secrets. Windows gave no warming
sunlight, only gloomy views of shadowed
courtyards at the back and the blank, blind
faces of houses at the front.
After sunset a shroud of darkness seemed
to wrap itself around the house before
creeping slowly inside. Blazing log fires
hardly seemed to warm the rooms and
hissing gaslight was strangely dimmed.
But the house was cheap.
‘Spooks’ by Terry Deary p.32
Now read the passage which was written by a pupil. The two paragraphs
come near the beginning of his ghost story, BEN’S JOURNEY
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The car engine seemed to cough a few times before it finally shuddered to a halt.
Ben sighed in frustration. Fifty miles from home, in the middle of nowhere, half past
midnight. His choice was simple: stay put in the icy darkness till the morning or
leave the car and see if there was any sign of human life nearby.
•
The moonlight glimmered on the white frost which covered the road like a gossamer
sheet and on the tussocks of grass standing stiffly and blackly along the roadside.
The bushes cast strange shaped shadows in his path and a solitary owl hooted from
a nearby wood. He felt the skin at the back of his neck prickle with cold sweat. The
clouds momentarily cut off the moonlight and the shadows melted into general
darkness. The air was thick with darkness, so thick that he could almost touch it.
His breath seemed to materialise into something solid in the icy air, and he could
hear his heart beat like a drum. Something touched his face, something as cold as
the grave and his teeth clacked and chattered uncontrollably.
The setting in Ben’s Story
• The car engine seemed to
cough a few times before it
finally shuddered to a halt.
Ben sighed in frustration. Fifty
miles from home, in the
middle of nowhere, half past
midnight. His choice was
simple: stay put in the icy
darkness till the morning or
leave the car and see if there
was any sign of human life
nearby.
•
The moonlight glimmered on the white frost
which covered the road like a gossamer
sheet and on the tussocks of grass
standing stiffly and blackly along the
roadside. The bushes cast strange shaped
shadows in his path and a solitary owl
hooted from a nearby wood. He felt the
skin at the back of his neck prickle with
cold sweat. The clouds momentarily cut off
the moonlight and the shadows melted into
general darkness. The air was thick with
darkness, so thick that he could almost
touch it. His breath seemed to materialise
into something solid in the icy air, and he
could hear his heart beat like a drum.
Something touched his face, something as
cold as the grave and his teeth clacked and
chattered uncontrollably.
Decide which of the words in the red print works best
The road up to the castle was littered with/covered with/full of stones that were
so big/sharp/uneven that they caught the traveller unawares and
cut/tore/sliced through his shoes or threw him off balance so that his ankles
were sore/tender/racked with pain.
Around the castle there ran a deep river whose surface was covered with green
weeds/slime/vegetation. A wild raven floated hopelessly/uneasily/sadly in
it, their feathers dull and drooping.
Overhead grey/stormy/cloudy skies cast a dull/dark/dead light
over the castle. It seemed that the thick clouds would perpetually
stop any sun from reaching/warming/touching the castle with its rays.
The walls of the castle were hidden/entwined/covered with tangled creepers which
seemed to be trying to choke the life out of it. The creeper had pulled/dragged/wrenched
stones from the wall so that the whole building threatened to/was about to/might fall on
anyone who entered and kill/crush/hurt him.
THINKING ABOUT AND CHOOSING EFFECTIVE WORDS
Read the extract where Jamie has been dared by his friends to pay a midnight visit to a
grave that is supposed to belong to a vampire. With your partner, CHOOSE words to fill
in the blanks, trying to create a frightening atmosphere. All the words should be verbs.
A half-moon ----1----- in the sky amid scudding clouds; the slight breeze ----2---bushes, making dim shadow patterns ----3----along the gravel path. Jamie ----4----his
fists, willing his feet to move steadily forward, one in front of the other. White stone
angels appeared to be watching him with sightless eyes from between the serried rows
of crosses and granite headstones.
No matter how carefully he tried to walk the gravel ---5----noisily underfoot. Jamie---6--- off the path, tripping on a cornerstone. Gritting his teeth he made himself ---7--doggedly onward to where the foreign graves stood. Bong! Bong! Bong! Bong! The
church bell ---8--- out the midnight hour as he arrived trembling at his destination.
The green-bronze door of the tomb ---9----cold and forbidding in the moonlight. Wind
----10---- mournfully through the rhododendron bushes and clouds ---11----across the
night sky like shrouds torn from long ago corpses. James ----12--- to the steps trying
to keep his mind off the next ten minutes.
The Weather
A half-moon ----1----- in the
sky amid scudding clouds; the
slight breeze ----2----bushes,
making dim shadow patterns
----3----along the gravel path.
Jamie ----4----his fists, willing
his feet to move steadily
forward, one in front of the
other. White stone angels
appeared to be watching him
with sightless eyes from
between the serried rows of
crosses and granite
headstones.
The Place
No matter how carefully he tried to walk the
gravel ---5----noisily underfoot. Jamie----6--- off
the path, tripping on a cornerstone. Gritting his
teeth he made himself ---7---doggedly
onward to where the foreign graves stood. Bong!
Bong! Bong! Bong! The church bell ---8--- out
the midnight hour as he arrived trembling at his
destination.
The green-bronze door of the tomb ---9----cold
and forbidding in the moonlight. Wind ----10---mournfully through the rhododendron bushes and
clouds ---11----across the night sky like shrouds
torn from long ago corpses. James ----12--- to
the steps trying to keep his mind off the next ten
minutes.
Crunched, sounded, squealed
Raced, hurtled, bolted,
Push, plod, continue,
Rang, sounded, tolled, growled
Looked, was, seemed, stood,
Rustled, howled, screeched
Floated, drifted, stretched
Rushed, raced,
You are to create a WORDBANK based on the five elements.In your group
BRAINSTORM useful words for your story under these headings.
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Describing words
Light/Dark/Colour words
Weather words
Sound words
Words to describe
impression made on the
senses
Make these word banks into
posters for the classroom.
A Wordbank
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LIGHT/DARK/COLOUR WORDS
Dim
dark
dull
gloomy
rusty
Black
dusky
gleam
shadowy
Moonlit
glow
sinking sun
WEATHER WORDS
Frosty
cold
cloudy
icy
Rain
hale
downpour torrential
SOUND WORDS
Howling
thundering
shuffling
Clanking
screeching shrieking
Yelp
moan
SENSES
Mouldy
Mildewed
stricken
beating
creaking
Wailing
swishing
damp
decayed
clammy
stale
Breathless shivering
Grey
Wintry
sighing
groaning
screaming
rustling
musty
shudder
stuffy
dead
stormy breezy
frozen snow
Grinding
crashing
yell
Whimper
Slimy
Slobbering
swaying
faded
chilly
mist
jet
fog
scraping
blowing
Gasping
tapping
blood-curdling
cry
trembling dazed
dewy
creepy
Dusty
odour
stench
panic-
Atmospheric Words
• STRANGE
UNNERVING
• RAMBLING
SHADOWS
• SOLITARY
SLIME
• EERIE
SHIVERING
• MATTED GRASS
DISUSED
• OVERGROWN
SHUTTERED
• RUSTY
SLIPPERY
• BARE
WEEDS
• ASHES
FERN
• DERELICT
HAUNTED
• DEBRIS
VAULT
• UNCANNY
CRACKED
• DIRTY
WHITEWASHED
• TRAMPLED
GATES
• WRECKED
WEIRD
• BROKEN
BARREN
• HOLLOW
THORNY
What do you think?
I entered the room and closed
the door behind me. The
room was big with bay
windows and there were lots
of dark corners. The blinds
were drawn as were the
curtains but I could hear the
wind and rain outside. The
bedside lamp was lit and there
was a fire in the grate. Two
large mirrors were hung high
on the walls and on a wooden
shelf stood two large brass
candlesticks. I could hear the
ticking of the grandfather clock.
We have learned HOW to describe
the setting for our story (how to
provide the backdrop against which
events take place). But good writers
do a bit more than this.
They use their description to
suggest a certain mood or
atmosphere and to raise the
reader’s expectations and emotions.
They also use their description to
show us what their characters feel
about their surroundings.
To create atmosphere and make your
setting convincing you need to
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choose words or phrases which
create a mood
use figurative language – simile
use personification
use metaphor
use sound techniques –
alliteration, onomatopoeia
The two paragraphs match each other with the pleasant description in
the first becoming the unpleasant in the second.
Look at the phrases in bold in the first paragraph and write down the
unpleasant phrases which match them from the second paragraph.
Overhead the trees arched,
and water birds, becoming
used to my harmless presence,
called out softly. Once or
twice a kingfisher flashed.
There were trout in the warm
water. I could feel them
brush gently against my bare
legs every now and then as I
waded knee-deep along the
course of the brook.
And then – suddenly: fear.
Where did it come from? I had
no means of knowing. Menace.
Cold fear was all around me – in
the dark arch of the trees, the
tunnel they made (into which the
stream vanished), the sharp croak of
birds, the icy grip of the water on my
calves, the gritty scour of mud on my
grimed and scraped hands. But most
of all, in my own mind, as if down at
the back of it, stood something
hidden, watchful, waiting.