Tasks This Week

1. Finish rough draft.
2. Peer edit.
3. Make real revisions.
4. Turn in a final copy.
5. Choose your best work from the marking period to turn in for a post assessment score.


*Remember it is a 4 day week!

REALISTIC FICTION WRITING ASSIGNMENT

 

Format

• Three to six pages long
• Double Spacing is fine, but not required
• Size 12, Times New Roman font

 

Calendar

• 3/18/16 – Complete rough draft due
• 3/22/16 – Second draft due
• 3/24/16 – Final due

 

Requirements

• Develop a story that is within your range of experience.
• Choose a story that is simple enough to be handled in only three to six pages.
• Write one to four scenes only.
• Create an original title for your story.
   
  Writing Guidelines

• Show, don’t tell; for example, “His head scraped the ceiling,” instead of, “He was tall.” 
• Focus on important events, and exclude irrelevant details.
• Use figurative language, descriptive details, and sensory language to make your writing come alive.
• Develop an individual manner of speaking for each character in your story
• Choose vivid, specific words to tell your story; avoid general words such as nice, good, bad, went, said, happy, thing, etc.
   
  Story Elements
• Tell the story in first-person point of view.
• Create fully-developed, realistic characters – avoid stereotypes.
• Describe the setting of your story.
• Create a complete plotline; the lead, rising action, climax, and resolution should all be fully developed. 
   
  Additional information

• Most of the work will be done in the computer lab, but you may also need to do some work at home in order to meet deadlines.
• A teacher-student writing conference is recommended. 

 

Realistic Fiction Rubric

 

	You do this consistently and/or with excellent effect.	You do this often and/or with good effect.	You do this inconsistently and/or with limited effect.	You need to improve here to write more effectively.
The piece is realistic in its portrayal of characters and events.
All parts of the plot are fully developed: problem, rising action, climax, and resolution.
Details are so vivid that the reader can experience the settings, characters, and events.
The piece has a clear, consistent focus – it includes important elements of the story, but leaves out unimportant parts
Dialogue is realistic, meaningful, and reflects the personality of each speaker.
Clear, specific, vivid word choice helps create a distinctive voice.
The writing process is evident through the clarity and fluidity of the final draft.
Errors in spelling, grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and other conventions are incidental.
Followed directions and met deadlines.

Additional Comments

Realistic Fiction

Bell Work: Make a list of some of your earliest memories. Then make a list of common problems a character may have.

College Day!

Today is College Day at SOTA! You are not too young to think about/discuss what you would like to do after your time at School of the Arts. The decisions you make now will impact what your future looks like. Do you want to go to college? A trade school like Continental School of Beauty? Start working right away? MCC? Take some time to travel the world first? Study abroad? What would you like to do with life after high school? What type of job do you want? Do you have a major in mind? Do you want to participate in extracurricular activities in college? Perform on stage? Play college sports? WRITE ABOUT ALL OF THIS!

Example Script

EXAMPLE SCRIPT: STAGE PLAY FORMAT

The following is laid out in the way we like to have all scripts sent to us. Here are a

few Do’s and Don’ts

Do:

1. Use Microsoft Word or equivalent text document

2. Use a popular font type such as Arial and 12 point size

3. Single line spaced

4. Character names should be bold and CAPITALS

5. Character names contained in stage directions should be ITALIC AND

CAPITALS

6. Dialogue is indented from the character name

7. Stage directions are to be in italics

8. Stage directions within dialogue should be (in brackets and italics)

Don’t:

1. Use the space bar to indent the dialogue. That’s what Tabs are for

2. Lay your script out using a Table. That drives us nuts!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ACT I SCENE 1

Set in 1950’s style diner, “McDenny’s”, in the present day England. BERYL is sitting

at the back of a “u” shaped booth. She is tucking into a large burger and reading a

gas bill

Enter LYNDA, SUSAN and RODERICK

LYNDA: (speaking to SUSAN and ROD as they make their way over to BERYL)

...put your back into it man, I said, use some elbow grease, don’t just

tickle it, I want to see my face in it... Hi Beryl...

BERYL hides the burger under the table

BERYL: Oh hi

SUSAN: (sits at the table at the left side of BERYL) He was doing his best.

ROD: Hi

LYNDA: I don’t want to see any smear marks and don’t bend the aerial or I’ll stop it

out of your wages.

LYNDA and ROD sit to the right of BERYL

SUSAN: Lynda, I think you’re being a bit harsh. Hi Beryl

LYNDA: If you’re going to do something, do it right that’s what I say.

Proper Script Format

Script format is very particular. Proper screenplay format is:

12 pt. Courier (or Courier New) font.
1.5 inch margin on the left side.
1 inch margin on the right side.
Dialogue margins an additional 1.5 inches in from each side.
No special text (eg - bold, italics, underlining). If you choose to break this rule, do not do so more than three times in a single screenplay.

FADE IN: starts your script.
FADE OUT. ends your script.
Slug lines are as follows: INT. TOM'S HOUSE - DAY or EXT. BACKYARD (FLASHBACK) - NIGHT
Character names in CAPS, just above dialogue (no space in between).
When dialogue runs onto the next page, repeat the character name and use (CONT'D).
Do not include CONTINUED, MORE or CUT TO at the bottom of every page.
Do not number scenes. This is for shooting scripts only.
Do not use camera directions (CLOSEUP, POV) unless absolutely essential to comprehending the story. If used, do so extremely sparingly.
Never reference the camera directly (eg - the camera pans left or the camera tracks her hand down to his thigh).
Only include what can be seen and heard.
Do not use the phrases "we see" or "we hear". Everything on the page is what we see and hear.

I know this format may seem ridiculously particular, but there is a method to the madness. Formatting standards were created for the purpose of script timing. When a script is put into production the schedule is planned with the assumption that one page of a screenplay will translate to approximately one minute of screen time. If, for example, your margins are off, a 120 page screenplay can easily be 140 pages when properly formatted. That amounts to anywhere from 5-10 additional days of filming. Proper script format is essential for creating a reliable schedule and budget.
A second, equally important reason to adhere to proper script format is that in Hollywood, anything else is unprofessional. Any deviation from formatting standards will immediately label you as an amateur and usually land your script in the trash. It may sound ridiculous, but it’s true.

Script Writing

Today you will begin brainstorming for writing a script. Here is what you need to do.


Who are you working with?
Play or Film Script?
Will you be recording or performing your play for extra credit?
Genre of Script?
Title of Script?
Character Names and description?
Conflict?
Resolution?
If you are performing who will be playing the characters?


OTHER NOTES: