Writing Challenge #10 An Age-Old Story With a Twist

WRITING CHALLENGE #10

Today I want you to take a common story theme and create a twist.  You don't have to use the dragon example, but create something unexpected.

Writing Challenge #9 If I Could Turn Back Time

WRITING CHALLENGE #9

Use the following sentence as an opening or a closing for a story.  

"He (or she) would give anything to turn back the clock five minutes."

Writing Challenge #8 New Planet

WRITING CHALLENGE #8--With Pluto being all over the news in the last week, I figured this one would be great inspiration for this week.

You can do just a description of the planet or create a story about the first mission to this planet.

Writing Challenge #7--Inspired by Music

WRITING CHALLENGE #7

I find I always have a song stuck in my head.  Sometimes I don't mind, but other times it's annoying.  Here's a chance to put those words to good use.  Have fun, and I can't wait to read how music inspires you.

If you have a difficult time trying to work from the lyrics, try just playing a song and freewriting until you are inspired.  

Villains--Writing Challenge #6

What's a story without a great villain? Darth Vader, Loki, The Joker, Dr. Evil, Voldemort, Lex Luther,    Maleficent, and the Wicked Witch of the West are all memorable bad guys (or girls).  For this week's challenge, you are going to write a story with a memorable villain.


WRITING CHALLENGE #6

Use one of the villain archetypes listed below.  You can have a combination, if you want.

-The pure evil villain
-The forced to be evil villain
-The villain who is right
-The hero gone bad villain
-The villain turned good guy
-The dumb villain

Writing Challenge #5--The Strange and Unusual

WRITING CHALLENGE #5 

Write about the most unusual place you've ever been or the strangest thing you've ever seen.

Last summer, as many of you know, we drove from Idaho to Wisconsin.  In addition to the usual stops, Yellowstone, Devil's Tower, and Mount Rushmore, we also found a few places off the beaten path.  

We saw a bison lying right next to the the boardwalk and a sign saying stay on the path (trust me, we did). 

We saw the Jolly Green Giant, all 60 feet of him.  

This Lincoln Memorial, which is Lincoln's head on a pile of rocks. 

 My favorite place on the whole trip was the Field of Dreams in Iowa.  You really do drive for miles through cornfields until you reach a baseball field.  It's where they filmed the movie (one of my all-time favorites), and you can actually play on the field.

The strangest thing we saw on our trip was definitely the mold graveyard.  When they make giant signs like ice cream cones or statues to sit out front, they use giant molds.  When they are finished, this company just throws the molds out in a field.  There were thousands of them.  Some were put together and standing; others were lying in pieces.  This place was both fascinating and creepy, especially my mouse friend here.

You don't have to go far to find the unusual.  This fishy fellow is a resident at the Boise Aquarium.  He cracked me up with his huge teeth!

I can't wait to see what you have found!

Writing Challenge #4--Photo Prompt

Thank you to all of those who have been playing along.  I'm sorry I haven't responded to your individual stories.  I will try to do that this week. 

WRITING CHALLENGE #4

For this week we are going to use photos to inspire our writing.  Choose one of the following and create a story around it. 

FYI, I do not know where that particular zipper is, but I found this artist who is creating giant zippers and "unzipping the world."  You can see her work here: http://justsomething.co/this-japanese-artist-is-literally-unzipping-the-world/

Writing Challenge #3--Taste of Summer

As much as I enjoy spending the school year with all of you (and I do!), I love summer break.  There's just something so wonderful about having days with absolutely nothing planned, as well as those fun vacations and new adventures.  I love all the possibilities! 

WRITING CHALLENGE #3 

What says summer to you? This week is your challenge is to describe summer. This can be done as a poem, as a narrative description of your favorite vacation or a typical summer, or a fictional story describing the perfect summer. The choice is yours.

Don't be afraid to have fun.  This is my summer to-do list.  I had fun being creative and doodling. I know my artistic ability isn't stellar, but it makes me happy :)

I was looking through some photos of past summers that inspired a summer poem.  

Summer Is..

Relaxation

A break from stress

Hours to read and write and enjoy

Time with family and friends

Activities

Biking, hiking, fishing, swimming, and

Sports—most days, all summer 

In the heat

Travel

To places both familiar and new

Road trips together

Adventure awaits

Celebrations

Some every day and others substantial

A birthday or afternoon ice cream just because

Savor each moment

Days 

Are long but they feel so brief

There just aren’t enough minutes to soak it up

Before it all ends

 

One Screenwriter's Creative Process

I saw this today.  What a fabulous description of the creative process!

Creative Spark: Stephen Schiff
Screenwriter Stephen Schiff ("Wall Street - Money Never Sleeps," "True Crime") takes viewers inside his creative process in an exploration of where he gets his ideas.
Posted by The Academy on Monday, May 18, 2015

      I just finished Jennifer A. Nielson's Mark of the Thief.  Wow, what a great read!  Historical fiction, mixed with a little fantasy, equals an action packed book with lots of twists.  The book takes place in ancient Rome. Nic, a slave boy, finds Julius Caesar's bulla, and receives it's magic. So begins Nic's new life.  Most of Rome is after the bulla. Some are trying to kill him and others are offering help (and maybe also trying to kill him). Nic is trying to figure out who he can trust and how he can escape. This story is a whole new way to look at ancient Rome, it's gods, and of course, the gladiator ring.  I highly recommend this book :) 

Boundless and Maximum Ride

 I've read two books so far this summer I want to recommend.  The first is The Boundless by Kenneth Oppel.  We had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Oppel here in Boise a while back.  He talked all about his writing process and the stories behind his stories.

This book was a fun adventure.  Historically, it tells the story of the coast to coast railroad in Canada, but the story has some great fantastical elements.  The main character, Will, is on the maiden crossing of the Boundless, a seven mile long train.  Will's life is in danger, and he must survive the journey.  With run-ins with a few Sasquatch, some circus performers, and no shortage of villains, this book is exciting, and hard to put down.  I highly recommend it!

The other book I just finished is the ninth book in the Maximum Ride series, Maximum Ride Forever.  I was a little surprised at the publication of this book, because James Patterson said the eighth book was the final book in the series. This series is about a group (flock) of kids who were experimented on and their DNA was mixed with avian DNA, so they all have wings and the ability to fly, among other powers.  There is a lot of action and danger, as they seem to run into trouble and people who want to kill them in every book.  This one is a little different because it takes place after the world has been destroyed.  Max and her flock have to figure out what happened, who is left, and how to survive.  It wasn't my favorite of the series, but it was a fun read, especially if you're a Maximum Ride fan.

Right now I'm reading Mark of the Thief.  I am loving it so far, and I'll be back with a review in a day or two.  

Start with a Character--Writing Challenge #2

I hope you're enjoying your summer so far. We've been kind of lazy, but that's nice, too. Thanks to those who played along last week.  I loved reading your stories!

WRITING CHALLENGE #2

For this week's challenge, you are starting with a character. Choose one or more of the below characters and create a story around him or her.

Welcome to the Summer Writing Challenge 2015

Hello!  Welcome to another summer of writing challenges.    Every week, I will post a new challenge for you.  Some weeks it will be personal writing, others weeks a story starter or characters to use. These prompts are designed to inspire you. Feel free to go wherever the story takes you and change details as you wish. I will try to play along every week as well.

Remember, to count as a grade (incoming 8th graders) or to have a chance at fun prizes, you need to email it to me, mrs.schuette@gmail.com or post it on Dropbox.  If you would title your file as your name and challenge #, that would be great.  For example, mine would be name nschuette#1.    I look forward to reading your pieces! Have fun!

WRITING CHALLENGE #1

Writing Challenge Week 10 Horror Story

Can you believe only a couple more weeks until school starts?  Where did the summer go?  We're trying to get all those last minute fun activities planned before summer ends, along with back to school shopping and getting ready to gear up for the new year.  Anyone planning to go see Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters this week?  The boys and I can't wait to go see it!  I'm also still working my way through the Mortal Instruments series.  I have just a few chapters left of City of Glass.  I caved and bought the last two at Costco on Saturday, so I will have the whole series in my classroom library for those who haven't yet read it, or haven't finished the series.

On to this week's challenge.  This has been all over the internet the last couple weeks, and I thought it was fun.  It's a short one, so feel free to write a couple of them.

Writing Challenge #10

Remember, you can only use two sentences, so make each word count!

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

How many of you have read this series?  Are you excited for the movie coming out August 21st?  I came in a little late on this series.  All year students were telling my I should read it.  I thought the premise sounded interesting, but I didn't get a chance to read it until this summer.  I couldn't put it down.  I read the first book in a day and a half.

If you haven't read it, here's the description from Amazon.
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy?

This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . .


I thought the book was fast-paced and exciting.  I also thought the characters were well-developed.  I was sad when in ended.  I was at Costco Monday, and they had the whole series.  I bought the second and third book.  I can't wait to see the movie.  August is looking good with both this movie and Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters coming out.  

Writing Challenge #9 Story Starter

Sorry I'm a day late this week.  We were in California for two weeks and got back Sunday night.  Yesterday, I was busy getting everything back in order from the long trip.  This week's challenge is a story starter.

Writing Challenge #9
You wake up in the morning, and when you look in the mirror, a different face stares back at you.  Take the story from this point.  

Writing Challenge #8 Chalk Art Prompt

I love when people create amazing artwork with chalk.  Some of these 3-D images blow me away.  One of my favorite movies growing up was Mary Poppins.  I loved the scene where they popped right into Bert's chalk drawing.  I want you to look at them and imagine the places they would take you to if you could jump into these chalk worlds.

Writing Challenge #8

Choose one of the above drawings.  Imagine you traveled into the world the artist has created (your journey there can be part of the story).  Describe your adventure.  

Writing Challenge #7 Happiest Poem on Earth

They say Disneyland is "The happiest place on Earth."  I love Disneyland, and it is one of my favorite places to go.  Allow me to indulge in a couple photos from past trips.  

Photo by Angela Knight

As much as I love Disneyland, I don't know if I would consider it my "happy place."  When I think of my happy place, it is somewhere where I can relax and be at peace.  Disney is way too fun for that.  I would choose the beach or even my back patio, where I sit every morning and evening.  

Where is your happy place?  The mountains?  The beach?  The soccer field?  

Writing Challenge #7 Happy Place

Write a poem about your favorite place.  That place in the world that just makes you happy.  Be descriptive.  Use lots of sensory detail.  Make us feel like we are there with you.

Writing Challenge #6 Fan Fiction

Lately, I keep seeing a lot of references to "fan fiction" on the internet.  It's been around a while, but I hadn't given it much thought until recently.  I have a cousin who is writing Jurassic Park fan fiction.  Merriam-Webster defines fan fiction as this:

Definition of FAN FICTION

: stories involving popular fictional characters that are written by fans and often posted on the Internet —called alsofan fic,

Basically you take characters from a favorite novel, television show, or movie and create a new story with those character.  I thought this would be fun to try this week.

Challenge #6

Write a piece of fan fiction using your favorite book or movie characters.  Create a new story for these characters.  It can be related to the original story, but not a copy of it.  Write your own original piece.  

2013 Writing Challenge #5

Happy July!  I don't know about you, but I'm having a tough time with it being July already.  Summer is flying by way too fast!  Does anyone have big plans for July 4th?  We haven't decided what we'll be doing, but we are staying close to home.  This heat is killing me, so I don't think we'll spend too much time outside.  On this holiday week, we're going to write a little historical fiction.

2013 Writing Challenge #5

Write a fictional story that takes place before or during the Revolutionary War.  Your characters can be early colonists or soldiers, regular people or famous historical figures.  

*For those going into 8th grade, you will be writing a historical fiction piece for the Revolutionary War as a requirement this year, so this could be a head start for you to get the ideas flowing.

Happy Writing and stay cool!