creative writing ideas year 12 hsc

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Select a different module, select a different course, english advanced – setting and symbolism in imaginative writing.

The activities in this resource will help you develop your skills in answering questions in the examination for module c.

English standard – setting and symbolism in imaginative writing

Exploring sample answers – an imaginative response and reflection.

This resource will support students to unpack a sample examination response from the 2019 HSC.

Finding inspiration for the discursive in the prescribed texts

This resource will exploring module c through the lens of discursive writing.

Practising discursive writing – resource 4

This resource will support students to practise writing discursively.

Staying focused on Module C – part 1 and part 2

Reviewing the key ideas in relation to sample examination questions.

Staying focused on module C part 3 components 1-4

Reviewing the key ideas in relation to examination questions

Supporting students with writing discursively in English Standard

This resource will support students to re-engage with the module statement for module c

Unpacking sample questions and discursive writing samples

This resource will support students to respond to and unpack sample HSC questions

How to Prepare for the HSC Creative Writing Exam

Some people have a natural flair for writing and creative ideas – however, if you’re like most students, completing the HSC creative writing exam in the space of 40 minutes can be a difficult and downright daunting task. Even if you believe don’t have a creative bone in your body, with some careful planning and study you too can ace the HSC creative writing exam – here’s how.

Refer to the syllabus

Just like the rest of your subject exams, a huge factor that determines success in the HSC creative writing section is ensuring you know the syllabus. Refer to the marking criteria to establish what is required of you – especially the study focus you must address (such as belonging or discovery) – and focus on this theme throughout your piece. The stimulus provided should also be a central focus and mentioned throughout your essay – not just haphazardly thrown in at the beginning or end. This way, the markers can clearly see that you have a solid understanding of the concept, as opposed to just memorizing a story word for word.

Know your language techniques

One thing you can learn and practice prior to your HSC creative writing exam that will boost your score greatly is language techniques. It’s best to build up an arsenal of 5-10 techniques that you understand well, and that makes your story more interesting to read. Similes, metaphors, and alliteration – you would have learned all of these and more when analyzing your set texts through the year, so put them to good use! A great one to use is sensory imagery, which makes the reader really feel as though they are in the story and puts to use a rule of any good writing – show, don’t tell.

Develop your characters

The way you develop your character, especially the protagonist in your story, can be a make or break factor for your HSC creative writing piece. It’s not enough to describe their physical appearance or overuse clichés like “troubled teenager” – you need to give them unique qualities that make them both memorable, and relatable in some way.

Write about what you know

The easiest way to succeed in HSC creative writing when you lack confidence in your imaginative ideas is to write about what you already know. Stories are the most organic and authentic when described in accurate detail. The best way to achieve this kind of integrity in your text is to write about an event that you have personally experienced – remembering the vivid aspects of what happened, as well as your emotional response to the situation – and convey this to your marker through your words. Alternatively, you can also write about a topic of interest that you have researched and have a good understanding of.  

HSC creative writing focuses on your ability to compose an engaging, grammatically correct and well-structured story that fits in with the area of study and stimulus. Need some help with preparing for the HSC creative writing exam and getting a Band 6?  Contact C3 Education  and speak to one of our professional  HSC tutors  today to see how we can help.

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Looking for some HSC Module C questions to help you prepare? We have got you covered with 8 brand new questions!

TutorTime would like to help you prepare for the HSC English Advanced Module C The Craft of Writing (paper 2). 

A great place to start is to understand the rubric – you can find it here straight from NESA:

“In this module, students strengthen and extend their knowledge, skills and confidence as accomplished writers. Students write for a range of audiences and purposes using language to convey ideas and emotions with power and precision. 

Students appreciate, examine and analyse at least two short prescribed texts as well as texts from their own wide reading, as models and stimulus for the development of their own complex ideas and written expression. They evaluate how writers use language creatively and imaginatively for a range of purposes: to express insights, evoke emotion, describe the wonder of the natural world, shape a perspective or to share an aesthetic vision. 

Through the study of enduring, quality texts of the past as well as recognised contemporary works, students appreciate, analyse and evaluate the versatility, power and aesthetics of language. Through considered appraisal and imaginative engagement with texts, students reflect on the complex and recursive processes of writing to further develop their self-expression and apply their knowledge of textual forms and features in their own sustained and cohesive compositions. During the pre-writing stage, students generate and explore various concepts through discussion and speculation. 

Throughout the stages of drafting and revising, students experiment with various figurative, rhetorical and linguistic devices, for example allusion, imagery, narrative voice, characterisation and tone. Students consider purpose, audience and context to deliberately shape meaning. During the editing stages students apply the conventions of syntax, spelling, punctuation and grammar appropriately and effectively for publication. 

Students have opportunities to work independently and collaboratively to reflect, refine and strengthen their own skills in producing highly crafted imaginative, discursive, persuasive and informative texts. Note: Students may revisit prescribed texts from other modules to enhance their experiences of quality writing.”

Read more about the NESA English syllabus here:

https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/f2ef71a2-ea7c-4b96-92f6-398fe141925c/english-stage-6-prescriptions-2019-2023.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=

Here are some general essay tips:

• Time your essays. You should allow 40 minutes to write the essay and don’t forget to add in the rubric words.
• Hand write your essay, get writing fit, you won’t be able to type your essay in the HSC!
• Don’t forget to answer the question in your introduction.
• Write in clear paragraphs with obvious spacing. 
• Edit your work. 

English Advanced Module C Practice Questions

(1) ‘We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than reality”, Seneca.

(a) Use this meditation as a stimulus for a piece of discursive writing that expresses your perspective about a significant concern or idea that you have engaged with in ONE of your prescribed texts from Module A, B or C. (15 marks)

(b) Write a reflective statement that explains how your prescribed texts from Module A, B or C has influenced your writing style. (5 marks) 

(2) “THE PLAY—for which Briony had designed the posters, programs and tickets, constructed the sales booth out of a folding screen tipped on its side, and lined the collection box in red crêpe paper—was written by her in a two-day tempest of composition, causing her to miss a breakfast and a lunch”, Ian McEwan, Atonement . 

(a) Use this extract to inspire a piece of imaginative writing that includes ONE of your characters of your prescribed texts from Module A, B or C. (15 marks) 

(b) Reflect upon the importance of dialogue in your imaginative piece. Has the style of your prescribed texts character’s dialogue impacted your piece? Why or why not? (5 marks) 

(3) ‘Words can inspire. And words can destroy. Choose yours well’.

(a) Use the above stimulus to inspire a piece of persuasive writing that argues either for or against the power of words. In your response, integrate the themes and styles from at least ONE of your prescribed texts from Module A, B or C. (15 marks)

(b) Write a reflective statement that describes the manner in which your prescribed text influenced your persuasive piece. (5 marks) 

(4) ‘Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank. Having nothing to do, she had once or twice peeped into the book her sister was reading; but it had no pictures or conversations in it – ‘and what is the use of a book,’ thought Alice ‘without pictures or conversation?’. 

(a) Use this extract to create a piece of imaginative, persuasive or discursive piece of writing that draws from a key theme from one of your prescribed Module C texts. (10 marks)

(b) How have you have used language to capture the reader’s attention? Does this compare or contrast to the techniques used in the Module C text? NB: the same text referred to in part (a). (10 marks)

(5) “Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favour fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.” Robert Frost, Fire and Ice. 

(a) Use the above poem to inspire a piece of imaginative writing that incorporates the powerful literary techniques of foreshadowing and pathetic fallacy. (10 marks)

(b) Compare how you have used language in part (a) to evoke emotion with the way writing has been crafted in at least ONE prescribed text from Module C. (10 marks)

(6) ‘ Falling leaves; falling pages’.

(a) Use the above image as stimulus to create a piece of imaginative, discursive or persuasive writing that explores the power of literature. (10 marks)

(b) Compare how your use of style compares to the writing techniques used in one of your prescribed texts from Module C. (10 marks) 

(7) ‘ To Gaze in Awe’.

(a) Use the above image to inspire a piece of imaginative writing that includes a personal transformation of a character. Incorporate a key theme from ONE of your prescribed texts from Module C. (15 marks). 

(b) How has the writing style of the Module C text, referred to in part (a), influenced your own? Explore character, dialogue, style and literary techniques in your answer. (5 marks).

(8) “Half a century ago, something strange and horrible had happened there, something that the older inhabitants of the village still liked to discuss when topics for gossip were scarce. The story had been picked over so many times, and had been embroidered in so many places, that nobody was quite sure what the truth was anymore.”

(a) Use the above stimulus to create an imaginative, discursive or persuasive piece of writing that explores the subjectivity of truth. Mimic the writing style of ONE prescribed text from Module C. (10 marks) 

(b) How have you used language to emulate the evoking of emotion achieved in the Module C text you use in part (a)? (10 marks)

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• How to Write a Band 6 Creative?

HSC Module B: Band 6 Notes on T.S. Eliot’s Poetry

Full mark band 6 creative writing sample.

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• creative writing
• creative writing sample

Following on from our blog post on how to write creatives , this is a sample of a creative piece written in response to:

“Write a creative piece capturing a moment of tension. Select a theme from Module A, B or C as the basis of your story.”

The theme chosen was female autonomy from Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (Module C prescribed text).

This creative piece also took inspiration from Cate Kennedy’s Whirlpool .

Summer of 2001

For a moment, the momentum she gained galloping in the blossoming garden jolted, and she deflated like a balloon blown by someone suddenly out of breath. A half-smile, captured by the blinking shutter.

Out spluttered the monochrome snapshot. A bit crumpled. A little too bright.

Two dark brown braids, held by clips and bands and flowers, unruliness constrained. The duplicate of her figure came out in the Polaroid sheltered between a stoic masculine figure, and two younger ones just as unsmiling as their father. The mother stood like a storefront mannequin, the white pallor of her skin unblemished by her lurid maroon blush.

Father told the children that their mother was sick. That’s all. Having nightmares about their grandmother who left mother as a child. “Ran off,” he had said, and his nose twitched violently. “Left a family motherless, wifeless.”

I run, too, the girl had thought excitedly. When she ran, she could see the misty grey of the unyielding lamp-posts, and hear the same grunts and coos of pigeons unable to sing, melodies half-sang, half-dissonant. Why don’t they ever sing? Like the parrots and the cockatoos and lorikeets?

Out spluttered another photograph.

Void of the many distresses as analogous to adulthood, her face brimmed with childlike innocence, untroubled by the silhouettes of her father and brothers. 

Spring of 2012

“Can you take a picture for us?”

She was on the other side of the camera, and for a moment she was lost in a transitory evocation of her childhood. The soft blush of the children and the hardened faces of the adults. The forced tightness of their figures. They too looked happy, she supposed, amidst the golden sand and waves that wash the shore.

Away from the flippancy of clinking wine glasses and high-pitched gossip, she felt could almost hear the ticking seconds of each minute, each hour.

She returned the phone to the family.

How still they stood! The unmoving figures on the compact screen. A snapshot of the present that has instantaneously become the past. If only her childhood could extend infinitely to her present, and future, then she would again experience that luscious happiness that seemed to ebb with age. The warm embrace by her mother. The over-protectiveness of her father. How strange it was, to think that she had once avoided both.

But no matter.

She can’t return to the past. All she could do is reminisce about it. It was futile, she knew. The physician had told her so.

“Think about the present!” he had said. “You live too much in the past! Talk to your family! Your husband!”. After a glance at the confounded face, he added, “You grew up with caring brothers, I believe?”.

She nodded.

“Surely,” he elongated the word so that it extended into the unforeseeable future, “they must understand.”

No, they didn’t, she thought. Not after their Marmee left.

She remembered how perfect  her family had been, captured undyingly on that monochrome photograph. Her brothers and her, mother and father. Yes, what a perfect family. Oh, how the opened eye of the camera would watch apathetically as they fastened together, to perfection.

It all fell apart five weeks afterwards, as they listened her father’s monotonous voice reading the last remnant of their mother – a note declaring how their perfection had compromised her, been too stifling, just as that Summer’s humidity had been. Wasn’t that what it meant to be a family, she had thought, to let give you to others willingly for the happiness of the entire family?

Absentmindedly, the grown woman picked up a bayberry branch and drew circles upon circles on the siliceous shore. Where it touched, the sand darkened and lightened again as the water rose.

The ultimatum of my life, she proposed to herself, a rebellious dive at sea! Amused by her dramatism, she continued to muse. How simple it would be, washed away and never coming back. Her family now was perfect enough. Big house. Big car. Big parties. Big dreams. But happiness? She thought of the riot of colour and flashing cameras that her husband loved. Oh, how they caused her migraines! And his insistence for her to abandon those childhood passions of hers, strolling amidst sunny afternoons amidst the greenery, only embody their “Marmee” and his “Honey”. How ridiculous!

Her hand halted to a stop.

For a fleeting moment, the continuum of her oblivion terminated, the angular momentum her hand gained by drawing those perfect circles on the shore jolted. She inflated with the sudden realisation of what she had written on the sand.

Short, and incomplete without the usual Jennings that followed it. But her name nonetheless.

Yes, those ephemeral imprints of her name will be washed away by the infinite rise and fall of the tide. But she still watched. So that when the present became the past, she would still have a snapshot in her memory to hold on to.

She knew she could not go, just like her name. Into the ocean and never come back. She could not possibly go like her mother, who when she was eleven, left a family without a mother and husband without a wife. She could not possibly go like her mother, who left a daughter crushed by the milliseconds of perfection that succumbs so soon after the click of a camera.

With a long sigh, she turned back and the sea becoming a reverberating picture of her past. Intangible, yet outrageously glorious…

11th March, 2015

The mother, on her phone, manicured fingernails swiping the screen absentmindedly. Across the room, the father looked concerned at both the inattentiveness of his wife and the sounds of clanking metal emanating from the cameramen.

“We’re ready, Mrs Jennings,” said one of them, “Please get into position for the family photo!”

The opened eye of the camera watched as the family fastened itself together, the rosy-cheeked daughter and son, the unison of the family creating the epitome of perfection. They smiled vibrant smiles, posed jovially at the flashing lights.

But immediately after the click of the shutters, they all fell apart, insubstantial as a wish.

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English Advanced – All Essays + Mod C Discursive & Creative incl. reflections

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Resource Description

These essays + Mod C pieces are the base pieces I memorised for my HSC (2020), adapting them to the question during the test 🙂 These are by no means perfect, but I got a band 6 for English so I hope they give you some ideas – especially if you\’re last minute cramming! The Mod C piece I used in the actual exam was the creative piece, and I did not have to use the reflection, but I included all the pieces just in case 🙂 Good luck everyone <3

Common Mod – All The Light We Cannot See

Mod A – Plath and Hughes

Mod B – King Henry IV Part I

Discursive Mod C – ‘Human Bookshelf

Discursive Reflection – Gwen Harwood’s Father and Child

Discursive Reflection – Geraldine Brooks’ A Home In Fiction

Mod C Imaginative – Cold Connotations

Imaginative Reflection – Name Le’s Love and Honour and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice

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A Guide to Short Story Creative Writing

Saturday 12th, August 2023

Once upon a time… you may have started a short story like this. Then, you may have concluded with “and they lived happily ever after.” In high school, this won’t get you your fairytale assignment or exam grade.

In this article, I go through the features of a creative short story. I have also provided some tips on how to write a short story exposition and ending with examples to demonstrate.   

Features of a Short Story

In media res.

In media res is Latin for “in the middle of things.” This means that you start your story in the middle of the action. As you keep writing, you can then give more information about the characters, setting and conflict through the subsequent events, or even through flashbacks.

The benefit of the in media res structure is that it makes your story hook more exciting because a crucial, action-packed event is taking place. Think about whether it’s more captivating to start a story with your character getting out of bed or chasing a thief.

Linear or Non-Linear Structure

Often, due to word limits, short stories are written in a linear structure, where the events are told in chronological order with no deviations. That being said, you can add flashbacks or flashforwards.

Flashbacks take the reader back in time to show what occurred in the past. Flashbacks can be an actual scene or just be a character’s thoughts in the form of a memory. Use flashbacks when you want to give more context around what’s happening in the present. Flashforwards are the opposite as they transport the reader into the future to shape their expectations for what is to come.

Flashbacks can be an actual scene or just be a character’s thoughts in the form of a memory.

Events and Backstory

A common mistake in short story writing is trying to pack in too many events or not providing enough backstory to set the scene. This makes it confusing for the reader.

Focus your story on what is important and make it easy enough to follow. Remember, just because the story makes perfect sense to you doesn’t mean it will make sense to others. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who has never heard anything about your story before.

Just as you should try to limit the number of events in your story, you should also try to minimise the number of characters. This will also help you to stay within the word limit and avoid reader confusion. Always name your characters.

Point of View

Point of view is the perspective through which your story is told. It shapes how the reader experiences the story, whether it be first person, second person or third person. Here is an outline of each of these points of view:

First Person: The narrator is a character in the story. “I” and “we” are the relevant pronouns.

Second Person: You are brought into the story as a character. “You” is the relevant pronoun.

Third Person: The narrator is describing the action from an outside perspective. “He/him,” “she/her” and “they/them” are the relevant pronouns.

Ensure you keep your pronouns consistent. It is easy to accidentally switch between points of view. In short stories, the best and easiest option is to only include one perspective. Including more than one point of view or jumping between the points of view of different characters complicates your story and makes it confusing.

You can write a story in past, present or future tense, though the latter is rare.

Here is an outline of each of these tenses:

Past: The events already happened. Think of words ending in “ed.”

Present: The events are happening now as the story is being told.

Future: The events have not happened yet. The story outlines what “will” happen.

Whichever tense you choose, ensure you stay consistent. Inconsistent tense is both incorrect and confusing.

Show, Don't Tell

Put simply, “show, don’t tell” means to avoid spelling out everything. If the point you are trying to make is that it was stormy outside, you wouldn’t say this exactly because that would be telling. Instead, you would help the reader discover this for themselves through the actions, dialogue, thoughts and senses you include. Here are some examples:

Showing: It was stormy outside.

Telling: Golf balls pounded the tin roof and blinding flashes lit the inky sky as the children huddled under their bed.

Showing: She was scared about giving the speech.

Telling: Her fingers shook as she stood at the podium, gulping as her eyes flicked between her speech notes and the dark silhouettes below.

I was taught to think of this rule as “show, don’t ONLY tell.” This is because you do need to tell sometimes, especially when you want the story to move along quickly. Your story would become too long-winded and hard to digest if you don’t include any telling.

I was taught to think of this rule as “show, don’t ONLY tell.” This is because you do need to tell sometimes...

Figurative Language

It’s always a good idea to include figurative language to make your creative writing more interesting and tick off the assessment criteria requirements. Examples of figurative language include similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, alliteration, onomatopoeia and idioms.

Short Story Example

The short story excerpts in the sections below are part of a short story I wrote in Year 11 English. We had to write a story in the post-apocalyptic genre. I chose to base my story on the Amazon rainforest repossessing land that was previously under the control of humankind. I wrote my story in past tense from the first person perspective of my protagonist.

How to Write a Short Story Exposition

As mentioned previously, try to start your short story in the middle of the action. Give some backstory so the story makes sense, but don’t give all of the backstory at once without any action.

Example Short Story Exposition:

It was as if the world was in fast forward and my body was on pause. The creepers and tree branches were crawling towards me rapidly, but my body was failing to react. Thick vines strangled my neck, while knotted roots swamped my body, chaining me to the Earth. A voice was screaming at me, a barely decipherable roar amid my desperate gasps for air. In the next moment I was back inside my body again, no longer watching from afar. A face loomed above me, wide-eyed and frantic. He was wrenching at the foliage enveloping me and I was struggling against the force of nature. But nature was intent on fighting back; on seeking revenge. Before I could manage a scream, a moss-covered vine crawled over my entire face, plunging the evergreen world into darkness.

How to Write a Short Story Ending

Make sure you give the reader a sense of satisfaction at the end of the story; this is why it is called a resolution. However, this doesn’t mean your ending can’t be implicit.

Example Short Story Ending:

From my perch two-hundred-feet above ground, I could see that the rainforest extended in every direction as far as the eye could see. Josh sat opposite me, balanced on another horizontal branch stemming from the Kapok. In the distance was the glimmer of the Amazon river, winding through the trees. I hadn’t yet asked Josh how I came to be where I was, rather than a flattened corpse resting at the base of the Kapok’s trunk. I didn’t need to. My focus was on the Amazon rainforest, the lungs of the world, extending towards the horizon in every direction. Hours beforehand I had believed that the end of the world had occurred. In a sense, I guess it had. But with time I taught myself to see that the end of the familiar was not the end of everything. It was simply the beginning of a new normal. And in this new evergreen world, I could see only beauty.

Hopefully, this article has shown you that the possibilities in creative short story writing are endless. Try to think beyond the fairytales from your childhood to create something new.

Get creative, and good luck!

Q: Can I start a short story with dialogue instead of action to grab the reader's attention?

A: Absolutely! Starting with dialogue is an effective way to grab the reader's attention. It's all about choosing a compelling opening that draws readers into the story immediately.

Q: Is it okay to include multiple points of view in a short story?

A: While it's technically possible, it's generally advisable to stick to one point of view in a short story to avoid confusion. Multiple points of view can complicate the narrative and make it harder for readers to follow. It’s usually reserved for longer stories.

Q: How do I know if I'm showing enough and not telling too much in my writing?

A: A good rule of thumb is to aim for a balance between showing and telling. Use showing to create vivid imagery and engage the reader's senses, but don't shy away from telling when it's necessary to move the story forward efficiently. When writing a short story, your word count will be limited, so don’t try and add descriptive language for everything!

Q: Is it necessary to have a clear resolution at the end of my short story?

A: While a clear resolution can provide a sense of closure for readers, it's not always necessary, especially if you're aiming for an open-ended or implicit ending. Focus on wrapping up the main storyline and leaving readers with a satisfying conclusion or thought-provoking idea.

Q: How many characters should I include in my short story?

A: There is no set amount for the number of characters you have in your short story. You can develop a great story with just one character! However, since you’re writing a short story, limiting the number of characters can help keep your story focused and prevent reader confusion. Aim to include only essential characters who contribute to the main plot or theme of the story.

Q: What should I do if I'm struggling to come up with ideas for my short story?

A: If you're struggling with ideas, try brainstorming, mind mapping, or drawing inspiration from your own experiences, interests, or current world events. Don't be afraid to experiment with different genres, themes, and writing styles until you find what works for you.

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• format('Y-m-d H:i:s')" class="comments-date"> 9 months ago ✓ Link copied!

I have read a lot of useful information

• format('Y-m-d H:i:s')" class="comments-date"> 1 year ago ✓ Link copied!

Hii do you have any tips of the Movie High Ground as we are doing that for the creative SAC on Monday?

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Insight: Engage

Vce english: preparing for the creative writing sac.

This week, English teacher and Insight writer Kate Macdonell provides tips on how to prepare for the creative writing SAC.

The creative writing SAC is a challenging but rewarding task where you can bring something original to the text you are studying. While you need to demonstrate your knowledge of the world of the text in your response, you must also craft a creative piece that does not repeat the original narrative.

This task is a great way to deepen your understanding of the elements of your chosen text (themes, characterisation, style, language use, structure, perspective etc.), and can be a great help when it comes to preparing for the end-of-year examination.

Guidelines of the task

Each school may run the creative writing SAC differently, so the format of the task may vary (e.g. a written piece, an oral presentation, an in-class task or an authenticated take-home task). While some schools will provide a list of topics for you to choose from, others will leave the topic selection up to you.

If you are given free rein to write a short story or a section of the narrative, you could choose from a number of possible directions, including writing from the perspective of a minor character, filling in a gap in the narrative, imagining a prequel or sequel to the narrative or writing an alternative ending.

Show your knowledge of the world of the text

Regardless of the focus of your creative piece, it is important that you capture the world of the text. To do this, you will need to consider more than just the key ideas and characters. Pay careful attention to the following and make notes before you start writing.

• Dialogue: Look at how dialogue is used in the original text. Is it used sparingly or frequently? Is it spliced with passages of internal monologue? In addition, pay attention to how the characters speak in the original text. If a character regularly uses contractions (it’d, he’ll, could’ve), malapropisms (‘cutting off my nose despite my face’), grammatically incorrect terms (‘could of’) or colloquial expressions (‘dude’, ‘bummer’), then you should incorporate these language features into your own writing.
• Narrative point of view: If you are responding to a novel or a collection of short stories, look at whether the original text is written in first person, second person, third person limited or third person omniscient. You should adopt this narrative point of view unless you have a strong reason for using a different type of narration.
• Verb tenses: Pay attention to the tenses used in the original narrative. In a text response essay you should use the present tense, but do not assume that that should be the case in your creative response.
• Symbols: If the original text you are writing on uses elements of imagery with particular connotations (e.g. mingling breaths as a form of connection, a blue light as a sign of clarity), then it is worth considering the use of similar symbols in your own work. However, remember that your word limit is relatively short (around 1000 words), which means there might not be enough scope to build in a motif or recurring symbol in your response.
• Setting: Be mindful of the geographical, historical and social settings of the original text. Do some research to ensure that the elements that make up the daily lives of your characters, such as the prevailing moral codes, are realistic for the time period. (You can’t just apply your own moral compass to the characters in your work; their moral values need to link to those in the original text.)
• Narrative structure and crisis points: Pay attention to the shape or arc of the original narrative. It is particularly important to note where the climactic/crisis points appear. Your narrative also needs to build to a crisis point, in order to be interesting and engaging.
• Language and style: Look at the rhythm of the language, the style (is it formal or informal?), the use of adjectives (are there many or few?), and the vocabulary (are the words familiar to you, or do they belong to an earlier decade or even to a futuristic world?).

Stay true to the original

Your work needs to stand on its own, but it also needs to pass for the original. Below are some tips on how you can achieve this.

• Do not introduce magical elements into your own narrative if they are not in the original text.
• Model your dialogue on the speech in the original text.
• A series of letters or journal entries can be written if they are relevant to the original text, but they are usually more effective if they appear within a short story.
• If you are fleshing out a minor character, be sure that you have a clear sense of who they are based on the information in the original text.
• Test different voices to capture the one that best suits your character.

The written explanation

The explanation is an important component of the task, as it helps your assessor understand what you have attempted in your creative piece and how well you understand the original text.

Your school will advise you on exactly how to produce the written explanation. Some schools will provide a template for you to complete, and others will ask you to write a series of paragraphs that reflect on the different elements of your creative piece (e.g. purpose, intended audience, form, narrative point of view, language use and how your text links to the original).

The creative writing SAC is a unique task that allows you to immerse yourself in the world of the text and bring something original to it. Enjoy this opportunity to engage creatively with your chosen text. Good luck!

Are you a budding author? Do you love to write? Enter the 2019 Insight Creative Writing Competition now for the chance to have your story read by award-winning Australian authors, and be in the running to share in over $3000 of cash prizes.

Photo credit: Maglara/Shutterstock

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