1. Creative Writing Coursework STARTER: “ Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence; and had lived nearly 21 years in the world with very little to distress or vex her.” (JANE AUSTEN - EMMA ) Describe one of your classmates, without naming them, using complex sentences, like Austen. Don’t just concentrate on their personality, but also describe what they look like. 5 mins

2. “ He simply said my name. He said “Martha,” and once again I could feel it happening. My legs trembled under the big white cloth and my head became fuzzy, though I was not drunk. It’s how I fall in love. He sat opposite. The love object.” (EDNA O’BRIEN - THE LOVE OBJECT ) What effect do simple sentences have on the reader, when compared with complex sentences? WALT: Create interesting openings for our creative coursework

3. Some more openings..! What do these beginnings tell us about what might follow? “Hale knew they meant to murder him before he had been in Brighton three hours.” (GRAHAM GREENE - BRIGHTON ROCK ) “Once upon a time…” ( ANON ) “ The first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it.” (J.D SALLINGER - THE CATCHER IN THE RYE )

4. Other ways of beginning… ““ Yes, of course, if it’s fine tomorrow,” said Mrs Ramsay. “ But you’ll have to be up with the lark,” she added.” (VIRGINIA WOOLF - TO THE LIGHTHOUSE) Start with dialogue: Hook the reader with emotion: “ 3 August 1873 - I was never so frightened as I am now.” (SARAH WATERS - AFFINITY) Start with a description which reflects the tone: “ A Saturday afternoon in November was approaching the time of Twilight, and the vast tract of unenclosed wild known as Egdon Heath embrowned itself moment by moment.” (THOMAS HARDY - THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE)

5. TASK: Create the opening to your creative piece Remember to: Make your writing interesting Vary your use of vocabulary and sentence structure Hook the reader