HOW TO USE THIS SITE

OK. So here you are. This is the place for English Electives at Turning Point. Currently we offer Writer's Craft (EWC) and English Media (EMS). All of thos assignments are on this site, and you could scroll through and find them all as needed, but there's an easier way.

At the bottom of this post there are 'labels' - EWC and EMS. These labels are one of the ways blogger organizes posts, and they function as links, so if you want to do the Media course simply click the EMS label. Conversely, if you want the Writer's Craft assignments just click the EWC label and it will take you to all of the EWC assignments.

We may develop the Literature course if there's enough interest, so if it's up your alley be sure to let me know.

EWC - Part 1 - Weekly Writing Journal (20%)

Here it is - the MAJOR task for this course, and it's not hard - at least the product itself isn't hard. The hardest part of being a writer, in my estimation anyway, is the fact that you need to write all the time. Even when you're sick. Even when you're busy with other things. Even when you're so sick of writing that you would rather jam a freshly sharpened pencil into your right hand. Writers need to write. That's what makes them writers. And most writers need to write because they need to appease an editor (who is behind a pay cheque).

That's what this part of the course is designed to prepare you for - or at least give you a taste. You will be required to submit a piece of writing (what that looks like will be explained below) once a week for eight (8) weeks (making at least eight (8) total submissions). Your editor (that's where I come in) will be expecting SOMETHING every week, so that's how you will be graded. Once you start submitting you will get a 5/5 if you give me something (proving that you found time to write that week) and a 0/5 if you don't.

Step 1
Choose a day for submissions. This will be the day you will give me something, every week. Think about your schedule and when makes sense for you. You can change this date once.

Step 2
Start writing. It may sound easier than it is - but the key will be making time in your weekly schedule to write something. It doesn't really matter what you write. Some weeks will (hopefully) be insipred and full, and others will be lighter - but the goal is to have SOMETHING new to submit every week.

You can submit either written pieces in person to my inbox (on my desk in J034) or you can email them to me (see contact info. above). It really doesn't matter - so long as you submit something.

Step 3
Select your favourite pieces for your portfolio. (See Part 5 of the course for more info about that.)

Writing Prompts
Sometimes we need a little spark to get our writing started, and there's nothing wrong with that. If you dind yourself unsure of what to write, finding a prompt will give you some focus and allow you to get something out - even if you don't love it, a 5/5 is a 5/5. 

If you do want a prompt, a quick google search will yield 100s of hits, but here are some that I've used. 
20 Writing Prompts
More Writing Prompts
Even More Writing Prompts
Writing Prompts for Character Development
Writing Prompts for Setting, POV and Plot

EWC - Part 2 - "The Writing Life" Investigation (15%)

Advice isn't always helpful, but why not take a listen to some writing pros who have some simple suggestions on how to do what they do so well. That's what I want for you with this part of the course. There are two parts - and both will give you some insight into what it is to be a 'pro' writer - like, you get PAID for it.

Step 1

First, I want you to read over some advice offered by some pros. Helpful? Not so much? I want you to consider it and give me your opinion.

"The Writing Life" Assignment Sheet

And here are some articles you'll need to complete the assignment.

Advice from Peggy Atwood
23 Tips from Famous Writers
D Brande's Becoming a Writer 

Step 2

Great. Now, to finish off this part of the course, I want you to spend a bit of time thinking about the various jobs available to the writer. Have you ever seen CareerCruising? Probably, and if not, today's your lucky day.

Here's the assignment sheet you'll need to complete the writer job search. All of the instructions for getting onto CareerCruising is on the sheet, but if you're having any problems, just ask me.

EWC - Part 3 - Critical Reading Report (20%)

So let me be clear, and blunt. If you want to be a writer, you need to be a reader. Yes, I've been preaching all course long that to be a writer you need to write, a lot. But you also need to be an avid and diverse reader.

Liken it to being a chef - in order to cook with imagination and inspiration you need to taste a lot of food, and lots of different kinds of food, and good food at that. It's the same thing with being a a writer. In order to stay inspired, motivated and educated you need to read widely and deeply. The classics. The underground. Poets. Playwrights. Novelists. They can all offer you something useful, but only if you use them for that.

You also need to make sure that when you read you are reading both as a reader AND as a writer. Reading as a reader is all about reading to understand WHAT happened - just enjoying the story and getting carried away in the adventure. But to read as a writer you need to take a step back - you need to be objective and watch HOW the author achieves what they achieve. HOW do they describe the characters so successfully such that they dance and talk and play about in your head all day? HOW do they design a setting that makes your sense tingle?

And that's what you're going to do here. I want you to read widely, and for this assignment, I want you to read, as a writer, at least five (5) different pieces of writing. Here is the assignment sheet you should use to create your Critical Reading Reports.

Feel free to choose selections from your own library, or choose some of the pieces below. Just make sure you review at least five (5) different authors.  

Novel Excerpts
Mistry's Family Matters
Adams' Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Woolf's To The Lighthouse
Smith's White Teeth

Poems
Some poems from Dorothy Livesay
Some poems from ee cummings
Some poems from Langston Hughes
Some poems from Maya Angelou
Some poems from Pablo Neruda

Short Stories
"Everyday Use" by Alice Walker
"The School" by Donald Barthelme
"The Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by G. G. Marquez
"Happy Endings" by Margaret Atwood
"Mr Coffee and Mr Fixit" by Raymond Carver

EWC - Part 4 - Writing BLOG/Forum Participation (15%)

Great. Now this is an important part of the course, and it's one that could, if done properly, last you long after the course is finished. I want you to involve yourself with an online writing community. There are many, many, many possible homes for your writing life, and part of being a successful writer is having a group of (objective) people who can be called on to give you honest opinions on your writing.

Here is an assignment sheet that explains the rationale and requirements of the assignment, but the basics are simple:

- find an online blog/forum that you like. You should like the material posted on the site, and you should like the way people talk to one another (I want you to involve yourself in this community, so it's important you not hate the people within).

- sign up for the forum and tell me your handle/user name.

- participate! You can post your own writing, or simply comment on the writing of others.

- participate at least 5 different times. The length of each post/comment doesn't really matter. Longer, more thought out posts/comments will receive a better mark, but five (5) comments of "I like your writing" will receive a passing mark.

OK? Any questions - you know the drill. ASK ME!

EWC - Part 5 - Culminating Task (30%)

Excellent! You've come a long way since you've started this course. You've (hopefully) been writing for at least eight-weeks now, and that in itself is a serious accomplishment. You've also read a considerable quantity of writing by professional writers, and you've begun to see writing as a writer sees writing (as opposed to how a reader sees writing). You've fully grasped the difference between reading something to figure out what it means (what a reader does) and reading something to figure how it means (what a writer does).

You've also considered what a life as a professional writer would be like and whether or not you might like to give it a shot.

Well, all of that hard wok is nearly over. Now we come to the final step. You will spend the last few weeks of this course preparing a 'writing portfolio'. Here is an assignment description to help guide you through this process.

Also, one of the first things you should do is read this article about HOW TO PROOFREAD AND POLISH your writing. It should help to put you in a positive state of my mind as you embark on this final leg of your journey.

What you need to know:

• you must submit evidence of your editing process (I don't want you cramming your whole course into the end of the semester - that will create shoddy editing, and shoddy writing

• you must submit a number of pieces - the specific number will depend n the type of writing:

                                                - poems - >7

                                                - short stories - at least 15 pages worth

                                                - novel  - an excerpt at least 15 pages long

                                                - articles - at least 2 articles (300+ words each)

                                                - script/screenplay - at least 15 pages

•  Any questions about the quantity, see me.

The borrom line is that if you've been working steadily through this course this final step should be a pleasant experience that should leave you feeling satisfied and proud. Let's talk about how you're doing and what you're working on. I can't wait to read your writing!

EMS - U1A1 - Where It All Came From

UNIT 1 - Different Forms of Media

OK. This is it - the first assignment for EMS3O1: English Media! This is where it all began. The classy looking gent above is Thomas Edison, the father of American invention. He's sitting next to his first phonograph, sort of like a record player. That picture was taken in 1899. Can you believe that in a little over 100 years we have gone from that, to a telephone that fits into your pocket capable of taking the picture, playing the music, and performing 100s of other vital (or trivial) tasks!?

The world of media is vast and impressive, and it can be a lot to figure out - but fear not, we will do it in steps, and by the end you'll be a savvy media consumer and even a fairly accomplished creator in your own right.

Let's get things started - here is the first assignment. It's a relatively short one, but it will function as a foundation, a reminder of where we've come from, and perhaps an indication of where we might be going. Deep.