HOW TO PLAY THE WRITING GAME...AND WIN!

Your teacher has just assigned you the one thing you dread, but know you will face several times during the school year in several of your classes.  Yes, that's right, kids, it's time to write

THE WRITTEN TASK I  and THE PAPER 1 COMPARATIVE ESSAY.  

You let out a deep sigh as you feel the heavy weight of dread in your gut, and your entire attitude fades to black.  It's as if someone has pulled a dark veil over your formerly sunny outlook.

Okay, maybe that's a BIT dramatic.  But for many of us, writing the essay is a task that takes more gumption just to begin than to actually complete.

Year one scholars, we are now in the process of writing our final WT1, which is anything but the formal essay.  If that isn't punishment enough, we also must include a rationale with it to clarify for ourselves and our reader just what it is we are doing, and how this great idea meets the course criteria (thus providing a possible highlight of where we have fallen short!)

Year two scholars, you are preparing for the Paper 1 final, which is a comparative (gulp!) essay!  It involves looking at two strange texts you have possibly never seen or encountered before, and comparing them--attempting to discover every possible important detail from word choice to purpose/theme....all in just two hours.

Now, now, now.  Writing an essay or a WT1 doesn't have to be such a downer.  In fact, it can become something you look forward to!  (Okay, maybe that's taking it a bit too far).  At the very least, it can be a challenge you are ready and able to meet.

Like anything else worth doing, writing takes what I like to refer to as the three P's:  perseverance, passion and patience.  You need to eliminate the idea of "trying my best" and substitute that notion with "I will DO my best."  Do not even entertain the notion of "this will be hard" or "I cannot do this well," or "my teacher will hate this."  Do not put it off until the last minute or it will be a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom.

Instead, set aside a quiet space, do some relaxation breathing like we learned in class, and ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS.  Silence your phone.  Do not allow yourself to text friends or scope out Facebook.  It's just you, some paper (or a screen) and words.  Take some time to go through your notes and quotes, and begin the process of writing.  Don't put the pressure of editing or grammar on yourself at this stage.  Writing is a process.  Allow your subconscious creativity to flow first, uninhibited.  You can fix it all later.

Be patient with yourself and your thoughts.  Wait for the right words or search them out until you find the one you truly feel is best.  Use a thesaurus for inspiration.  DON'T SURRENDER.

In the case of the WT1, write something YOU like.  Don't think about me (aka your teacher), or anyone else.  Take your topic, and write about it in an interesting way that appeals to you and reflects your writing style.

With the Paper 1, start with an organizational plan, even before you truly begin to attack the prompt and write.  Use what you know and have practiced in writing all year long.  Start simply with TAP and funnel down towards the nitty gritty details in the creation of the texts.  Go deep.  Again, revision and editing will come in the final stages.  The first stage of the writing process is....wait for it....PLANNING!  When you do begin to put your ideas and plans to paper and write, find something fun in it...something that stirs your creative passion.

Writing the essay or anything, for that matter, may never be your favorite thing to do, but at the very least it doesn't have to be a punishment.  Take some time to read these articles about "Writing" and specifically "Writing the Essay."  The tips are awesome, I think.  Drink them in, and come ready to attack ALL your writing challenges....

AND WIN.

Here are the links to writing tips for the essay, and just writing in general.  Read through them--some of the tips in them may be repeated, but reworded in a different way.  Sometimes, hearing the same thing multiple times and in different ways is key in helping to cement your understanding!  Then, in your post, tell me the tips you found the most helpful or enlightening.


1.  https://www.chegg.com/play/student-life/10-tips-for-writing-the-perfect-paper/

2.  http://thewritepractice.com/writing-an-essay/

3.  https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/advice-for-students-10-steps-toward-better-writing.html

PLOT TWIST: The Writer's Art of Misdirection

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED.  

That's a lesson that life will teach you...eventually.  I think that's why as readers, we appreciate and even revel in a well-written plot twist.  It's not just that they surprise and challenge us, it's that they make us realize that even when we think we've got everything figured out, the track can shift, and we may find ourselves moving in an entirely new (yet not completely unforeseeable provided we are blessed with enlightened powers of observation) direction.

Literature's goal, as an art form, is to imitate life.  Even if a book is written in the realm of fantasy, it needs to feel, at its heart, possible.  We want characters we can relate to:  protagonists who are perfectly flawed, and antagonists that aren't without some redeeming qualities.  A good story can assure us that we are not alone...even when we are.  Our stories can intersect on some strange and cosmic level, connecting us to our favorite authors; even if we are separated by space, time, or both.  Stories are very much like the soul:  timeless and eternal.

So...what's the big deal about the plot twist?  Well, like complex characters, they add depth and texture.  Also, they are very real - life is full of them!  They can be good or bad; surprising or terrifying; but they definitely exist, and our fascination with them transcends cultures, just like great characters and themes.

Consider this story from the halls of American history... 

He was known as Easy Eddie, and he lacked for nothing.  He was the slickest of the slick lawyers and was already a big success when he started working for the most powerful man in 1920's Chicago:  Al Capone.  One of his most lucrative responsibilities for the Mob Boss was to run the dog track gambling ring. (Eddie mastered the simple technique of fixing the race by overfeeding seven dogs and then betting on the eighth!  Clever!)  Eddie became one of Capone's most trusted lawyers and legal advisors who helped keep his empire-- which was built on racketeering, bootlegging, gambling, and prostitution--out of trouble. 

So...why did he turn himself in?   Why did he offer to squeal on Capone to the Feds?  Didn't Eddie understand the ramifications of "ratting" on the mob?  He knew, to be sure.  Maybe he saw the writing on the wall.  Maybe he sensed that the carefully constructed empire of "Scarface" and his cronies was about to crumble.  Maybe he thought by being on the right side of the law when the dust cleared, he'd be able to continue breathing the fresh air of freedom instead of the stale air behind bars with all the rest of them.  Maybe.

Or maybe there was another hitch.  You see, Eddie had a son. 

Eddie had spent most of his own life with the deplorable.  He had smelled the stench of the underground long enough.  He wanted more than that for his son:  solid friends, respectable education, and a name to be revered, not just "remembered."  In order to do this, he would have to clear his own slate first, and so he did.

The tragedy here was that Easy Eddie never saw his dream come true.  After he squealed, Capone went to jail, but the mob remembered.  Two shotgun blasts would silence him forever.  We saw that coming, didn't we?  Nothing surprising about finding yourself six feet under after taking the mob to the table.

But...that's not the end of the story.  

For reasons still disputed, Eddie did the right thing.  Was it worth it?  I believe that if Eddie had lived to see his son; Edward, Jr., or "Butch," as he came to be called; grow up, he would have answered with a resounding "YES!"  I believe he would have been proud of Butch's appointment to the Naval Academy in Annapolis.  I think he would also have been proud of the young man's commissioning as a World War II Navy Ace pilot.  I think he would have been proud as he read about his son's downing of five Japanese bombers one night over the Pacific, and his saving the lives of hundreds of crewmen on the carrier Lexington.  I think the biggest twist of all that would have made Eddie proud, however, was when his son officially cleared the family name and became the first pilot ever to be decorated with the Medal of Honor. 

Sadly, in 1943, Butch led a squadron of night fighters and never returned home.  He died at the young age of 29, a hero serving his country.  Tragic as it was, I think that Butch's father, Easy Eddie, would have been proud of that, too.

Ready for the final one two punch in this real life story?  You most likely KNOW the name that Eddie was trying so hard to save--the name his son Butch so readily redeemed.  Ever been to Chicago?  If you have, you probably flew into O'Hare Airport.  Easy Eddie's famous son was named Edward "Butch" O'Hare, and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport bears their family name!

See? Wasn't that fun? 

In literature, just as in life, we enjoy a good plot twist.  What are some of your favorite titles or movies?  Do they have a plot twist that turned your world even just a little bit upside down? 

If so, please share...and then, watch the video about the art of the plot twist misdirection by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuorsbghT5M    

Aspiring writers and readers alike, please also enjoy this article entitled, "Ten Simple Tricks for Writing Clever Plot Twists:"  https://writersedit.com/fiction-writing/10-simple-tips-writing-clever-plot-twists/ 

Share your thoughts on the video and article, as well.

Next time you pick up a new book, sit down with your favorite snack in the darkened movie theater, or just step out the door into the world to start a new day, don't take anything for granted.  Remember to keep your eyes peeled, watch your step, and never underestimate anybody you meet.  The path of a good story has many a twist and turn...

And you never really know where the adventure will take you!