So You Want To Be A Writer? Creative and Media Texts

year long elective

Subject Overview

Are you an avid writer or budding journalist? Do you want to hone your skills in world-building, character development, or sensory description? Do you want to expose truth, investigate current issues, and amplify the voices of people around you?

 In this subject you will explore key skills and knowledge that will assist you in sharing powerful stories through the magic of the written word. You will do this through a focus on Creative writing in Semester One, and Journalism in Semester Two.

Content and ideas:

In the first semester of this subject, you will look closely at what makes a good story, things like world building, characterisation, writing to show and not tell, cohesive structure and enhancing creativity.  We’ll delve into the tricks of a writer’s toolkit: literary devices like metaphors and similes, strong verbs and rich adjectives, as well as writing from a point of view and imbedding themes into your work to give depth to your stories.  We’ll explore a range of text types, not just novels.

In the second semester you will embark on a study of journalism, looking at a range of journalistic forms before creating your own class publication. You will have regular opportunity to discuss current events and the way they are reported. In this unit you will develop your understanding of the characteristics of print, digital and broadcast media, explore the changing media landscape in Australia, and compare the values and principals of different media outlets. You will look at the role of bias in the media and in public discussion of current events.

Typical class activities:

 In the first half of the year, classes will be structured around:

• Opportunities for students to workshop their creative pieces with their peers in a collaborative and safe environment.

• Writing from prompts and focused learning experiences focusing on important writing skills and tricks. 

• Exploration of the writing process as a whole, looking at the big picture and the milestones between starting your story and publishing it.

• The opportunity for students to create and edit their own anthology of fiction, poetry, non-fiction and art.

In semester two, you will work in a group to produce your own newspaper, read and compare a range of current newspapers and news sites, create your own news pieces and opinion articles.  

Across the year activities will include a range of approaches to unpack the most effective ways authors tell their fictional and non-fiction stories through close analysis; reading together and learning from the best.  We will engage in writing workshops collaboratively, focusing on specific tricks and crafts that boost your writing powers with the intention to share our work and give and gain constructive feedback.   

In both semesters there will be opportunity to self-publish work, either in a volume of printed books that we can take home, sell or use as a portfolio for future applications and employment in Semester One, or as a published newspaper in Semester Two.

Skills focus:

At the end of this subject you will be able to:

• Write and edit strong prose and other modes of writing that demonstrate your creative and journalistic flair

• Harness the power of punctuation and grammar to strengthen your writer’s ‘voice’

• Boost your vocabulary with new and exciting words

• Analyse the devices authors use to ‘suck us in’ to their stories

• Think critically about the ways ideas are presented to us in creative and media texts

• ‘Switch hats’ across a range of different writing styles and genres.

Assessment Tasks:

• Folio of creative writing into different genres and modes

• Creation of an anthology of student work

• Individual extended piece of fiction

• Creation of a TC conspiracy theory

• Collaborative newspaper production

• Compare the representation of an issue across media outlets

Do this subject if:

• You are wanting to hone your skills as a story teller and writer

• You love writing and aren’t satisfied at the level of creative writing in other English subjects.

• You just want to work on that epic novel that you’ve been toiling away at for years!

• You enjoy keeping up with and discussing current news and affairs

• You enjoy working in a group and wish to create your own newspaper

Student Testimonial

“As soon as I stepped into this class I knew the students wouldn’t be judgemental or rude. They just want to give constructive feedback and help each other out. I've been to a few electives and tried different things out but I've felt like an outcast and like I shouldn’t be there. It was different for this class. The teacher was polite and the students were passion-driven which made it a nice environment to be in.”