Developing Critical Thinking through Creative Writing Exercises

Three Sentence Summary

Summary of “Little Red Riding Hood”:

Red is naïve and gullible.Red meets Wolf.Red is cautious and mature.

Three Sentence Summary

Summary of “Cinderella”:

Cinderella is a poor slave.Cinderella meets Prince.Cinderella is a happy princess.

Story-Boarding “Little Red Riding Hood”

Panel One: Red’s mother asking her to take the goodies to Grandma

Panel Two: Conversation with the wolfPanel Three: Wolf getting to Grandma’s housePanel Four: Red at Grandma’s, about to be

eaten Panel Five: The woodsman saving everyone

Story-Boarding “Cinderella”

Panel One: Cinderella is cleaning the house when she hears about the ball.

Panel Two: Cinderella meets the Fairy Godmother.

Panel Three: Cinderella dances with the Prince.Panel Four: Cinderella loses one glass slipper. Panel Five: The shoe fits.

On the Shapes of Stories

A short lecture by Kurt Vonnegut

“Thanatos Palace Hotel”by Andre Maurois 1) What problems does the author pose in the opening? (2) What words show the mood of the main character? (3) Why does the author bring in the character of Gertrude Owen? **

"How’s AMSTEEL doing?” Jean Monnier asked. “Fifty-nine and a quarter,” one of the typists in the pool answered. The

clattering typewriters were beating out a syncopated jazz rhythm. Through thewindows one glimpsed the concrete giants of Manhattan. Telephones shrilled, ribbons of ticker tape unfurled and, at incredible speed, littered the office floor with sinister streamers speckled with letters and figures.

“AmSteel?” Jean Monnier asked again. “Fifty-nine,” Gertrude Owen answered. She stopped a moment to glance at the

young Frenchman. Sunk in a chair, his head in his hands, he looked utterly devastated. One more who’s played the market, she thought. Too bad for him! . . . And too bad for Fanny . . Jean Monnier, assigned to the New York branch of the Holmann Bank, had married his American secretary two years before.

“Flowers in Season” by Andre Maurois (1) Who is the main character of the story? What is his mood in the opening scene? (2) What is the main conflict? What do you think will happen by the end of the story to

the main character? (3) What purpose do the two caretakers serve in the opening scene? Will the author

use them later in the story?

Etienne Carlut got out of the taxi in front of the main gate to the Montparnasse cemetery. He was carrying a bunch of chrysanthemums aflame with all the fires of autumn, from rust red to vivid yellow. As he passed the two caretakers who guard the entrance, one of them saluted. Encumbered by his flowers, he replied merely with a nod. “You know him, chief?” “A little, yes. He’s a professor. They buried his wife over in Section 7, end of July. He comes every Thursday—he has no classes that day. He told me that—at the beginning.” “Too young to be a widower. He won’t be coming long.” “You never can tell. No, you never can tell. It depends on the kind of person.”

Creative Writing Exercises

Jumble StoryChoose four numbers

from 1 to 10.

Your Character1. a forest gnome2. a photographer 3. a high school student4. a restaurant owner or manager 5. an alien from outer space 6. a space scientist 7. a wizard8. a middle school teacher9. a kid10. a jazz musician

Your Setting1. the Grand Canyon2. a beach with high cliffs 3. a costume party 4. school playground 5. an antiques store 6. a city park 7. old farmhouse 8. a polluted stream 9. a library 10. a concert hall

Your Time1. during a snowball fight2. after a strange spacecraft landed nearby3. on the night of the full moon in October 4. during school vacation5. just before the Solar eclipse 6. late at night 7. after a big thunderstorm has passed 8. in early spring 9. first week of the school year 10.during a concert

Your Situation/Challenge1. an important decision needs to be made 2. a secret needs to be confessed to someone else 3. someone's pride has been injured 4. someone needs to make a choice 5. someone has found or lost something 6. someone has accused someone else of doing

something wrong 7. reminiscing on how things have changed 8. someone feels like giving up 9. something embarrassing has just happened 10. someone has just reached an important goal

Your Story Write a story with the character, setting, time

period, and situation that you've chosen. Combine these elements as you wish, but include all four in your story. Feel free to add other characters and settings.

You are lost in the woods at night. As you are trying to find your way out, your flashlight catches a glistening gold color in the hills to the north. You take two steps in the general direction of the hills. Suddenly, a burst of freezing cold air smacks you in the face. The air feels almost tangible.

Lost in the Woods

Write about what happens next.

Start with: Under normal circumstances, I …

Pick a number between 1 and 6. Go to the next page to find the last sentence of your story.

Lost in the Woods

1. And that’s how I ended up inventing compass-glasses.

2. Now you know why the smell of burning wood always evokes such mixed feelings in me.

3. It’s a bit creepy to know that what sounds like fiction is really true.

4. Thank goodness the realtor was a good sport.5. Next time, I will take the high road.6. The next time somebody tells you there’s

money in the hills, listen.

Lost in the Woods

Congratulations on your new job writing for an upstart supermarket tabloid! Unfortunately, your budget is limited. You only have a pen and a notebook. When you ask your boss how you are supposed to do research, he says, “Everything you need is already in your head. Just write.” Before he leaves you in the office, he gives you the headline for today’s feature story.

Pick a number between 1 and 6.

It’s All in Your Head

1. Woman Born with Wings Takes Flight2. Flute-Playing Mermaid Spotted in Downtown

Tucson Practicing Scales3. Mummified Man with Ten Thousand Bee Stings

Found in the Desert4. Boy with Static Electricity Disease Sparks

Major Fire5. Talking Horse Hoarse from Cheering at Ft.

Myers Racetrack6. Policeman Arrested for Posing as Person Posing

as Policeman

It’s All in Your Head

You are on a long-distance bus ride. A few hours into your trip, a new person gets on and sits next to you. You are sure you’ll never see this person again, so you decide to confess something to this person.

Start with: A while back…

Pick a number between 1 and 6.

Confessions

1. counterfeit, chamber, Chinatown, cheated, chain

2. pirate, papers, permission, pickle, prohibited

3. accident, arson, arrest, afterthought, anxious

4. misunderstood, money, murder, memory, master plan

5. lawyer, lost, loot, lifted, love6. fog, forge, filth, fraud, forgotten

Confessions:Words to Use in Your Confession

Writing Dialogue

Dialogue“Hi,” she said.“Hello,” he said.“Did you have a good day?” she said.“I sure did,” he said.“Good,” she said.

Dialogue“You’re red,” Jeanine said quietly.“A snake. I bought a snake,” I said hesitatingly.“You bought a snake?” she said dryly. “You bought a snake.”“From Andy…,” I said tersely.“Oh my!” Jeanine said loudly. “It’s in the box! You brought a snake in here!”“No, no,” I said gently.“You can’t do this,” she said unhappily. “Not in my house.”

Dialogue“You’re red,” Jeanine said.“A snake. I bought a snake,” I whispered.“You bought a snake?” she exclaimed. “You bought a snake.”“From Andy…,” I responded.“Oh my!” Jeanine shouted. “It’s in the box! You brought a snake in here!”“No, no,” I replied.“You can’t do this,” she stated. “Not in my house.”

Dialogue“You’re red,” Jeanine said when I walked in the apartment, my arms slung around the huge box marked FRAGILE: EGGS.“A snake,” I said. “I bought a snake.” The huge box shifted in my arms.“You bought a snake?” She sneered a bit, then turned a page in her magazine. “You bought a snake.” Now she was saying it just to hear herself.“From Andy….” The bottom of the box was wet. My new snake.“Oh my! It’s in the box! You brought a snake in here!” She was screaming now, rising from the couch, arming herself by rolling the magazine.I turned from her. “No, no.”

How to Write a Good Short StoryAdvice from Kurt Vonnegut