An update from our second Writing Workshop with Conner Bassett A summary of the workshop held on Saturday April 24, plus some of the output published below In the second Writing Workshop of the Spring/Summer Session led by Conner Bassett, we discussed the differences between plot and narrative. Firstly, we considered the fact that while all plots are narratives, not all narratives are plots. Following this, we distinguished narrative as a general term that encompasses all stories, and whose events are incidental as well as connected by the conjunction “and.” Plot, however, was how a story is told, meaning that events follow “and so,” leading to a deliberate beginning, middle and end. We then discussed the significance of plot, how it provides a narrative with inevitability, connectivity, and consequence through its ability to imbue every individual action with meaning. Next, we moved into a musical exercise as a means of further distinguishing plot vs. narrative, listening to an excerpt from “So What,” by Miles Davis, and an excerpt from the third movement of Beethoven’s Fifth, coming to the conclusion that the meandering, roaming tune from Miles Davis better represented narrative, while the building, crescendoing nature of Beethoven’s Fifth represented plot. To wrap things up, we discussed the sequential narrative of Don Quixote, and the taught, precise plot of the story of Moses. The Challenge: Choose one of three paintings between Starry Night by Van Gogh, The Scream by Edvard Munch, or Nighthawks by Edward Hopper. Once you’ve chosen a painting, write a story or poem that progresses towards a conclusion, the conclusion being the image of the painting. Nighthawks The Scream Starry Night The Participants: Helen, Jackson, Olivia, Sena, Isolde, Harine, Emma, Svitra, Josh, Aditi, Audrey, Emizzi, Noa, Sasha Sasha D, 10Moseley, VA One Starry Night Sasha D, 10 “Shake a leg Gabby, we are going to be late!” Papa yelled at me. “I’m tryin I’m tryin!” I yelled back. We ran, ducking under people, trying to get to the bank. Mama and Papa forgot to pay the bills because we are moving out of our house. Papa is desperate to get money out of the bank so he can use it to pay bills. Mama has a night shift, so I have to come along. Papa can be mean when he gets stressed out. That’s why I tried not to say a word while we were walking. Mama and Papa are also going on a date in 2 hours. We don’t have enough money to hire a babysitter, which means that I must come along. They say that when I am 15 I will be allowed to stay home all by myself. But that feels like forever! “We are almost there, Gabby!” Papa exclaimed. I did not say a word. I knew Papa would’ve cut me off. Papa burst into the town’s bank, Country Side’s Coins. Everybody stopped and stared. I tried to act like I didn’t know him, but everybody in town knows who we are. “Welcome Mr. Collins.” Mr. Merryson said with a smile. I gasped. “Mr. Merryson!” I yelled. I ran around the desk to give him a BIG hug! “Long time no see, Troy.” Papa said, shaking his hand. “Will you be able to watch me tonight while Mama and Papa go out on their date?” I asked Mr. Merryson with puppy dog eyes. “I am afraid not my little Gabby.. Mrs. Merryson is very ill. I must make sure she will be okay.” Mr. Merryson said with depression. “Oh. Alright. I hope Mrs. Merryson feels better!” I said, sounding gloomy. I stood over by the front entrance, waiting for Papa. Mr. Merryson and Papa talked most of the time until Papa realized it was 8:30 at night. Mr. Merryson gave Papa the money, and we rushed to Mama’s job. Mama works at an Appliance Store. Folks around here mostly call it Amazing Appliances. “Papa? We should take a carriage there. It’ll be faster.” I suggested. “No, Gabby. You don’t understand-” “But I do! I do understand, Papa!” “No! You do not!” Papa said. I could feel a tear slowly slide down my cheek. We kept on walking in silence. We had arrived at Mama’s job. “Oh, Gabby!” Mama yelled. Mama ran to me and picked me up. “Mama!” I said as we hugged. On our way to their date spot, Papa let me ride on his back. “Look, Mama, Papa!” I said as I pointed up to the sky. One little dot had appeared. Several appeared after. Papa looked at the sky too. “You know what? We don’t need a fancy restaurant…..” Papa said. “Huh?” Mama and I both said. Papa put me down and crumbled up the reservation paper and threw it in the garbage can. “Why would you do that?” I asked. Papa just smiled as he held my hand, as well as Mama. As we walked all the way home, Mama and Papa were talking about things I did not understand. Once we got home, Mama and Papa got warm blankets from inside. “ I wonder.. ” I thought to myself. Mama and Papa came out with 3 blankets. Papa lay down the 3 blankets on the soft, newly cut, green grass. He laid on his blanket, put his hands behind his head, and sighed. “What are you looking at, Papa?” I asked. “The stars!” Papa said, still looking at the stars. “Oh!” I said. “May I do that as well, Papa?” I asked, looking at Papa. “Of course, Gabby!!” Papa said. I got in the same position as Papa. I smiled as I gazed up into the sky that was lit up by these little dots that go by the name, Stars. “Mama?” I said. “Yes, Gabriela?” Mama replied. “Can I name the stars?” I asked. “Well… if you would like…” Mama said, confused. I squealed silently. “That one is Sarah, this one Sam, Sadie, Samuel, Rachel, Brady, Briley, Ryan, and Katy!” I only named a few.
Stone Soup Magazine for young readers, writers, and artists
A Lantern of Chinese Tradition
A Chinese lantern is typically red. It has a red string at the top to hold; it also has some Chinese words on its body and gold strips at the bottom. It is normally in red and gold because both colors mean richness and luck, as a traditional wish. Inside of the Chinese lantern is made of red cloth and has a candle to light it up. Thousands and millions of Chinese lanterns are hanged in the sky over the streets on the day of the Chinese Lantern Festival. The festival is in the first month of Chinese lunar year and it is often in January or February. On the day, people like to eat sweet rice dumplings and go to guess riddles which they can find at the bottom of lanterns. If they get the right answer, the sellers of the Chinese lanterns will give them a gift. To celebrate the Chinese Lantern Festival, I have made my own orange lantern. It has no strips. Instead, it has a wood stick and four red strings to hold at the top. You can write Chinese words on it or you can paint it. Inside of it definitely has orange inner skin; you can also put a candle in it, if you want. For this orange lantern, I used a big orange, some strings, a needle, and a chopstick. The first step was to cut the top of the orange open, and then to take out the orange inside carefully. The second step was to get the needle and string and put it through the peel near the cut and do the other one in the opposite direction. The third step was to get the chopstick and tie the two ends of the two strings together on the stick. The fourth step was to take the excess and string it around the stick to make a knot for extra security, or else the strings might get loose and the lantern might fall. It is fun to eat all of an orange and play with an orange lantern at the same time.
Weekly Creativity #151 | Flash Contest #31: Write a Story Based on a Terrible Book Title
Make up at least five terrible book titles (they don’t have to make sense!) and write a story based on the most ridiculous one. Submit your entries here.
