1. It is imperative to write a relatively good story! Of the ‘200’ marks for English, we are always harping on getting the main bulk, i.e. – ‘Paper 2’, as high as we can. But if you look at the every grammar / vocabulary / cloze question and say that it is important, is it not the same that you have ‘lost’ ten to fifteen questions wrong if you score ‘30’ or ‘25’ for continuous writing?
2. Opening – The normal openings are ‘sound’ and ‘dialogue’. You can use a question, an adage, or just a statement of exclamation. E.g. That had to be the worst day of my life! / I had to score that penalty in the last minute of normal time! / I would never go on a trip to the zoological gardens again! as a hook, and explain.
3. Plotting – Whenever possible, design your plot to have a climax near the end. Lead the reader on an emotional roller-coaster ride. Skilful writers are able to lead the reader to think that the story is destined for an expected ending before reining them in to an unexpected, pleasant closure.
4. Ending – Never end the story immediately after the climax; have a (few) paragraph(s) to explain the feelings after the climax and what the story you wrote meant to the main character. The reader might ask: “So what does this mean to the main character?” Be sure to answer that!
5. Flashback - For a flashback, conclude by bringing the story back to the start of your story (present situation). Your last paragraph could entail your main character snapping out of his/her thoughts back to the present situation with a grin, a shudder, etc.
6. Language – It is possible to score for language! Try your utmost to use different terms to mean the same people / things. E.g. Police = men in blue = capable crook-catchers (notice alliteration!) = law-enforcers. Ensure that you use a few instances of a particular creative writing technique taught. This could be deliberately thought of but used subtly. Techniques include: creative similes, alliteration, idioms, good phrases, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, personification, rhyme, question, etc.
7. Describe characters / actions / setting – Consider these: [The girl cried in the canteen. No one cared about her.] vs [Curling pitifully in a heap at the secluded corner of the school canteen, the primary three girl sat alone. The shoulder-length haired girl wailed pitifully. It must have been a hundred-decibel loud – louder than the noise emanated by a subway train. Something was apparently wrong. Yet, no one seemed to take any notice of her.] Which did you prefer reading?
8. Feelings – Write about your characters’ feelings! We experience many different feelings within the space of an hour. Your characters should too. Make the feelings explicit! Tell your readers how they felt at different points in your story.
9. Proofread – Students feel they have nothing to check after writing. They choose to lay on the desk and sleep. How wrong they are! Make use of the invaluable time to reread your story as a reader, not an author. You might have spelt words wrongly in haste to get your writing done! Check for possible errors used in tenses. See if you can add any description, feeling, anything! Improve upon your writing!
Hope these help! Next, I will try to consolidate some examples of good phrases and creative writing, I wish you all the best in writing!
