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Term 1: Short Story
Term 1: Short Story
As a Year One student in Literary Arts (LA), the first genre of writing that we learnt was short story. One of the first things we were taught to do was world building in fantasy and science fiction. It was a very interesting and enjoyable experience to learn how to create a brand new fictional universe. We learned how to create laws, history and even new religions. Our pieces also went through many rounds of editing and drafting, based on feedback from our teachers and fellow classmates, in a process we call workshopping.
Short story:
“The smell of iron clung to the air. A group of villagers wielding sharp
implements are hard at work, picking scales off a giant carcass, and the floor is
stained crimson. As they move around, the red liquid, thick and sticky, clings onto
their boots.
The Knights were sent on a quest set by the king of Erindale to eliminate the
last dragon in the country. All the other knights who had gone before never returned.
The dragon was being hunted for its destruction of the villages, burning them to a
crisp and for its senseless and cold-blooded murder of the innocent inhabitants.
Wherever it went, it left behind a trail of fiery destruction and countless deaths.
Enraged that the dragon was wreaking havoc in his kingdom, King George V issued
a royal edict, ordering the dragon to be hunted down and killed.
Only the bravest knights dared to join the quest. Ben, though not a knight,
was a skilled fighter and most of all possessed a brave heart. He was the best in the
kingdom. Ben always exhibited a steely exterior, devoid of feelings. He exuded an air
of threat and malice. Ben was on his own personal mission to track down this
dreadful beast and was determined to vanquish it. Unbeknownst to many, Ben had
suffered a personal tragedy.
That fateful day, Ben had witnessed from a distance a swooping shape of a
dragon taking off from his village. The flames from his burning village illuminated the
dragon in all of its fearsome magnificence. All he could think of was the safety of his
wife and child. He bolted towards the smoking ruins of his village, legs pumping
madly. When he arrived at what used to be his home, he was met with the limp
bodies of his beloved wife and child. He frantically checked for a pulse, but all was
still. Ben clenched his fists and howled into the air, “I will kill you, you beast. An eye
for an eye. I will hunt you down even to the ends of the Earth.” From then on, he
channeled all his energy into tracking the beast down, fuelled by the cavern of hatred
in his aching heart.”
By Ernest Goh, LA1B
Term 2: Playwriting
Term 2: Playwriting
The next thing we learnt was Playwriting. Playwriting was mostly held across the HBL and circuit breaker period, and so we were not able to experience it fully. However, we still had very fulfilling lessons. We learnt how to create realistic dialogue and well-rounded, multi-dimensional characters. Setting and characterisation was an extremely important part of playwriting, and so we did many activities revolving around that. Below is the first page of Food for Thought.
Written by Ayla LA1A
Term 3: Poetry
Term 3: Poetry
In Term 3, we were introduced to poetry. We discovered the different types of poems like shape poems or events poems and many literary devices. We were taught how to line break as well, and learnt that where the poet chooses to break his or her line can make a big difference to the poem. Overall, the experience was enjoyable for all of us as we were given the chance to read our classmates’ works, share our writing with the class and get feedback on how to improve.
“Town Carnival
The Annual Town Carnival,
it’s finally here!
People rush inside with high spirits,
to be greeted with the sweets smell
of cotton candy clouds in the air,
and buttery popcorn pops.
Caramel apple sauce
drip from their chins.
Gooey chocolate cakes
melting in their mouths.
Scoops of rich creamy
milky ice-cream.
Boisterous kids flood the stalls,
waving the crumpled bills in their hands
snatching snacks from the vendor’s hands.
Crunching on the last bit
of crumbs
from the greasy bags of food.
They line up waiting for their chance,
to enjoy
the roller coaster rides
and carousels.
Fidgeting on the spot
bubbling with excitement.
The day flew by quickly.
Children flood the water cooler,
as they meet the last rays of sun
before the sky is painted dark blue,
ending the fun filled day.
They walk through the gates
with satisfied smiles on their faces.”
By Alexander Box, LA1A
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