Scary Story Contest

So you like scary stories?
You like to be giddy, on the edge of your seat with suspense and fear? 

Glenn Middle School is hosting the first annual Scary Story Contest, so that Glenn students can see if they've got the skills to scare their teachers, friends and principals. 

Here are the details, and some tips to help you:

Scary Story Contest

Can you spin a tale to terrify your teachers?

Write a one to two page story about:

ghosts, monsters, haunted houses, or anything else that chills the blood and brings on goosebumps.
disappearances, or things that go bump in the night.

Keep us in suspense and guessing what comes next. It is your turn to strike fear into the heart of your readers. To creep them out, and up at night with a nightlight on. 

Each grade will be judged separately, and the best story for each grade level will win an iTunes gift card. The best overall scary story will also win the title, "King of Terror."

Submit your scary stories to Mrs. Ball in room C-15 by October 27th, 2015.

Winners will be announced on October 30th, 2015.

Warning:

Stories MUST be school appropriate. So no guts, gore, graphic descriptions of bodily fluids and mutilation. This is about suspense, NOT horror. 

What's the difference?

In a suspense story, the reader *imagines* what all bad, and awful and horrible could happen, but never actually has to read about it. They have to use the dark side of their imagination to fill in the blanks and the unknown in the story.

In a horror story, the reader is forced to read about every gruesome detail. There is no mystery or 'what if', and the reader is more grossed out than fearful. 

As a scary story author, your goal is to leave enough clues, enough hints that the reader can infer what all can go wrong, what evil lurks around every corner, without showing that evil. That not knowing for sure just makes them even more anxious about what's going to happen.

Here's an example of suspense story:

John stood at the bottom of the stairs. Up was his only option. The staircase hugged the wall, with it's chipped and crumbling wall paper. Suddenly, with a pop and fizzle, the lights went out. John was left in the suffocating darkness. He put his hand against the wall to guide him up the stairs, but instantly pulled it back. His fingertips were wet and sticky. And the slick substance smelled like old keys. He hastily wiped it on his pants. 

He took a step up, the stairs creaking under his weight. He was halfway up the stairs when a downdraft of freezing air hit him full on in the face. The rotten stench shoved him backwards, and John fell backwards. John reached out to grab something, anything, and felt a cold hand grab his...

Why it works:

1. We are not writing from the killer's or a psychopath's point of view. (Seriously, that just makes us worry about the author's sanity).
2. We are left to imagine what the wet stuff is on the wall (it's blood, duh), but having to wonder and figure it out ourselves makes us think more about it. We get to imagine it ourselves, and that grosses us out less than if we read, "John put his hand against the wall into an oozing mess of deep red blood." <-- That line makes me stop reading your story for a second because it's gross. 
3. Just like John, we are in the dark about what is going on. That scares us more than knowing for sure. What is the rotten stench, did it mean to knock John down, and where is that cold hand coming from, why is that cold hand grabbing John's? Those questions will keep us reading the story to find out. 
4. Finally, it is original. No Slenderman, no Chucky, no Charlie, no Michael Myers or Freddie Kruger, or Annabelle. Using those characters is plagiarism. (Not to mention those are ALL horror characters). Cheaters never prosper. 

So, if you think you've got what it takes...

ENTER IF YOU DARE.

Story with a Setting

Writing settings can be hard. 

It takes a lot of skill and practice to take a picture that exists in your head and paint it with words so that it can shine in the minds of your readers.

How do you do it?

The key to every setting; the most important part of any setting are the Sensory Details. Sensory Details are details that appeal to or describe the five senses: seeing, smelling, hearing, touching (feeling) and tasting.  

Just by choosing the right Sensory Details, an author can help the reader visualize what's happening in the story. The right Sensory Details can help establish a mood for the reader (Mood = an emotion created for the reader). Sensory Details also help describe characters and develop conflict.

So choosing the right Sensory Details is something authors should plan, practice and revise for.

Here's some tips to help.

When planning your story, DON'T scrimp on the Sensory Details. Pay attention to the setting that you choose for your story, and choose it deliberately.

Step One: Ask yourself these questions:

1) Where would my character be?
2) What setting will make my problem more complicated?
3) What mood does this part of the story need?

Step Two: BRAINSTORM some ideas. 

Come up with as many details as you can possibly think of. It helps to be specific. For example, your setting doesn't just smell yummy, it smells like cinnamon and brown sugar. There isn't just a car engine, the car engine is rattling and clunking (or it is purring and humming).

Fill out the bubble map below to help organize your Sensory Details.

Step Three: Choose the Sensory Details that will be the most useful in describing your setting.

You should choose details that describe at least three (3) different senses for every setting in your story.
If you change settings, create another bubble map and choose three (3) types of Sensory Details to include in your setting description.

Step Four: Write Your Story!

Once you have your ideas planned out, put them down on paper.

One last tip, Sensory Details should be woven throughout the story. A great author will spend at least 25% of their word count describing the setting.

So... Now it is YOUR turn. 

Write a story that includes a setting. The story should have a beginning, middle and end, and include a specific, descriptive setting. The setting should establish a mood, it should describe the characters and help develop the conflict.

Click the link below to access the rubric for this assignment:

Story with a Setting Rubric

Due Dates:

Rough Draft due Tuesday September 29, 2015

Revisions due Monday October 5, 2015

Final Draft due Wednesday October 8, 2015

Writing about Yourself

The easiest things to write about are the things you know most about. And for me, I know the most about myself: my life and my likes.

But sometimes I know SO much about myself that it is overwhelming.

That's where brainstorming comes in. There are lots of way to write down and organize all the stuff I know and remember and think and do.

One way is using the ABC Box.

In the ABC Box, write down the stories or memories you have that start with the letter in the box. For example, under the letter "S" I might write down how I met my husband, Stan. Or under the letter "U" I might write down the words "Upside Down Cake" to remind myself of the time I dropped my brother's birthday cake.

Timelines are another effective way of mining story ideas. You could make a timeline that records all your writing history, or a timeline that illustrates your experiences with a certain sport, or a person.

Finally, an architectural blueprint is a great way to pull stories from different places. Making a blueprint of your house, your grandma's house, or even school and then writing memories that occurred in each room can help you organize the story ideas you didn't even know you had.

Once you have your ideas laid out before you, you can pick and choose and combine all or parts of stories. For example, combining details from my first date with Stan with details about a conversation we had months later in my mother's kitchen (when he first told me he loved me) can make a really heartwarming story.

So, this week's assignment is to come up with as many ideas as we can about ourselves.

What do you remember? Where do you remember it? What happened before and after?

Write it down and share!

Welcome to Creative Writing!!!

Welcome to Creative Writing!!!

Dear Students,

Writing is one of my greatest passions- even surpassing my love of chocolate and chai tea- so I am very excited and honored that you have chosen to write with me!

I'll admit straight up that I am *STILL* learning to write, and honestly, I probably will never be finished learning to write. But I know A LOT, and I can't wait to share it with you and to learn from you.

This website is designed so that we have a place to publish what we write, and a place to explore the art and science of writing. I will post instructional information, interesting information, inspirational information and practical information. 

Most importantly, YOU will post your stories and poems and thoughts.

So, get ready to write. A LOT. Until your hand falls off. Then, keep writing. 

Most sincerely yours,

Mrs. Ball