Tasks and Duties
Objective
This task aims to develop your conceptual and planning skills by creating a robust narrative framework. You will explore various storytelling methods, define the main plot structure, and outline the narrative components to prepare for a full creative story project.
Expected Deliverables
- A well-organized DOC file that includes a narrative framework for your story.
- A detailed outline covering the storyline, conflict, resolution, and themes.
- An illustration of the narrative arc with clear divisions of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
Key Steps
- Research and Brainstorm: Spend time researching narrative structures and brainstorming ideas. Consider various genres and mythologies to inspire unique narratives.
- Define Your Narrative Arc: Create an outline that details the beginning, middle, and end of your story. Use diagrams if necessary.
- Develop Character Interactions: Identify primary and secondary characters and describe their motivations, conflicts, and relationships.
- Document Key Themes: Choose central themes and discuss how these will be represented in the plot.
- Draft the Framework: Compile your research, outlines, and diagrams in a structured DOC file, ensuring clarity in presentation.
Evaluation Criteria
- Clarity and Depth: The DOC file should clearly present a coherent narrative structure with sufficient detail.
- Originality: Your narrative framework should reflect creative and innovative ideas.
- Structure: The document must follow a logical structure, with clear sections and sub-sections.
- Completeness: All key elements of narrative planning must be addressed.
This task is designed to take approximately 30 to 35 hours. Ensure your DOC submission is detailed, well-organized, and reflects thoughtful planning for the upcoming storytelling phases.
Objective
The focus of this week’s task is to deepen your creative storytelling by building an immersive world and designing dynamic characters. You will create a detailed description of the story setting, inhabitants, and environmental details that make your narrative unique.
Expected Deliverables
- A comprehensive DOC file that contains the world-building plan for your narrative.
- Descriptions of the setting, culture, geography, and environmental elements.
- Detailed character profiles for main and supporting characters including backstories, motivations, physical descriptions, and relationships.
Key Steps
- Conceptualize the World: Visualize the universe where your narrative takes place. Consider factors like time period, socio-political climate, and cultural influences.
- Define the Setting: Write a narrative description of the landscape, architecture, and ambient details that will influence the story.
- Create Character Profiles: Develop comprehensive profiles for each main character, detailing their personality traits, role in the story, and evolution over time.
- Integrate World and Characters: Explain how the world influences character behavior and vice versa, establishing a symbiotic relationship between setting and narrative.
- Document Your Process: Organize your work in a clear, sectioned DOC file with headings, subheadings, and bullet points to enhance readability.
Evaluation Criteria
- Detail and Coherence: The narrative world and character descriptions must be vivid, well-organized, and interrelated.
- Creativity: Innovative ideas and originality will be key aspects in your evaluation.
- Relevance: Ensure that world-building and character design enhance the narrative framework presented in Week 1.
- Documentation: The DOC file should be well-structured, without errors, allowing a natural flow of ideas.
This task requires an estimated 30 to 35 hours. Your DOC submission is expected to be thorough, creative, and logically organized to serve as a strong foundation for the narrative execution phase.
Objective
This week, you will use your developed narrative framework and world-building elements to draft the first version of your creative story. The emphasis is on creative expression and the effective use of narrative techniques to engage the reader.
Expected Deliverables
- A finalized DOC file containing the complete creative story draft (approximately 3000-5000 words).
- A written draft that integrates the narrative structure, settings, and characters developed in previous tasks.
- Annotations or side notes explaining the use of specific narrative techniques such as foreshadowing, symbolism, or dialogue dynamics.
Key Steps
- Plan Your Draft: Revisit your narrative framework and character designs to ensure consistency throughout your story draft.
- Write the First Draft: Focus on flowing narrative and employing creative writing techniques. Aim for a draft that captures a strong emotional core and narrative momentum.
- Apply Narrative Techniques: Use writing elements that include suspense, character development, and descriptive language that bring the story to life.
- Edit and Annotate: After completing your draft, add annotations highlighting the techniques you used and why they are important to your story.
- Compile Your Work: Finalize your DOC file ensuring that it is well-formatted, logically divided into chapters or sections, and includes all necessary explanations.
Evaluation Criteria
- Creativity and Originality: Your story should be engaging and reflective of innovative narrative approaches.
- Coherence and Consistency: The draft should effectively integrate the narrative framework and world-building details.
- Technical Proficiency: Evaluate the use of narrative techniques, grammar, and overall story structure.
- Annotation Quality: The explanatory notes should provide insight into creative decisions, aiding in understanding the narrative choices.
The expected completion time for this task is approximately 30 to 35 hours. The final DOC submission must be comprehensive, well-organized, and reflective of a thoughtful draft that sets the stage for the final revision phase.
Objective
For the final week, you will revise and polish your initial creative story draft. This stage is crucial for refining your narrative, enhancing the storytelling elements, and providing a critical self-evaluation. Your goal is to elevate the narrative clarity, coherence, and creative impact of your story.
Expected Deliverables
- A fully revised DOC file containing the polished final version of your creative story.
- A separate section within the DOC file where you provide a critical self-evaluation, including areas of improvement, strengths, and reflections on the revision process.
Key Steps
- Review the Draft: Reread your story draft thoroughly and identify areas that need improvement in plot structure, character development, and narrative flow.
- Edit for Clarity and Cohesion: Focus on refining dialogues, descriptions, and transitioning between narrative sections. Ensure consistency in tone, style, and pacing.
- Proofread for Language Precision: Correct grammatical errors, typos, and awkward phrasing. Aim for a polished and professional piece.
- Self-Evaluate: Write a detailed self-assessment discussing your revisions. Include what worked well, what needs further improvement, and how the changes enhance the overall narrative.
- Integrate Feedback Elements: If applicable, simulate feedback by critiquing your own work as if it were from a peer reviewer, and include ways you have addressed those critiques.
Evaluation Criteria
- Quality of Revision: The final submission should reflect significant improvements over the initial draft, showing refined narrative detail and technical writing skills.
- Depth of Self-Evaluation: The self-assessment should be honest and detailed, demonstrating an ability to critically analyze your creative process.
- Overall Cohesion: The polished narrative must tell a compelling and coherent story from start to finish.
- Presentation: The DOC file should be professionally formatted with clear sections, headings, and easy navigation.
This revision task is designed to take approximately 30 to 35 hours. The final DOC submission is expected to be a polished creative work that not only entertains but also demonstrates your capacity for critical thinking and self-improvement in the art of storytelling.