The CWP Assignment

 English 201-207

Your Creative Writing Portfolio (CWP)

 Assignment: Fulfilling the requirements of each quarter's prompt, you must complete a minimum of two full pages or more.  Quarter 4 requires seven or more pages (senior project). 

 
Format: 

  • Typed MLA (12 point, Times New Roman, proper margins, etc.)
    • One change to MLA: Single space poetry (double space prose as usual)
  • Or handwritten in pen for certain cases only (maps, letters, etc.) 
  • All poetry must be single spaced and punctuated according to modern MLA usage.  
  • All prose must be double spaced and punctuated according to modern MLA usage. 
  • Submit your work to Turnitin.com through Focus each quarter

Your Grade: If you are short of the minimum, you will earn no more than a D. When completed, the CWP should be free of typos and grammatical and spelling errors. In general, 2 errors or fewer on any page =A-, 3-5 errors on any page=B-, and 6 or more errors on any page =C- or lower. Failing to adhere to the themes or neglecting to meet any of the other standards on this handout will result in a significantly lower grade. Fragments and run-On sentences are major deductions.

 You may not include pieces written for other classes (past, present, or future) or for other assignments in this class. You will fail this assignment if you do so.

 Start it early, and write something you are proud of.  Work to make it wise in its theme, rich in its descriptive imagery, and clever in its execution.  Put your joy into it.


Quarter 1 CWP: Fiction!

 For this quarter's CWP, you will compose your own short story to submit to a short-story contest.  Consider one of the example stories we have read for inspiration (adventurous, historical, romantic, satirical).

 * Working on Your Short Story
  • Identify a protagonist; think of people you actually know.  Change them up a wee bit. 
  • Identify an antagonist (character, internal conflict, natural force, or other combination). 
  • How will you generate tension between the protagonist and the antagonist? 
  • Share ideas. 
  • Work in class. 
 More on Formatting:
  • Rough Draft Due 9/24 (midnight, submitted to turnitin.com)
  • Peer Edit 9/25
  • Final Draft Due 9/30

 Quarter 2: A Christmas Blessing

 "My heart is indicting a good matter: I speak of things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer" (KJV Psalm 45.1). 

"Behavior that's admired / is the path to power among people everywhere" (Beowulf, 25-26).

"Then something Tookish woke up inside him, and he wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick" (The Hobbit, ch. 1, "An Unexpected Party").
  • Background: You have now read many tales and even written a first short story (last quarter).  We ought to love what is beautiful, good, and true.  Yet the world, through sin, is full dark challenges to what is noble and right.  The legends of old often explored this in song and story, perhaps as a kind of imaginative practice for the young.  In this assignment, we will seek to bless a young girl or boy with a nicely woven tale and an actual gift that the tale turns on.  Let the little children come; bless them.  
  • Prompt: Write a mighty tale of nobility, courage, and grace.  Your story must 
    • be full of adventure,
    • teach something noble, 
    • and include references to the physical gift (such as a ball or sword) that you will give this child. 
  • Format: Your format should fit whatever time period and background you set (two or more pages in length).
  • In general, your work will be descriptive.  Please read this overview of the basics from Purdue University on descriptive writing. 
  • Requirements: 
    • Choose a child to bless.
    • Think of a fitting gift (purchased or made by you).
    • Write your adventure.  Make it look old and cool. 
    • Make a map.  Make it look old and cool.
    • Hide the gift during Christmas break.
    • Present the legend and map to the child.
    • When you return from break, tell us all about it! 

Quarter 3 CWP: The Beauty of the Days
Lyrical inspirations:
"A Reminiscence" by Anne Bronte
"The Beauty of the Days Gone By" by Van Morrison
"The Time of Your Song" by Matisyahu
Prompt: We are who we were; our destiny has much to do with our past.  We become what was planted.  What you plant this year will flower in time.  Reminisce on the best of the past: a wonderful day from your summer, a feeling from a starry night, a heartfelt conversation, an epiphany.  What sweetness and grace can you recall?  Explore a moment or experience that are you grateful for.  
Form: Poetry, compose using the form you taught us in class.
 
Due: March 6-7
 
Typed: MLA format, double spaced (this is atypical for the CWP assignment)
Length: 20 lines or more (you may be writing more than one poem, depending on your form)
Be sure you punctuate correctly, for this is the sole criteria for your grade.
    _____________________________________________________________
      
Quarter 4 CWP: Resume
It's that time of year to think about this year's accomplishments and this summer's preparations.  You will write a resume with either future work or a college application in mind.
 Here are some helpful links for context, examples, and formatting. 
* When in doubt (i.e. you don't have something specific they need for a particular end), use the high school example resume and its general format:
If you already has such a thing written (for Health, say), then the senior survey is fine.

Requirements
Typed
Formatted (indents match, headings match, follows an example format)
Grammatically accurate
At least one full page in length
Due block day on the second-to-last week of school



Your Grade: If you are short of the minimum, you will earn no more than a D. When completed, the CWP should be free of typos and grammatical and spelling errors. In general, 2 errors or fewer on any page =A-, 3-5 errors on any page=B-, and 6 or more errors on any page =C- or lower. Failing to adhere to the themes or neglecting to meet any of the other standards on this handout will result in a significantly lower grade. Fragments and run-On sentences are major deductions.

You may not include pieces written for other classes (past, present, or future) or for other assignments in this class. You will fail this assignment if you do so.

Start it early, and write something you are proud of.  Work to make it wise in its theme, rich in its descriptive imagery, and clever in its execution.  Put your joy into it.



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Optional Assignment (for some years)

#1

Chestertonian Essay

Prompt: Take a subject and dance delightfully.  Use Chesterton as your example.
Due: May 8
Type; MLA format 
Prose: three full pages or more
Poetry
Single space (you may have a space between stanzas)
Punctuate
Three full pages or more 

    #2
"These hills are grass-covered and rolling, and they are lovely beyond any singing of it" (Paton 33).

Prompt: When Caedmon (the first English poet) sang, he sang the creation.  The world is indeed a marvelous place, despite the effects of sin.  In quarter four, your task is to sing the creation, even though it be beyond any singing of it.  You may not use work from your previous contest entries (like the coastal commission contest).  I'd like you to focus on the hills and mountains near or far.  Focus on employing rich, vibrant, fresh imagery. 
Due: May 8
Type; MLA format 
Three pages minimum for honors classes (two for regular classes)
Poetry
Single space (you may have a space between stanzas)
Punctuate
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