These are 4-week course assignments composed by Thuy while attending the Creative Writing Course: The Craft of Plot offered by Wesleyan University on Coursera.
Week 1’s assignment:
Write a scene of 250-350 words featuring a character with one concrete want (a table, a moose, a toothbrush, anything physical is fine!) and one weakness.
Once upon a time, there was a curious Crow living within the dim west of the dense Keost forest. Since the creature was born with poor eyesight, she’d always been fond of tasting foodstuffs, especially the new ones. She regards the process of slowly digesting new stuff as a ritual connected her senses with the world, such a place of never-ending surprises, according to her stomach. More often than not, her stomach had been filled with some of the very strange stuff brought to the forest by different flows of migratory birds. Carrot, death ants, pieces of electrical appliances, human teeth, ice cream… are among the kinds of stuff the Crow has tried out.
After tasting that filthy and pleasing stuff from time to time, the Crow’s liberal taste judges the taste of chocolate be the best one she ever taste. It is scarcely surprising that after sharing the little piece chocolate with other animals in the forest, they all agree with her so. So they begged the migratory bird from the North to bring them some more of that brown bittersweet piece when they come back in the Summer.
Of course, there wasn’t anything such a free meal. And one of the migratory bird was clever enough to demand to exchange a particular amount chocolate with the occupation of the migratory birds every summer in Keost (or winter, if their perception to be with the freezing temperature during those months in the Northern forest). Deny not the extreme fondness for chocolate but the Crow and her forest mates do not find themselves at ease when deciding whether they should witness their beloved homes disturbed by the ugly and noisy Northen migrate birds every summer, or never have that taste of ecstasy again. The animals thus seek advice from the Tiger. And it was how a tricky plan born overnight. The animals intend to use what human has left in the forest last Spring to trick the migrating birds. They outlined a plan in which all animals pretend to be dead when the fireworks explode and one or two survivals would claim their forest has been cursed in order to frighten the migratory birds away.
On the very first day of Summer, things have unfolded exactly just as the Tiger plan. The migrate birds extremely frighten by the fireworks thus they fly away immediately, not having time to remember about their deal and the chocolate left behind. Silence is a remarkable signal for the Crow, so she raised her wings at the highest level she could reach and loudly and cheerfully celebrate the success of their clever plan. Unluckily, only did other animals response by silence. As she didn’t see a Northern migratory bird has just come back collected its little piece of chocolate and thus has heard all the cry of the Crow.
As a result, every summer, the Northern migratory birds have to fly no further anymore, they have a summer palace in the Keost forest.
picture: Starder
Week 2: What’s Up, Doc?
Write a very short story – not more than 200 words – about a trip to the doctor or dentist using the ABDCE structure. Identify the structural elements in your story.
A) On Sunday, an old lady had to make a trip to the dentist as she was in want a set of new dentures. (B) Without any concrete evidence, however, she knows for sure it was Nam – the little naughty boy next door – who stolen her teeth. (D) Since the lone lady was unable to drive herself to the clinic, Mrs Van (Nam’s mother) offered to drive her there. And as Mrs Van wasn’t ready to leave Nam alone at home, she took him with her. The glimpse of the clinic freaked Nam out. After a while, the lady finally went out. The doctor chitchatted something with his mother while glancing at Nam one or twice. Mrs Van then explained to Nam, the doctor gave them a very kind bonus offer that she cannot decline. As Nam couldn’t find any way to escape, he had to follow the doctor into the clinic. (C) 10 minutes later, everybody in the corridor heard Nam screaming, and then seeing his face turned green when he walked out. (E) The doctor told Mrs Van that Nam had a cavity and if he does not take care of the rest, he might see the doctor again soon.
Week 3: Show, Don’t Tell
As with the first assignment, you will create another scene where someone wants a concrete physical object more than anything else in the world. This time, instead of focusing on rising action entirely, consider the full story structure.
Write for a few minutes, then give that character a disease where they learn they have only 24 hours to live. This is your first significant rising action. Write some more, then give that character a choice between that object and an antidote. This is your second significant rising action.
The Black Pearls
As night falls, Phong reaches the back side of the castle. Phong finds infiltrate the castle a demanding task though it’s not impossible for a talented thief like him to pass all the sentinels without being noticed. Phong then sneaks into the bedroom where he finds the distractingly beautiful queen is sleeping. He takes the pearls from a glass box on the table. When he is about to take off his mask to kiss the queen goodbye, her black cat interrupts him with its “meow”. Phong whispers something in her ears instead and then sneaks out.
Later, Phong hands Dung the pearls and in return receives 100 coins of gold from him. Then he leaves in the morning.
But very soon he needs to meet Dung again, to verify his suspicion; an hour after their meeting, his skin turned into frog-like color.
“It must have something to do with the pearls.” Dung said. Almost simultaneously, the black cat appearing from nowhere drops them a letter, before leaping over rooftops and disappearing. Phong opens the envelop while Dung stepping back in fear. “It’s from your Queen, she warns that we have twenty-four hours left to live. And, she is the only one who has the antidote.” Phong reads the ending of the letter out loud. “As a fair exchange, I demand two things, the first is returning my pearls before sunrise and the second, confessing your crime in front of all of my people”.
“Returning what is stolen is a shame for a legendary thief, I cannot afford it,”
Dung appears calmer this time, he said “Oh my friend, don’t sweat it! I am the one whom the Queen been in love with, remember? Let me take care of this.” They both later agree that Dung shall be the only one who confesses to the people. Phong told Dung that he can keep the pearls if Dung afraid of getting more poison from it, then he put it in his pocket.
In the afternoon, when Phong and Dung enter the castle, they see the Queen already standing above her people, telling them she has something for entertainment.
Dung steps on the platform, hesitating a bit when he sees a lot of people around. He swallows his nervousness and starts to speak about the beauty of the pearls. But suddenly he points to Phong, telling everyone that it was Phong’s idea to steal it and the evidence can be found in Phong’s pocket. Phong takes his words with a bemused expression.
The queen later reappears to take the pearls from Phong, and thanks both of the men for the drama rehearsal. Her people send her a sky of extended hands, bright smiles wishing the queen healthiness and beauty.
When the curtain closed, the queen shows Phong and Dung a pink pill, telling them she has only one left while there are two of them, so she ought to give it to whoever has handed her the pearls as mentioned in the letter.
Picture by boonyen via freepik
Week 4: The Whole Story
Write a story (up to 1,000 words) following the ABDCE structure that includes at least one full scene. Also, your story should have at least TEN sentences of rising action.
Break Out
It was one moonless night near the end of July, the thick clouds covering much of the sky above Subo town, where a state prison known as XY18 located. Though it was a quarter after one, 3571 is still wide awake. Other inmates must have sunk into deep sleep, including 3802, his dummy cellmate. All of 3571’s senses are on high alert for any sign or sound of movement but there was nothing louder than the snoring of 3802, the noise used to cause 3571 a headache every night but tonight, much to his surprise, it turns into a kind of melody which soothes his fears. 3571 decided that he must put his breakout plan into execution just now, he can no longer bear this smelly cell, his clingy cellmate, not to mention that stupid Dilly Dilly song he is forced to listen during the prison workout hours every morning. The bad music pains him more than his damaged leg does every day.
3571 observes the corridor for a while, seeing only a snoozing guard. He quickly hangs his grey bed sheet on the door of his cell, carefully plugs out two angle irons from the bed and creates a window screw tool with the irons and a broken blade taken from a pencil sharpener. 3571 tries to mitigate the noise as he does not want to wake 3802 up as when his cellmate is awake he is not that much helpful for 3571 as when he is sound asleep. 3571 manages to make the homemade tool while his heart pounds a bit faster.
He is just minutes away from the other side of it. To calm himself down, he let his thoughts wander to his sweet Bama – his faithful mistress, she must get impatient waiting for him too long in the car out there. How he misses her soft voice, the smell of her hair, her kisses, her giggle, her boobs, her…
“How’s it?” A big shadow casts over him asked.
“Great!” 3571 gives his response when lingering images of Bama still on his mind, but he almost jumps out of his skin seeing 3802 standing right there.
The tired eyes and untidy hair of his cellmate, however, quickly mellowed him out, he remembers that 3802 is a kid in the body of a man.
“Hey dude, wanna play a game?” 3571 speaks in a low voice.
“Oh, yeah yeah.” 3802 exclaims.
“Shut up!” 3571 put a hand over 3802’s mouth and listen intently. He then pops his head out to check if the guard notices anything. Fortunately, the guard has buried his face on his arms, sleeping at his desk. 3571 collects himself and speaks with a moderately relaxing voice. He explains to 3802 that he was to break out of the prison to grab some wines, drugs, and snacks and he surely will break in again to share it with him.
“There you see, that’s why I need your help. Can you stay here, keep quiet, and pretend I didn’t tell you a thing.”
“Okay” 3802 slowly nodding his head in agreement but he squeezed his nose like a pig and then jumps up and down “I want to play hide and seek!” 3571 shakes his head.
Hiding inside the darkness of the night without a moon, the pair finally passes the East side of the building, they stop for 3571 to ease the pain radiating down his leg but it was 3802 whom truly need to stop as his overweight body signals him that it can no longer bear such a run. By the time 3802 can breath normally again, 3571 has found the homemade rope ladder which he buried under the evergreen tree nearby the wall. This western part of the prison is the lowest area of the wall, 3571 was aware of this the last time he peed here.
With the help of 3802, 3571 can climb up the rope ladder quickly. 3571 tells 3802 to close his eyes and starts to count from 1 to 100 when he sits on the ledge. He pulls the ladder back and climbs down on the other side of the wall. As soon as he reaches the ground, he blows his whistle. In the blink of an eye, a car approaches him from the dark. Hearing the screech from the car peeling out, the rush of excitement runs through his body. He gets in.
“Oh Bama! My sweet honey bee!”All of a sudden, the woman in the driver’s seat slapped him on the face. It was one hell of a shock to find out the woman in this glossy dress is not Bama the mistress but his wife, Hanna.
“Oh Hanna?!!, uhm uh oh, my dear, how…?”Hanna warns him “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you when we are at home. You also have the right to not mention her name to our kids. With this right in mind, are you still willing to talk with me about Bama?”
3571 can feel her sharp eye on him. He keeps silent. Their black Ferrari disappears into the night.
But then.
“SCREEEEEECH!”
The car has headed back to the same spot. Whilst the car door opened, 3571 was throwing on the ground. Hanna turns on the headlight and blows the horn impatiently, only did she stop when hearing the alarming alert responded from the prison. Hanna drives off as quickly as when she came. This time the conversation with his wife went wrong, again.
9 guards armed with pistols and taser appear quickly and drag 3571 back to the prison.
After three an a half hours in the interrogation room, seven years was proposed to add to his sentence. Two security guards escort 3571 to his new escape-proof cell. As he walks past his old cell, 3802 happily greets him “Found you!”.