Miss Huttlestone's GCSE English
Because a whole class of wonderful minds are better than just one!
2 Grade 9 Creative Writing Examples
I recently asked my year 11s to pen a piece of description and/or narrative writing for their mini assessment. I gave them the following prompts:
Your school wants you to contribute to a collection of creative writing.
EITHER: Write a short story as suggested by this picture:
OR: Write a description about a person who has made a strong impression on you.
The following were two COMPELLING and CONVINCING examples of the second choice – one pupil taking ‘you’ as a fictional invitation, the other as a biographical one:
EXAMPLE ONE:
Gradually, I awake and open my eyes only to see the cracked white ceiling which greets me every day. Here I sit, slumped in the bed with the scratchy white sheets hugging me and muffled beeping noises jumping into my ears. Rubbing the sleep crust from my bloodshot eyes, I observe the scene before me. The sound of footsteps overlapping as nurses rush from bed to bed; the metallic tang from stainless steel invading my nostrils; the cold metal bed rail imprisoning and mocking me; the pungent scent of antiseptic troubling me and the blood-curdling cries and moans utterly terrifying me. Using all my strength, I try to imagine I am somewhere else, anywhere else but here.
Crowds, signs, roars: it was 1903 and the suffragette movement had begun. It was a crisp night, refreshing almost and I had taken to the streets. It was like I was possessed by something that night, some urge and deep desire within me that had led me there, surrounded by women like myself. I stood clueless and lost in the crowd; the women yelling ‘Deeds not words’ in unison; passionately parading with large wooden signs and viciously shattering windows with bricks and stones. Despite the violence that was displayed before me, I was not afraid of what was happening and I didn’t deem it unnecessary or improper, in fact I wanted the same as these women, I wanted equality. Abruptly, all of the roars and cheers became muted and faint, one woman walked slowly towards me, her hair messily swooped into an updo, her clothes somewhat dirtied and her chocolate brown corset slightly loosened. There was a glimmer in her eyes as tears seemed to swell within their hazel pools, she seemed inspired, hopeful. After reaching me in the crowd, she held out her hand, gently passing me a sign. Immediately, I clasped it and the yelling and chanting rang loudly in my ears once more. My journey had begun.
Here however, is where it ends. I am aware I do not have much time left, as the doctors have told me so, and spending my last moments in this hospital room is not optimal. However, as I look around I can see beauty within a room which at first glance seems void of it. The hollow medical tubes by my side remind me of the awful act of force feeding I have faced in the past; the shrieks and bawls of patients reflecting the pain women had felt in my time and the bed bars mirroring the prisons we were thrown into and the gates we would chain ourselves too. I know these things may seem far from beautiful, but I can see my past within this room, the power I possessed and the changes I have contributed to today. I know now that I can leave this earth having had an impact. Slowly I close my eyes, I can see her, the women who changed my life many years ago, her name, Emmeline Pankhurst.
EXAMPLE TWO:
I will never forget that day. The hazel pools of her eyes glazed over, and hands delicately placed at her sides. Nobody in the room could quite grasp the fact that this was happening. The crowds of black attire row on row seemed to mimic the thing she loves most in life, the piano. However, this time she had taken the ivory natural keys with her and left everyone else with the sharp tones. You needed both to create beautiful symphonies but all that filled the room was the excruciating silence of her absense. Even the metronone like ticks of the clock seemed to come to a standstill.
It had all began that day, she seemed to open up this whole new world for us to explore together as she placed my fingers onto the keys for the first time. I knew that this was what I was meant to do. She was the most passionately beautiful pianist I had ever seen in my life. Often, I would peer round the oak doorway before my lessons just to catch a glimpse at her. It seemed like nothing in the world mattered to her at the time.
As the years progressed, so did the scope of this world we were exploring. Each sheet of lovingly handwritten sheet music was like a new section of the map we were slowly creating together. Each of her students had their own map. Each as beautiful and each as unique as the pianist. The crotchets and quavers that adorned the staves directed the different paths we could take as my fingers graced the keys. This may not have been a beautiful ballet routine, but this was our dance and it had been carefully choreographed just for us.
That piano room was the safest place in the world. Every inch of it her: the potent scent of her floral perfume; shelves full of scruffy and well loved sheet music; rows upon rows of framed photos of her and her students; the vintage piano which she always kept in tune, it was home. I couldn’t bear the
idea that someone else was going move in and rip away the music room without a second thought. It was her music room.
It was up to me now. Up to me to finish this journey we had begun together.
She may not be with me in person anymore, but she will always live within the world we built together and nothing could ever change that. For she could never truly be gone since she left a piece of her within every one of her students; the passion for piano.
Share this:
Published by.
gcseenglishwithmisshuttlestone
Secondary English teacher in Herts. View all posts by gcseenglishwithmisshuttlestone
2 thoughts on “2 Grade 9 Creative Writing Examples”
This has helped me a lot, I myself am preparing for a narrative test like this and these prompts and descriptive short stories are marvellous! Thank you for sharing this! 🙂
My pleasure!
Leave a comment Cancel reply
- Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
- Subscribe Subscribed
- Copy shortlink
- Report this content
- View post in Reader
- Manage subscriptions
- Collapse this bar
- Anagram Game 1
- Anagram Game 2
- New! Guess The Word
Anagram Solver
- Scrabble Trainer
- New! Creative Writing First Steps
- Bite-size Writing Tips
- Plot Generator
Murder Plot Generator
- Fantasy Plot Generator
Quick Plot Generator
- Plot Structure
Character Generator
Character rounding, character exercises.
- Random Traits
- List of Character Traits
- Create A Setting
- Dialogue Prompts
- First Line Prompts
Famous Film Plots
- Image Generator
- Random Job/Occupation
- List of Jobs/Occupations
- Name Generators
- Random Exercises
Rhyming Dictionary
- Story Title Generator
- Subject Generator
- Take Three Nouns
Town Name Generator
- What If? Scenario
Random Words
Lottery generator.
- Writing Links
Children's Section
- Privacy Policy
Welcome to Writing Exercises and Prompts.
This site provides (completely free) creative writing prompts and exercises to help you get started with creative writing and break through writing blocks - as well as some fun anagram vocabulary games.
Generate random story ideas, plots, subjects, scenarios, characters, first lines for stories and more. Did I mention it's all free? Have fun :-)
- Update March 2024: Random First Line - lots of new prompts and you can now choose a genre Creative Writing - First Steps - dive right in with some practical tasks to get you started.
- Update November 2023: New 'Guess The Word' game
- Update August 2023: Bite-size Writing Tips and Tricks. 3-minute reads
Random List of Contents:
Random first line prompts.
Generate a random first line for a story.
Random Subject
Prompts to encourage freewriting.
Generate a plot-line at the click of a button.
Random Plot Generator
Generate two characters, a setting, a situation and a theme. Change the elements until you are happy with your plot.
Generate elements for a murder plot. Change the elements until you get an interesting mystery to solve.
'Take Three Nouns'
Another freewriting exercise. Make connections between random nouns.
Random First Line of Dialogue
Writing prompts to help with dialogue writing.
Random Scenario
Create a 'What If?' scenario to write about.
Random Writing Exercises
Browse my random list of writing exercises.
For poets and songwriters. Enter a word to find rhyming and similar-sounding words.
Generate a selection of words and use the suggestions to kick-start your writing.
Story Title Ideas
Create your own story title.
Create a character outline.
Create some interesting aspects to your character.
There's now a section dedicated to writing prompts for children of primary/elementary school age.
Generate a fictitious,'English-sounding' town name.
Get plot ideas for your own story-writing by looking at the plots of over 100 popular films.
Random Image Generator
Use images to help you write.
Random Character Traits
Generate random traits for your characters.
Random Jobs
Generate an occupation for your character.
Random Name Generator
Choose first and last names for characters.
Develop your character into a well-rounded person, quirky habits and all.
Anagram Puzzle Game
Exercise your brain and keep your vocabulary in good shape with this free anagram game.
Anagram Puzzle Game 2
Another anagram game - each word must contain the middle letter.
Enter a list of letters and discover all the words you can make with them.
Scrabble Trainer Game
Have fun improving your Scrabble vocabulary.
Because every aspiring author needs a back-up plan...
Quick Links:
IMAGES
VIDEO