Literature Club Members Only Activity/Lecture Thread

ASSIGNMENT IS NOW OPEN!

WRITING LYRICS

A little something different this week, though using some of the techniques we’ve used over the last few weeks as we work our way through a fun little practical activity!

The Art of Song Writing
How much are you all willing to bet that you’ve made up your own little tune whilst in the shower? Or when you’ve been making a really good sandwich? I know I have… I made up a song about squirrels one time whilst hanging up my laundry!
But no doubt they’re fun little diddies we make to fill the silence. So how do we become rockstars and pop musicians?

The Bare Basics of Songwriting
Songwriting can be superficially similar to poetry, however their structures are what separate the two; poetry is open for irregular metre and stanzas, whereas lyrics are usually much more fixed and follows a specific structure that forms in conjunction with the music it accompanies.
Poetry can be used to express strong emotions and impart a valuable message, lyrically speaking a story. Lyrics often depict the feelings of the artist, can address important social issues, and contain a powerful message to the listener. Good lyrics are often based on the human experience and leave the interpretation to the audience.
Song lyrics rely on musical accompaniment to evoke emotions to listeners, while poetry uses its more flexible forms to represent their messages.

How Do Songwriters Write Songs Then?

These are some of the steps writers might take when crafting their songs;
1. Think of the Melody First – While it’s exciting to bounce straight into your lyrics, try and think of your tune first. With a beat in mind, it’s easier to figure out choruses, verses and bridges rather than trying to fit a song around your words. This is also a good opportunity to identify your theme; consider the pace of the melody and any progressions to help.
2. Use Your Stream Of Consciousness – The best draft for lyrics isn’t pen and paper, but rather your head! Just spill out words, as many as you want. Pick out words that you like and feel would fit your song and modify others that need work.
3. Pick Out Vowel Sounds and Phrases – These would be important for your chorus. You’d want your lyrics to be catchy as well as meaningful to your project.

Of course, I’m not a master lyricist, but I reckon these would be good starting points when writing your song.

Now for the task… Go out and pick an instrumental music track and write lyrics for it! If you like, you can take an existing song and write different lyrics for it!

CRITERIA:
- Max. Word Count = 300 -400 words.
- –The song itself must be no longer than 3.30-ish minutes
- Should either be a completely instrumental track (eg. music from a video game, live orchestra etc)
- OR an instrumental track of an existing song with new lyrics and context.
- Provide at least 2 short sentences explaining what your song is about and the thinking behind it. ALSO include any additional notes about your song that others need to know, such as any mild language, themes etc.
- You may include timestamps for your music to help people reading your lyrics as they listen – I understand it might be difficult to follow along with someone’s lyrics whilst trying to picture them in the audio at the same time, so you’re free to provide a rough run-down of where each verse/chorus is. They don’t need to be beat-for-beat perfect.
- If at all possible, attach an audio link along with your submission. Any queries on how to do this can be sent to me via owl

My example isn't finished yet, hence why there isn't one with this week's lecture. When I have it done, I'll add it to this lecture! Any questions, come to me!

@Eryn Bailey @Ronan Ward @Ruby Night @Cass Ito @Della Barfield @Giselle Lam @Elizabeth Stonewall @Audrey Gallant @Brookline Quinn @Ayumi Faeri @Danielle Alden @Elena Clark @Zoe Lee @Colin McCoire @Tracey Bailey @Eugenia Karageorgiadi

Holiday Blues
By Audrey Gallant

Notes:

Reducio

1. It might be challenging to sing it but I guess you can try
2. It took me two hours to make it, I think I might as well deserve something lol
3. Lyrics made by me, but the track was made by an anonymous guitarist

The Lyrics

First Verse
The days are so bright but I can't see the light
I'm just stuck in this overwhelming bedroom
Watching birds fly high, ants crawl for their might
But I'm just sitting 'side, desire striking by
Squirrels peeking by, trees are striving by
Winds are howling by, heck, I'm just sitting by
Nothing else to do, siblings playing glue
What they do is just causing trouble all the time

Chorus
But then something changed, it's my time to shine
I got the new playlist from my best friend Lily
I know it's something unexpected, but hey, at least I get to do something recreational
Unlike staring at the window for hours, I don't think I could survive for anytime longer
But then wait, is this just the holiday blues?
The holiday blues

Second Verse
My parents are here, I've got to hide it
Or else my mum would throw it in the rubbish bin
And I wouldn't want that to happen, so just keep quiet and don't say a word when she asks you about
Anything, I'm just starting to miss
Miss my friends and even teachers, beats me, I think I'm psychopath-ing
Now just keeping the beat, don't you dare break it
Though, I sense that they're not here yet

Chorus
But then something changed, it's my time to shine
I got the new playlist from my best friend Lily
I know it's something unexpected, but hey, at least I get to do something recreational
Unlike staring at the window for hours, I don't think I could survive for anytime longer
But then wait, is this just the holiday blues?
The holiday blues

Outro
Sighing softly, I got out of my bed
I crept through the hallway, climbing down the stairs
And I can't believe what I just witnessed:
It's a Christmas gift

Description
This song depicts a girl complaining about her boring day spending her holiday in her room with nothing to do, thus the only thing that brightens up her mood are the playlists sent by her best friend. She then tries to hide the playlist to avoid it from being confiscated, but it ended up with a twist.

Description: A young person who loves nature is cooped up in their room. They decide to open the window and escape, answering nature's call.

ASSIGNMENT IS NOW CLOSED!

@Eryn Bailey @Ronan Ward @Ruby Night @Cass Ito @Della Barfield @Giselle Lam @Elizabeth Stonewall @Audrey Gallant @Brookline Quinn @Ayumi Faeri @Danielle Alden @Elena Clark @Zoe Lee @Colin McCoire @Tracey Bailey @Eugenia Karageorgiadi
Hi all! The activity – “Writing Lyrics” – Is now closed. You’ve all got a little musical bone in your body, definitely! It might have been technically challenging but what’s the harm in a bit of music eh? Now you all have something to sing the next time you’re all in the shower!
For those who hadn’t had the chance to submit theirs, don’t fret! Just remember all we’ve talked about and keep what you’ve learnt for next time!
Stay tuned, for the next activity will be released shortly!

ASSIGNMENT IS NOW OPEN!

Outsider Influences: Photos and Tunes

Ever wanted to bring a photo to life or provide a literary analysis to a song? Well this week is all about the little things that influence our writing, particularly from photographs and music cues!

Want to Know a Fun Fact?
You all have heard of Hayao Miyazaki, right? The God of animation and the man out of many to bring so many fantastic tales to life? Well, did you know that he would tape a camera to the side of his car and video record his drive to work on most mornings? It’s one of many ways he has when he goes searching for inspiration for stories! He would rewatch what he recorded and try to pick out anything out of the ordinary to see if it would make for a good film!

What Inspires Me
As some of you – or perhaps all of you by now – know that I adore creative writing (hence this club!). It’s a passion I’m wanting to build back up after a few hard years – all the ideas are there but I need to rekindle the patience, focus and discipline to write them! Even as I’m writing this lecture, my head’s away; thinking about galactic fighting dogs, how I point my surface cleaner at a mirror like a gun (as many of us have done I’m sure), and imagining scenarios where Emily is encircled by a group of… oops! Almost went into spoiler territory there!
My point is, the fun of imagination can come from anywhere and can happen any time. It’s up to us as writers to keep that brain train chugging. Without that, we have no passion to write. Though as I’ve said earlier, writing can be tedious, impatient hard work. So how do we tackle that?

Building Blocks to Building Worlds
Think about how you get your inspiration… Does it come from experiences? Your favourite place? A song you like?
Inspiration, no matter how big or small, can provide foundation to world-building and storyboarding.

In My Case…
If any of you have read my ency page, you’ll have come across my Fan-Made Soundtrack for both Emily and Casey
I’ve picked out a few personal favourites from both…
- Main Theme (Emily Shephard - The Muggle Legacy)
- Emily's Theme (First Year)
- Main Theme (Casey Stone: The Ilvermorny Story)
With music, I can get a good flow of how my characters can be shaped around them. Sometimes the perfect beat or a particular instrument will help me shape a character from which I can then build on!
The same applies to threads. Once again, I’ve selected a few favourites. Take a listen and with the links provided, have a quick skim read with the ambiance…
The Answer Is ALWAYS Chocolate
Hollow Hardships
As you can see, music very much helps me to build on threads – it all starts with a general idea but the actual music in the background helps me to draw out the best of my writing, to keep the creative juice flowing. My music choices don’t necessarily add to my writing – rather my writing is trying to match the tone of the music, since the music is inspiration… if any of that makes sense!

It's the same for photos – one can easily create a whole setting or story from one tiny photograph or a simple draw of a line! For example: In Sunlight or in Shadow, written by Lawrence Block, was entirely influenced by artwork made by Edward Hopper.
Interpretations also heavily play into this - Much of the music in my Fan-Made Soundtracks are all based off of movies and games, which feature entirely different contexts yet it still somehow fits my threads (in my eyes.) Even Stephen King can turn a tense scene of a couple with a door looming in the background into an unsettling story of married criminals with a particular approach to keeping their hands clean when it comes to killing.

Now for the task… I’d like you guys to pick either a song or a photograph/painting and write a little scene based on it!

CRITERIA:
- Max. Word Count = 300 words
- Free to choose either a song or an image of any kind – you’re more than welcome to do both if you see fit!
- If at all possible, could you all please provide a link to your source? Any queries on how to do this can be owled privately to me

I don't have an example yet for this lecture but with what I've provided in the lecture itself, feel free to use my threads and music as some food for thought when writing your own scenes. Also, apologies for how late I've sent this! Lost track of time, but better late than never !

DEADLINE = 01/08/2024 - 11pm UTC/GMT

@Eryn Bailey @Ronan Ward @Ruby Night @Cass Ito @Della Barfield @Giselle Lam @Elizabeth Stonewall @Audrey Gallant @Brookline Quinn @Ayumi Faeri @Danielle Alden @Elena Clark @Zoe Lee @Colin McCoire @Tracey Bailey @Eugenia Karageorgiadi

Memories in the snow

At the centre of the forest there was an old cabin, almost invisible between the snow covered trees. The rays of the sun made the snow look like thousands of little stars. Emma pulled her scarf closer around her and started her journey on the narrow path that wound through the forest. It was filled with small bumps and rocks, and sometimes she leaped over one, flying through the sky, as a memory from her childhood.

It had been years since she last visited the cabin. The sanctuary of her grand-father, who told her stories as a child. Now, after all these years, she needed to visit it again, longing for the bond to her past.

She made her way through the snow, while every step made a loud cracking noise in the silent forest. She saw smoke coming from the chimney of the cabin, inviting her in as if someone was waiting for her. But she knew it was tradition in the family to keep the fire going, even when there was no one around.

As she arrived at the cabin, she opened the door and was greeted with the warmth of the fire and the scent of pine trees. Her eyes went through the room, and lingered on the old couch of her grand-father, and the pile of books next to it. He could always be found with a book. On top of the pile she found a notebook, and recognised her grand-father’s handwriting.

She took the notebook, and her eyes filled with tears of joy and memory. Even though her grand-father was gone, she would always find her way back here, where the memories lived on.

~ A tainted queen ~
- Skyfall, Adele

Fear. Fear tainted the air, fear was visible on every face as they knelt, face down. Hands were shaking, eyes resolutely fixed on the rainy ground. The starless sky was filled with dark clouds, rain dripping down the crowd like a somber omen. The silence was deadly. Even the birds kept their music hidden, the only sound that could be heard was heels clicking on the pavement.

Finally. Her day had come. Her heavy black dress, as dark as the night, gently brushed the ground as she walked, head up. Her corset compressed her chest, making it hard to breathe. Or was it the emotion ? She couldn't tell. She raised her gaze, up to the stairs, to the throne awaiting her. For it was her due. Hers. From the very begining. She had dreamt this moment over and over. And it finally came.

He watched as she climbed the stairs, looking like the queen she was meant to be. The blood on his hands was worth the look in her eyes when he helped her reaching the last step. The contact of her skin against his glove made his heart skip a beat. His queen. They will bow to her. Or he will make them. She slowly turned around, facing the silent crowd.

A smile slowly spread on her face as she slighlty lowered herself, keeping her gaze on her future subjects. The silence was like music to her ears, as she slowly closed her eyes. The crown - her crown - rested on her head when she opened them again. She stood up, grasping his hand, facing the world. The sky exploded, rain heavier than before, lightning and thunder crashing down the sky. She smiled as she slowly sat on the throne. Her throne.

Together, they would rule the world. Her, on the throne ; him, at her feet. They will stand tall, and face it all. Together, at skyfall.

A City Night

Reducio

The city was usually noisy. It was a rather large one, in fact, so this was expected. All she longed for was quiet. But the quiet never came. She was trying to sleep, but sleep couldn’t be found. It was like the things she wanted were always hidden away, at a place where she couldn’t find them.

A tired sigh escaped her lips. She suffered from insomnia, almost never could she sleep. So, she stood at her desk, trying to draw something. Her cat. The cat that was the only thing which heard her. It heard her deepest wishes, wishes no one would hear. How she wanted to share it to someone else. But she was lonely, friendless. How could someone help her?

It was night. An unusually silent night. When opening her window, she heard no sound. There was no sound. As if life had stopped. She looked outside her window, to the river beside her house. It was quite still, the eerie silence wrapping around her. In a moment of relaxation, she looked up. Behind the concrete buildings, there was the purple and blue sky, scattered with white specs of paint. The stars. A part of the cosmos. Her cosmos.

Suddenly, she saw a shape move. A small star, crashing down. A shooting star. How rare of an occurrence. The last time she had ever seen one was when her father was in the hospital. Laying on a bed, motionless, hooked to a bunch of machines. She made a wish. For him to survive. He did. But when he woke up from his slumber, he didn’t remember her. He had forgotten her and a big part of his life. His injuries were so heavy. He walked away from the hospital a month later with no relationships left. And he built another life. Without her. Without the daughter he didn’t recognise. Without her.

All those thoughts were swarming in her mind. Her faith in the stars was lost. But could she regain it? She wished. To have a nice, a normal life. One with the people she loved. The scenery was beautiful. And she got her wish. Finally.

ASSIGNMENT IS NOW CLOSED!

@Eryn Bailey @Ronan Ward @Ruby Night @Cass Ito @Della Barfield @Giselle Lam @Elizabeth Stonewall @Audrey Gallant @Brookline Quinn @Ayumi Faeri @Danielle Alden @Elena Clark @Zoe Lee @Colin McCoire @Tracey Bailey @Eugenia Karageorgiadi @Azrael Hunt
Hi all! The activity – “Outsider Influences: Photos and Tunes” – Is now closed.
Inspiration can come from literally anywhere, and a lot of the time it can be taken from one context and translated into your very own. You’ve definitely shown that through your submissions and it truly is wonderful how we all perceive what we come across!

For those who hadn’t had the chance to submit theirs, don’t fret! Just remember all we’ve talked about and keep what you’ve learnt for next time!

Stay tuned, for the next activity will be released shortly! Allow me to take the opportunity to express my sincere gratitude for your patience!

ASSIGNMENT IS NOW OPEN!

Adaptations Part I: Graphic Novels

The first part of a six-week discussion on probably my favourite topic to cover so far! This week is all about the fundamentals of adaptations and turning a page of comic book artwork into words!

The Beginner’s Guide to Adaptations
Adaptations, as we all know, are a rework of an existing creative project – many of which are novels or games to films or TV series. They retell a literary story through visuals, acting, effects; you get the idea!
Adaptations are often a hit or miss in today’s era – You have some shows and films like Castlevania, Arcane and Dune that are spectacularly faithful to the source material and are a worthy add-on to their franchises. Other adaptations like Resident Evil, Twilight and Tales of Earthsea on the other hand miss the mark, even if they’re still entertaining for newcomers – they are able to get away with face value and name drops but otherwise don’t provide an accurate representation of their literary/graphic counterparts.

So where do some adaptations succeed where others don’t?
- Acting = Take the voice acting from Castlevania and pit it against some of the live-action acting from Twilight – Twilight, while hysterical and I’m sure enjoyable for some, does present its source material in a rather clumsy, if not cringy script. Castlevania on the other hand has acting that shows conviction in the characters, their emotional values, all of which assists in projecting the franchise into a grander scale with well-developed layers to the story.
-Graphics = Here’s a hot-take of mine – CGI isn’t as impressive as it used to be these days. After the last several Marvel movies I’ve been rather… Eh… Sometimes too much grandeur and money can oversaturate a story, no matter how well written it is. Van Helsing however, despite the lil’ holes in its story, feels much more sincere despite their CGI only being developed in 2005 – what filmmakers and writers could learn is that a smaller budget and scale can help provide a much more intimate experience, and therefore a much more down-to-earth story. Limits can be healthy in trying to push out the soul of your adaptation – one thing people will acknowledge is the pillars of what makes a project so well-known in the first place; for example, the monsters, the action and the banter in Van Helsing.
-Respect!!! = Respect for the characters. Respect for the world. Respect for the source material! Though now that I’ve said it, it is impossible to translate everything from a book to the big screen – it would be a production nightmare otherwise But the most important takeaway is that if you’re not crafting an adaptation in the spirit of your source material, you’ll soon realise that your end result will be much further from what you’ve been trying to recreate than where you’ve started.

But a Novel to Comic Book? Is That Possible?
Yes it is! Saying that I’m not that versed how many written novels have become graphic novels… But if you guys do, I’d love to hear them!
So after searching high and low, I managed to stumble across an example which has actually stemmed from a popular franchise…

Fazbear Frights (Five Night’s at Freddy’s book collection)
Now, this is probably where I’ll get a lot of hate… I’m not that keen on the FNAF franchise. For me (from the games’ standpoint) it boils down to great premise, not-so-great storytelling, sometimes a little oversaturated and convoluted… That’s all I’ll say. But I did a skim read of the first few pages of the first chapter in the first “Fazbear Frights” book… That’s a lot of firsts!
Down below is a quick compare and contrast of the first few pages from both the written book and graphic novel from “Into the Pit”;
- The written book has exposition to explain more of the background in the story and aspects of the setting – the comic jumps straight into it without much attention to what’s led up to where it starts.
- Because of the larger scope in the written book, there’s more dialogue between Oswald and his father, particularly at the beginning of the chapter. In the comic, because of time constraints and the limits to picture boxes and dialogue boxes, much of the dialogue is condensed down but still faithful to what’s written in the original book – The conversations that are kept are word-for-word reprinted from the book.
- The descriptions of the elementary school and Oswald’s classmates are omitted/condensed in the comic to save time.
- Many of the main set pieces of the first few pages are kept in both versions – some sequences such as character interactions and “small scenes” are omitted in the comic, such as Oswald running “smack into Dylan Cooper.”
As you might be able to tell, much of the original story is kept in the graphic novel adaptation. Quite generally, comic book writers and artists are under strict deadlines, meaning there’s only so much they can adapt before it’s due to be sent out. Therefore it’s important to get as much as they can into a 50-ish page graphic novel compared to a full 100-200 page story (depending on the book.)

As for your task this week… You’ll be doing the opposite! You’re going to pick a few pages of a comic book or manga of your choice and adapt it into a written transcript!

CRITERIA:
- 300-600 words.
- Adapt no more than 4 pages of your chosen comic book/graphic novel/manga.
- Give a quick statement on what it’s about – no more than 2 sentences describing the scene and what’s led to it.
- If you can provide links to your source material, that would be great! Otherwise you can type a reference and people can find it in their own time
- Any content warnings should be provided before your submission.

MY EXAMPLE:

Taken from “Werewolf by Night (2023)” , pages 14 – 17 [14 - 15 - 16 - 17]

Reducio

Elsa had boomsticked her way up the tower this far, her heart set on taking down Necromantik before the poor girl in his grasp would be slaughtered for the man’s cruel experiment. Her eyes were still as sharp as the rifle on her back and was still as fearless as her late father. Not that she would care. He was an old relic as far as she was concerned.
She knew not much about Necromantik other than the fact he was a nasty son of a bitch. That was more than enough a good reason to take him out. Elsa had time for fun but not for mad men.
Midnight was fast approaching. Time was running out. She kicked the door down and-
“You!”
“Oh dear…”
Elsa was greeted with the hairy face of her old friend, whom may or may not have had the hots for her… Jack Russell. He stood there, fur-faced and claws out as the full moon always dictated for the three nights of his transformation. Her blasé smirk and cocky eyes met his confused but otherwise surprised feral ones. So much silence filled the room in that short moment, the history of the two of them flashing between the creases of Jack’s mind and wishing he could’ve sacrificed some tragedy for some happiness. Elsa however was happy to see the old dog in his glory, despite the smell.
“You here for the girl?” Elsa asked, her tone mirroring that of the allyship she shared with him. Jack confirmed. “Yeah, you?”
“Yeah. Any signs of the good doctor?”
“Not yet. His monsters killed her brother when they took her. I promised her folks I’d get her back.” Jack’s stature straightened, his nose in the air and his eyes falling into convicted slits.
“When we see him, Necromantik is mine.”
Elsa continued to smirk as a low growl rumbled in his throat. She knew he was in one of those moods. She couldn’t take that away from him, not when she was familiar with who he was underneath.
Jack sniffed around as she reloaded some more rounds.
“How’ve you been Jack?”
“Getting by. You look good.”
“I know.” Was it really tension when she sounded like they’ve talked about it hundreds of times before? “Picked up her scent?”
Jack went to the door in front of him, clearly answering her question. She cocked her gun. “You want to knock or shall I?”
“Oh I’m quite happy to-”
By that point, Elsa had kicked the door down, her eye travelling down the canal of the shotgun. The sight of the girl strung up on the altar with Necromantik and his legion greeting them hollowly.
“-Do it.” Jack blinked.

DEADLINE = 22/08/2024 - 11pm UTC/GMT
You all have 2 weeks for this assignment!

@Eryn Bailey @Ronan Ward @Ruby Night @Cass Ito @Della Barfield @Giselle Lam @Elizabeth Stonewall @Audrey Gallant @Brookline Quinn @Ayumi Faeri @Danielle Alden @Elena Clark @Zoe Lee @Colin McCoire @Tracey Bailey @Eugenia Karageorgiadi @Azrael Hunt