I have just read quickly through the Assessment Booklet for A363 and I am terrified. Why? The sheer volume of work that is required. And the extent of the diversity of forms you are expected to master. Fiction, poetry, life writing forms the basis, but critiques, stage, film and radio scripts are all part of the course, together with more formal poetry which I haven't touched on (given that A215 was all about free verse though for me even that had mixed results at best).
I don't remember feeling anything other than excitement at the start of A215. I don't feel excited about A363 at all and I'm left wondering if I haven't made a big mistake signing up to it. That said let's look at this a bit more objectively:
Fiction: I might not have excelled in this part of A215 in that I drew heavily for the appropriate TMAs 01 and 02 from episodes from my life for both, serving as unexpected precursors for the later life writing phase. But I scored well. And, following the process of writing both of these assignments I now have a much better grasp of the technicalities of fiction writing, even if I have resisted writing a single story since. What I will need before the course starts is a list of possible subjects and ideas about story possibilities and story telling. I have time to make this list - currently I don't have one so the prospect of writing fictional stories is more daunting until I have a list of prompts sitting at my shoulder acting as a helpful reference point and guide and drawing the sting from this cold start anxiety. I do have a few false starts on the various blogs I've written about character and situation ideas. Leonard Wickets the drug-taking, aging hippy and failed Lothario sign writer; Edward Blessington the overweight sports playing slightly misanthropic vicar; and Matilda Mayhurst the snippy racialist war widowed wheelchair bound martinet are just three characters I remember profiling - and as I recall once I' d profiled these and other characters, stories almost presented themselves to me, rendering me breathless and interested and writing at full pelt. That's got to be a plus.
Poetry: Remembering my poem A Face in Time. It didn't break any score records but it was well in the 70s which at the moment sound fine going forward. I absolutely loved writing it once I'd mastered the conventions and expectations of free verse and received quite a bit of praise for my use of assonance (one of the most important technical devices in free verse) alliteration and use of echoic sounds, pace and diction. Also the poem I wrote together with the less successful Sea Keepers which still had huge promise) were both story poems which look particularly relevant in style for A363. Again I loved writing both. The caveat must be the formal side of poetry as I have noticed as the course progresses there is a requirement to write poetry using some of the forms taught: pantoum, sonnet... sestinas for Christ's sake. Until I try I don't suppose I will know but to head off too much pre course anxiety I should look into those forms and see what I can do. But again it's from the ideas where most success should flow. Come up with ideas and I'll be able to do all these things I'm sure.
Life Writing: I still have stores of ideas left over from A215. It's worth remembering that Easter Lilies which was submitted as my examinable component was just a casual idea originally destined to be a fragment of TMA04 Life Writing, and perhaps arbitrarily I chose to reserve it for a longer piece of work once I realised I was well over the word limit for 04. It was then developed into a 2,500 word EMA which I think (though I don't know as I don't have my EMA mark back yet) is a good piece of work - and it came from virtually nothing growing as it did organically. I had no idea where it would go aside from a few basic ideas at the beginning and a loose framework to hang the whole thing from. My life writing work which is proven in 04 (scored 85) and EMA (expecting similar) does develop throughout the editing process and I end up going down routes I would never have expected - this may be a skill of mine and I'm sure will be there waiting for me all over again for A363. (Don't forget I'm trying to give myself confidence here, none of that pride comes before a fall stuff).
Of course I have never written scripts but I'm already in beginning to read a few plays and film scripts to get a feel for the form and by the time the course starts I'll have an idea at least how each of them should be presented and maybe even some ideas that could be developed.
Critiques: They don't frighten me. I did some on A215 which I was hesitant about, but only because I didn't feel confident that I should be doing it as I was only learning myself. In this course it is part of the learning process and a vital part of passing so I'll have no such inhibitions here. I think I'll do quite well in this area. The one thing I wil have to do to ensure success is to really read through peers' work - I had a habit of going off half-cocked on A215 as it was not an essential part of the course and often I felt sligtly begrudging about doing it. Not for this one I'll be reading peers' work closely and be expecting the same treatment bestowed onto my work.
Additionally: I haven't been sitting on my hands completely since A215. For the poetry and to a certain extent for other forms of writing I have been working on improving my word power to counter one of the mantras on A215 and doubtless will be on A363, strive always for originality of expression and the avoidance of hackneyed expressions and cliches. In fact avoid anything that looks formulaic, everyday, and recognisable whenever you can. To this end I have been compiling dictionaries of lesser known words. Admittedly these will be of greater use for poetry than other forms, but it's a vital form of preparation I think. So much criticism and comment on A215 was generated by the use of vocabulary and in particular, poetry. Surprise is, it seems always welcome, perhaps even mandatory if you want to score well and perhaps produce something that might one day be publishable. I have a stock of surprise words that will be wheeled out conservatively. Surprises aplenty. Incidentally I used a couple Old Dorset words in one of my poems and Old Somerset in the other. Positive comments were offered in both cases, it really is a no -brainer. To extend the use of the English language really does make it look like you are going deeper into your emotional reserves which reflects positively in your poetry. Prose also, but with greater care.
So perhaps there's much to be confident about as well. Little bit of nerves won't hurt. Arrogance is the worst attitude at the beginning of a course, thinking you won't struggle because it's all stuff you know. Thinking about itpre course nerves may well help to ensure I will be properly prepared for the challenge
I don't remember feeling anything other than excitement at the start of A215. I don't feel excited about A363 at all and I'm left wondering if I haven't made a big mistake signing up to it. That said let's look at this a bit more objectively:
Fiction: I might not have excelled in this part of A215 in that I drew heavily for the appropriate TMAs 01 and 02 from episodes from my life for both, serving as unexpected precursors for the later life writing phase. But I scored well. And, following the process of writing both of these assignments I now have a much better grasp of the technicalities of fiction writing, even if I have resisted writing a single story since. What I will need before the course starts is a list of possible subjects and ideas about story possibilities and story telling. I have time to make this list - currently I don't have one so the prospect of writing fictional stories is more daunting until I have a list of prompts sitting at my shoulder acting as a helpful reference point and guide and drawing the sting from this cold start anxiety. I do have a few false starts on the various blogs I've written about character and situation ideas. Leonard Wickets the drug-taking, aging hippy and failed Lothario sign writer; Edward Blessington the overweight sports playing slightly misanthropic vicar; and Matilda Mayhurst the snippy racialist war widowed wheelchair bound martinet are just three characters I remember profiling - and as I recall once I' d profiled these and other characters, stories almost presented themselves to me, rendering me breathless and interested and writing at full pelt. That's got to be a plus.
Poetry: Remembering my poem A Face in Time. It didn't break any score records but it was well in the 70s which at the moment sound fine going forward. I absolutely loved writing it once I'd mastered the conventions and expectations of free verse and received quite a bit of praise for my use of assonance (one of the most important technical devices in free verse) alliteration and use of echoic sounds, pace and diction. Also the poem I wrote together with the less successful Sea Keepers which still had huge promise) were both story poems which look particularly relevant in style for A363. Again I loved writing both. The caveat must be the formal side of poetry as I have noticed as the course progresses there is a requirement to write poetry using some of the forms taught: pantoum, sonnet... sestinas for Christ's sake. Until I try I don't suppose I will know but to head off too much pre course anxiety I should look into those forms and see what I can do. But again it's from the ideas where most success should flow. Come up with ideas and I'll be able to do all these things I'm sure.
Life Writing: I still have stores of ideas left over from A215. It's worth remembering that Easter Lilies which was submitted as my examinable component was just a casual idea originally destined to be a fragment of TMA04 Life Writing, and perhaps arbitrarily I chose to reserve it for a longer piece of work once I realised I was well over the word limit for 04. It was then developed into a 2,500 word EMA which I think (though I don't know as I don't have my EMA mark back yet) is a good piece of work - and it came from virtually nothing growing as it did organically. I had no idea where it would go aside from a few basic ideas at the beginning and a loose framework to hang the whole thing from. My life writing work which is proven in 04 (scored 85) and EMA (expecting similar) does develop throughout the editing process and I end up going down routes I would never have expected - this may be a skill of mine and I'm sure will be there waiting for me all over again for A363. (Don't forget I'm trying to give myself confidence here, none of that pride comes before a fall stuff).
Of course I have never written scripts but I'm already in beginning to read a few plays and film scripts to get a feel for the form and by the time the course starts I'll have an idea at least how each of them should be presented and maybe even some ideas that could be developed.
Critiques: They don't frighten me. I did some on A215 which I was hesitant about, but only because I didn't feel confident that I should be doing it as I was only learning myself. In this course it is part of the learning process and a vital part of passing so I'll have no such inhibitions here. I think I'll do quite well in this area. The one thing I wil have to do to ensure success is to really read through peers' work - I had a habit of going off half-cocked on A215 as it was not an essential part of the course and often I felt sligtly begrudging about doing it. Not for this one I'll be reading peers' work closely and be expecting the same treatment bestowed onto my work.
Additionally: I haven't been sitting on my hands completely since A215. For the poetry and to a certain extent for other forms of writing I have been working on improving my word power to counter one of the mantras on A215 and doubtless will be on A363, strive always for originality of expression and the avoidance of hackneyed expressions and cliches. In fact avoid anything that looks formulaic, everyday, and recognisable whenever you can. To this end I have been compiling dictionaries of lesser known words. Admittedly these will be of greater use for poetry than other forms, but it's a vital form of preparation I think. So much criticism and comment on A215 was generated by the use of vocabulary and in particular, poetry. Surprise is, it seems always welcome, perhaps even mandatory if you want to score well and perhaps produce something that might one day be publishable. I have a stock of surprise words that will be wheeled out conservatively. Surprises aplenty. Incidentally I used a couple Old Dorset words in one of my poems and Old Somerset in the other. Positive comments were offered in both cases, it really is a no -brainer. To extend the use of the English language really does make it look like you are going deeper into your emotional reserves which reflects positively in your poetry. Prose also, but with greater care.
So perhaps there's much to be confident about as well. Little bit of nerves won't hurt. Arrogance is the worst attitude at the beginning of a course, thinking you won't struggle because it's all stuff you know. Thinking about itpre course nerves may well help to ensure I will be properly prepared for the challenge
