Ideas can come from anything and everything. But it’s always a good idea to give students a jumping off point. Pictures are a great jumping off point for creative writing.
Today we’re looking at The Aftermath – a picture that shows the aftermath of an event. Something has clearly happened – so let’s decide what that is, and how a character might react to what has happened.
Using the picture at the top of the post, take these steps:
- Automatic write on the picture. Set a timer for two minutes and tell students to write down everything and anything that comes to mind when they look at the picture. Don’t self-censor or judge any thought, just get it down on the page. Explain to students they’re creating source material to draw from for future writing.
- Have students answer the following questions:
- What happened here five minutes ago?
- What is the world like in the aftermath of this event?
- Will this event happen again? Why or why not?
- Who took the picture and why?
- What is this person thinking about?
- What happened to the owner of this car?
- Based on the automatic writing and the answers to the questions, students will write a monologue. Here are some suggestions:
- Write an inner monologue from the perspective of the photographer. What are they thinking about as they look at the car? What do they want from life?
- Write a monologue from the perspective of the car. Personify the car. What were they like before the event? What happened to them?
- Write a monologue from the perspective of the owner of the car. What is their response to seeing what happened? What do they want?
- Write a monologue in which a person talks about life after the event. How were they affected? What is it like in the aftermath?
- Write a monologue in which a person sees the event coming. What is their response?
