e2 help before i kms (1 Viewer)

[imhungry990]

hey guys, i’m currently brainstorming for ext 2 and really need some inspo. i know a lot of people in past years wrote pieces around war (esp ww2 or other heavy topics), so i’d love to hear from anyone who’s been there and actually managed to make their concept stand out.

for those who’ve done ext 2, how did you go about choosing your final concept? if you could go back, is there an idea or angle you would’ve extended on more? or any niche literary concepts, structures, or themes you’d recommend exploring?

basically, i just want to hear what kinds of ideas or methods markers actually reward

any advice would honestly help so much

 

[Trial&Error]

These are great starting points for inspo:

Antonya Nelson’s 9-step Framework for writing Short Stories

Fighting the tyranny of the blank page

navneetsmaini.medium.com

Young Writers

Young Writers presents a selection of outstanding major works by HSC English Extension 2 students in NSW across a range of literary genres including creative fiction, poetry, essay, podcast and more.

www.nsw.gov.au

Atar notes short story "A suburban Soliloquy" and "poetry jazz suite"

Other than that take a look at some books you've read or movies/documentaries you've watched that have stuck with you till today. Think about what made them stand out to you. What made them unique.

Hope this helps

 

[aqwerty13402]

hey guys, i’m currently brainstorming for ext 2 and really need some inspo. i know a lot of people in past years wrote pieces around war (esp ww2 or other heavy topics), so i’d love to hear from anyone who’s been there and actually managed to make their concept stand out.

for those who’ve done ext 2, how did you go about choosing your final concept? if you could go back, is there an idea or angle you would’ve extended on more? or any niche literary concepts, structures, or themes you’d recommend exploring?

basically, i just want to hear what kinds of ideas or methods markers actually reward

any advice would honestly help so much

I ended up dropping like 2 weeks out from submission, so I do have some experience with concept etc.

Just from first instinct, I think the idea of war could really work if you make it stand out. PERSONALLY, I think it'd be pretty sick to see a War x Foucault's panopticon. Or just the idea of Foucault's in general. Foucault's panopticon uses Jeremy Bentham's architectural design as a metaphor for modern social control through surveillance. Mentioning how in modern society individuals internalise the feeling of being watched and thus self-regulate their own behavior. So it's a passive perpetuation of control.

Not sure how it'd tie into war exactly, but I think there's a thread running through, and you could find it. Control is something that can very easily be linked to language too, which you can't really go wrong with, for an extension piece.

I feel like this idea could be modernised completely, without the idea of war. Because that's what we see now. People are so concerned with things like cancel culture, and knowing that anything they say and do could be filmed at any moment. Which leads to a subconscious monitoring / filtering of genuine human spirit. Or smthg like that, yk?

 

[Goowsddw]

I was honestly lost for a concept until the start of this year because I was concerned about making it unique and ‘complex’. However, if you are passionate about a concept it will ultimately stand out (as long as it’s not too cliche).The most important thing is purpose behind your writing. Find out what matters to you and what you really want to say. Explore niche personal interests (e.g. I focalised in on religious cults) and reflect on your own experiences. Think about media you have connected with personally (music was a big inspiration for me) and what makes them powerful.

Reading widely and reflecting on what concepts and styles of writing stand out to you is very important for establishing a starting point. From a broad concept (I started with memory), you can branch out different avenues. The hardest part of the whole major work process is probably building your conceptual framework, so don’t feel you have to know everything right now. I found that as I stopped worrying about perfection and let my thoughts flow as I wrote, my characters and the nuances of my concept naturally formed.

Your structure should work with your concept and add depth. Experimentation in early stages is essential and markers like to see how you manipulate form. Develop a unique narrative voice that demonstrates the distinct perception of your character. I drew from features of modernism including stream of consciousness, vignette structure, nonlinearity, and unreliable narration to represent the fragmentation of thought and dislocation of my character. I recommend writing from different points of view and emulating the narrative style from texts that have stood out to you through the distinct reading experience they provide. Consider what is voiced, what is hidden, and what is implied.