The English Essay

nobodythere

What will you be reading before the english essays to get the juices flowing and give you ideas? Also if you don't copy something word for word but basically steal the story line for something is it cheating?

plagurism is illegal, and you could lose all marks for copy someone else's work. Use ideas, gain inspiration, but don't copy someone else's stuff.

Josh Windenberg

grasshopa wrote:

What will you be reading before the english essays to get the juices flowing and give you ideas? Also if you don't copy something word for word but basically steal the story line for something is it cheating?

No you certainly wont get punished for it,

I would recommend reading a book of short stories by a quiet unknown author

randomfella

i found www.short-stories.co.uk to have a wealth of inspiration. Helped me develop new techniques in my story-telling ability. Good site, recommend it. As for robbing a story, i don't think i'd use my effort up in memorising a story. As for a storyline, yea i think if you can remember the jist of a story its good. As i said before, i find it hard to end a story sometimes so if you know where u were going its always a plus. I know the marking scheme is pclm but what is content the only one that grades the storyline itself?

rasher_b2

randomfella wrote:

i found www.short-stories.co.uk to have a wealth of inspiration. Helped me develop new techniques in my story-telling ability. Good site, recommend it. As for robbing a story, i don't think i'd use my effort up in memorising a story. As for a storyline, yea i think if you can remember the jist of a story its good. As i said before, i find it hard to end a story sometimes so if you know where u were going its always a plus. I know the marking scheme is pclm but what is content the only one that grades the storyline itself?

I found that site to be quite good too. Also, before you write your essay it can be handy to plan it out roughly on the page before you write it so you can get everything in order and write down ideas before you forget them.

On the topic of stealing stories. I seriously doubt it's a problem as, chances are, sombody has already written most kinda of stories imaginable. Just get the idea from it and put in in your own words I suppose...

bandraoi

Read Catch 22. read it again and again and again, use quotes in the essay to back up points you make.

Josh Windenberg

bandraoi wrote:

Read Catch 22. read it again and again and again, use quotes in the essay to back up points you make.

sorry is it on that site? or is it a book?

Thank You
- Josh Windenbergh

Con9903

I just finished bravo 2 0 so I'm basing my essay on that.

JackKelly

Hang on. So you can take your ideas from a well-known/already-written story?

Josh Windenberg

TimAy wrote:

Hang on. So you can take your ideas from a well-known/already-written story?

i dont know about a well known one, I wouldnt write out the Plot of Les Mis or anything


DO YOU HEAR THE PEOPLE SING SINGING THE SONG OF ANGRY MEN ITS THE ......

randomfella

surely u have heard of catch 22???
conspiracy theory the film is where i know it from.

Cianan2

In the Mocks, i pretty much copied the film "The Manchurian Candidate"(but did it with my own characters,etc) and got nearly full marks-losing a few because i didnt finish. Maybe it was because they hadnt seen it,though...

I find it hard to write anyting decent in the time given. I can't make the writing too descriptive and interesting, otherwise there remains little time for the actual plot. Can't do too much dialogue for the same reason. Can't create a very interesting plot, otherwise I won't get it finished in time and it will seem rushed.

I always opt for lame morality stories.

Cianan2

I just think of good (old) movies and change it around a bit. Always worked for good marks.

A whole movie, or just a scene? Give me an example of one you've done before. Please.

Creamy Goodness

I think when writing essays the less that happens the better.

I'm sure examiners are sick to death of a big car chase that takes place in new york, you save new york from blowing up and you get the girl in the end type stories.

randomfella

Cremo wrote:

I'm sure examiners are sick to death of a big car chase that takes place in new york, you save new york from blowing up and you get the girl in the end type stories.

but aren't they the best ones?

they are the kind i go for. My last one was about an iraqi insurgent who ended up in guantanemo.

Simple may be best, but I hate it when they say "choose a picture from text _ and write a short story".

Then you go to see the picture and it's a kid wearing novelty glasses or something. INSPIRINGGGGGG.

trishemurphy

short stories are my favorite especially when you can choose a pic it's so broad

Creamy Goodness

the best one was the one our teacher told us. she was correcting the papers, and for text 3 - the one with the pictures - part B there was a picture of DJ carey there.

the question was the write a diary entry imaging you were this person in a important day of work for that person.

Half the teachers scripts involved DJ Carey saying this in his diary "I'm running out on to croke park in the final" did he write this diary entry on his hurl?

trishemurphy

lol i wouldn't do a diary anyways hate them

Con9903

TimAy wrote:

Hang on. So you can take your ideas from a well-known/already-written story?

you bet your ass you can. I did it in the LC mocks and the JC. All I'm going to do is change the country and the nationality of the people involved, and swap arpund a few events. They can't prove a thing.

TheDoc

Defies the whole purpose to be honest. I wont be copying stories because the department do random checks. Simply by using google. I wouldnt recomend it an exam supervisor told us all this stuff.

And a story is not hard to write, its my favourite part. i'm not too sure on how amrks are broken up for the papers but I know I will do well in my essay i must write, descriptive and atmospheric is the key. I Always try to make a title or line they give you into a war story or something,

randomfella

Con9903 wrote:

you bet your ass you can. I did it in the LC mocks and the JC. All I'm going to do is change the country and the nationality of the people involved, and swap arpund a few events. They can't prove a thing.

anything in mind?

Con9903

What purpouse?! It's the leaving cert, the better the essay the more marks you get. I already know what my basic plot is so it's going to save time. The time can then be used to my advantage.

[DM]-TheDOC- wrote:

I Always try to make a title or line they give you into a war story or something,

Thats generally the one I use as well, or if all else fails, a picture.

randomfella wrote:

anything in mind?

I usually do War orientated stories as I find them easy to write. Just think of movies you have seen or books you have read recently. Or base your story on a historical event perhaps?

Cianan2

<Jonny> wrote:

A whole movie, or just a scene? Give me an example of one you've done before. Please.

There was a Woody Allen movie i watched with my dad, and in it was a scene with Robin Williams - It was about how he was out of focus(he was an actor) and they couldnt shoot the scene. It was kinda like a metaphor for how bad his life was at that moment in time or something. Its a really weird moment and its brilliant,really clever.

chicken_food

Iv been told by our teacher (who has been a chief examiner for a good few years) and she said if the marker knows that the story and/or plot are taken from another source they are entitled to give zero marks. She says that she has marked texts down quite often for plagerizing work. That scared me off copying ideas for life!

Con9903

And that's why you change key parts.

trishemurphy

don't copy films its fun making up your own story at least you'll have a giggle in the exam

Con9903

Well its not stonecold, unadulterated copying its just taking some "inspiration".

Cianan2

What if you actually did write a story, all on your own from your own brain, only for the correcter person to then recognize it as a movie they had once seen as a teenager/younger adult? Just bad luck, maybe?