Short texts for quick writes
Examples of short texts - oral and written - can be quickly shared in their entirety. Their purposes can be very culture-specific; they date quickly - telegrams are rare today but 148-character tweets are more recent.
Short texts offer a number of quick group 'starters' for workshops - or a way to 'revisit' and 'refresh' an existing text by offering a different 'direction'.Their characteristic uses, audiences and features can be easily discussed. Their shortness means that two examples can be easily juxtaposed. Their forms can suggest frames/styles/ways of responding to texts, objects and situations - what does this advertise? how does this speak? what question does this invite? how could we show this on map or in a diagram?
So ...
Short texts offer a number of quick group 'starters' for workshops - or a way to 'revisit' and 'refresh' an existing text by offering a different 'direction'.Their characteristic uses, audiences and features can be easily discussed. Their shortness means that two examples can be easily juxtaposed. Their forms can suggest frames/styles/ways of responding to texts, objects and situations - what does this advertise? how does this speak? what question does this invite? how could we show this on map or in a diagram?
So ...
- Don't write the character description - just write 10 things he/she had in his/her pocket - the secret from his/her childhood - what he/she said - what was on their gravestone - famous last words
- Don't write the whole story, just write the headline(s)/title(s) - and 6 subheadings/chapter headings.
- Don't write the novel, just write the cliffhanger for the back cover blurb/ what one reviewer wrote/ what the author said.
- Don't write the setting, just draw a map and label the 5 most significant places.
- Don't write the full set of instructions, just write the list of ingredients/equipment needed for this person, this place, this object.
INVENTING (a 5-minute, two-part activity):
1. Each person invents 3 words - and writes them on strips of paper and puts them into an envelope - shuffle - each person withdraws three.
2. Each person writes a definition for each chosen word - complete with an example of how might be used in context.
1. Each person invents 3 words - and writes them on strips of paper and puts them into an envelope - shuffle - each person withdraws three.
2. Each person writes a definition for each chosen word - complete with an example of how might be used in context.
Here are some more short texts. (I will try and post some examples and provide some text/picture links.)
Dedications (30 awesome book dedications), shop names, warning signs, summonses, pardons, addresses, prayers, curses, spells, haikus, kennings, cinquains, epitaphs, famous last words, speech bubbles, postcards, catch-phrases, menus (see below 2), price-lists, number plates, catalogue entries, wall plaques (see below 1), sick notes, excuses, contents pages, index pages, glossaries, job descriptions, schedules/timetables, horoscopes (see below 3), guarantees, recipes, questions and responses, recorded voice-mail messages, small ads in 12/24 words ...
Dedications (30 awesome book dedications), shop names, warning signs, summonses, pardons, addresses, prayers, curses, spells, haikus, kennings, cinquains, epitaphs, famous last words, speech bubbles, postcards, catch-phrases, menus (see below 2), price-lists, number plates, catalogue entries, wall plaques (see below 1), sick notes, excuses, contents pages, index pages, glossaries, job descriptions, schedules/timetables, horoscopes (see below 3), guarantees, recipes, questions and responses, recorded voice-mail messages, small ads in 12/24 words ...
1. NORTHBOURNE AVIATION GROUND
This plaque marks the site of Canberra's first aerodrome, which was declared operational 4 March 1924. The first aviation fatality in the ACT occurred here on 26 February 1926. Aircraft operations continued on this site until November 1926 when they were transferred to a site on the western half of the present Canberra Airport.
This plaque marks the site of Canberra's first aerodrome, which was declared operational 4 March 1924. The first aviation fatality in the ACT occurred here on 26 February 1926. Aircraft operations continued on this site until November 1926 when they were transferred to a site on the western half of the present Canberra Airport.
2. HARTWELL HOUSE HOTEL
~SAMPLE Spring Luncheon Menu
Pan fried seabass cuttlefish risotto, semi dried tomato, fennel and port puree
Home smoked then confit Scottish salmon with ginger cream, grapefruit
and pomegranate salad
Warm rilette of Aylesbury duck in a potato basket with potato foam and
pickled root vegtables
Stilton fondant with soused apples, celery salad , yoghurt dressing
xxx
Pan fried fillet of hake with herb, mussel, fennel and tomato linguine, crab, tomato herb
and white wine sauce
Pot roasted rump of Oxfordshire lamb, crispy sweetbreads, wild garlic Voisin potato,
Chantenay carrots, peas and broad beans, cooking juices
(£2 supplement)
Roasted fillet and confit belly of pork with braised Savoy cabbage and pancetta,
black pudding rosti, apple puree and apple jus
Layers of roasted portabello mushroom and butternut squash with spinach and nutmeg,
forest mushroom cream sauce
xxx
Valrhona caramelia chocolate delice with poached cherries and cherry foam,
kalingo ice cream
Gateau Saint Honoré with blueberry, violet and raspberry sorbet
Coconut mousse with caramelised banana, mango and lime sorbet
Finely sliced apple tart with caramel sauce and crème fraiche ice cream
Selection of British cheeses; Golden cross, Stilton, Somerset Brie, Keens Cheddar
served with homemade biscuits, chutney and bread
2 Course Luncheon £24.50
3 Course Luncheon £31.95
Coffee and Hartwell Chocolates £3.95
Our tariffs are fully inclusive of service and VAT.
If they wish guests may leave gratuities at their discretion
Special diets and allergies – whilst we will do our best to cater for our guests’ specific requirements, we cannot guarantee
that conformity will be 100% or accept responsibilities for any unintended deficiency or resultant reaction or illness,
unless caused by our negligence
3. Horoscopes (from Seattle Times)
Aries (March 21-April 19): Today is a 7 -- There's plenty to do close to home. Solve a domestic puzzle. Re-affirm a commitment to a partnership or project. Hold onto what you have. Present practical data, and talk it over. Listening is more powerful than speaking. Respect others and it returns to you.
Taurus (April 20-May 20): Today is a 6 -- Apply discipline to your communications for the next few days. Get your message out. Test it on your friends first, and use their feedback for modifications. Money's coming in, and easily goes back out. Don't fund a fantasy. Spend on practical necessities.
Gemini (May 21-June 20): Today is a 6 -- You're in the spotlight today and tomorrow. Use your power responsibly. Discuss financial implications, and negotiate a win-win. Hold out for what's right. Friends contribute their expertise and experience. Learn something new. A hunch could get profitable. Accept the applause with a bow.
4. Animal information plaque
(useful example for short writing exercise 'The world's a zoo')
http://cincinnatizoo.org/blog/animals/polar-bear/
Polar bears are survival specialists in an extreme environment—the Arctic, where winter lasts six months and temperatures average -30ºF. Their large body size, layers of thick, hollow hair, and three to four inches of blubber provide insulation from the cold, in and out of the water.
More infoThe bears’ streamlined shape, partially webbed forepaws, and buoyant layer of blubber help make them champion swimmers.
Polar bears depend completely upon the sea for their existence, spending most of their time on the pack ice from which they hunt their preferred prey. The polar bear is a skillful predator of seals, with the help of a keen sense of smell, powerful paws, and sharp claws.
FACT FILE
Where to see them: Lords of the Arctic
Height: 7 to 11 ft
Weight: Up to 1,500 lbs
Lifespan: 15 to 18 yrs in the wild
Habitat: Arctic ice and coastal shores
Diet: Primarily seals, some walrus, lemmings, lichens, mosses, and carrion
Risk Status: Species at Risk (IUCN—Vulnerable)
5. An advertisement for ocean cruises from the 1920s
http://amhistory.si.edu/onthewater/exhibition/5_3.html
Note values and attitudes reinforced by sentence construction: command, list, question, assertion (statement)
~SAMPLE Spring Luncheon Menu
Pan fried seabass cuttlefish risotto, semi dried tomato, fennel and port puree
Home smoked then confit Scottish salmon with ginger cream, grapefruit
and pomegranate salad
Warm rilette of Aylesbury duck in a potato basket with potato foam and
pickled root vegtables
Stilton fondant with soused apples, celery salad , yoghurt dressing
xxx
Pan fried fillet of hake with herb, mussel, fennel and tomato linguine, crab, tomato herb
and white wine sauce
Pot roasted rump of Oxfordshire lamb, crispy sweetbreads, wild garlic Voisin potato,
Chantenay carrots, peas and broad beans, cooking juices
(£2 supplement)
Roasted fillet and confit belly of pork with braised Savoy cabbage and pancetta,
black pudding rosti, apple puree and apple jus
Layers of roasted portabello mushroom and butternut squash with spinach and nutmeg,
forest mushroom cream sauce
xxx
Valrhona caramelia chocolate delice with poached cherries and cherry foam,
kalingo ice cream
Gateau Saint Honoré with blueberry, violet and raspberry sorbet
Coconut mousse with caramelised banana, mango and lime sorbet
Finely sliced apple tart with caramel sauce and crème fraiche ice cream
Selection of British cheeses; Golden cross, Stilton, Somerset Brie, Keens Cheddar
served with homemade biscuits, chutney and bread
2 Course Luncheon £24.50
3 Course Luncheon £31.95
Coffee and Hartwell Chocolates £3.95
Our tariffs are fully inclusive of service and VAT.
If they wish guests may leave gratuities at their discretion
Special diets and allergies – whilst we will do our best to cater for our guests’ specific requirements, we cannot guarantee
that conformity will be 100% or accept responsibilities for any unintended deficiency or resultant reaction or illness,
unless caused by our negligence
3. Horoscopes (from Seattle Times)
Aries (March 21-April 19): Today is a 7 -- There's plenty to do close to home. Solve a domestic puzzle. Re-affirm a commitment to a partnership or project. Hold onto what you have. Present practical data, and talk it over. Listening is more powerful than speaking. Respect others and it returns to you.
Taurus (April 20-May 20): Today is a 6 -- Apply discipline to your communications for the next few days. Get your message out. Test it on your friends first, and use their feedback for modifications. Money's coming in, and easily goes back out. Don't fund a fantasy. Spend on practical necessities.
Gemini (May 21-June 20): Today is a 6 -- You're in the spotlight today and tomorrow. Use your power responsibly. Discuss financial implications, and negotiate a win-win. Hold out for what's right. Friends contribute their expertise and experience. Learn something new. A hunch could get profitable. Accept the applause with a bow.
4. Animal information plaque
(useful example for short writing exercise 'The world's a zoo')
http://cincinnatizoo.org/blog/animals/polar-bear/
Polar bears are survival specialists in an extreme environment—the Arctic, where winter lasts six months and temperatures average -30ºF. Their large body size, layers of thick, hollow hair, and three to four inches of blubber provide insulation from the cold, in and out of the water.
More infoThe bears’ streamlined shape, partially webbed forepaws, and buoyant layer of blubber help make them champion swimmers.
Polar bears depend completely upon the sea for their existence, spending most of their time on the pack ice from which they hunt their preferred prey. The polar bear is a skillful predator of seals, with the help of a keen sense of smell, powerful paws, and sharp claws.
FACT FILE
Where to see them: Lords of the Arctic
Height: 7 to 11 ft
Weight: Up to 1,500 lbs
Lifespan: 15 to 18 yrs in the wild
Habitat: Arctic ice and coastal shores
Diet: Primarily seals, some walrus, lemmings, lichens, mosses, and carrion
Risk Status: Species at Risk (IUCN—Vulnerable)
5. An advertisement for ocean cruises from the 1920s
http://amhistory.si.edu/onthewater/exhibition/5_3.html
Note values and attitudes reinforced by sentence construction: command, list, question, assertion (statement)