Week One Writing

· Make a list of moments of 'transformation', change or crisis that you've either experienced or witnessed.

- The transformation from child to adult at university

- Change in personality when moving schools - idea of the "clean slate"

- New style/look after a relationship

- Something that inspires you enters your life - changes you in some way, either positively on negatively

· Think of the triggers that caused these changes

- End of high school education, beginning of university, first time being independant/responsible

- Moving schools

- End of a relationship - heartbreak?

- Depends on the person

. The world before // after the 'crisis'

- Safe environment of living with parents, but restricted // freer but with more responsibilities/difficulties

- Comfort zone of old school // adventure of new school

- Usual style // have learnt something about yourself, refresh look to improve self-esteem?

- Don't know about the thing/person that's about to change your life // have grown as a person in some shape or form, more yourself?

· Match the transformation you've been thinking about with a particular animal. Think about how your choice of animal embodies to the change of power relationships or emotional states you/your characters experience.

Caterpillar into a butterfly – the change was not easy, but necessary and the animal became stronger/more beautiful as a result.

· Think about the scale of change: jot down three small changes and three large changes that can disrupt life's 'patterns'. These might range from a dog killed by a car to a cup knocked off a table. Consider how reactions to these different kinds of events can be made to bear emotion. You'll find that this will carry you on to thinking about context.

Small changes: the position of a chair in a room, a glass falling off a table, someone doing your dishes

Big changes: moving to a new house, starting a relationship with a new partner, death of a family member/friend

· Based on your exploratory thinking and reading, either have a go at a draft of a story or come to your seminar with some ideas you're prepared to discuss.

Having lived a mainly sheltered life up until coming to university, Angel had been a particularly naive Fresher. Then again, most Freshers were more naive than they cared to admit, she was sure.

She was excited about starting university; it was bound to be a challenge and an adventure, and Angel had far too few of those. Knowing it would be difficult at times did nothing to temper her anticipation.

The first month or so flew by relatively uneventfully. Impressed that she hadn't shrunken her clothes, or given herself food poisoning, Angel felt she was managing fairly well with all the elements of student life.

And then, she met Daniel, and her life was completely and utterly thrown upside down.

As a friend, Daniel introduced Angel to the fun side of herself, pulling her out of her comfort zone and allowing her to see the exciting part of being slightly reckless and living in the moment. It didn't take long for Angel to fall hopelessly in love with this handsome, confident and charming boy who seemed not to be afraid of anything.

As a lover, Daniel taught her a lot about love and relationships that beforehand she had only read about in books. He opened her eyes to love. Real love. Angel lost herself in that love, entranced in the atmosphere he gave off.

And when he broke her heart, she had to rebuild, which although it was a long and painful process, she became a better and stronger person as a result. Afterwards, she would never be the same girl; her naivety and innocence was lost, and she developed a newfound cynicism when it came to romance and men in general.

For a long while, she wondered how much of the girl she had been would resurface once she had time to heal. One thing she know for sure is that she would never love in the same way she did with him. Unconsciously, she had left myself open to a world of hurt, doing nothing to protect herself. She would never trust as implicitly again.

Perhaps that was a good thing...