- Narratives of Connection in Many Accents
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The HKU Knowledge Exchange Impact Project “Narratives of Connections in Many Accents” encourages the sharing of stories across differences in culture and language. We live in a city with people coming from many different parts of the world and we speak languages in different accents. Along with our accents there are stories of connection to particular places in the city and to special persons in particular occasions. Through the creative narratives in this project, we start a people’s archive of stories of connections to enrich the cultural memory in this city.
Dr. Esther Yau, Associate Professor, Principle Investigator Department of Comparative Literature, The University of Hong Kong
Office: (852) 3917-5110
香港,多元的語音,相連的足跡
香港這個多元混雜的國際都會,有不少人在這裏默默生活過、建設過、 貢獻過,在我城留下了獨特的足跡。本計劃旨在建立一個網絡平台,透 過互動工作坊閱讀及討論相關文學、電影、視覺藝術等,激發參加者的 創意思維,從而鼓勵以書寫、影像戓語音,呈現他們在香港的生活和相 連的點滴。不同的語言,或同一語言下不同的語音及文化背景,構成了 大大小小的多元的相連的故事。作品將透過數碼平台分享,達到知識 交流、資源共享之目的,讓不同文化背景的人,包括社區人仕、老師、 學生,以及非華語家庭,了解大家生活在香港相連的足跡。
我們的理念:
∙ 我們尊重每一個人的經歷和記憶; ∙ 我們尊重每一個人都有自己的故事; ∙ 個人和群體的是香港文化記憶的重要組成部份; ∙ 毎個人的故事都是有價值的。
《多元的語音,相連的足跡 》主持人
丘靜美博士
香港大學比較文學系副教授
Project Supervisor (PI)
Dr. Esther Yau, Associate Professor, Hong Kong University Department of Comparative Literature; Associate Dean, HKU Faculty of Arts
Workshop Leaders
Ivy Wong, M. Phil student, Hong Kong University Department of Comparative Literature
Florence Lo, M.A. University of Leeds, part-time staff, Hong Kong University Department of Comparative Literature
Jenny Wong, M. Phil, University of Hong Kong, part-time staff, Hong Kong University Department of Comparative Literature
Creative Mentors
Amrita Daryanani, Tiffany Tam, Christie Lin, Walter Ng, Elle
n So, Michelle Lam, Shadow Tam, Daisy Chan, Sophya Lo, Kathy Yip
Contact Person: Florence Lo [florencedream@gmail.com]
Creative Narratives Workshop
Learning Outcomes
• Integrate experiences of meaningful connections in Hong Kong with story-telling activities
• Develop talents in creative writing and visual expressions through workshops, completion of narratives, and web exhibition
• Connect ideas and experiences with the local community
• Recognize creative efforts on a university website
Creative Narratives Workshop
Learning Outcomes
• Integrate experiences of meaningful connections in Hong Kong with story-telling activities
• Develop talents in creative writing and visual expressions through workshops, completion of narratives, and web exhibition
• Connect ideas and experiences with the local community
• Recognize creative efforts on a university website
Key Concepts in Writing Creative Narratives
• A personal narrative tells the true story of something that happened to you. To write your own personal narrative of encounter and connection, choose a story from your daily life or travels to write about. It could be a memorable incident, an episode involving someone you get to know and care about, or an experience that broadened your view of life.
• A creative narrative often combines some features from an actual experience involving real persons with some imagined elements. The writer uses her/his observation and imagination to create credible characters in a narrative that is extraordinary yet remains believable and plausible.
• Character development is when the character undergoes changes that are progressive (e.g. becomes more courageous, more caring, more trusting), or undergoes changes that are less progressive or even regressive (e.g. becomes lost, less daring, less trusting). The ending is more upbeat for the former and downbeat for the latter.
Voice in Creative Narrative
• Remember you are the author of every word in the story.
• You can use your authorial voice to address your reader at the beginning and end of the story, or at any appropriate time.
• When you use "I" in the story, this subject “I” can be the same as the real you. This can also be a mix of actual and imagined elements as well. “I” becomes a character in the story.
• Whether autobiographical, wholly creative, or a mix of both, you have an authorial voice in the story.
Structuring a Narrative
• Structure: A narrative shall open with something that catches your readers’ attention and helps your readers to care about the characters in the story.
• You can envision the key elements of a standard narrative as a line that goes up and down, often in the following way:
• The beginning sets the tone and direction of the story. Something drastic has happened. Or it is happening.
• The main character and the main action are inseparable. Dig deep into what this character and what motivates her or him to take an action.
• The setting and the minor characters can be barriers or helpers connected to the main action.
• There can be conflicts that lead to a minor or major crisis. An external crisis has consequences involving the well-being of another person or persons in a place, while internal crisis is often psychological and emotional for the character.
• Some form of resolution of crisis happens towards the end or at the end. Some things can and often remain unresolved.
Designing a creative narrative with an intended effect in mind
As you plot the story, decide what your intended effects shall be? Which part of the story will achieve the intended effects? Is it the way things turn out for the major character? The conflict between the major and the minor characters?
Think of a climax and an ending that achieves the intended effects or impact on the readers.
Narrator in Creative Narratives
You are the visible or invisible narrator in the story. You make up a whole world with colorful sights, sounds, smells, and movements! Be sure to use comparisons and contrasts to bring this world to life.
Choose words carefully and thoughtfully to get the reader to follow your invisible directions to experience this world.
A narrator can do many things with words. You can have power with words to: Create suspense and anticipation Make your readers feel a certain way Provoke your readers to think about a
question and get them to ponder Get them to expect something to happen
or want it not to happen!
Discover the power of words by reading and re- reading passages in novels that impress you. Imagine you are the author of that novel: how would you begin or end the story? Would you change the character? Would you add any characters? What is the place that is most familiar to you that you like to include in the story? .
Some Emotional Words For Your reference:
Excited Happy Jubilant Cheerful Proud
Contented Hopeful Envious Confident Forgiving
Light-hearted Anxious Impatient Strong Fearful
Troubled Worried Afraid Horrified Angry
Irritated Uneasy Guilty Misunderstood Sad
Disgusted Painful Self-blaming Regret Confused
Wearied Defeated Pressured Lost Helpless
Weak Disappointed Tired Exhausted Sad
Longing Lonely Isolated Empty
Numbed Distanced Jealous Pitiful
Sorrowful Ashamed Shy Curious Embarrassed Determined
When two eggs meet each other...
A Story-telling Exercise
C
reate a character with an egg! Choose 2 intended effects of the story. Create a story with team member(s):
Imagine what the characters see, hear, do, feel, and/or say and share ideas; Design a character that has development or regression in the course of the story Close the story with something worth remembering
Conclude the exercise by sharing your stories and what you have learned from this exercise
Start writing your own story of connection
