Day 1
Arthur is in a tough place. He has been installed as the King. But there are many who do not accept his power. Write about a time in your life when you had to convince people to follow your lead.
Day 2
As with most things, it is important to have a plan or a strategy. Do your best to explain King Arthur’s strategy in fighting the eleven Kings and their much larger army. You may want to try writing the first sentence in away that foreshadows Arthur’s victory.
Day 3
Write a brief story imagining Mordred as a teenager. He has just begun to put the pieces together of who his mother and father are. How do you think he will feel? What will be his first impulses? What will he do after he calms down? You may wish to include an ironic sentence or two from Mordred’s perspective. As you write, keep your audience in mind.
Day 4
Discuss whether or not you believe in fate or destiny? Can you be the master of your fate? Or is it set in stone? What significance will this have on the way you live the rest of your life?
Day 5
Balin or any of Arthur’s other men might still be alive had he heeded the warnings along the way. Write about a time in your life when you should have paid attention to the signs. What were the signs? Why did you not heed them and what have you learned?
Day 6
Write a code that you would like your child to live by. Try varying the length and rhythm of your sentences so that your message flows.
Day 7
Merlin was, at one point in time, really manipulated. Write about a time when you realized you had been manipulated or “taken for a ride.” Explain the experience and describe how you felt and what you learned. Include sensory details, the sights, sounds, and smells of the setting. Help the reader to feel your shock. Be sure to edit your journal for correct and accurate copy.
Day 8
King Arthur is a generous man. He is able to keep the circumstances in mind when deciding how to deal with the man that nearly had him killed. Write about a time you had to work for somebody’s forgiveness. Explain the act requiring amends. Then tell what you did to make things right. Discuss the other person’s reactions as well. Finally, reflect on the lesson you learned. Evaluate your paragraph using the rubric on effective writing you created today.
Day 9
Pretend that you are the young damsel. Go on to describe in detail what you did not like about Gawain. Further describe using sensory details how the scenery has changed now that you are with this new knight.
Day 10
Write a paragraph in which you either defend or reject Gawain’s actions. Earlier in the book, Queen Guinevere told him that it would be his eternal quest to defend all ladies and fight in their cause. Did he? Did he adhere to the code of knighthood and chivalry?
Day 11
Write the exposition snapshot (first paragraph) for a story in which Gawain kills the knight’s second son. The story must involve three characters and introduce conflict. Remember an exposition introduces the setting, characters, and the conflict.
Day 12
Pretend this damsel takes this new young knight on a quest. Write a brief paragraph of dialogue between the two in which they discuss Marhalt. Write a second paragraph ( rising action) in which you and the new knight head towards a crisis. Make it feel like the action level is rising. Try to use language that is appropriate to the time and place.
Day 13
It has been said that a knight is not born, he is made. Often, surviving the climax of a story re-makes the character. Write the climax of a story in which you face a crisis and are remade. Make your short story snapshot feel like a crisis. Make it feel urgent and tense. Try providing sensory details like sight and smell, to aid the tone of your climax. Also, focus on the fluency of your writing.
Day 14
During the falling action and resolution of a story, the main character often realizes that he or she has been transformed. Pretend you are Ewain and that you have just returned to Camelot. Explain to your queen what you learned on your quest. Explain how you have been transformed. Narrate. Do not summarize.
Day 15
Write the exposition for a story where two people, one young and one old set out on a quest. Think about starting your story with an exciting action, with dialogue, or by making a surprising statement. In doing so, be sure to introduce your characters and establish the setting (time and place).
Day 16
Discovery Prompt: Write a rising action snapshot for a story in which Sir Ewain falls upon the trail of clues leading to Lancelot. Write the story from the apple tree to the point where Ewain is about to kick in the door where Lancelot is imprisoned. Provide at least two clues along the way to lead him there.
Day 17
Pretend you are Lancelot. Write an inner dialogue in which you attempt to decide whether you should attend a Bagdemagues, your promise, or save Lyonel instead. Base your answer on your understanding of the oath of the Knights of the Round Table.
Day 18
Lyonel left Camelot a boy. He returns a man. Write the conclusion as he returns to the well where none of the other boys have changed at all. Choose your words carefully. Help the reader to feel the new divide separating Lyonel from the others.
Day 19
Write the reversal story climatic snapshot where the fortuneteller’s predictions come true. Set the scene where Guinevere is about to be burned at the stake. Use sensory details and choose your words to signify urgency. When you are finished, trade with a friend and evaluate the story snapshot based on the assessment rubric.
Day 20
Write the resolution snapshot for this Union tale. Does their love succeed? Or does in end in tragedy. Either way, choose your words in order that your reader will feel their joy or sorrow. When you are finished trade with a friend and evaluate the story snapshot.