The first exercise of the unit is all about the differences in style and tone we have to adopt when writing for children or adults. The first half of the exercise is to write a short story for children, using J.K. Rowling's simple, plot-driven style as an example. If you're used to writing for adults, you may find it surprisingly difficult to keep your language simple and your style plain while holding the reader's interest. Writing for children is a great way to practice the art of storytelling and is an opportunity to really let your imagination take flight. Forget about realism; anything can happen in a children's story.

The second half of the exercise is to then adapt your children's story for adults. If you like, you could choose to put a more realistic spin on a children's story or craft a piece of magical realism where something extraordinary enters into an ordinary, everyday scene. Magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements are blended into a realistic atmosphere. Change the language and description and embellish both the atmosphere and the psychological realism of your characters. Psychological realism relates to characters with realistic and fully fleshed out psychologies. Do whatever you feel is necessary to make your story appeal to adults.

Assignment Instructions: Submit your two short stories in the Creative Writing 5.1 Dropbox. It should be the same story but one version for adults and one version for children. This assignment is worth 20 points.