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Listed under:  Language  >  Language modes  >  Creating texts  >  Literary devices
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Researching with Gary Crew

When authors write stories involving historical events, they often spend time doing research. Why do you think they might do this? What are some of the primary source documents Gary Crew used to inform his book, Strange Objects?

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Heywire: Persuade me to make a difference

Can Matt Dombrovski encourage you to be a donor or a volunteer? Test his powers of persuasion in this Heywire audio story, and hear about his own experience of donating something. Could you write or record a similar story about yourself and/or your community? The ABC's Heywire competition calls for stories from 16-22 year ...

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Making a Mini-documentary, Ep 5: Interviewing tips for a video interview

You've got your questions, your equipment, your location and your interviewees. How do you do the interview? Catherine Marciniak and Benj Binks from ABC Open have some practical advice for you. This clip is one of eight on making a mini-documentary.

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Radio National: 'The Great Gatsby' and Baz's blockbuster

Have you ever been drawn into one of those arguments about which is better: the film or the book? In this clip, explore some responses to Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of 'The Great Gatsby' and discover some of the factors that influence people's evaluations. It would be boring if we all had the same opinions, but have ...

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Come to a poetry slam!

Do you love words and the way they sound out loud? Have you ever been to a poetry slam? The Bankstown poetry slam is a monthly spoken word competition that celebrates the cultural diversity of south west Sydney. Slam poets perform original poems on any subject in front of a live audience. Recently the first Poetry Slam ...

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Purdiwan: Pretty One

The Garrwa people live inland from the Gulf of Carpentaria, on either side of the border between the Northern Territory and Queensland. In this brief but beautiful animation, a Garrwa woman herds her pretty goats eastward.

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Creating characters with Sally Rippin

Listen as Sally Rippin talks about how her characters come to life. What does she say about the link between the writer and the characters they create? Why does she say that imagination is like a muscle?

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Dorothea Mackellar's 'My country' as a song

Do you know a poem with the line 'I love a sunburnt country'? The poem is 'My country' by Dorothea Mackellar. Find out what inspired Mackellar to write this famous poem and how she felt about teenager Christine Roberts basing a song on it. This is a black-and-white clip from a 1967 current affairs program This Day Tonight.

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First Tuesday Book Club: Navigating 'The Secret River'

Kate Grenville's multiple-award-winning novel 'The Secret River' explores an earlier period of Australian history. What is it that makes this novel so compelling and troubling for its many Australian readers? As you watch this clip, consider how this book encourages readers to re-evaluate their beliefs and values.

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Radio National: 'The Great Gatsby': dream or nightmare?

Often the impact of a novel lies in its ability to comment on society. In this audio clip, discover how American writer F Scott Fitzgerald challenges readers to reconsider the society in which they live. This clip from 'Books and arts daily' on Radio National is one in a series of eight.

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Heywire: Running towards mental health

Would you accept someone's argument if you didn't think the person presenting it was credible? Explore Nakita Sobczyk's Heywire audio story and reflect on what makes her an ideal person to educate others about mental illness. As you do, consider the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle's discussion of how 'ethos' can be ...

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Dust Echoes, Ep 8: The Be

The stories we tell reveal a lot about our culture and what we value. Explore the story of the Be man, which comes from Dalabon country in the Northern Territory. This animated story is about two brothers who investigate a mysterious visitor to their home.

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Writing wild places

How do you write about a place that is disobedient?' Four of Britain's prominent writers consider the emotions that wild places evoke. In this clip, Robert Macfarlane, Simon Armitage, Sara Maitland and Owen Sheers consider the qualities of wildness: silence; escape; beauty; threat; and a sense of being both lost and found.

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Reading with Rebecca Lim

Watch this clip to find out what author Rebecca Lim liked to read when she was younger. How have these early interests influenced her writing as an adult? Do you get creative inspiration from books you read? What advice does Rebecca give to people who want to be writers?

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This Day Tonight: Understanding satire: the 'ocker' Australian

What do 'Borat', 'The Simpsons', 'Gulliver's Travels' and political cartoons have in common? They are all forms of satire: a particularly tricky genre of text. In this clip, explore the concept of satire and how it is constructed.

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What's With Poetry?, Ch 6: Why do we create poetry?

There are many reasons why you might write poetry. Maybe it's because you saw something beautiful and you want to share that feeling with others. Or maybe something funny happened to you on your way to school and you want to remember it. You don't have to be a creative genius to write poetry and you don't have to have the ...

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Story development and plot holes with Andy Griffiths

How do you move your characters forward in a story? A trick Andy Griffiths uses is asking a lot of questions. His favourite question to ask is "what's the worst thing that can happen next?" Try asking yourself that question if you get stuck when writing your next story. In this clip Andy also talks about plot holes. What ...

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What's With Poetry?, Ch 5: Visual language

When someone is telling you a story, do you visualise that story? You're not alone! A good storyteller or a poet knows exactly how to use certain words so the listener will visualise the story or poem in the way the storyteller or poet intends. A few well chosen and crafted words can allow readers to visualise a whole world. ...

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Radio National: The Great Gatsby meets Willy Loman

Different writers can use quite distinct ways to make similar comments about their culture. In this audio clip, explore the connection between F Scott Fitzgerald's novel, 'The great Gatsby' and Arthur Miller's play, 'Death of a salesman'. At first the two texts might seem very different, but are they more similar than we ...

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David Malouf on violence in literature

Do you think we live in a violent world? Do you agree with David Malouf when he says that violence is everywhere? Should stories reflect what is happening in the world? How do you feel about violence as a theme in literature?