Creative Writing with Google Docs

The following stories are part of an activity involving collaborative writing using Google Docs as mediator.

Bringing up Prof. Janaina's post on september 2009: "It all started last June at the ABRAPUI convention in São Paulo, when I attended a very interesting workshop on how to use google docs in English writing classes. I then decided to experiment google docs with my Reading and Writing students at UFRN this semester, and I've been really impressed with the outcomes !

With google docs, the teacher can have several students writing a story together from different computers at the same time, usually extra-class. When it comes to writing stories with google docs, students can interact and negotiate online what the most appropriate lexico-grammatical choices are, for instance. Another advantage of co-writing stories is that if you suddently run out of ideas or get stuck with your story (which students commonly report to happen), there are other people who may make up for that and continue the story just as beautifully."

Now I had the pleasure to work on this project with her and I could see that the advantages of bringing new tools to students are many. Google Docs is a great example. We had the opportunity to ask the participants through a questionnaire about their feelings and impressions related to the activity and most of them responded positively. They did so that gave us those amazing stories as product!

The stories published on November of this year are all Flash Fiction style. The others are not, but they were also co-written with google docs, departing from a common prompt (a sentence to be fit at some point in the story).

Now you can read and enjoy them!

Thank you Jana, thanks Jana's students and classmates. I loved it!

Wilka

Cerberus

“Why have I done this?” She was asking herself while running to the door and already regretting having gone down the stairs to check the squeal she had listened in the basement. There was something strange there. A cold, weird and frightening-look thing. When she reached the door she turned back and saw a monster that looked like Cerberus chasing her. The creepy fiend moved fast and dragged her leg with a shrill and at the exact moment that the creature was about to kill her she woke up of her nightmare. She was safe and sound in her bed.

Allan Christian Abrantes Aguiar 

Simone Santana Ferraz

And the Lights Switched Off in the Airplane!

Three attractive guys, Amir, Samir-Hamzdik and Rarime, were coming to Brazil from New York. They seemed to be excited for that opportunity. In the air, suddenly, the airplane started to switch the lights off! The pilot warned all the passengers: “we got a terrible problem in here”. Everybody got in panic and started to scream! Ironically, the only ones who didn’t had such reaction were them. While some passengers were already asking the God’s forgiveness for their sins, the “three musketeers” were making jokes, grimaces and laughing all the time! Surprised by the guys’ reaction, a young man questioned why they were so happy in a terrible moment like that. The answer were the worst ever: “our plan is accomplished! In the name of Alah, we’re shooting down this stupid airplane to the ground! May God bless you, little bug!”.

Lucas Mateus Gonçalves Bulhões
Sandra Maria da Silva

Up in the air

People being killed. People being born. People lying to their spouse. People crying. I’ve seen them all. All them sad when they get to me. They all laugh in front of me, they all let their emotions flow when thoughts are far from the moment they should wish to linger. I am no good for them. No comfort. When they realise I’m not even a part of their city, it might be even worse. All I have to offer is my atmosphere of international relations and the feeling of being their last kiss, their last laugh, their last tear. They always seem to forget that it is through me that they return. Yes.. being an airport is not an easy task.

Daniel Assunção Teixeira
Iuri Quinderé Emereciano

The fake ghost

It was running after me. I didn’t want to look backwards at that moment. It started in the cemetery and there was no stop, no time to rest. I had to hide myself somewhere. I couldn’t breath anymore, but had continued to run. The curiosity damped out my fear and I looked. I saw the Will-o’-the-wisp coming. It was my end... Suddenly it disappeared before my eyes as by magic. But wait!! How stupid I am!! I studied this yesterday. I’ve been stalked by the combustion of phosphine and methane. How chicken-hearted I am! Yes, you can laugh if you want.

Etienne Paul Lionel Clément

Rodrigo Marques da Silva

Flash Fiction

Lights on the dark sky and a woman running until her last ounce of energy. She didn’t know what was she escaping but it was real. This situation was so incredible; everything used to be normal few hours ago... “Why did I believe this little boy?” was she wondering. She already heard about it in her high school courses and if that’s true the destruction of the city would be now... However the highest building was so close that her hope wasn’t over yet. She arrived at the entrance and began to climb the stairs up where she suddenly faced with all that blue and stopped. Like her life, all the region had been mowed down by the Tsunami.

Charles Jean-Baptiste Paillusson
Felipo Bellini Souza

Why so serious?

Agatha started to cry when she saw his feet through the breach under the door. “He can’t see me... I’m safe...” she thought. Her heart was beating so fast, but she was sure that he couldn’t see her. When she heard that shrilling laugh... it was sharp as a knife and it sent goosebumps all over her body.
At that very moment, she felt his cold rugged hands grasping her ankles while he said: “Let’s put a smile on that face...”
“Cleópatra! You shouldn’t read this kind of book at night! It will give you nightmares.”
“AHHHH MOM! You scared me!”

Anderson do Nascimento Reis
Stephanie Borba Pinto

Beautiful Day

She‘s driving when she realizes that there are fewer cars on the streets than the usual. The cars stop at traffic lights and when it turns green, a car in front of hers doesn’t move. She leaves her car and looks through the window. There is no one inside or around her. She’s all alone. She looks down and notices that she’s bleeding all over her body and her neck was cut in a way that her throat could be seen. She looks back and sees her car under a truck and her real body, now, a corpse.

Allan Christian Abrantes Aguiar
Simone Santana Ferraz

Love Kills

Samantha entered the school very confident. The party last night was amazing, despite the body parts found in the pool. Sam does not care about the murders that were happening, she only thinks about her date with Matt. Suddenly, someone approaches and gives her a note that says, “meet me in the darkroom, Love Matt”. She ran faster, Getting there she saw Matt stabbing her friend Tara, as a cooker does to a fish. She wanted to shout, Matt was faster and pulled her, Samantha realized he was the killer, she asked him “why?” Matt said “You’ll know when your time comes”.

Álvaro Sued de Medeiros
Dannielly Costa Amaral

SUNSET SHINING AT THE ARPOADOR STONE

There was an angel pass over on the tree and saw a small girl was looking to the sun and she was thinking about writing a letter to her family while they were traveling around the World. Sarah was so lonely, so sad under the tree... But the loneliness problem would be easily forgotten because her soccer team, America from Rio de Janeiro, was very close to go back to the #1 division of the Carioca Championship. Her wisdom was as focused on the soccer field as to the beauty of the guys who used to followed the little white girl on the stadium.She was fascinated to see that guys, she was so curious to know more about them and waited to the game end , went underground to ask some questions to them. She was look interested in their lives but it was not enough the curiously was going through.During the asking Sarah described something more interesting and mysterious...

Lucas Mateus Gonçalves Bulhões

Sandra Maria da Silva

Falling in love

The wind flutters her hair. I can see the Sun going down far on the horizon. A thrilling feeling grows inside me when I hear her voice asking me to hold her tight. We were really falling. Suddenly our lips touch each other.
The smell of smoke filling the cabin makes us realize that this would be our last kiss…The depressurize keeps the moment eternal. I could not imagine another place to go, even later when I thought of a place to be, my mind drifted to that very same moment, all details craved so deeply into my mind and heart. I wonder where she is now and whether she would be thinking of me or not.

 

Daniel Assunção Teixeira

Iuri Quinderé Emerenciano

The Safari

A scream outside the bus drew Jennifer’s attention, “what happened”?, she thought, rising from her chair, she saw her friend Rachel being ripped by a lion, the driver tried to help, but the wild animal dropped him and ripped his head off. This safari would be the last of Jennifer’s life too, she couldn't leave the bus until that lion still there. Jennifer woke up sweating and panting, her mother came to see why she was screaming, “Just a bad dream mom” Jennifer said, “but, I’m not feel good and I’m not go to the safari, but Rachel should go”.

Álvaro Sued de Medeiros

Dannielly Costa Amaral

Honesty’s a fool

Eva was running after that man so fast, as if her life depended on that. “Can you stop running for a second?” She shouted.
But he didn’t even look back. She kept trying. But that man ran as fast as a jaguar. Suddenly, she found herself in a dark and empty corridor. The man finally stopped, Eva shivered from head to toe. The man turned and it was no longer human. He transformed into a terrible monster that looked like a wolf and said: “What do you want?”. Eva answered crying: “Your wallet fell from your pocket, Sir...”

Anderson do Nascimento Reis

Stephanie Borba Pinto

Blood Relations

A long time ago the lords had been command our Kingdom. They are the face of shadow. But now the conspiracy against the actual king is about to win. Walter set the bomb in the cushion and gave it to the royal servant who helps us. It all is planned; when the king sit on his armchair, the bomb will explode and reduce him into dust. The seconds pass slowly. Each ticking of the clock are the sighs of the revolution. My burnt heart waits to this moment for a long time. But if it does not work? If someone betrayed us? It can be our elimination. I had run to research the black list, but I found no names. 5 minutes more and the revenge will occur. A revenge for all the years we spent in jail, me and my comrades, but also for my wife...
The explosion resounded, I entered the room, saw the men who was dying and said to him “long time no see... brother. Remember the last time, remember the 5th March...”

Charles Jean-Baptiste Paillusson
Felipo Bellini Souza

The Fabulous destiny of João

João was starving to death when he stole bread to make his family survive. Because of that, he had been condemned to spend four years in a labour camp. His escape attempts extended the time period of twenty years. He was compelled to die of starvation in this place when he met the duke of Leeds who was visiting the labour camp. After negotiations, he managed to fly away with the duke so as to have a better life. Indeed, the duke of Leeds decided to host him. João had a scheme in mind and abused of the duke’s honesty. In fact, he stole his treasure and fled. Nevertheless, his past would catch him, indeed, the police arrested him and he was obliged to return to the labour camp until his death. The police brought back him to the duke. The duke explained the police he offered his treasure to João in order to save him. Finally, João travelled to England and changed his name. Today, he is called John Smart and became the mayor of Brighton. Smart decided to share his fortune with the inhabitants of Brighton. Sometimes smartness can save your life.

Etienne Paul Lionel Clément
Rodrigo Marques da Silva