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+For this piece of writing we were tasked with creating a tribute to those who fought in world war one. I decided that a piece of creative writing would best portray the horrors of war as I could use vivid imagery and sound to recreate the scene of the story in the readers mind. There is an underlying pace to which this piece can be read at, as it is meant to reflect how a soldiers heart would speed up in the build up to a battle. The passage begins fairly mundanely and slowly much like the heart at rest, but as the battle heats up, so does the pace of the story. I took a lot of inspiration from “Private Peaceful” by Michael Morpurgo as I like his style of writing. He uses imagery to put the reader into the scene itself which I find very immersive. One of the lines I use in my story ( “Many were piled up against the wire, like leaves blown against a fence by the wind”) is an edited version of a simile Morpurgo used in his book.

 

“A shell exploded nearby when the shattered remains of C-Company emerged from their dugout, which had begun to cave in under the sustained shock waves of artillery shells. The “steel rain” as the men called it, had began to fall like a monsoon and was peppering the front line trenches with sustained fury. This however was just a warm up for the main offensive as once the storm had subsided, the hordes of grey coated figures would spill out from their lair like angry ants and sweep towards them.

Silence. The guns had gone quiet and the signal was raised for machine gunners to get into position as the first brave German poked his head out from the opposite trench, with others quickly following suite. The men of C-Company lined up on the fire-step and locked eyes with the men who had killed many of their friends. The hatred they felt channeled into the way they fought, with no mercy and devilish relentlessness. As the enemy got to the first coils of wire, the machine guns and rifles opened up. A symphony of heavy firepower played up and down the line. Screams of the wounded were all but drowned out. The whole display was that of sinister magnificence as men fought and died for their countries, showing not an ounce of fear as bullets whizzed passed and flamethrowers spewed tongues of burning fuel onto hapless victims. This was the nature of the new era of combat, and the remains of C-company were already veterans.

As the last of the helpless Germans began to retreat, the dreaded shrill of the officers whistle sounded. It’s death call spread up and down the line, signaling for  C-company and the other British soldiers to give chase. Almost certain death awaited. The men knew that the battered and bruised German soldiers would be awaiting them, machine guns and rifles at the ready. Any man who did not go ‘over the top’ would be shot by his own commanding officer, so the men said their prayers, took a quick drink and clambered up into the hell hole which was no-mans land. The freshly deceased bodies of hundreds of dead enemy soldiers lay all over the battlefield. Many were piled up against the wire, like leaves blown against a fence by the wind. Some were not dead. They pleaded for help as the men advanced forward, but most were met with a swift bayonet to the heart or single shot to the head. No mercy. It was kill or be killed out here. C-company hadn’t even reached the middle of no-mans land before the first machine gun nest opened fire. The flashes, a haunting memory to those who survived them. Men were torn apart in seconds, they didn’t stand a chance. This was war, and war did not change…”

 

I feel my final piece of work matches up well with my original draft as I have stuck with the same idea throughout the entire time it took me to create this story. I have incorporated some elements of Michael Morpurgo’s style and adapted them to suit my ideas. If i were to change anything, I would probably like to make the story longer in order to paint a bigger picture of the scale of the conflict in WW1. I could set the scene by describing the surroundings of the soldiers and incorporating more of the soldiers senses e.g “The smell of cordite filled the nostrils like bacon on a Sunday morning”. Throughout this piece of work I have incorporated many different writing skills. The use of the simile ” Many were piled up against the wire, like leaves blown against a fence by the wind” is intended to show the soldiers bodies being like a pile of leaves discarded at the against a fence. It is meant to show how little value human lives had to those in higher power. I also used the oxymoron of “sinister magnificence” to describe attack by German forces. The sinister nature of death clashes with the magnificent display of courage and bravery by the men in order to create this oxymoron. If I were to compare this to a professionally written piece, it would be to “Private Peaceful” by Michael Morpurgo as well as taking influence from some of Wilfred Owens poetry. I have already mentioned that I like the style in which Morpurgo writes and I enjoy the detached narration of Wilfred Owens poetry. Like in my story, he does not mention the names of the men and often comments on how men’s lives are simply discarded.

 

 

 

 

For this piece I decided to write a crime story extract, set in 1930’s America. The detective is a mysterious character clearly from a well off background but somehow stuck in the job of being a private eye. He is investigating a tip off that the suspect he is hunting is hiding in a rural farmhouse and is faced with the situation of a fleeing suspect who may or may not be armed. I have tried to hide subtle hints in the story as to what the crime is, such as the “alien looking meat” in the pig pen which could be a clue later on.

The time was around eight o’clock in the morning, late November, an icy breeze tugging at the tail of my trench coat and attempting to wrestle my pristine fedora from atop of my head. The sun was still rising in the East, low over the rolling prairies of North Dakota, casting a dark shadow in front of the great wooden farmhouse that stood before me. I wasn’t dressed appropriately for the occasion. Polished leather oxfords tarnished by the sea of mud and manure and loose grey trench coat leaving me vulnerable to attack from the gusts of wind that swept the desolate landscape. It was all too obvious that a big city, Harvard educated private eye like me did not belong in the rural back-country of a place like this.

“I stepped up onto the porch, dimly lit by an ancient oil lamp clearly weathered over many years of service. The door was that of heavy timber adorned with a horseshoe fashioned into a door knocker, which I used to deliver three large thumps onto the door. No answer. Three more thumps. Still no answer. I was suitably annoyed by this point and paid little attention to the state of my expensive shoes as I trudged round to the back door through yet more mud. As disgusting as the big city was, it had nothing on this place. The back door faced a small paddock in which a couple of pigs foraged through the mud  for some alien looking meat that smelt appalling. The door itself was made of some corrugated metal, joined to the wall by some rusty hinges. I paused. In one of the windows I spotted the shadowy silhouette of a face peering from behind the curtains. Whoever it was had noticed me, as when I turned to examine the face closer they disappeared from view. I didn’t waste any time high-tailing it round to the front of the house, half-expecting the shadowy figure to already be long gone, however to my surprise the impenetrable door was still bolted shut. Why didn’t this person try and run? They clearly knew I was onto them so it would only be logical for them to make a break for it and escape. Something wasn’t right. A blast of cold, northern wind threatened to relieve me of my hat as I made my way onto to the front porch of the house: one hand clenched around the polished steel grip of my revolver, just in case this person – whoever they were – decided they wanted to put up a fight. I made up my mind that I was going to enter the property one way or another as I  had a warrant from the court for the suspects immediate arrest. Drawing my gun, I aimed at the first hinge that connected the door to the frame, making sure to cover my eyes with my fedora in order to stop the sparks flying into my face. With one pull of the trigger, a bullet tore into the metal and wood causing sparks, splinters and all manners of shrapnel to spray in all directions. The first hinge was off and I quickly dispatched the second causing the once impressive door to plummet inwards to the ground like the felling of a mighty oak. I took a deep breath, and made my way in.

Stepping into the farmhouse, it seemed I had stepped through a portal back to the mid 1800’s. Antique furniture sat clumsily arranged all over the place with some covered in white sheets in an effort to protect them from the dust. I noticed that one of the sofas had been relieved of its cover and was instead draped with tattered winter coat. On the floor by the sofa sat a half finished pack of beers and a heap of cigarette butts. The person who had been squatting here had clearly left in a hurry… I turned.  The screech of door hinges had broken my trance as I surveyed the scene and alerted me to the presence of a possible threat. Hurriedly drawing my revolver once again, I cautiously crept towards the room in which I presumed the sound had come from. I was nervously sweating as rounded every corner, half expecting someone to be waiting for me with a knife or gun. This was the worst possible situation, being that I was miles from civilization and backup was a few hours away at best. As I edged my way into the kitchen I found the source of the sound. An open trap door. I should have known there would be a secret way out. Unfortunately for my prey however, I remembered a possible exit for this hidden passage. On my drive up the winding muddy path towards the house, I had noticed a disheveled looking shack out in the middle of a field. Why else would it be there? The chase was on…”

I am very pleased with how this extract turned out as it is exactly the same as my original plan. I have stuck to the same plot the entire way through and have been able to insert clues into the passage in order to give the reader a chance to investigate the crime along with the detective. I feel that from this short passage I could write the full story as I know exactly what is going to happen and how the story will unfold as the detective continues his work. I took much inspiration for this piece from the work of Raymond Chandler. One of chandlers most important rules of writing a detective novel is to make the story believable and about real world people. I think i have achieved this by making the setting of my novel in the 1930’s and matching the correct clothing and minor details to this time period. Chandler also says that it must not be a violent story, nor a loving romance. I have included little to none of either of these, instead hinting at the idea of violence with the addition of the detectives revolver that implies danger. I feel that I have employed many different writing skills to make this a successful piece of literature. I have used short sentences to great effect in order to add drama and suspense to the story. One of my favorite examples of this is “no answer. Three more thumps. Still no answer”, as it gives off the impression that the detective is impatient without mentioning it. If I were to compare my piece to another, it would have to be any of the Sherlock Holmes novels as I feel that the flow is very similar. Both allow for the reader to join in with the investigation and the personalities of the detectives are similar. The main difference is that my extract is set in 1930’s America unlike Sherlock Holmes which is based in 18th Century England.

 

 

For this piece I have decided to write a feature article for a Liverpool fan magazine about the time Liverpool spent in last years Champions League competition. I have included a clear bias towards Liverpool due to the fact I am writing for a Liverpool fan magazine. Each stage of the competition is summed up in a short paragraph mentioning keys points in the match and informing the reader of any major changes to the squad.

 

With the beginning of the 2019 champions league competition just around the corner, it only seems right to look back on the heroics of a Liverpool team who last year defied the odds and  played their way to a champions league final which they tragically lost due to controversial circumstances. This feature follows the journey they made from Liverpool to Kiev.

The campaign kicked off with a qualifier against Hoffenheim, a game the reds would have been wary of due to the unusual caliber of opponent at this stage of the competition. Jurgen Klopp named a strong side to challenge the Germans, including the likes of Mohammed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane. The reds suffered a heart-stopping moment when Dejan Lovren clumsily brought down Kramaric in the box, handing the Bundesliga side a chance to open the scoring. Simon Mignolet made a fine stop to keep the score at 0-0 and keep the game going in Liverpool’s favour. Later on, teenage prodigy Trent-Alexander Arnold stepped up to strike a curling free kick on his European debut, sending it over the hapless Hoffenheim wall and into the net sparking wild celebrations amongst reds supporters. An own goal then made it 2-0 the rampant reds, however a late goal from Mark Uth brought it to 2-1 and made for a tense second leg of the tie. After eight short days the second leg had arrived and Klopp elected to stay with same lineup he had deployed previously. This time the reds comfortably dispatched the bewildered Germans in a 4-2 victory, that included a contender for goal of the season when Emre Can finished off a superb team goal that was orchestrated by Firmino, Mane and Wijnaldum. This victory sent them through to the group stages.

This was the first time Liverpool had got to group stages since 2014/15 and Klopp’s men were eager to impress. Pitted against Maribor, Spartak Moscow and the European pedigree of Seville, reds fans knew they would be tested. The group stage kicked off with a frustrating 2-2 draw with Seville. Liverpool dominated the game and recorded 24 shots compared to Seville’s 2 on target. Roberto Firmino missed a penalty at 2-1, which ultimately cost Liverpool 2 points and made the rest of group stage all the more difficult. A game against Moscow finished in a similar fashion with a 1-1 draw leading to some fans being critical of the teams lack of quality in front of goal. This would soon change. Liverpool turned up to their 3rd group stage game against Maribor with a new found swagger, courtesy of a good run of league games . Salah and Firmino both found the net twice, along with goals from Coutinho, Oxlade-chaimberlain and Alexander-Arnold. The 7-0 thrashing was soon followed by a comfortable 3-0 victory in the reverse fixture. Liverpool’s prowess in front of goal continued into the game against Seville with Firmino bagging a brace and Salah adding a third. This game however was overshadowed by the defensive frailties of the Liverpool back line as Seville grabbed 3 goals to make the score 3-3. The final game against Moscow was a decimation. Liverpool hit seven, with captain Phillipe Coutinho getting a hat-trick on what proved to be one of his final games for the Merseyside club. The world class front three of Salah, Mane and Firmino also each bagged a goal in what proved to be one of the heaviest ever defeats inflicted by an English team in the Champions League.

The round of 16 had arrived and Liverpool manged to avoid all the big teams left in the competition. They had secured a home and away tie against Porto, a team with vast amounts of European experience. Up first was a trip to Portugal, with many reds fans worried about how the team would perform at this stage of the competition. The attacking might of the Liverpool squad was something to fear but all knew that defense was the teams Achilles heel. Fortunately, the Liverpool defense was barely tested. The “Fab three” of Mane, Salah and Firmino decimated the Porto back line with Mane claiming a sensational European hat trick to cap off a historic 5-0 victory. This put the reds in the drivers seat going into the second leg at Anfield and it was obvious how confident Klopp was, as he was happy to cruise to a 0-0 draw in the reverse fixture.

There was one team Liverpool did not want to get in the quarter-final draw, and that was run-away premier league leaders Manchester City. Flashbacks to the 4-0 defeat Liverpool suffered at the start of the season replayed in the minds of many as City were drawn up against Liverpool for an all English clash of the titans. The belief around the Liverpool squad however did not reflect the fears of some of the fans. The hunger for success had set in and it was obvious that Klopp expected only the best from his players leading up to the first leg at Anfield. Before the game, the City team bus was mobbed by reds fans who gave the high flying city players a taste of what European football is all about. The game kicked off at Anfield, and what came was a game that will live long in the memories of those who watched it. City started brightly, but soon fell apart under the sustained pressure of an inspired Liverpool side. The reds magical Egyptian, Mohammed Salah opened the scoring and sent Anfield into hysteria. If that wasn’t enough for reds fans, it was only a matter of time before a reborn Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain took the game by the scruff of the neck and rifled home a stunning shot from outside the box. City were stunned. All defensive discipline was lost allowing for Mane to get in behind and direct a header into the bottom corner for Liverpool’s third before the half time whistle. One can only imagine the team talks both managers gave at half time, but both teams came out in the second half and completely switched roles. City relentlessly attacked Liverpool’s back line, but they held on for a huge 3-0 win.

The second leg came with huge expectation on the shoulders of both teams as City faced an up hill battle to overtake the reds machine. Gabriel Jesus scored almost instantly after kick-off and many felt that city really would turn the tie on its head. Liverpool bore the brunt of City’s attacking prowess in the first half, but their heroic defending kept the ball out of the net until half time. After a tense half time break, both teams came out to the hum of an expectant crowd. It also came to light that Pep Guardiola had been sent to the stands following an altercation with the referee. Cheers rang out as the match got back underway, and it was Liverpool’s turn to dominate proceedings as they drove forward in waves. Liverpool got their goal in the 56th minute through no other than Mo Salah who chipped the ball into the net for his 39th goal of the season. They had secured the crucial away goal and it was left to Roberto Firmino to round off the game, squeezing the ball into the net from a tight angle to finish the game 2-1. Up next was the semi-final clash against Roma.

Anfield was buzzing with excitement as Liverpool and Roma kicked off their Semi-final match. Having defeated giants of the footballing world Barcelona, Roma were looking to continue their sumptuous form against Liverpool. It was the first time Mo Salah would be facing his old club and he did not disappoint. The magical Egyptians pace caused nightmares for the usually solid Roma defense who struggled to contain him all evening. Liverpool’s talisman bagged 2 first half goals to put the reds firmly in the driving seat going into the second half, although he refused to celebrate out of respect for his former employers. Roma offered little going into the second half, failing to make the most of a few half-chances that came their way. Salah then turned provider, setting up Sadio Mane to put Liverpool 3 goals to the good. The reds ran rampant, battering the bewildered Roma back line and allowing Roberto Firmino the chance to score a quickfire double in the 61st and 69th minute. All looked good as Liverpool looked to close out the game, but a final 10 minutes of madness allowed Roma back into the competition. Edin Dzeko hammered home with 9 minutes left to go to reduce the aggregate score to 5-2 and Perroti made it 5-4 with an 85th minute penalty giving Roma hope going into the reverse fixture. The next game started well for Liverpool as Mane finished a chance given to him by Firmino making it 7-4 on aggregate. A Milner own goal then made it even before Wijnaldum headed home to make it 2-1 on the night and 9-5 on aggregate. Roma fought on and managed to claim a 4-2 win, however it wasn’t enough to stop Liverpool progressing 9-8 on aggregate . Roma had put up a stiff resistance, but Liverpool had bulldozed their way to the champions league final.

This was it. Centre stage in Europe’s greatest football competition against champions league royalty in Real Madrid. The mood around Liverpool supporters was mixed as many believed Madrid to be the unbeatable force in the competition. The day of the final had come and crowds gathered inside the Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kiev, Ukraine. Both teams named full strength line ups, and as the whistle blew for the commencing of the match, both sets of fans let out a roar of excitement. Liverpool dominated the opening minutes of the match with Madrid unable to adjust to the pressure they were being put under. However, tragedy struck as Madrid captain Sergio Ramos wrestled Mo Salah to the ground causing him to land awkwardly on his shoulder. Salah tried to continue but was overcome by pain and had to be substituted for Adam Lallana. Some reds fans were inconsolable as their star player left the field in tears. Liverpool drove on but a freak mistake by goalkeeper Lloris Karius allowed Benzema to tap into an empty net. The reds became deflated as Madrid raised their game, but Sadio Mane did manage an equaliser, heading into the bottom corner to draw the game level. However, Madrid introduced Gareth Bale who turned the game on its head….(to be continued)