-3- Joseph Wright of Derby

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A travelling scientist is shown demonstrating the effects of a vacuum by withdrawing air from a flask containing a white cockatoo, though common birds like sparrows would normally have been used. Air pumps were developed in the 17th century and were relatively familiar by Wright's day. The artist's subject is not scientific invention, but a human drama in a night-time setting.

The bird will die if the demonstrator continues to deprive it of oxygen, and Wright leaves us in doubt as to whether or not the cockatoo will be reprieved. The painting reveals a wide range of individual reactions, from the frightened children, through the reflective philosopher, the excited interest of the youth on the left, to the indifferent young lovers concerned only with each other.

The figures are dramatically lit by a single candle, while in the window the moon appears. On the table in front of the candle is a glass containing a skull.


---Task---
Use this image as inspiration for your own short article. It might be a science journal entry, cold and observant over the experiment; or a diary entry from one of the observers; or a third person narrative of the event. You don't need to compose plot and twists, just explore feelings, describe the atmosphere, and create tension and mood.

-2- Writing with tension and mystery

HG Wells - The Red Room

This Gothic tale of supernatural paranoia places the protagonist in a dare with some mysterious, and sometimes disfigured people. His repetition demonstrates his resolve; that nothing can scare him and that there is no such thing as ghosts. Wells uses long sentences to exhaust the reader (by making your unconscious breathless), personification and alliteration to create a sinister tone. Although many students do not feel the exhilaration of fear that this text may once have held, few miss the author's ability to create tension, mystery and intrigue.

Task; read The Red Room linked above. Look out for his use of personification, similes ("darkness closed upon me like the shutting of an eye") and sentence length.

Inspiration;

Stephen’s hand touched the cold metal the of basement handle. The bumps on his skin were erupting into pinpricks trying to burst through; goosebumps so terrible they hurt. The hairs on his arm stood, reaching back as if trying to pull him from the door but again, the heavy breathing, muted behind the plasterwall, slithered from the door crack, compelling him forward. The cold of the metal felt burning hot against his sweaty palm. He twisted it. It felt awkward, turning his wrist around further than it wanted too, turning turning turning until the catch burst off the door frame and his skin jump off his muscles. He tried to relax knowing that his fear was destroying his reason, but the heavy breathing had stopped. His presence wasn’t a secret anymore but still, he had to investigate. He opened the door a crack and a slither of light penetrated down the stairs to a few feet beyond the bottom step. He slid one arm through to the light catch and pulled it back through the slither, keeping an eye at all times on the 10feet of a six inch wide line he could see and tugged the wire. The light didn’t click. The more he tugged, the greater the angle the wire was lifter to, back into the hall. He pulled again and the switch resisted until it popped and fell limply from the ceiling. It was designed to be tugged down. With the pop however, came a grunt from below and he pulled back the door. His breath was like a tornado, or his ears were like radars honed-in to even the silent movement of air particles. Everything seem to be amplified to blood bubbling volumes.

Task; Continue the introduction above for between 200 and 300 words and attempt to emulate Wells' mystery.

Deadline: There is no deadline for submissions to this artifact.

-1- Fear of the Dark

This is an example post which you may choose to submit to. You will find the inspiration artifacts here with a comment below. The comment is my own which links to my own article following this theme (in truth, the work was written before the artifact but it serves it's purpose).



In future, there will be Advice posts to help you get started with this peice. But for starters, you should decide on Purpose (what do you want to achieve in your article?), Audience (Are you going to design it for a specific group?) and Mode (Will you produce a diary entry? A short story? A magazine article?).

Deadline: This is no deadline for article submissions.