Things To Do – Creating and Acting – “The Finding of the Stone.”

 

The video goes into greater depth but just in case you need reminding here are the main pointers.

When I write a book or a play, I love to encourage my readers to be inspired by what I have written.  So to help you along, I will be making short films which suggest fun things for you to do.  Today’s activity uses the beginning of the book and is called “The Finding of the Stone.” 

 

Will Blyton has had his glasses ripped off and thrown onto the beach by the dreadful bullies, The Toad, Ferret and Snot.  Whilst feeling in the sand for them he hears a strange voice saying disturbing things to him.

 

Here are some of the things the voice says:

 

“Thine intestines wilt be mine!”

 

“Thou wilt regret this warty nose.”

 

“Leave me be, thou fetid old skanky breath.”

 

“Thou art nought but a worm eating corpse.”

 

Will finds that the voice is coming from a stone he picks up off the beach.  It is no ordinary stone, for the stone turns to glass and inside is:

 

A boy, the size of my palm, is in the stone and scowling up at me.  He is in a prison cell.  It has bars on it and there is a small bed at the far end, a desk and a chair.  There is a writing quill sitting on the desk.  The boy has long, dark hair with black piercing eyes.  He is dressed in a green knickerbocker suit with a frilly ruff around his neck.  Huge, shiny buckles sit on the front of his shoes.  I stare at him like a goldfish.

(p4-5 Will Blyton and The Stinking Shadow.)

 

The whole of chapter one can be found under Will Blyton and The Stinking Shadow here on willblyton.com

 

What would you do if this happened to you?

 

I think it would be great fun to get together with a friend and create a whole new scenario – here are some ideas for you to use as a springboard:

 

You go to a car boot sale/ jumble sale and buy a locked box which can’t be opened.  When you get it home there is a small boy/girl trapped in a pebble inside.

 

Your friend has been on holiday and has brought some stones back from the beach so that you can paint them.  Strange noises emerge from the box, you open it and guess what?

 

You are lying on the grass with your eyes closed dreaming of discovering a secret room in your home when your dog sits at your feet holding something in its mouth.  A small, shrieking voice can be heard – weirdly coming from the dog’s mouth. 

 

Okay, you get the idea.  You can use one of the scenarios from above or you can make up your own.

 

What do you need to find out?

 

How is the person in the stone dressed?  This will give us clues as to the time period they are from.

 

Is the person in the stone going to be nice or nasty?  Or even pretending to be nice but really nasty?

 

Why is the person trapped in the stone?  How did the person get there? 

 

When you have decided all this, you can start to improvise your scene.  This means acting it out without a script.  It can be really exciting because all sorts of creative ideas can emerge from you quite naturally as you pretend to be The Stone Finder and The Person in the Stone.  Of course, you can give your characters names.

 

If you are happy with what you do, you could try to get a friend or family member to film you.

 

Have fun.  Happy creating.