Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Cowboys Are My Weakness Review/Draft

A. Please turn in your book review today if you have not already done so.

B. Work today to create a short story (25-5,000 words) in the style of Pamela Houston.

C. Pick up Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. and begin reading this book. (See post above this one).

Pamela Houston Story:
--It can be a romance
--It can be a western
--It can be chick lit (a story whose audience is: female)
--It can be a parody
--It can be about characters/plots/themes similar to those you read in Houston's collection
1. Put the story in the same or similar setting.
2. Use a similar theme (broken romance, for example), but change location and character types
3. Use a similar style, such as POV or sentence structure, but feel free to change character types, styles, and settings.
4. Use a similar plot element. If you are writing micro fiction or hint fiction, use only a single event. If you want to write something longer, use a similar plot element, but perhaps rearrange the story to make it your own.
5. Use a similar character.
6. Write the next chapter of the story you selected. What happens in one year? What happens in 10 years? What happens during a flood or earthquake? After writing the story, change the names if you'd like.

Work on your draft today in class.

HOMEWORK: Begin reading Cat's Cradle. Review the information about Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. above. Bring your books with you to class on Friday. Complete your Pamela Houston draft if you didn't finish today.

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About this course!

This course stresses understanding the characteristics & techniques in the literary genres of fiction, poetry, and dramatic writing. This course will continue to build on students’ reading and writing skills begun in previous creative writing classes. Readings and discussions of works by major writers in the field will be examined as inspiration and models of fine writing. This educational blog is designed for the use of the students at the School of the Arts in Rochester, NY.