Please complete draft 3 of your Hemingway stories.

Draft Three: Stream of Consciousness

1. Examine your flashbacks. Find moments where your character can include digressions, get stuck on topics, trail off, etc. You are trying to replicate or reproduce how the character’s mind works. See The Gambler, The Nun, & the Radio (end paragraph on opium) and A Clean Well Lighted Place (the ending paragraph on Nada or "nothing")
2. Write these flashbacks using stream of consciousness.
3. When this draft is completed, please spell check and proofread your work. Try to cut down your long complex sentences to short declarative sentences (like Hemingway does).
4. Title your drafts and send the 3rd draft to the workshop folder with your name on the file.

Here's a few holiday themed television episodes to distract you from doing your work.

Charlie Brown Christmas

Prep and Landing

South Park

Please complete Hemingway (if you haven't already) during the break. Otherwise, please return the books to the library.

Snows of Kilimanjaro

Please complete the book by reading the last two stories: "Fifty Grand" and "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber". Hemingway believed that "The Short Happy Life..." was one of his finest stories. Within it, he felt, he covered as much ground as a novel, but did it in about 34 pages.

Taken together many of the short stories in this collection respond to each other by way of contrasting characters, outlooks, and point of view while retaining the comparison of theme: that of death and/or transition.

Some motifs found in the collection include:

paralysis or stasis (many of the characters are stuck (often in the hospital) in a sort of purgatory. They can neither go forward with their lives or backward.)
Relationships (The relationships between husband and wife or males and females seems a little one sided; alternatively, the relationship between men (particularly between fathers and their sons) reflects the relationship between the sexes because at its core there is often a challenge or conflict; each side struggling to "win" a goal.)
Gambling (many of the characters gamble or get into trouble because they gamble; gambling is risk taking...something that Hemingway had an interest in.)
Boxing (quite literally the struggle between two people--in this case made into a sport or game)
Hunting (along with boxing, hunting is the struggle between human and animal made into recreation or simple pastime. It involves risk (like gambling) and shows how men (particularly) are at odds with their environment.)

Hemingway - Part II, Part II (& Part III)

Today in class, after our quiz, please continue to complete the second draft of your Hemingway Project. See below for details.

If you are ready to move on to the next draft, please see the instructions below:

Draft Three: Stream of Consciousness

1. Examine your flashbacks. Find moments where your character can include digressions, get stuck on topics, trail off, etc. You are trying to replicate or reproduce how the character’s mind works. See The Gambler, The Nun, & the Radio (end paragraph on opium) and A Clean Well Lighted Place (the ending paragraph on Nada or "nothing")
2. Write these flashbacks using stream of consciousness.

Hemingway - Part II

Draft Two: Flashback

1. After you complete the basic story (draft #1). Write a second draft including the following:

a. Find moments in the story for your character to think about his/her past. Select these moments and for each one, develop the inner dialogue of your protagonist.

b. This “flashback” should reveal personal opinions, reflect on the situation, and/or connect ideas and people with your character’s past. Your character’s past should be detailed with much verisimilitude.

c. You may cover years or many days or a great length of time for your flashbacks. You may also change scenery or setting.

2. Separate your flashbacks by italicizing them or separating them with white space.

Complete your draft #2 today in the lab.

HOMEWORK: Please read "In Another Country", "The Killers", & "A Way You'll Never Be"

The Snows of Kilimanjaro - Hemingway

Stories are divided into scenes. One scene written after another creates a sequence of events (plot). The best scenes connect, one causing action to further complicate or move the story along.

In early drafts (particularly the first draft) learn to write quickly. Include images, poetic phrases, descriptions of characters in action, describe and detail setting. To create a scene you need characters in a setting DOING something. This never changes in writing. Usually characters in stories come to an epiphany or enlightenment or understanding of their condition. When that "light bulb" lights above your protagonist's head, you know you are close to the end of the story arc. (unless the character is completely wrong). Keep this in mind when writing the following:

Short Story Project (Hemingway style)

1. Most of Hemingway’s stories have simple plots revolving around the theme of death or alienation. Two characters usually do not have the same world view (or opinion) and their conversation or relationship is strained by miscommunication (or the fact that a character cannot explain him/herself to another human being.)

2. In your journal, brainstorm a series of situations that you might write about. These situations should be simple and able to be described in one or two sentences. Ex: A man dying of gangrene remembers his youth while trying to convince his wife that he really is dying. Or: Two waiters watch an old drunk man one evening. One of the waiters sees himself reflected in the old man.

3. Pick one of your best situations or one you would like to work with.

4. Tell only this story for the first draft. Your first draft doesn’t have to be an epic length story. It should simply record the events and dialogue. Keep your action within one day or a short amount of time (an hour, a minute, etc.)I'd suggest trying to write 2-3 pages at most.

HOMEWORK: Please complete "The Gambler, The Nun, and the Radio" & "Fathers and Sons" (pg. 37-64)

Workshop & Revision

Complete your workshop requirements (see Nov. 30 post below). When you have completed this, please look through the comments posted and REVISE your draft. Try to address all serious concerns regarding your story. Write and revise, then label this new draft with a new draft #. For example: draft 1 becomes draft 2, draft 2 becomes draft 3, etc. Save these drafts for your portfolio.

Finished?
Complete your reading of the handout on SCENE given to you last class. Choose ANOTHER scene exercise and brainstorm.

Please study for your Martian Chronicles & PLOT quiz on Friday. What should you know? You should know the plots of the stories found in Martian Chronicles, note the title of each story, the characters, description and setting. Examine how the author opens or hooks the reader in each story and how the story ends. Examine the connection between one story on another. Look for plot elements such as cause and effect, exposition, rising action, complication, crisis/turning point, climax, denouement or resolution.

Story Rubrics

4 = Exemplary (A/A+): Thoroughly developed characters, plot, structure, conflict, theme, and setting. Uses vivid description, effective diction and word choice, tone or voice, POV, imagery, and compelling dialogue throughout story. Uses a variety of effective literary devices. Writing can be considered “art,” effectively communicating issues central to the human condition. Has few errors in spelling punctuation, syntax, and usage. Work includes evidence of several revised drafts. Accomplishes writing task, but exceeds rules by working them in creatively and appropriately.

3 = Accomplished (B/B+): Well developed characters, plot, conflict, theme, and setting. Uses good description, diction, dialogue, voice, POV, imagery, etc. but work may not be as insightful or artfully constructed. Uses some literary devices, but with uneven success. Has some errors in spelling, punctuation, and usage but nothing that gets in the way of the reader’s ability to discern meaning. Work includes evidence of some revision (more than a second draft). Accomplishes writing task, but not as adeptly as exemplary stories.

2 = Developing (C/C+): Fairly well developed characters, plot and setting, but story may have gaps. Uses some description, imagery, dialogue, voice, but with uneven success. Work suggests craft or insight into the human condition, but falls short of this goal. May use an occasional literary device, but work is abstract, too personal, clichéd, but does not lack meaning. Has errors in spelling punctuation and usage that distracts the reader. Work may be accomplished, but portfolio was late. Work includes some evidence of revision, but revision is largely in grammar and syntax, rather than restructuring. Attempts writing task, but draft falls short of the assigned goal.

1 = Beginning (D): Development of character, plot and setting is on a very basic level, although these elements are present. Uses limited description, imagery, dialogue. Work is hastily done or lacks artistic style. Does not use literary devices, or work is largely abstract, or lacks meaning. Has careless errors in spelling, punctuation, and usage. Story is incomplete. Work includes little or no evidence of revision. Work may be developing, but story was turned in late. Draft falls short of the assigned task.

Workshop

Please send ONE of the following to the WORKSHOP folder:
1. Your 10th Chapter - 3rd person POV story
2. Your 9th Chapter - 1st person POV, multi-event, setting/characterization story (draft 2 or more)
3. Your 8th Chapter - 1st person POV, story with dialogue (draft 3 or more)

The following students will be grouped as workshop partners. As a workshop partner, please follow these instructions:
1. Read the story drafts in the workshop folder for each member of the group
2. Insert comments by opening the INSERT menu in WORD and selecting "INSERT COMMENT"
3. Select the part of the story/text that you want to comment on, then insert comment and write your comment in the box provided.
4. You should help your partners with the following:

A. Does the hook or beginning of the story grab you?
B. If there is no title, suggest one.
C. Correct grammar and formatting when you notice it is incorrect.
D. Is the protagonist the interesting character in the story? Suggest ways to improve or strengthen the characterization of the protagonist.
E. Are there characters that are not needed in the story? If so, which ones and why are they not needed?
F. Do the characters have appropriate reason for being in the story?
G. Do the characters' actions make sense?
H. Suggest ways to use minor characters as setting, symbols, or foils to the protagonist.
I. What questions do you have as a reader about any of the characters?
J. Is the setting well described?
K. Is the writer using imagery? If not, what scenes can be improved by using imagery?
L. Is the setting appropriate to the plot and characters? Does the setting create appropriate tone? Is the setting used symbolically?
M. Does the setting reflect the main character or major conflict in some way?
N. Is dialogue appropriate and does it help to move the scene forward or help characterization?
O. Is there an inciting incident that begins the plot and involves the protagonist?
P. Are scenes clearly indicated by white space? Is white space used correctly?
Q. Do the conflicts and events or scenes in the story involve the protagonist making CHOICES?
R. Are the events in the plot a cause/effect relationship?
S. Does the writer interrupt or delay satisfaction in order to create suspense in the story?
T. Does the writer use flashback/flash forward techniques?
U. Is the story enjoyable?
V. What has been left out in the story?
W. What questions do you have as a reader for the author?

You should make at least 10 comments on your partner's manuscript. If you did not, go back to this list and select a few questions to answer.

Add your name to the workshop file (SAVE AS + YOUR NAME + Author's NAME/TITLE) for class credit.

After you read and comment on each of your partners' drafts, read the comments others have left on your work and revise your story (create another draft). Please make sure to label this draft #.

Workshop partners:
A: Danielle, Valerie, Zach, Wade
B: Brianna, Nautica, Kennethea, Jenee, Chris
C: Marissa, Shayla, Alaina, Whitney
D: Tashae, Justice, Monica, Victoria, Jerry
E: Addie, Alex, Aubrey, Khari

Homework: read the handout on SCENE. Choose 1 of the exercises and complete this in your journal (this is brainstorming and may lead to our next story). Finish reading the Martian Chronicles (test Friday)

Chapter 10 - Draft due today!

Your first draft of your 3rd person POV story is due at the end of class today. Please complete your first draft. See previous posts for requirements and rubrics.

HOMEWORK: Keep reading The Martian Chronicles.

Here's a few sample videos of some of the short stories:

The Third Expedition:



And part II:



And part III:



And the first part of the second episode of the TV series: The Martian Chronicles:



You can find the 2-10, and the third part on youtube if you'd like. Link here.

Martian Chronicles & Chp. 10 draft

Today we are working on writing the first draft of our 10th chapter stories. The 10th chapter story has asked you to:
1. Create a character and setting
2. Write in 3rd person POV (either limited or omniscient, your choice)
3. Your story should have 3 or more characters
4. Use suspense to delay or interrupt major conflicts
5. Complicate your situation by developing your rising action (your story should have at least 2 more more episodes of rising action before you reach your climax)
6. Resolve your story after protagonist and antagonist meet in a climax

All of these details (and models concerning how to do this) are found in your Creative Writer's Craft books (chp. 10 - pg. 196-216). You should have your first draft of this assignment done by Monday, Nov. 23.

Tired of writing or need a break? Read Martian Chronicles & take a look at these videos that relate to the first few chapters:



Ray Bradbury's advice about being persistent when writing.


Ray Bradbury: Good Advice for Young Writers


Ray Bradbury: Short Biography and Early Life (How life events can help us write or inspire us)


Ylla (part 1, from the perspective of high school students like yourselves; the other part can be found on You.tube.)


Homework: Keep reading the Martian Chronicles. As you read, pay close attention to how Bradbury sets up his plot. How, for example, does ONE action in 1999 (Rocket Summer) lead to 1999: Ylla. How does what happens in Ylla affect what happens in "The Earth Men" and how what we learn in these earlier stories affect how we understand "The Third Expedition"?

The Third Expedition (computer animated)

Martian Chronicles - The first few chapters

Please visit Bradbury's website and take some notes about the author and Martian Chronicles.

Here's a few more things to note:
Please read the following article:
100 Years of Martian Fiction.

Here's a few other authors who have written about Mars:
Authors who have written about life on Mars.

Here's a little history:
The Frontier in American History
1940's American History
Sputnik
1950's

Now that you have some background to work with, let's continue:

Pick up the book The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury from our library. In class we will begin to read and discuss Bradbury's writing. After today, continue to read at your own pace, but realize that we will be picking up a new book in a few weeks.


Ray Bradbury Talks about his inspiration in writing The Martian Chronicles

After our discussion, please continue to write your short story draft (see below).

Plot and Structure

Plot refers to: the actions or incidents occurring in a story (usually in chronological order, but not always).

Without plot, we do not have a story. A plot is a plan or groundwork of human motivations, with the actions resulting from believable and realistic human responses. In simple terms, plot deals with CAUSE and EFFECT.

E.M. Forester:
“The king died, and then the queen died.”

To have a good plot, a sequence of events must include motivation which is based on reaction to action.

“The king died, and then the queen died of grief.”

Events and time in a story are not important in and of themselves but because one thing happens because of another thing (i.e. cause and effect).

Conflict is the essential element of plot because this is where human responses are brought out to their highest degree.
Once two (or more) forces are in opposition, there is doubt about the outcome, thus producing tension and suspense as well.

Plot Structure: The arrangement and placement of materials within a narrative or drama.

Plot: Describes the conflicts in a story or narrative.

Structure deals with the way a work is laid out and given form to bring out the conflict.

Categories of Plot Structure:

Exposition
Rising Action/Complication
Crisis or turning point
Climax
Denouement/falling action/resolution

Gathering the pieces - Brokeback Mountain

Today, you will have time to do any of the following:

--gather ideas from your journal or the exercises we did in class. Begin writing a first draft of an original story. RULES: tell your story in objective 3rd person POV. Your story should include at least 3 distinct events that move the story along. Complicate your situation by giving your character(s) problems that need solving. When you get stuck, keep thinking: what happens next? How will the characters react to the trouble? What exactly is the trouble?

--add setting and characterization to one of your previously written stories. Apply what you have written to the work you have already completed. Remember to # this new draft with a new #.

--Read Brokeback Mountain. See HOMEWORK below to figure out what you need to do with this story.

--Complete homework from last class: storyboard & questions about the short story Marigolds (see below for details).

HOMEWORK: Please read chapter 10 in your Creative Writer's Craft books (pg. 196-216). This information will be helpful to you as you write your new story. You will also be tested on the information later.

Read: Brokeback Mountain. This famous story does a lot of what we've been doing in our own stories. It uses flashback, characterization, uses setting (locale) as a symbol, and moves the story along one event at a time, skipping large chunks of time in between scenes, uses white space, etc. As you read, please look for these elements. To turn in: please complete a storyboard of the PLOT (see above). For each new event or complication, draw a little picture in the box and then describe in a caption what scene this is underneath the picture. This is due next class.

Setting Quiz & Gathering More Ideas for Your Next Story

Today, prepare to take a quiz on setting. Look at previous posts concerning setting to prepare for the quiz.

After five minutes, please clear your desks. Take the quiz on setting.

After the quiz, please use one of the writing prompts given to you to brainstorm (in your journal, or typed out...your choice). Work until the end of period 7 on your brainstorming/writing.

During period 8, please get into groups of 1-2 (you may work alone), and read the short story: Marigolds by Eugenia Collier. As you read, please notice how the author uses setting and sensory details to help create characterization. Notice that the story, again is written in 1st person POV. Answer these questions to hand in as participation credit:

--Why do you think that Collier chose 1st person POV for this story? How does POV help create "voice."
--Who is the protagonist in the story? (TO DISCUSS - verbally): Is this the best choice for the central conflict? Who else could the story be about? How would this change the story?
--Why does Collier set her story in this particular setting (remember: setting is not only place, but time, weather, etc.)
--Why does Collier title her story "Marigolds?" What do the marigolds represent or symbolize?

Homework: Please read: Bastard Out of Carolina and Eyes and Teeth. Pick one of the short stories and complete a storyboard for the story.

Q: How do I complete a storyboard?
A: Use the empty panel to draw or jot a picture of the different "scenes" the author uses in the short story. Every time the story moves to a different setting (time or place) start a new panel. Underneath, in the space provided, write a short summary or synopsis of what happened in that scene.

Agenda - 11/6

Read the handout on SETTING. Answer the following question and hand in today for participation credit:

1. How can you not only entertain your reader, but also inform or teach your reader?
2. Why do we want to avoid thinking of our writing (and setting in particular) as BORING?
3. What are five different types of stories that use setting predominantly?
4. List advice that the author gives about how to create an effective setting. How can you use this advice to improve your writing?

After 20 minutes we will move on to the second part of our class today. If you are still writing your chapter 9 assignment, please work on that until 20 minutes have lapsed. Try to avoid fooling around and wasting your valuable time--you will hate yourself for it later.

At 1:10 we will stop. A bell will ring. Please save your work and prepare for our next writing assignment. Minimize your windows and pay attention to instructions.

Journal/Brainstorming: (new story or help with a previous story)

1. pick a stick. This will serve as your setting.
2. pick a character from the list. Put this character in your chosen setting.
3. pick an action. Begin the story by describing your character engaged in this action.

4. Lost or bored? Try one of these tips:

+ Get your character moving! Give your character an action to perform. This often helps drag us into writing a story.
+ identify what your character wants. Without motivation a character doesn't know what to act toward.
+ Identify where your character is. Setting provides a stage for your character. All settings create limits for your character.
+ If you feel you must take a break - talk to someone OTHER than the person you always talk to. Talking to other people sometimes gives us ideas to use in our stories. Don't do this TOO often or you will not get your work done and fail this course.
+ Get into your character's head! Share your protagonist's feelings. Feeling bored, maybe your character is too; write about your character's boredom.
+ Use your own experiences; recall what happened to you in a similar situation, if appropriate. Or imagine what you would do in a similar situation.
+ Read. Sometimes seeing others' work is helpful in jump starting ours.
+ Include information you are covering in another class. Write about history or science or math. Use what you are learning. Write about what you are interested in. Life if just FULL of interesting things. Only observers are boring.
+ Write about something you care about. Often writers forget that you are writing for your own enjoyment or enrichment. Don't worry about your audience during a first draft.
+ Teenagers are apathetic by nature. You are sleepy and tired and stressed. You worry too much about peer pressure. You lack the wisdom of foresight that comes with age. Try to fight through this "phase" of your life. If you care about your writing, you will succeed.

Q: WHAT SHOULD I DO IF MY CHAPTER 9 STORY IS NOT DONE?
A: After working a bit on the journal exercise, finish it in lab today. It is due today at the end of class. If you didn't finish today, you have additional homework. We have already delayed this deadline, so get the work done and turned in.

HOMEWORK: Please read: Woman Hollering Creek. Be prepared to use it to answer a test on setting and characterization.

9.4 Due!

Draft 1 of your Chapter 9 story is due. (pg. 174-195) Before you turn it in, please take a look at pg. 190--exercise 9.5.

1. Read over your rough draft.
2. Look for an action that can be repeated in your story. Repetition stresses importance in a story.
3. Look for a specific image that can be repeated at least twice in your story. This may be a description of the setting, or use an object and instill meaning into it.

Add step 2 & 3 to your rough draft. Give your story a title and then please print out this draft. Call it draft 1 in the heading.

Complete your draft - Due next class (no kidding this time).

9.4 - Assembling the First Draft

Using your previous journal writing and the brainstorming you have been doing (with characterization, character sketches, setting description, etc. (ex. 9.1-9.3)) put the first draft of your story together. Call this draft #1. Your setting should change locale, weather, time at various points in the plot. Each new scene should complicate and develop characterization of your protagonist.

Title your first draft. Good titles at this point can be the setting or the name of the protagonist.

HOMEWORK:
On Wednesday, Nov. 4 (there is no class on Tuesday) the following work is due:
--Draft #1 (exercise 9.4)
--Read the short story "In the Cemetery Where Al Jolson is Buried" by Amy Hempel. In a short essay, discuss and examine how Hempel uses characterization and setting to effect you as the reader in the story. Use specific examples from the text to support your analysis and explain how Hempel uses characterization and setting to write a good short story.

Exercise 9.2 Brainstorming - Moving the Action

In exercise 9.1 you wrote about a setting. I asked you to drop one of your characters (from your character sketch) into this setting and write a scene in 1-3 pages. We are going to move forward now.

In exercise 9.2 you will be asked to write three additional scenes that could take place after your first scene. Change the SETTING in each scene. This will encourage you to plot your story. In each of the 3 additional scenes, give your protagonist some action to perform or do - get their hands busy! Also, sprinkle in some details from your character sketch. This is how we use characterization to develop a character. Try to avoid dumping all that information on the reader at once!

Finally, write one more scene in which you move BACKWARD in time in a technique called FLASHBACK. When you are done, you will have 4 additional scenes in your journal.

Read and refer to pages: 180 (exploring movement) to 186 for a model and/or further instructions and details about plotting, setting, and time.

HOMEWORK: read pages 180-186. Complete exercises 9.2 & 9.3 in your journal if you did not finish during lab time.

Activity: Having trouble thinking of settings or need a setting later for other stories? Look here.

Setting

After the quiz on characterization and characters, please read this post carefully and complete the assignment.

Last class you were instructed to read pages: 177 (exploring setting) through 180. You were to complete Writer's Practice 9.1: Describe a Place. This should be completed already in your journal.

If you did this homework, you are ready to begin using your character sketches and put your characters in a setting. Before you begin, make sure you understand the following. Take notes on SETTING.

Setting: The natural and artificial scenery or environment in which characters in literature live and move.

Setting is the when and where your story takes place.
Apart from Character and Plot, Setting is one of the most important elements in your writing.

Setting includes:
• Artifacts or Props (the things characters use)
• Clothes (the things characters wear)
• Time of day, conditions of the weather
• Geography and location
• Trees, animals, and nature
• Inside and outside sounds, smells
• All physical and temporal objects

So that means setting refers to:
• The location (locale) or place the story is set
• The weather (including the season)
• The time
• The time period (historical period)

In short: setting refers to all the places and objects that are important in the work, whether natural or manufactured.

Types of Settings:

1. Natural
Nature shapes action and directs and redirects lives.

2. Manufactured
Manufactured things always reflect the people who made them.
Possessions often enter into character motivation and development.

3. Interior: locales INSIDE. Symbolically often refers to private/domestic issues.

4. Exterior: locales OUTSIDE. Symbolically often refers to societal issues.

What is a regional writer?
• A regional writer chooses to set all of his/her stories in one general place or time period. This place usually reflects how the author grew up.

Regional writers include:
• William Faulkner
• Stephen King
• H.P. Lovecraft
• Flannery O’Connor
• Bharakti Mukerjee
• Eudora Welty

Function of Setting:

1. Setting as Antagonist.
• Settings can cause problems/conflict for characters
2. Setting as reflection of mindset or ideology of one of your characters (often your protagonist)
3. Setting as character portrait
• Settings reflect or contrast character’s wants/desires, goals
4. Setting as quality of narrative vision
• Setting establishes trust between storyteller and audience
• Description of setting helps reader visualize the fictional world
5. Setting as reflection of theme or idea
6. Setting as reflection of conflict
7. Setting as mood or atmosphere
8. Setting as foreshadowing of plot
9. Setting as beginning and ending (establishing and closing shot…or frame)

Now, (THIS IS STILL BRAINSTORMING AND SHOULD BE WRITTEN IN YOUR JOURNAL): choose 1 or more of your characters that you created a character sketch for. This character will be your protagonist. The story should at this point revolve around this character. Put your character in your setting (9.1) and write a short scene (1-3 pages).

Finished and there's still time?
Go on to work on one of these setting exercises. This is BRAINSTORMING. Don't label it yet as a draft ONE. You may use as many of these exercises as you wish. Change anything you feel you need to as this is just BRAINSTORMING - the first step in the writing process.

Character Sketches

Last class you:
1. Made a list of character names (both funny, serious, and other)
2. You circled three of these names
3. You chose one of these three names and conducted an "interview" using the link below (Oct. 20)

You should have completed one of these "interviews" in your journal (brainstorming) last class.

Today, finish the questionnaire for your second and third character (from the list you created last class). All of this information should go in your journal. It is part of your brainstorming process. We will use much of this later in our next story.

After jotting notes in your journal (brainstorming), create a character sketch. Look here for notes about how to write a character sketch.

Write a character sketch (no more than 1 page, please--a few descriptive paragraphs is fine) for each of your three characters. This should be turned in as lab/writing participation credit.

Homework: Please remember to turn in your 4 ?'s from your reading of pages 174-177.
For today's homework, please read pages: 177 (exploring setting) through 180. Complete Writer's Practice 9.1: Describe a Place. We will be using this next class.
Also: there will be a quiz next class on Characters & characterization. You should be familiar with the information given in last class' post (Oct. 20) and know what "characterization" is.

Characters and Characterization

Take notes on the following:
1. What goes into choosing a POV (point of view) for a story?
2. What are the strengths/weaknesses of each POV form?
3. Define: character, hero, heroine, villain, protagonist, antagonist, antihero, foil, minor, major character, stereotype, round, flat, dynamic. Be able to tell the difference between all of these terms.
4. How does a writer develop CHARACTERIZATION in a story?

Characters and Characterization

Choosing a POV for your character:
Major Question: Who is the story about?
--Someone who is most interesting
--Someone who is involved in the action of the story
--Someone who has the most to gain or lose from the event

1st Person POV: Main character is the narrator (good subjectivity, but lacks objectivity, limited to one character’s mind)

2nd Person POV: Main character is the “reader”, used through an objective and omniscient “I” narrator (difficult to maintain for a long time, reader must be willing to play the part, difficult to reach into reader’s mind)

Third Person POV: Omniscient or Limited
Omniscient narrators can tell the story of many characters, but this can be confusing. The reader may not know who the story is about or whose conflict is important.
A limited POV allows the writer to focus on one particular character. The story told is the story of that character. Consistent POV gives a story coherence. Inconsistent POV confuses the reader.

Character:

Hero/Heroine: The main character of a story
Villain: The character who opposes the main character
Antihero: A normal, ordinary character
Protagonist: The main character of a story
Antagonist: The opponent of the protagonist
Foil: Either one who is opposite to the main character or nearly the same as the main character. The purpose of the foil character is to emphasize the traits of the main character by contrast, and perhaps by setting up situations in which the protagonist can show his or her character traits. A foil is a secondary character who contrasts with a major character but, in so doing, highlights various facets of the main character's personality.

Characters can be either major or minor, round or flat.

Major characters are characters who are important to the conflict and plot of the story. They often have motivations linked with the main conflict
Minor characters are characters who are not necessarily important to the story. They often are used to develop the main characters or to provide rising action or complications to the plot.
Round characters have a distinct motivation and personality or “voice”; Often they are complex and dynamic (they change through the conflict of the story)
Flat characters are characters that do not change significantly through the conflict of the plot. Sometimes the reader knows or cares little about them because of lack of detail or purpose.
Stereotypes: Characters who are generally recognized as a “type”; These characters lack individuality and often can be boring because we already know how they will act and why.

Ways to develop character:

Characterization: Physical characteristics and personality characteristics which develop the individualization of a character.
Motivation: reasons for the character to act in the story
Dialogue: What characters say helps to develop them
What other characters say about a character also helps develop them
Action: Describing the actions of a character helps develop them (allows writer to show not tell)

Homework: Chapter 9 (pg. 174-177) Answer the 4 ?'s for homework (to be turned in) next class.

Brainstorming Characters

Complete all you wish to of your 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, 8.6 drafts. Do not take more than 1 period to do this. Wrap the story up as tightly as it will go for now.

When you have completed your "final draft", please label it, title it, save it to YOUR file for now. We will use it later.

Take notes on Characterization (above). Learn what this means.

Brainstorming: In your journal make a list of names...some funny, some serious, some vague, some specific.

Brainstorming: Then, in your journal choose 3 of these names and write the answers to this quiz to develop your characters: The Writer's Trust.

Brainstorming: After you have completed this quiz for each character, write a brief character description for each person. Turn in these brief character descriptions as classwork.

It All Comes Down to This... End of Marking Period Info

Please complete Chapter 8 and the corresponding exercises: 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, 8.5, and 8.6.

Compile ALL your drafts (there should be a few). Put all the drafts into the SAME file. You can do this by opening your final draft, then copying the other drafts AFTER the FINAL draft. Some of you already have done this. Essentially, all your drafts should be in ONE file.

Chapter 8 - ALL DRAFTS for this assignment are due TO MY DROP BOX by Friday, Oct. 16 (end of the day). This will account for your portfolio grade (and writing grade). Turn in as much of this as you have done. This is a major assignment.

Also, on FRIDAY, Oct. 16, we will have a quiz on the following:

The Writing Process: brainstorming, composing (or drafting), revision, editing, and publication. (pg. 3-20 & blog)
The Hook, leads, or opening a short story (pg. 149-150 & blog)
The Types of Short Stories: (blog)
Working With Beginnings (blog)
In Media Res (blog)
First Person POV (pg. 152-154)
Establishing conflict (pg. 150-151)
Honest, Dishonest Voice (reliable or unreliable first person narrators) (pg. 154 & blog)
Dialogue punctuation (blog)
Realistic dialogue (pg. 157, pg. 160 & blog)
Speaker tags, Action tags, Thought tags (pg. 158 & blog)
Compression (as part of editing/revision) (pg. 155 & blog)
White space (pg. 164)
Essential elements of a short story (pg. 166, under Response Groups)
Craft (pg. 167)
Repetition (pg. 168)

Creative Writing Rubric

Creative Writing Rubrics

Exemplary (A/A+): Thoroughly developed characters, plot, structure, conflict, theme, and setting. Uses vivid description, effective diction and word choice, tone or voice, POV, imagery, and compelling dialogue throughout portfolio. Uses a variety of effective literary devices. Writing can be considered “art,” effectively communicating issues central to the human condition. Has few errors in spelling punctuation, syntax, and usage. Work includes evidence of several revised drafts.

Accomplished (B/B+): Well developed characters, plot, conflict, theme, and setting. Uses good description, diction, dialogue, voice, POV, imagery, etc. but work may not be as insightful or artfully constructed. Uses some literary devices, but with uneven success. Has some errors in spelling, punctuation, and usage but nothing that gets in the way of the reader’s ability to discern meaning. Work includes evidence of some revision (more than a second draft).

Developing (C/C+): Fairly well developed characters, plot and setting, but pieces in portfolio may have gaps. Uses some description, imagery, dialogue, voice, but with uneven success. Work suggests craft or insight into the human condition, but falls short of this goal. May use an occasional literary device, but work is abstract, too personal, clichéd, but does not lack meaning. Has errors in spelling punctuation and usage that distracts the reader. Work may be accomplished, but portfolio was late. Work includes some evidence of revision, but revision is largely in grammar and syntax, rather than restructuring.

Beginning (D): Development of character, plot and setting is on a very basic level, although these elements are present. Uses limited description, imagery, dialogue. Work is hastily done or lacks artistic style. Does not use literary devices, or work is largely abstract, or lacks meaning. Has careless errors in spelling, punctuation, and usage. Work includes little or no evidence of revision. Work may be developing, but story was turned in late.

8.4, 8.5, 8.6

Today, complete exericise 8.4 for your "third draft". Then go on to 8.5 and 8.6. Repeat a major event and assemble the best parts and pieces of all your drafts.

Exercise 8.2 asked you to 1). Come up with a few opening paragraphs that grip, and hook us as readers. 2). Write the story quickly.

Exercise 8.3 asked you to add dialogue, change the story to 1st person POV, then cut unnecessary events, characters, and plots until you have one story where your protagonist is in trouble.

Exercise 8.3 - part 2 asked you to start again. Tell the story over again, this time without referring to your previous drafts.

Exercise 8.4 is asking you to skip some time (a day, an hour, a week, etc.) and have one or two of your characters talk to the narrator (remember this was supposed to be first person POV). Avoid introducing new characters. Through the dialogue there should be a change indicated through the narrator.

Exercise 8.5 is asking you to assemble the entire story. Pick up the pieces and tell the story again, now knowing what your previous drafts have given you. Consider using white space (see pg. 164). A sample model of this is on pg. 164-166.

Go this far. If you completely finish, we are going to finish this story by inserting repetition (as stated in exercise 8.6). Good stories often have a circular element to them. Things described in the beginning often come back again at the end. Try this sort of thing in your last draft.

8.3 - Draft #3

You need a completed 2nd draft for this exercise. Start and complete that work if you haven't already done so.

Today, work on 8.3 - draft #3:
1. Take your two previous drafts.
2. Start again.
3. Begin by setting the story in place and time. Start in media res.
4. Tell a single incident or a series of brief incidents, moving the forward in time. Try a story that has more than one incident.
5. Place one character in addition to your narrator in the story.

See and read pages: 159-163 in your books for models.

Complete this draft.

Reading Groups - First Person POV stories

Today get into your reading groups (see earlier post). Together as a group, read the stories: All Girl Band, The Colonel, Vision out of the Corner of One Eye, I Didn't Do That, the Barbie Birthday, and Map of the Lost World.

Your draft one of exercise 8.2 asked you to create a distinct voice for a first person POV story. Discuss how each story tries to accomplish this. Additionally, look for the use of dialogue. How much dialogue is used and when is it most powerful? This will vary from story to story. Try to identify the different speaker tags as well. You should be able to name each one.

Once you have finished reading these stories, post a comment about what you learned about 1st person POV stories on our Forum.

Then work on draft 2 of the 8.2 exercise. Go on to exercise 8.3 if you are finished with the second draft.

8.2 - Draft 2.

In draft one (see below for instructions) you told a story from 1st person POV. In it you were asked to write without worrying about what you were writing, but keep writing until the story takes shape within the mess you created. You called and labeled this draft draft ONE. Now work on draft two of the same story.

Step two:

2. Cut your sentences down and combine them. Try to cut about 1/2 of what you just wrote. Keep only the most important information.
--Compress a string of actions into a sentence or two with a series of verbs
--Reduce dialogue to one or two important exchanges. Try to propel the action forward.
--Insert commentary, the internal self-talk of your character. Get inside the character's mind. This is the benefit of 1st person POV.
--Call this second step DRAFT TWO. Make sure you change the draft # and save BOTH copies: draft one and two.

Step Three:
3. If you finish with draft two, go on to complete draft 3.
--Create a central event. Narrate the major events that trouble your narrator (the voice you created in 8.2). Write dialogue tags with action and thoughts correctly.
NOTE: Start OVER. Use the same character, but put them in a different setting or at a different place and time. Include at least one other character. Include at least one scene with dialogue.

Dialogue

Dialogue: What is it good for?

• Fastest way to advance the action of the story
• Reveals characters & provides characterization
• Provides exposition in a more realistic way
• Effective dialogue depends on an ability to listen and develop an ear for the way people speak.

How Can I Make My Dialogue Sound Real?
• Speak in short sentences
• Speak in fragments
• Change the subject
• Digress
• Use Colloquialism/verisimilitude
• Answer questions with questions or avoid answering
• Ignore what’s being said by the other person
• Respond to things that haven’t been said
• Repeat words or expressions

Speaker Tags
Always use tags when it may be unclear who is speaking. In two person scenes tags may not be necessary after the first one or two.

3 Types of Tags:

1. Speaker Tag
• Use “said” or “says”. Avoid fancy verbs like “ejaculated” or “spit”, “hissed” or “screeched” (unless you are writing a parody or humorous story). Use fancy verbs sparingly.
• Avoid adverbs (LY words) that indicate how something was said. (she said greedily; he said nastily; we said conversationally; It said nervously; They said happily). Adverbs suggest that your writing is not clear.

2. Action Tag
• Identify a speaker with a sentence expressing action before or after a speech
• Allows reader to “see” what is going on during dialogue
• Provides characters with movement and therefore reveals character or detail

3. Thought Tag
• Express what your character thinks, feels, knows, or wonders.
Do NOT use: “she thought”; “They felt”; “We knew”; “He wondered”, etc. Simply state the opinion on the same line, right after the tag. Overuse of this indicates telling, rather than showing.

Punctuation

“We’re going to learn how to punctuate dialogue,” the teacher said.

A groan rose from the students.

One of them whispered to her neighbor, “Oh, no. Not again! This teacher is always trying to teach us. He should mind his own business and let us get some sleep.”

Many of the students were already yawning.

“Punctuation goes INSIDE the quotes ALWAYS!” the teacher said. “If the quote does not end in an exclamation point or question mark, then after the tag line you must include a period,” he added.

“What do you mean?”

“Simple,” the teacher explained. “When you do not have a tag at the end of a line of dialogue, you can stop with a period.”

“Of course, you would have to use a comma when the complete sentence has not yet been completed,” a student realized.

“Every time there is a new speaker start a new paragraph.” The teacher emphasized this point by pulling out his hair in tufts.

A student’s hand shot up. “What do you mean?”

“I mean every time a new character speaks....”

“Or interrupts?”

“Yes, or interrupts. A new paragraph must be started.” The teacher continued to talk about dialogue and punctuation. He answered any questions the students had. Then he said, “You see? It’s easy.” The teacher knew his students were beginning to understand. He didn’t need to start a new paragraph since he had been uninterrupted in his speech.

The student in the back row smiled. He said, “I see now. Commas are placed before the quotation when the tag comes in the FRONT of the quote.”

“Yes! Exactly,” the teacher said. “Or inside the quote when the tag comes at the end.” The teacher sipped his coffee, then added, “Just like I did just now.”

“This is simple!”

“Yes,” Alaina, a happy student in the front of the class, said. “This is simple.”

The students understood so well, in fact, that they never made another punctuation error when using dialogue.

“Hurrah!” The teacher gave everyone in the class an A when grades were due because they had learned so much!

The End

Writer's Practice 8.2 - Creating Voice

The following explanation is also found in your books: "The Creative Writer's Craft" on pages: 154-158.

Using ONE of your three best openings/leads, write the first draft of a new short story.

Step One:
1. Introduce a character with a flaw and explore a dramatic situation in which that flaw or error is apparent.
--Choose an ordinary and natural situation
--Include action, dialogue, and your narrator's thoughts and feelings
--Write the story in present tense; Use first person POV.

Write the first draft quickly; do not hesitate or worry too much about its structure or incomplete elements. These will be smoothed over in the next draft. Simply write the story - from beginning to end. Try not to hesitate. Don't discard anything yet. Don't judge your work. Just write. See how much you can get with the time remaining in class. When you have this draft, name it DRAFT ONE, then move to the second step.

Step two:
2. Cut your sentences down and combine them. Try to cut about 1/2 of what you just wrote. Keep only the most important information.
--Compress a string of actions into a sentence or two with a series of verbs
--Reduce dialogue to one or two important exchanges. Try to propel the action forward.
--Insert commentary, the internal self-talk of your character. Get inside the character's mind. This is the benefit of 1st person POV.
--Call this second step DRAFT TWO. Make sure you change the draft # and save BOTH copies: draft one and two.

Go no further with this exercise. If you finish early in class, go back to your other short stories and work on these.

HOMEWORK: Please read pg. 149-159. Pay close attention to the information about how to write effective DIALOGUE.

Powerful Lead Exercise

Today, before moving on to the major classroom assignment, let's grab our journals and do a little brainstorming exercise.

Write 3-5 powerful leads in your journal. Write a line that shows a character in conflict. This can be a small conflict--like a daily event. It doesn't have to be life threatening. Avoid dramatic issues.

A powerful lead will help establish character, action, and setting. A good lead will reveal point of view and create an inciting incident. All of these things are helpful in getting off to a good start when writing a story.

Remember that opening lines can follow various forms. We have stressed the "In Media Res" opening. But there are others. Please READ and REFER to the September 21 post on Tips About Beginning Stories. Know the different types of openings!

Write 3-5 powerful leads in your journal. We will use these in the next step of our writing process: composing/drafting.

Choking on Love - Group ?'s

In groups of 1-3 please read pages144-149 and answer the 5 ?'s about the story for participation credit.

Please bring your books with you to class on Thursday.

9/29 Agenda

Journal writing/Brainstorming:

Using your picture that you brought with you as homework (see previous class blog entry if you're confused) - use this picture to start a story. If you'd like get into the mind of the character, or stay objective and outside the photograph. Contrast what you write with what you know is the "future" for the people photographed.

When the journal writing has come to a close, please visit our forum. Complete the assignment from last class there. Take about 10 minutes to do so.
Afterward, we will be getting a new text book.

There will be assignments posted soon regarding the new text. More instructions will come! Please check the blog again at the end of class.

Time remaining in class? Write a second draft of the 1st story draft you worked on two classes ago. Expand the story. Add detail.

Reading Groups & Posting to our Forum

Today we are going to get together in our reading groups. Please work with the members in your reading groups. We will be using these groups for a while, so please learn to work together to complete the task or goal of the assignment. The groups will be as follows:

Group A.
Adeline A.
Monica B.
Justice D.
Nautica G.

Group B.
Alex B.
Brianna C.
Alaina H.
Khari J.
Tashae R.

Group C.
Lawrence D.
Victoria H.
Wade W.
Kennethea W.
Danielle F.

Group D.
Christopher T.
Zach G.
Whitney L.
Shayla S.

Group E.
Marissa S.
Aubrey G.
Valerie S.
Jenee S.
Jerry F.

DIRECTIONS:
1. Read the blog post below about the different types of stories.
2. Take notes on what kinds of short stories there are.
3. Please get into your reading groups.
4. Read aloud the various short stories from the packet I hand you.
5. Discuss as a group (make sure you take turns and be polite) what type of short story each is. Look at how the author uses his/her title and how the first line of the story tries to draw or hook a reader. Talk about whether or not you think the author is successful.
6. For group credit, label each short story as to its type. Put all group members' names on the paper and turn in at the end of class.

After reading all the short stories and talking about them with your group, please post an INDIVIDUAL personal response to these short stories on our forum. You can find our forum on the link page under: Our Classroom Forum. Go there, sign up as a member with your google account, and become a member of the forum. Then post your response.

HOMEWORK: FIND A PICTURE OR SNAPSHOT and bring it to next class!

Types of Short Stories

“The best guide on how to write short stories is to read those already published by any good author, and the best way to discover your own talent, if you have any, is not to talk about the stories you find swimming about in your head, but to write them down, and keep on writing them…the only way to find out if you are a writer or not is to write.”

Types of Short Stories:

• The Traditional Story
o The goal of the traditional story is to tell a simple story.
o Usually unsophisticated or simple, the author usually draws experience from his/her own life or similar experience.
o Traditional stories may use any genre (sci-fi, fantasy, western, romance, realism, action-adventure, horror, suspense, etc.) but, again, the focus of the story is on telling a simple story, usually to entertain.
o Usually the story is written in a realistic style.

• The subjective story
o The author has found his/her voice.
o The author discovers that his own personality can play a large part in a story.
o Usually these stories use first person POV and gets into the mind of its protagonist.
o The focus then of the subjective story is development of character.
o The story can be written in a realistic style, but may also begin to move toward a more complex subjective narration.

• The objective story
o The author is able to suppress his/her own feeling and view of things for the sake of a more objective presentation of his/her story and characters.
o The author’s personality or life is not found consciously in the story.

• Experimental and symbolic story
o These stories fool around with the structure of fiction.
o They are often experimental or symbolic, pushing the boundaries of what “fiction” is.
o These stories are often less obvious, more subtle in their meaning, characters, plot, etc.
o These forms play around with fiction convention, they often break the “4th wall”, may use multiple subjective narration, tell a story backwards, break fiction convention rules, etc.

• Complex story
o The author utilizes techniques from the first four groups here: (traditional, subjective, objective, experimental), combining the best techniques from all these forms.

• Universal story
o The skilled author hits upon certain human truths.
o The universal story form is similar to the complex story, except that it transcends the form to become “classic” short fiction.
o The universal story is often found in novel; many authors at this stage find novels more to their liking.

Working with beginnings...

Begin by reading this article on opening a short story. Take notes in your journal about important advice.

The best short stories begin in media res (in the middle of an important action). Starting a story with an action helps a writer get moving on what must happen in a story. Exposition (if needed) is added later in the story after the reader has entered into the text.

Go to the following website: the literary magazine Zoetrope. For 10-20 of the short stories (click on them to read the beginning), record in your journal the first line of each story.

When you have a list of 10-20 openings, choose one and then begin your own 200-400 word short story with that opening. See where it takes you. The first draft is due at the end of class. DO NOT PRINT this. Simply call it Working With Beginnings Draft 1. Save your work. We will continue with it next class.

HOMEWORK: Please read the handout about beginnings for next class.
TEST: Please review the WRITING PROCESS (see below) and advice about starting fiction for next class.

Sept. 21 - Agenda

Please begin class by writing the journal exercise. You can write right on this page, or in your journal. Your choice. You will have 10 minutes to complete this portion of the classwork.

After that, please read the tips on starting a story. You should make note of how a fiction writer can begin a story (because you're going to have to do this very, very soon.)

At the end of today's class your final version of your baseline piece is due. Please make sure you either print this version out OR email this to me as an attachment: bradley.craddock@rcsdk12.org. You have the period to complete your final draft. To see if you are ready to turn it in, check the RUBRIC below.

The previous reading assignment and questions is also due at the end of class.

Class/Homework: please read the two short stories: Death of the Right Fielder and Bigfoot Stole My Wife. Be prepared to discuss the openings of these two short stories next class.

Finally, with time remaining begin a story from your exercise on beginnings.

Beginning a Story - Some Tips & Advice

Beginning a Story

A beginning promises more to come. It should hook our attention, allow us entrance into the world of the story. Beginnings need to be full of potential for the characters (and the reader). Some simple ways writers do this is the following (taken from The Fiction Writer's Workshop by Josip Novakovich)

Setting: setting sets the stage and raises our expectations, introduces us to location, time, and supports character, tone, mood and POV.

On the pleasant shore of the French Riviera, about half-way between Marseilles and the Italian border, stands a large, proud, rose-colored hotel. Deferential palms cool its flushed façade, and before it stretches a short dazzling beach. Lately it has become a summer resort of notable and fashionable people.

Ideas: While this can sometimes be dry or essay-like, it can also characterize a speaker, a place, an important motif or tone of a story.

“Now, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them…”

Imagistic or Strong Sensations: Imagery invites your reader to experience your narrative, giving you a good start. It also helps establish setting, usually.

1956. The air-conditioned darkness of the Avenue Theater smells of flowery pomade, sugary chocolates, cigarette smoke, and sweat.

A Need or Motive: Need is essential for all major characters. It is usually what drives the
conflict and characterization, also the plot in a story. Starting off with a motive or need is
the fastest way to learn what characters want.

On his way to the station William remembered with a fresh pang of disappointment that he was taking nothing down to the kiddies. Their first words always were as they ran to greet him, “What have you got for me, daddy?” and he had nothing.

Action: Action catches our attention.

The pass was high and wide and he jumped for it, feeling it slap flatly against his hands, as he shook his hips to throw off the halfback who was diving at him.

Scene: Usually in one sentence, combines action, setting, and character.

Card-playing was going on in the quarters of Narumov, an officer in the Guards.

Symbolic Object: Describe an object that has significance to your story, characters, plot. Usually a reader will recognize the importance of an object if mentioned in the first paragraph of a story.

An antique sleigh stood in the yard, snow after snow banked up against its eroded runners.

Sex: Sex sells. It also gets our attention.

After I became a prostitute, I had to deal with penises of every imaginable shape and size.

Character portrait: Introduces a reader to your protagonist or an important character.

The girl’s scalp looked as though it had been singed by fire—strands of thatchy red hair snaked away from her face, then settled against her skin, pasted there by sweat and sunscreen and the blown grit and dust of travel.

Character’s Thoughts: Like a portrait, this one’s internal.

If I am out of my mind, it’s all right with me, thought Moses Herzog.

Question: A direct way to motivate the reader, who often wants to know the answer to a posed question.

“Well, Peter, any sign of them yet?”

Prediction: Creating an ominous tone, a prediction foreshadows or hints at the ultimate ending of a story.

Neither of the Grimes sisters would have a happy life, and looking back it always seemed that the trouble began with their parents’ divorce.

Anecdote: an anecdote (a short story) can introduce an important idea or theme, create a symbol, or set a particular tone.

The village of Ukleyevo lay in the ravine, so that only the belfry and the chimneys of the cotton mills could be seen from the highway and the railroad station. When passers-by would ask what village it was, they were told: “that’s the one where the sexton ate up all the caviar at the funeral.”

Activity: In your journal write a variety of "opening lines."

Using the best opening, begin a short story. With the rest of class, write. See where this opening takes you. Call this Opening/Hook Exercise - Draft 1.

Creative Writing Rubric

4 = Exemplary
3 = Accomplished
2 = Developing
1 = Beginning

Exemplary: Thoroughly developed and thought provoking characters, plot, structure, conflict, theme, and setting. Title and structure is thoughtful revealing important themes or symbolic ideas. Opening of story hooks and interests reader. Author uses vivid and artistically appropriate description, voice, POV, imagery, and compelling dialogue that reveals characterization or moves plot (if appropriate). Has few errors in spelling punctuation, syntax, and usage. Work includes evidence of several revised drafts. Uses lab and class time to full extent to complete writing projects.

Accomplished: Well developed characters, plot, conflict, theme, and setting. Title and structure is appropriate for the story. Opening of story is appropriate to hook the reader. Author uses good description and dialogue, voice, POV, imagery, etc. Has some errors in spelling, punctuation, and usage but nothing that gets in the way of the reader’s ability to discern meaning. Work includes evidence of some revision. Usually uses lab and class time but may occasionally be off-task.

Developing: Fairly well developed characters, plot and setting, conflict and theme is present but not compelling as "accomplished or exemplary writers", but piece may have gaps. title and structure is okay, but does not necessarily reveal insight. Uses some description or dialogue, but with uneven success. Has errors in spelling punctuation and usage that distracts the reader. Work may be accomplished, but story was late. Work includes some evidence of revision (drafts), but revision is largely in grammar and syntax, rather than restructuring. Uses lab and class time sometimes, but often is off topic or surfing the internet for unrelated materials.

Beginning: Development of character, plot and setting, conflict, theme, etc. is on a very basic level, although these elements are present. Story is untitled or structure lacks creativity or insight. Uses limited description and dialogue. Author has careless errors in spelling, punctuation, and usage. Work includes little or no evidence of revision. Story may be developing, but work was turned in late. Story is largely incomplete or undeveloped. Student does not use lab or class time effectively, often off task or disruptive.

After Workshopping - Baseline Piece - Final Draft

After you have workshopped your draft(s) of your baseline exercise (you should have three drafts so far) use the lab time to finalize your "final draft" for the baseline piece. This piece will be graded, so you want to make sure it is the best it can be.

As this is a baseline exercise, we will discuss creative writing rubrics soon in class.

Your final draft will be due at the end of next class: 9/21

Short Stories - Fiction Homework #1

Please read the following 10 short stories and answer the ?'s below.

"Brilliant Silence" by Spencer Holst
"Pumpkins" by Francine Prose
"The Stones" by Richard Shelton
"The One Sitting There" by Joanna Wos
"Crossing Spider Creek" by Dan O'Brien
"The Lampshade Vendor" by Allen Woodman
"Roseville" by William Heyen
"Pendergast's Daughter" by Lex Williford
"Ponderosa" by Kent Thompson
"Gold Coast" by Stuart Dybek

For each short story answer these questions in standard written format (use textual support in your answers):
1. In a sentence or two summarize the plot of the story.
2. Examine the first sentence for each story. How does the first sentence attempt to draw you into the rest of the story. For example, look for how the reader is "surprising" us.
3. How does the ending support or enhance the rest of the story?
4. Explain how the title highlights or showcases an important theme, character, setting, or plot element of the story.
5. What was your opinion of the story? Did you enjoy or not enjoy the story? Describe what you did like or not like. Try to support your opinion using appropriate literary device vocabulary (for example, if you liked the metaphor or parallel structure or climax in the story...mention that).

This homework is due next class: Sept. 21.

Workshop Directions

Workshopping a written piece is an important step in getting feedback about your writing. If a workshop group is knowledgeable, they can help a writer grow immensely in a short period of time.

Follow these steps to complete your workshop:
1. Get into your workshop group
2. Each contributing writer should take turns reading their work out loud to the rest of the group.
3. The group should listen and read silently while the writer reads his/her story
4. As the writer reads his/her story, the workshop members should highlight or mark specific words or phrases or lines that he/she liked.
5. Consider the basic questions and techniques of fiction. (plot, character, POV, setting, theme, mood, voice, poetry, imagery, dialogue, characterization, conflict, suspense, etc.) Give the writer a WRITTEN critique of their story based on these questions. Write your comments on the story copy.
6. When everyone is finished writing, open the discussion to the writer’s specific questions. Writers should help this along by asking questions that they want to know about their stories. For example: Did you understand the point of my story? Are the characters clear and well defined or developed? Does the setting of my story distract you as a reader? Etc.
7. After you have discussed the writer’s work, please return your copies to the writer.
8. After the group has finished helping the writer, please continue around the group to help critique the other writers who submitted material as well.
9. Continue this until the entire group has had a chance to participate in the workshop.
10. When everyone has had a chance, writers may talk to each other about new ideas and share other writing they have written (in their journal, portfolio, or etc.)

Short Stories

Short stories have existed for the past three centuries in various forms. The newest literary fad, short stories are like little novels.

You have written short stories, but in this class, we're going to examine some that are considered the "best" short stories ever written. To start with, let's take a look at Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery".

Please read the short story: "the Lottery" by Shirley Jackson for Tuesday, September 15.

Baseline - Draft #3 (revision part 2)

Today, you will complete your second and third drafts for your original baseline piece. When you have completed your second draft (a second draft should be about 50% longer than the original -- see instructions below) please begin work on your third draft. Try to finish your third draft by the end of class.

--Make sure you label and save your draft as DRAFT THREE.
--Make sure you SAVE your second draft.
--Never throw away a draft!

Third Draft: Cut. Cut about 1/4 or 25% (or more) of your second draft. Remove tired, boring language. Juice up your verbs by making them active. Cut redundant or obvious words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs. Cut stuff that doesn't make sense, is boring, or not important to the overall story.

By the third draft you should have a story with a beginning, middle, end. Even poems have a beginning, middle, end. You want to keep this beginning, middle, end in tact somewhat, but at the end of your third draft you should have trimmed the fat.

Finally, proofread your third draft. Correct grammar and spelling errors. Make your writing concise and clear! Give your work a title, if you haven't done so yet.

Print out your third draft, attach it to your second draft and your first draft. Make sure all drafts are labeled and titled. Turn in your drafts as the "workshop" draft for this exercise. Students will see this third draft in a workshop next week.

Baseline - Draft #2 (revision part one)

In draft one, you wrote a poem, short story, scene/script, or creative non-fiction piece. Effectively, this was freewriting, generating new material, and composing (the first two steps in the writing process).

Start a 2nd draft. Please label this draft as draft 2. Do not save over your original draft.

In draft two, I’d like you to “find the story” of your poem, short story, script, or non-fiction. To find the “story” identify:
a. What the major conflict of your story is.
b. Who or What the main character of your story is (and why).
c. What the most important scene in your story is.
d. What you want to say (theme) about the human condition in your story.
e. What your setting is in your story.

At the top of your 2nd draft, write a short paragraph answering A-E. This is for you, initially and will be removed later, (but I will be checking to see if you have written this important step). Skip a line or two.

After “finding the story” of your baseline piece, add details, scenes, other characters, description, setting, dialogue, etc. to your original draft. For poems, consider staying with a similar theme, but adding a second part or POV to your first poem. This will ultimately make your draft longer. As a rule of thumb, you should double the length of your first draft. For example, if your poem was 20 lines, your second draft should be around 40. If your short story was 2 pages, double spaced, then after this exercise it should be around 4 pages, double spaced.

As you write, you may also choose to remove or delete irrelevant material. Try to make sure you have included the answers to the question: “what is your story?”

Draft #2 is due at the end of class. Keep this draft (make sure it's labeled as draft #2!) in your portfolio with a copy of draft #1. DO NOT TURN IN THIS DRAFT TO ME YET!

The Writing Process

All writers go through a similar writing process. The five basic steps are examined below:

1. Coming up with an idea: Generating raw material freewriting Journal exercises Reading Experience Choosing the gem among the rocks (expanding and exploring the idea) Getting stuck and moving on

2. Writing the first draft: Composing and structuring Experiment with technique Decide on a genre Decide on the best structure to tell the story

3. Revising: developing meaning, Rereading your work to look for a deeper meaning, Sharing your work in a readers’ circle/workshop, Getting feedback and response, Revision: transforming, rearranging, expanding, cutting

4. Editing: Fine cutting (cutting unnecessary words and paragraphs), Line by line editing, Reviewing word choice, Proofreading for errors

5. Publication: Preparing the manuscript for public perusal, Sending your manuscript out to publishers, The rejection letter/the acceptance letter, working with an editor/agent/publisher, Publication

Think about your own process. What do you need to do to get your writing done? Do you skip a step or move around? In your journal, jot down your own experience writing your baseline first draft. How did it go for you?

Baseline Piece - Brainstorming and Composition

Write.

You choose the format, the style, the genre. Use the guidelines below. Please note the due date for DRAFT ONE.

1. Write a poem, short story, scene/script, or creative non-fiction piece.

2. You can write about anything you want, using characters, setting, theme, plot and everything else you create.

3. Length: as a guideline try to write at least 20 lines or more for a poem, 2-3 pages for a fiction or non-fiction narrative piece (double spaced), and 3-4 pages for a script (in script format--remember to skip lines between speakers or indent properly).

Use the lab time to complete or nearly complete your work. I will notify you about time left in class. If you do NOT complete your work today in class, you should take the file home (print or send yourself an attachment in email or copy the file to a jump drive) and complete it. Bring in DRAFT ONE as homework. We will be using what you write in our next class. Draft one due Friday, September 4 (beginning of class).

Enemies of the Artistic Process

Writing is difficult. But knowing who or what is keeping you from completing your writing can be helpful. Read about the various types of "enemies of the artistic process" and then complete the writing exercise below IN YOUR JOURNAL!

The Procrastinator
• Don’t put off tomorrow what can be accomplished today.
o He says:
• “You can just write tomorrow or the day after or the day after….”
• “You should write after you get all your other work done.”
• “You have too much to do right now to write.”
• “Write after your life gets back to ‘normal’.”
• “Hey, what’s that over there…coffee!”

The Victim
• Bottom line: stop making your lack of a creative life the fault of someone or something else other than yourself.
o He says:
• “My family doesn’t understand or appreciate me.”
• “My teachers are too demanding and fill my life with stress.”
• “My friends demand all my time and attention.”
• “I’m going through a tough time and can’t think to write.”

The Talker
• Don’t talk excessively about it until it’s done. Writing is, by nature, a lonely art.
o He says:
• “Hey, I’ve got a great idea for a story—want to hear it?”

The Critic
• Every artist (even a successful one) has to deal with this guy sooner or later.
o He says:
• “That’s a stupid idea.”
• “This is going nowhere.”
• “This sucks!”
• “You can’t write!”

The Judge
• For everything there is a season.
o He says:
• “You should be doing something more meaningful with your time.”
• “How dare you sit there and write when there’s stuff to be done!”
• “Your family and friends need you more than your art!”

The Perfectionist
• Nothing in this world is perfect. & To err is human.
o He says:
• “It’s not good enough.”
• “I’ll never be a writer!”
• “No one will like my story/poem!”
• “I can’t show this to anyone or they’ll think I’m stupid.”

When you write, who would you say is your biggest enemy? In your journal, write a "hate" letter to your chosen "enemy". Go ahead and "blast" them, tell your enemy that you are not going to take their "crap" anymore. Be creative!

Then believe your letter. Don't let the enemy win!

Craft of Writing course criteria

Course Description:
This course emphasizes understanding the characteristics and 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 Grammar & Style, Writing for Publication and Self Discovery & Performance Word and Text (i.e., 9th grade). Readings of works by major writers will be read and examined as inspiration and models of fine writing. Students will keep a portfolio of their writing progress, a writing journal, and participate in writing workshops.

Course Objectives:
• To understand and explore the characteristics of effective writing
• To learn successful writing techniques for fiction, poetry, and script writing
• To explore and develop each writer’s own authentic voice
• To practice the writing process (from brainstorming through publication)
• To communicate effectively in writers’ workshops
• To read a variety of different authors as models, inspiration, and for a better understanding of what makes ‘good’ writing ‘good’

Course Requirements:
• Participate in class assignments and projects
• Read, read, read; write, write, write!
• Engage in the complete writing process
• Keep a folder for handouts/work in progress/writing exercises
• Keep a writer’s portfolio of all work in progress and completed/revised work
• Keep a journal or writing notebook for writing assignments and practices
• Adhere to standard written English language conventions and grammar
• Communicate regularly with the teacher and peers through conference and workshop
• Participate in writing contests or send writing to publishers
• Attend school events and author’s nights (extra credit available*)
• Respect and follow the rules and procedures of the school and classroom

Course Evaluation:
25% Attendance, behavior, participation, homework, readers’ circle, writing workshops
25% Portfolio (graded each term), journal
25% Writing practices, writing projects
25% Tests/quizzes

New Academic Year!

Our new academic year begins September 2. The Craft of Writing is scheduled for room A239. The course's syllabus will be posted here September 1.

Summer Wipe Out!

I am preparing this blog for the upcoming 2009/2010 sophomore class. All standard links will be removed.

Last Two Classes

Today, work on completing your final portfolio.

You should be familiar and able to define the following literary terms:
Poetry: denotation, connotation, allusion, symbol, metaphor, simile, allegory, line breaks in poetry, consonants, vowels, white space, euphony, cacophony, alliteration, onomatopoeia, consonance, assonance, pentameter, trimeter, octameter, couplet, closed form, open form, iambic, prosody, caesura, enjambment, rhythm, lyric poem, cliché, free verse, negative capability, inversion, persona, diction, sestina form, haiku, villanelle, confessional poetry, pastoral, ode, elegy, sonnet, etc.

fiction: protagonist, antagonist, regional writer, characterization, crisis, denouement, exposition, foil, flat character, plot, interior, exterior, climax, locale, major/minor characters, 3rd person - omniscient, 3rd person - limited, 2nd person, 1st person, plot structure, anti-hero, dynamic character, inciting incident, drama, conflict and its types, farce, parody, black comedy, satire, various types of comedy

plays/film: beat, scene, act, stage directions, act, creating a dramatic situation, the unities, major dramatic question, actors, basic film shots, mise-en-scene, diegesis, high key/low key lighting

Authors: Woody Allen, Margaret Atwood, Tennessee Williams, Ray Bradbury, Alfred Uhry, Marsha Norman, Ernest Hemingway, Robert Frost, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Anton Chekhov, H.P. Lovecraft, Allen Ginsberg, T.S. Eliot

You should be able to explain in detail the writing process and various techniques to craft your fiction, poetry, and play/scripts.

Final exam Thursday. All missing work must be in by then for this marking period.

Final Portfolio Instructions

Craft of Writing – Final Portfolio Project (part of 25% of your final grade)

Your portfolio should include a collection of CRAFTED writing (including first drafts), that are collected with a reflective essay.

Rubric:

Reflective creative essay (see below)
Poem (crafted)
Poem drafts
Short story (Fiction) (crafted)
Short story drafts
Play/Script (crafted)
Play/Script (draft)
Journalism article (crafted)
Journalism article drafts
Proofreading/Grammar, punctuation, "readability"
Portfolio turned in on time

Reflective piece: 3-4 pages, double-spaced. Write about how you’ve grown as a writer this year, what has been easy/hard for you, what areas do you need more work in; reflect on your progress as a writer and as a student. Write about each piece you have chosen to include in your portfolio: why did you include it in your portfolio? How does it show your growth and development as a writer in this particular genre? Discuss the crafting process you used to make the work better, what you learned about the form or genre of the work as you wrote and revised it, etc.

Poetry: Choose 1 poem that you wrote and crafted this year. This poem should show off your talent as a writer and suggest that you have learned a lot about the craft of poetry.

Fiction: choose 1 short story you wrote this year. Like the poem it should show your talent and understanding of the craft of fiction.

Play/Script: 1 script (film or stage play) you wrote this year. Like the poem and story, it should show your understanding of the craft of script writing.

Journalism: choose 1 journalism article you wrote this year. This article should show your skill at non-fiction.

What does CRAFTED mean?

• A crafted piece is NOT a first draft. It should take into account all the skills and techniques we covered in class to RE-see or re-vision the piece. A rewrite should take into account workshop suggestions (for example from peer advice or teacher comments, from the forum, or from individual conferences, or by other means.) It should NOT look exactly like your original draft. I encourage you to change form, structure, develop plot, character, setting, theme; increase conflict appropriately, change POV, create effective syntax and sentence construction, etc. In other words, use the LITERARY TECHNIQUES we covered this year to show off and explain your process.

For the reflective essay, you should be able to discuss how you craft your writing, what sort of advice you found helpful in working with the piece, perhaps which authors or models you used to help shape the work, what motivated you to come up with the idea, and how you went about composing, revising, and editing the piece.

Final portfolio due: before or on June 15 (Monday).

The Play's The Thing...

Yes. Finish it today, tomorrow, this weekend, Monday, because Tuesday it's due.

Plays should be dramatic (in that they are the representation of conflict on stage). Decisions about character's goals, motivation, setting, plot, and the other Aristotelean components should combine together to make a smashing play script. Again, consider the importance of style (realistic or formalistic) in relation to your main topic. Follow the unities or break them, but whatever you write should have purpose. You should think about your actor/director/producer as well as your story, plot, characters, setting, etc.

Have fun. Due 6/9

By the way, the first student to tell me what the title of this post alludes to, wins an extra credit point.

Short Play Draft

Using your list of characters, list of places, list of actions, list of themes/ideas, create a situation for a short play and write one. Remember that if you decide not to follow the unities of time, place, action, that you should make sure that your staging techniques make sense and would be performable by a troupe of actors. Remember that actors like to have lines and interesting parts to show off how skilled and talented they are. You need to have a large ego to be an actor, generally.

How long? Yes.

When is this due? Next tuesday (June 9).

Driving Ms. Daisy - Alfred Uhry

Please read Driving Ms. Daisy for June 3. There will be a quiz on the play when you arrive on Wednesday.

Plays are representational. They represent real life, they are NOT real life. Actors are representations of their characters. Set pieces are representations of real locations, etc. How symbolic or metaphorical the representation will be is completely up to the playwright (and sometimes the director).

As playwrights, you should be aware that you want to match your action/plot/characters to the style you are attempting to create. A realistic play should "look" real. It should be realistically delivered, often in a realistic setting. Anything that brings attention to itself as being "unrealistic" harms the "realism" of a play/act/scene or beat (moment) on stage. Most common is switching sets or having actors do something that they wouldn't "realistically" do. Realism, however, works on a continuum. The more "unrealstic", the more the play relies on metaphor or formalistic elements. Pay attention to those moments when a story gets "weird" -- usually the writer has a reason for this to occur.

In Driving Ms. Daisy ask yourself:
--What actions or events occur that are realistic?
--What actions or events occur that we see as REPRESENTATIVE?
--How does the playwright create a suggested set? How is the set's flexibility used to keep the action of the play going and continuous from scene to scene?
--How is this play different from others you have read? (Streetcar Named Desire or Night Mother? for example)
--What is the play's major dramatic question?