Catch up & Bradbury

Today, if you are behind and do not have four stories yet, catch up during 7th period.
If you are done with your first drafts (see previous posts), please spend some time looking at these videos:

And the Moon Be Still As Bright
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2.
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Usher II: 1
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HOMEWORK: Read either Dandelion Wine or The Lone Ranger & Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven

Bradbury Project

You should have three stories written. When you are done, you will have a total of 5 or more short stories gathered in this project.

A. One of your stories was a short, short story without character, but focusing on setting.
B. Two (or more) stories are between 500 or more words and deal with traditional characters with a traditional plot and including traditional description of setting, etc.

Today, you will write a bridging story. You may use any of the following ingredients:
1. Set this story in the same setting as your first story.

2. Use a minor character from one of your other stories and write his/her story.

3. Use a similar event or occurrence, item (prop), similar dialogue, or situation that you have used before in one of the other stories, but change it slightly so that it is new.

HOMEWORK: Complete The Martian Chronicles. We will have a test and discussion on this book on Friday.

Damon Knight Writing Advice

Some good advice from Damon Knight (from the chapters handed out to you in class):

1. "You can't write about a general character in a general setting--[to keep a story going] you need a particular person in a particular place, feeling a particular way, in a particular situation."
2. "Each time you answer a question [about character, setting, situation, feeling] you will be closer to finding out what happens in the story."
3. "Editors are often reluctant to publish any short story that ends with the death of a sympathetic viewpoint character."
4. "After writing a 1st draft, go back over your story and: criticize your own story. By asking questions [about craft] now, you will save yourself the embarrassment of having others ask them later."
5. Remember to draw on your own experiences if you need to, but also rely on research to flesh out an idea.
6. Constraints (like prompts) can help limit your imagination and give you a good place to start writing.
7. "In a story we expect a quality of completion, of roundedness, which sets it apart from a sketch, an incident, or an anecdote."
8. "There is an implied contract between the author and the reader that goes something like this: Give me your time and pay your money, and I'll let you experience what it's like to be...a trapper in the woods, an explorer in the Martian desert, a young woman in love with an older man, a dying cancer patient...etc. You must look hard at the offer you are making: would you accept it, if you were the reader?"
9. "A story has a shape; you can't see it all at once, but it's there. A good story has a pleasing shape, like a vase or a violin; a bad one has a meaningless, haphazard shape, like a pile of junk."
10. "Every story is a machine designed to evoke an organized series of responses in the reader. When the writer is clumsy, the mechanism shows. In a good story it is concealed and we are not aware of it, but it is there just the same, and every part of it has its function."

The Bradbury Project

By now, you should have at least two unconnected short stories: the setting story (about 200 words or less) and at least one other story with a length of about 500 words. Ambitious writers may have more drafts. Lazy ones (who will not be able to complete this project) will not even have two.

Today, please start a third story. New setting or characters or theme. Your choice. The idea, again, is to write a complete story in a relatively short amount of time. Let your mind go and trust it.

Having trouble? Use Damon Knight's advice from the article "Getting Ideas" to get ideas. Particularize your ideas. Complicate your story by introducing another character or event or circumstance that makes the outcome more uncertain. Use constraints. Use the quadrangle: character, setting, situation, emotion to find your theme.

Keep track of time. You should have a new story draft by the end of class. If you finish early, please start another story. Yes. Another one. The goal here is to write effectively and with ease. Do not over think this (particularly in your first drafts).

HOMEWORK: Complete The Martian Chronicles (there will be a test Friday).

Bradbury Story Project

From our reading last class, please complete the writing assignment in the next 30-40 minutes. See previous post for details. Yes. Deadline and pressure. Write. Complete the exercise.

If you finish early, please continue reading The Martian Chronicles during period 7. During period 8, we will move ahead with a writing project and work on the Penfield Poetry contest.

Bradbury fiction assignment:

According to Ray Bradbury in his non-fiction writing guide: Zen in the Art of Writing, Bradbury mentions a technique he uses to come up with ideas. He says that he imagines a hallway with a door at the end. When he begins a story, he imagines himself walking down the hallway, turning the doorknob, and entering this "room" or "space" behind the door. Then he starts writing what comes to mind. Try this exercise as often as you need to complete your stories/poems/plays, etc.

Today and Thursday, please use this technique to write a short story that is limited to 5 or 6 pages (about 500 words). If you finish one, write a second one. If you write a second one, write a third. Etc. Use the time in lab to write. Yes, really. Drafts at this point don't need to be thematically connected and should include DIFFERENT characters (but hint, hint...) this is the beginning of a larger assignment.

HOMEWORK: Please read Damon Knights' article "Getting Ideas" and take notes about key concepts or advice in the article. Keep reading The Martian Chronicles. Plan on finishing The Martian Chronicles over break. If you did not complete the writing assignments above, please complete for homework so you are not behind.

Martian Chronicles, Martians and Fiction

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 chat a moment before we 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 write a short story that only describes (setting should be your focal point). Do not be tempted to add any major characters. Just the facts, mam. Your short, short story should be about 3-6 paragraphs (and include a beginning, middle, end).

Mark Shulman, Penfield Poetry Prep, & Poems for Teens

Penfield Poetry is coming up! Submitting a poem is required of every student. Yes, you. Pick one to three of your poems. Please include a title page with your poem that has your poem's title, your name, address, zip code, email address, etc. Keep this handy for submission day!

Complete your drafts and revisions of your poems in lab today. Additionally, please complete the following:

1.Go to the following website and browse. Buy a t-shirt, find resources to help your own poetry writing, get ideas from reading some poems teens like.

Choose 3 poems from "poems for teens" to read and comment on. What do you think? Like it? Not like it? Why? Why not? Have you thought about writing something similar? What do you notice the poet doing well in the poem? Notice any literary devices being used? Would you recommend it to another teen? An adult you know? Your commentary should be turned in by the end of class.

Then spend your time looking at other parts of this website.

2. On Wednesday we are going to be visited by Mark Shulman, Mr. Cohen's cousin, a writer who wrote the book: Scrawl. To prepare for this awesome event, please visit the website and learn a little about this author and the book.