Today we are continuing our introductions from the interview you conducted last Friday. Please prepare your notes to introduce your partner (and vice versa). If you were absent, please prepare to talk about yourself to the class. Look at the ?'s posted from Friday, September 3 for ideas.
Take a few minutes in the beginning of class to prepare your notes, and decide what you learned from your interview and want to share with the class. Speeches usually open with an interesting statement or lead-in. Begin your introductory speech with a clever attention-grabber. Write an interesting opening line for your speech to introduce your partner.
When called, please stand up and introduce your partner. You may use your notes if you get stuck, but try to also "talk" to us. No one likes to be "read" to.
Politely listen to each speech. Listening is an important element in the communication process.
After we complete the introductions, follow the steps below to begin a baseline writing assignment.
Character exercise:
Most writers design and build their characters from people they know. Interviewing interesting people is a great help in coming up with realistic characters. However, remember in fiction, the name of the character should be "disguised" so as not to bring unwanted attention to that single person. Writers usually begin with what they know, but then branch out and add details that have nothing to do with the original model. In this exercise, it is perfectly okay to change details, add false information, and, otherwise, fictionalize your character completely.
1. Take your notes from your interview. Read them over.
2. Choose those traits or parts of the interview that were most interesting. Begin there.
3. Use those interesting parts to design a character (your protagonist).
4. Put this character in a specific setting (a specific house, a specific room, a hospital ward, under the elms in Durand Park, on the precipice of a cliff, etc.) The more specific and detailed your setting, the easier your character can react to its environment.
5. Give your protagonist character something to do.
6. Give your protagonist character something to desire or want.
7. Write a story.
Your story can follow any genre (sci-fi, fantasy, horror, western, romance, realistic, action, comedy, etc.) Want to write about teenage vampires? Go ahead! Choose a genre or topic that you are interested in. This helps a writer write a story successfully.
Your story should be relatively short (approx. 2-5 pages, double spaced). You can always add to it later. When you have completed your first draft, please title your story, put your standard heading on the top left (or right) and proofread your work for spelling/grammar errors. When satisfied that this is your 'best' work, please print and turn in.
Deadline: Ongoing (or Sept. 14 at the latest)
No comments:
Post a Comment