And Then There Were None (character scene exercise)

I had to be downtown at central office today during this period. Please show Mr. Greven some respect and complete the following tasks in class:

And Then There Were None

1. Pair up (or work alone--you may read silently instead of out loud if you are working alone).

2. Read 2 subchapters or sections in chapter 1 out loud (pg. 1-17). Note how the author stays closely connected to the mind and viewpoint of each character.

For example: (from section v, pg. 10)

“General Macarthur looked out of the carriage window. The train was just coming into Exeter, where he had to change. Damnable, these slow branch train lines! This place, Soldier Island, was really no distance at all as the crow flies. He hadn’t got it clear who this fellow Owen was. A friend of Spoof Leggard’s, apparently--and of Johnnie Dyer’s...He’d enjoy a chat about old times.”

Note how Christie starts this section with an action of her character/subject. She provides information about setting effortlessly:...train/Exeter/Soldier Island... She introduces a conflict: Macarthur does know who Owen is, the man who invited him to the island.

Read two other sections and note how this pattern is repeated in those sections as well: the introduction of a character doing something, information about the setting, and an introduction to a conflict. She also gets into the mind of each character, allowing the character to view and have opinions about the setting, the situation, and other characters in the scene. This is good, clean & clear writing. Learn. Your writing should be just as crafted & clear.

3. After reading, choose a crime for each character you will create for this exercise (they can either be a victim or the perpetrator--the person committing the crime). (Here are some examples):

• Abuse, Assault & battery, blackmail, bomb threat, body snatching, bribery, conspiracy, cyber crimes (hacking), domestic violence, drunk driving, embezzlement, espionage, extortion, forgery, fraud, harassment, hijacking, illegal immigration, kidnapping, lynching, manslaughter, perjury, police brutality, prison escapes, racketeering, ransom, rape, recklessness, riots, robbery, sedition, smuggling, stalking, theft, torture, treason, vandalism, etc.

4. Design your own characters: Each character description should include:

1. A name
2. A short physical description
3. A “motive” that connects the character to the crime you chose in the question above.  
4. An internal monologue from the perspective or POV of that character. What does the character value? Dislike? Believe in strongly? What does the character notice about a setting, event, or person? Try to include this information in the writing, as Christie does.

Create a list and description of 3-5 characters.

Part II:

5. Read one of the sections from chapter 2 out loud (pg. 19-41).

Notice that in chapter 2, characters speak to one another. The dialogue helps to establish character, attitude or opinion about the setting, situation, or provide details about other characters. Christie reveals motivation, reason for a character to be in a scene, and details about the setting, situation/conflict, or character in the story. Note, also, how dialogue is punctuated.

6. Choose two of your newly created characters from your list/design and write a short scene where the two characters speak to one another. They must say at least 10 lines of dialogue to each other for the scene to be complete. They may talk about anything, although they could talk about a recent crime that took place and incorporate the type of crime/motivation you created in part I.

7. Turn in your work when completed today in the lab.

With time remaining, please read your peers’ children books if they finished. Writers should also read their own work and notice and fix the typos. Remember that sentences start with capital letters and end with punctuation marks! Check your spelling carefully, since many of these books are now public.

• Victoria
• Jenna
• Javant
• Ja'Miah
• Akhiyar
• Pahz
• Britney
• Kemani
• Joshua

Good job!

If you do not see your name here, you may have sent me a file I could not share with the class, or you may have forgotten to turn in your work. Complete the children's book project with any time remaining in class (after you complete the assignment described above!)

If you did not finish your children’s book, please do so and send me your URL link in the comment section of the blog.

HOMEWORK: Please read chapter 3 of And Then There Were None on your own. Bring back your books with you to our next class. Coffeehouse tonight, 7:00 in the Ensemble theater.