Readings and Assignments for Week of November 28, 2005 - December 4, 2005

Tuesday, November 29, 2005:

Please read Chapter 11 (Play it Again, Sam: Revision) from Writing Fiction.

Thursday, December 1, 2005:

Important!! Don't forget that your full-length (8-10 pages minimum) short story is due today!

Please make sure to bring four additional copies of your story for distribution to your workshop members for in-class workshopping today.

And finally, here is this week's memoir prompt (for blog posts due on Sunday, December 4):

Do you recall taking a strong political position? Was there a single moment you can recall when you felt motivated to join a political body, and did that moment lead you down a path through life that embraced those politics? Can you remember when you became "politicized"? Was it accompanied by a strong sense of justice or injustice? Was something wrong that needed to be rectified?

Readings and Assignments for Week of November 21 - November 27, 2005

Tuesday, November 22, 2005:

Please read Chapter 8 (Assorted Liars - Point of View, Part II), from Writing Fiction.

Important!! No blogging this week due to Thanksgiving break! You may blog for extra credit, however. You can do up to three extra credit blogs at 10 points apiece, to be posted by midnight on Sunday, November 27. These can all be Freestyle Blogs on any topic, using any approach, of your choice..

Don't forget that the rough draft of your full-length short story will be due on Thursday, December 1.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Readings and Assignments for Week of November 14, 2005 - November 20, 2005

Tuesday, November 15, 2005:

Important!! Fiction Assignment #1 due today! Write a 3-4 page exposition (opening scene). See guidelines below.

Thursday, November 17, 2005:

Please re-read the section on dialogue (pp. 172-173) in Writing Fiction

Please also read Chapter 7 (Call Me Ishmael: Point of View, Part I) in Writing Fiction.

Important!! Please make sure to bring in your Writing Fiction book today so that we can look at some samples of good dialogue in class.

And finally, here is your memoir prompt for blog posts due on Sunday, November 20:

Who was your best friend at seven years old? Who was your best friend at 11? At 16? At 20? At 30? And who was your biggest enemey at each of these ages? Describe them.

Readings and Assignments for the Week of November 7 - November 13, 2005

Tuesday, November 8, 2005:

Please read Chapter 4 - Building Character: Characterization, Part I in Writing Fiction.

Thursday, November 10, 2005:

Please read Chapter 4 - The Flesh Made Word: Characterization, Part II in Writing Fiction.

Don't forget that our first fiction assignment will be due on Tuesday, November 15, 2005. The assignment is to write an opening scene for a short-story, and here are, once again, the guidelines:

Your short story scene should be approximately 3 pages, or 750 words.

The scene should reveal aspects and traits of the characters who are in the scene.

The scene should set up a dramatic situation/narrative tension/central conflict.

Your scene should jump right in and begin in medias res and attempt to engage the attention of your reader right off the bat.

Your scene should attempt to skillfully weave together different elements of fiction writing (action/dialogue, narrative summary, scene setting/description, etc.) in ways that work best for the scene.

Finally, here is this week's memoir prompt, for blog posts due on Sunday, November 13, 2005:

Describe a significant event that brought you closer to, or further away, from your religious devotions. The spiritual life can come upon a person in a sweeping moment or over the course of a long period of time. Have you ever experienced visions or other moments of a spiritual nature? If you had a single moment that you can recall, describe the details leading up to and following that epiphany. How did it change your life afterwards? If you slowly gravitated to a religious tradition or a way of thinking about the divine, show in a series of snapshots how you were brought closer and closer to the spiritual over that time.

Readings and Assignments for Week of October 31, 2005 - November 6, 2005

Tuesday, November 1, 2005:

Please read Chapter 6 (Long Ago and Far Away: Fictional Place and Time) in Writing Fiction.

Thursday, November 3, 2005:

Please read Chapter 10 (I Gotta Use Words When I Talk To You; Theme) in Writing Fiction.

As discussed in class on Thursday, I've moved back the date of the first fiction assignment to Tuesday, November 15, 2005. The assignment is to write an opening scene for a short-story, and here are the guidelines:

Your short story scene should be approximately 3 pages, or 750 words.

The scene should reveal aspects and traits of the characters who are in the scene.

The scene should set up a dramatic situation/narrative tension/central conflict.

Your scene should jump right in and begin in medias res and attempt to engage the attention of your reader right off the bat.

Your scene should attempt to skillfully weave together different elements of fiction writing (action/dialogue, narrative summary, scene setting/description, etc.) in ways that work best for the scene.

Finally, here is this week's memoir prompt, for blog posts due on Sunday, November 6, 2005:

Remember something or somebody you pursued with a passion. How old were you when this happened? Does it seem a rite of passage, or a turning point in growing up? Did you get the thing or that person? If so, was it worth it? If not, do you have regrets?