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?