Week 2: Inspiration cont'd

Mon 1/19--NO SCHOOL!

Tues 1/20--Today, your assignment will consist of two parts:

• Journal Entry #1. Word count: 500 words. Suggested prompt (but you don't need to use it):

  • Write about a day you'd like to forget (Jessica)

    • This should be a freewrite!

      • Please remember the "rules" of free writing

        • hands keep moving

        • don't worry about grammar and spelling

        • don't cross out/go back/edit

        • lose control

        • go for the jugular

      • Please time yourself--how long did it take to freewrite 500 words?

  • Reading: Chapter One of Writing Fiction--read pages 7-15

  • Read: "The Omens"--pages 45-46 in your reader

Thurs 1/22--

• • Please read "The Christmas Miracle" in the green reader (172-182). Note the following:

    • the story is quite long (the print is small and each page has three columns)

    • the story is both funny and disturbing (remember that good writing is often disturbing)

    • think about the following questions:

      • what makes the story work (if it does work) for you?

      • try to read the story like a writer and consider at least ONE thing you can take from the story to help your own writing (if you didn't like the story, that one thing can be something NOT to do in your own writing)

  • Bring to class a wacky/interesting/beautiful/strange image

    • Print it out in color on one of the school's printers

    • Make TWO copies

Fri 1/23--Using your image and someone else's, please write a 700 word freewrite that connects the two images in some way.

• Please post the freewrite on Canvas

• Note that while the majority of the freewrite won't be shared in class, I will ask everyone to share a brief snippet of it (50 or so words).

  • Please bring the images to class!!!

• Please read the following link about Rebecca Curtis's process in writing "The Christmas Miracle":

  • http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/this-week-in-fiction-rebecca-curtis

    • Thank you for the link, Allie!

Upcoming important deadline: 2/13--first story submission!

Note: Sometimes, assignments are intentionally short so as to allow you time to work on your own writing/story idea. Please use this extra time to full advantage!

Note: I often don't give assignments in advance because I like to create space for new ideas and assignments. I'm very open to your ideas so let me know if anything comes to you. That said, if you'd like assignments a bit further in advance b/c it's a heavy work week, let me know and I'll try to give the assignments out a little sooner (or at least tell you what I'm thinking).