Week 4: Plot
Note: Ongoing assignment: Be thinking about/generating ideas for your first story, which is due Friday 2/13.
One possible way to start: think of two interesting characters (maybe based on people you know) who have conflicting desires.
Another possible way to start: peruse the newspaper or web for strange stories. Use one as the basis for your own story.
A third possible way: do some people-watching, take the strangest character you observe, imagine having the most bizarre conversation with them that you can imagine, and see if this turns into a story . . .
Mon 2/2--Read Writing Fiction, "Tower and the Net: Story Form, Plot, and Structure," pp. 230-251.
Note: this is CHAPTER 7 so we are not going chronologically through the book.
Tues 2/13--Journal entry on Canvas (Canvas site will be up on Monday, but you can do this assignment ahead of time on a word doc)
Read through your old freewrites
In your journal, post FIVE possible ideas for a story
THEN, do a freewrite on one or more of these ideas in your journal. 600 words.
Remember to follow Goldberg's guidelines for a freewrite.
Keep fingers moving; don't worry about grammar, punctuation, etc.; go for the jugular, etc.
Thur 2/5--This assignment has two parts:
Short story reading: "One of These Days" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (157-159) in reader. Also,
Short story exercise: Write a short story in 100 words. Notice that if you're going to manage a conflict, crisis, and resolution in this small space, you'll have to introduce the conflict immediately.
Make sure to include the word from your period in your story
Please post the story on Canvas.
Fri 2/6--Writing workshop day.
If you're still looking for a story, then read through your free writes, take two that intrigue you (or parts of two) and see if you can weave them into a story.
Freewrite the climactic scene of your story.
Freewrite on the characters of your story.
Write an outline of your story then start the story.
You'll post this on Canvas (I'll make the site 5th period) and post in your online "journal"
Word count: 600 words.