For the Course Syllabus, Click Here
1. Memoir in 3--write a story about your life in 3 sentences. Sentence 1 for the first third of your life; sentence two for the second/third; sentence three for the final third.
2. Six word memoirs: write a memoir using six words. Inspired by Earnest Hemingway's sentence:
For Sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.
3. Bring in Steven King's On Writing for next week. We will plumb the depths for writing advice from the horror master.
4. Coming this week: Wordy Wednesdays. Each week, you will bring in a word that inspires, enthralls, or beckons you to be used. We will each share our words, and record five other words from our peers in our writer's notebook.
5. The Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.
2. Six word memoirs: write a memoir using six words. Inspired by Earnest Hemingway's sentence:
For Sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.
3. Bring in Steven King's On Writing for next week. We will plumb the depths for writing advice from the horror master.
4. Coming this week: Wordy Wednesdays. Each week, you will bring in a word that inspires, enthralls, or beckons you to be used. We will each share our words, and record five other words from our peers in our writer's notebook.
5. The Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life.
Inspired by Amy Rosenthal, we will be creating an Encyclopedia of our ordinary Life--the items, artifacts, people, places, and ideas that make us who we are. Visit Amy's website for some excerpt examples.
Click here
To read some of my examples, click here
Click here
To read some of my examples, click here
6. Write what you know. This adage is the guidepost for writers, and you know more than you think. Fill out the demographics list found HERE in your writer's notebook. Create a poem based on your information, inspired by e.e.cummings "Who are you little I". My version can be found HERE.
7. Creative Writing Endeavor #1: Inspired by your demographic list. Below are two models for you to consider:
"Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros
"Of Cigarettes and Swing Sets" by: M. P.Trainer
7. Creative Writing Endeavor #1: Inspired by your demographic list. Below are two models for you to consider:
"Eleven" by Sandra Cisneros
"Of Cigarettes and Swing Sets" by: M. P.Trainer
Read Natalie Goldberg's advice to writers about word choice HERE.
Now, apply Ms. Goldberg's advice in the writing exercise HERE.
Writer's Notebook Freewrite #1: Look at your handwriting. Examine the lines, the curves, the spaces, the crossed t’s and dotted i’s…What does it reveal about you? Your personality?
Free write for five minutes.
Writer's Notebook Freewrite #2: What does your ring tone say about you? Think of its name. The sounds it embodies. The reaction you have when you hear it? Is your text tone similar? What do these things say about your personality?
To improve the word choice in your essay, visit the site www.wordcounter.com and upload your writing.
Now, apply Ms. Goldberg's advice in the writing exercise HERE.
Writer's Notebook Freewrite #1: Look at your handwriting. Examine the lines, the curves, the spaces, the crossed t’s and dotted i’s…What does it reveal about you? Your personality?
Free write for five minutes.
Writer's Notebook Freewrite #2: What does your ring tone say about you? Think of its name. The sounds it embodies. The reaction you have when you hear it? Is your text tone similar? What do these things say about your personality?
To improve the word choice in your essay, visit the site www.wordcounter.com and upload your writing.
Having some fun after the fire drill with period 7.
Point of View Exercise: Click here
What is Flash Fiction?
Flash fiction has been around for years, but has become increasingly prevalent in the literary community. Once the obscure little sister of the conventional 2,000 word story, flash fiction has shrugged off that obscurity to accept its new position: the intellectually challenging blurb. Dozens of literary publications, both print and online, have shifted their focus to include (or focus exclusively upon) flash fiction.
So what is it? A Flash in the Pan?
In brief, flash fiction is a short form of storytelling. Defining it by the number of words or sentences or even pages required to tell a story, however, is impossible, for it differs from writer to writer, editor to editor. Some purists insist that it is a complete story told in less than 75 words; others claim 100 should be the maximum. For less-rigid flashers, anything under 1,000 words can be considered flash-worthy. And there are even a few who stretch their limits to 1,500 words. http://www.writing-world.com/fiction/flash.shtml
Flash Fiction
In the style of good flash fiction, your stories should:
* focus on a narrow moment in time
*concentrate on concrete details
*have few characters
*often start in the "middle" of the story
*have varying syntax
*have good titles
Flash Fiction Story 1: "Last Bites" To access this story click HERE
Please read "Last Bites" TWICE for homework on 11/18. We will have a brief quiz on 11/19. If you liked this story, you might want to read THIS ONE.
Interview with author, David Mitchell, who published his latest novel as a series of tweets: click HERE.
Flash Fiction Story #2: "The Kiss" To access the story, click HERE
Please read "The Kiss" several times for homework. I suggest three. We will have a reading check quiz tomorrow.
Links for Flash Fiction: 100 word stories Scholastic Flash Fiction
NPR 3 minute fiction: Story One: Sorry For Your Loss, Story Two: The Dauphin, Story Three: Reborn.
Now you will create your own Flash Fiction: a 100 word story (rough draft due on Tuesday, 12/8) and a 500-1000 word story (rough draft due on Wednesday, 12/9).
Introduction To Poetry Writing:
We will begin poetry by submerging our minds into the words of some of the great poets. Click on this link . Read each poem TWICE. Record the title and author for each in your writer's notebook. Select your top 7 poems and write the title and poet on the index card provided, with either a sentence as to why, OR the most powerful line in the piece.
Thursday, December 17th: First, click on this piece that explains "How to Analyze a Poem" and read it carefully. This is one of the best (and simplest) approaches to poetry I have ever come across.
Now, take the top 2 poems from the list you made yesterday and complete this handout for both. You can access the actual poems again by clicking here. If I have your list, do your best to remember your top 2. You may print the handouts first, or type in your answer and then print them out.
I will collect these tomorrow.
If you finish early, please visit Poetry 180 and enjoy!
Literary Terms Sheet--you will need this for the midterm--click here.
Portfolio: As of February 10th, your portfolio should include:
1. Midterm Flash Fiction piece
2. Midterm Poem
3. Poem on an object (20 lines max, no rhyme)
4. Poem on someone in your life who you do not really know (20 lines max, rhyme and/or repetition, a line of one word)
Ekphrasis Poetry: "Nighthawks"
Visit the website "The Poet Speaks of Art"
In your writers' notebook, select ten ekphrastic poems from the site to read and analyze. Record the following: painting/artist; poem/poet; approach--see handout; and a personal reaction.
Music as Poetry assignment due Thursday, February 18th. Check here for details.
Now it's time to write your own Ekphrastic poem. Visit these sites for possible inspiration: 5o Greatest American Paintings, Fine Art Images, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Ekphrasis poem due Tuesday, March 1st. Please have a color copy of your painting alongside your poem. A. Color. Copy.
Play / Screenplay Writing: We are moving in to drama writing. For the next few days, you will be exploring a script of your choice from the following site: The Script Lab. Go back a few years if necessary. Find a movie that you are familiar with and experience it in a different format.
Please read "Last Bites" TWICE for homework on 11/18. We will have a brief quiz on 11/19. If you liked this story, you might want to read THIS ONE.
Interview with author, David Mitchell, who published his latest novel as a series of tweets: click HERE.
Flash Fiction Story #2: "The Kiss" To access the story, click HERE
Please read "The Kiss" several times for homework. I suggest three. We will have a reading check quiz tomorrow.
Links for Flash Fiction: 100 word stories Scholastic Flash Fiction
NPR 3 minute fiction: Story One: Sorry For Your Loss, Story Two: The Dauphin, Story Three: Reborn.
Now you will create your own Flash Fiction: a 100 word story (rough draft due on Tuesday, 12/8) and a 500-1000 word story (rough draft due on Wednesday, 12/9).
Introduction To Poetry Writing:
We will begin poetry by submerging our minds into the words of some of the great poets. Click on this link . Read each poem TWICE. Record the title and author for each in your writer's notebook. Select your top 7 poems and write the title and poet on the index card provided, with either a sentence as to why, OR the most powerful line in the piece.
Thursday, December 17th: First, click on this piece that explains "How to Analyze a Poem" and read it carefully. This is one of the best (and simplest) approaches to poetry I have ever come across.
Now, take the top 2 poems from the list you made yesterday and complete this handout for both. You can access the actual poems again by clicking here. If I have your list, do your best to remember your top 2. You may print the handouts first, or type in your answer and then print them out.
I will collect these tomorrow.
If you finish early, please visit Poetry 180 and enjoy!
Literary Terms Sheet--you will need this for the midterm--click here.
Portfolio: As of February 10th, your portfolio should include:
1. Midterm Flash Fiction piece
2. Midterm Poem
3. Poem on an object (20 lines max, no rhyme)
4. Poem on someone in your life who you do not really know (20 lines max, rhyme and/or repetition, a line of one word)
Ekphrasis Poetry: "Nighthawks"
Visit the website "The Poet Speaks of Art"
In your writers' notebook, select ten ekphrastic poems from the site to read and analyze. Record the following: painting/artist; poem/poet; approach--see handout; and a personal reaction.
Music as Poetry assignment due Thursday, February 18th. Check here for details.
Now it's time to write your own Ekphrastic poem. Visit these sites for possible inspiration: 5o Greatest American Paintings, Fine Art Images, The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Ekphrasis poem due Tuesday, March 1st. Please have a color copy of your painting alongside your poem. A. Color. Copy.
Play / Screenplay Writing: We are moving in to drama writing. For the next few days, you will be exploring a script of your choice from the following site: The Script Lab. Go back a few years if necessary. Find a movie that you are familiar with and experience it in a different format.
Scripts for My Favorite Poem Project due Thursday.
I. Introduce the poem--consider why you chose it; how you discovered it; how long have you known it; who or what does it remind you of?...
II. Read the poem
III. Explain the poetic elements and make meaning of the things that stand out to you.
TV Script Writing
Friends episode: "The One with the Bullies"
To view the episode, click HERE.
To read the script, click HERE.
Article Links
Cracking the Sitcom Code
The One Where I counted the Jokes in Popular Sitcoms
When Friends Debuted 20 Years Ago, People gave it a D+