Happy Thursday!
Talk to me. This is a creative writing course, but we have to read. What do you want to read? What don't you want to read? We can collaborate, that's why this program is awesome. There will always be pieces of literature that you'll have to read, but that's unavoidable. However, the freedom we have here is that you can have a say in the stuff you learn.
A note:
I'm sure you already know this, but the reading we do for class is just as important and required as the writing. As you've probably been told a thousand times, reading and writing are closely connected. Trust me, Mr. Craddock and I are certainly not the first people to say this. We're not telling you to sit and read hundreds of pages, nor are we giving you hellish assignments.
When reading, remember a few things:
1) You don't have to read for hours straight. Start with little blocks of time, whatever keeps your attention. 5, 10, 15 minutes. Start there and add more time as you get better at paying attention. Or, if it works for you, read in tiny bursts. There isn't one way to read correctly. I can tell you there is a wrong way to read; not doing it.
2) Reading isn't something that's limited to paper and books. It's 2014. You have access to iPads, iPods, iPhones, Kindles, Nooks, Audiobooks, and all sorts of other magical electronic devices. If flipping pages is what's stopping you, you have access to all sorts of different mediums. Can't find this stuff yourself? Ask us and we'll help you find what you need.
3) You're not bored. Never say you're bored. We have the most information the world has ever had access to at our fingertips, waiting to be explored. Saying, "I'm bored." does this access a great disservice. The next time you think or say you're bored, take a sliver of time and read.
Discuss:
"If you don't have time to read, you don't have time to write."
Do you agree? Disagree? Tell me why.
February 6th:
You began your first draft with a narrative scene specifically using dialogue to structure it.
February 12th:
You continued your drafts by adding a flashback to your stories, connecting to ideas, events, and/or people in the character's past.
February 14th:
The third draft lead to the strengthening of your flashbacks by practicing stream-of-consciousness, replicating the nature of the human mind (we're all over the place). The fourth draft was for you to polish what you've written; fixing little mistakes, making edits, tweaks, additions, subtractions, etc.
Winter Break:
This was time given for you to bring everything together into something that resembles a full short story. There's been a great deal of time for you to complete these drafts and today is the day you'll complete them.
February 27th - Expectations:
In your final draft, I'll be looking for the following things: the creation of narrative and use of dialogue, character flashbacks (italicized), use of stream-of-consciousness in the flashbacks, a grammatically sound piece of writing, and, finally, a piece of writing that's complete (a beginning - a middle - an end). Have you addressed these things? Is your story complete? Can it be fixed, changed, improved?
8th period:
It's come to the point where you have a fairly substantial work of fiction. Today you're going to be finishing a complete draft of your short stories and handing them in to me/your portfolios. Just know that by the end of the class today, you will be handing in respectably complete drafts of your short stories.
Important:
Hey, I need those video permission forms to be returned! If you've forgotten, please remember for next class. I have extra copies in case you need them.
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