Ooookaaay, so the marking period ends tomorrow, FYI. Get your stuff done! Anyhow, you took a test last class. Y'all did fine. We should talk about a few things, though. First, talk to each other, look over your test, and ask questions. Go!
My turn.
Read. The. Instructions.
I cannot stress this enough.
Ya dig?
Essays:
1) Watch your words. I know which novel you've read, you don't need to continuously repeat the title. One time will do. Avoid generalizing! Words like "all", "every", "never", "any", etc. These are absolutes and they're dangerous. Synonyms make your writing less monotonous. What's that mean? If I started every 5th sentence with "It's likely that..." you'd probably be like "omg plz change it up already!" Right? Same.
2) I know what happens in both novels and I made the essay questions. Do not summarize. This is a waste of space. Use only the most essential pieces of evidence.
3) Explore deeper, hidden connections. This is the stuff the book might not specifically say. Again, I know what the novel says. Use the words on the page to show me that you're looking beyond the words on the page.
Ex: "Celie first experiences love for her sister Nettie. Celie was abused by Pa at a young age. She knew that Pa was looking at Nettie funny, so she sacrificed herself to assure that nothing happens to Nettie."
Ex: "A reason why the men in this story abuse their women could be because it was the only power they had in their world. They were oppressed by the outside world around them and the only control they had was within the home. They placed their anger with the world they live in upon their women and beat and mistreated them."
Writing:
Continue your brainstorms and/or begin your stories! By the end of class, you should have a solid idea of the form you'll use and a rough beginning to your story. If you get done with this, discuss it with me or a partner. Write, write, write, my young apprenti. May the force be with you.
Some past advice on starting a story:
1) Make a declarative statement. Start bold, don't be afraid. Beginning in this way, you establish power and can grab interest quickly. It can also set the tone for the rest of the story. Beginning with a powerful statement or dialogue is a great way to grab attention. Remember hook and inciting incident. Be bold, be clear!
2) Start with an interesting flashback. You have already practiced writing flashbacks and are familiar with how powerful they can be. They have the ability to set the reader in the fragmented nature of a character's mind. This is a powerful tool to use when beginning a story.
3) Start with what's at stake. What's the chief crisis of your story? Start with that. Introduce the conflict, a character flaw, a secret, or a memory that pulls the reader in immediately.
4) Don't fall into story starting cliche! Beginning stories with an information dump, boring descriptions, fanciful language, and a needless amount of questions, paths, or characters for a reader to follow are a few ways to disinterest the reader. Don't fall into these traps.
This is creative fiction, so have some fun (this beat is sick) and create something you'd want to read! If you need help talk to each other. Or talk to me, my brain is weird. You're surrounded by creative people, talk to them. Write!
Remember the advice of this guy:
#Imagination
Homework:
The Color Purple - Read to page 225
Slaughterhouse-Five - Finish the book
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