We read an interesting selection of short stories during Unit III, and I know plenty of you did some grumbling about a few of them ("In the Penal Colony," anyone?).  Well, it's time for you to prove that you're more than a match for Kurt Vonnegut or Franz Kafka... the last thing we'll be doing in Unit III is exploring the five-step writing process and writing our own short stories!

The five steps of the writing process are:

I - Invent (brainstorm, muse, dream, ponder, explore)
O - Organize (plan)
D - Draft (write)
R - Revise (re-think, re-arrange)
E - Edit (proofread)

I know "five step process" sounds like a real drag, so part of our goal for these last few classes is to explore ways to make an ordered, logical writing process compatible with our desires to be free, creative, expressive individuals.  In the words of Ray Bradbury, "If you are writing without zest, without gusto, without love, without fun, you are only half a writer."  So, in class Thursday and Friday and for homework we're going to be looking at steps one and two, but we want to think about ways we can go beyond the "think about things and write them down" type of brainstorming that we all tend to dread.  So, here's your assignment:

1. INVENT: Think about what you want your story to be about.  Bring me evidence that you've used at least two of the methods of brainstorming which we discussed in class.  These included:
  • Free writing (write nonstop, as fast as you can, about anything, for five minutes)... see what creativity comes out!
  • Word association (pick a magazine or novel, choose a random word, write down every word you associate with it, and then every word you associate with all of those other words... and make something out of the final product!)
  • Make two lists... "Things I Love" and "Things I Hate."  Write about something that gets you excited or angry!
  • Fill a page with different versions of the following sentence: " _______ wants ______, but ______."  (For example, "Ms. Kalmar wants to be a Viking, but she doesn't live in medieval Scandinavia."  This is the introduction to a great short story... I have a character and, most importantly, a CONFLICT!)
  • Make a list of interesting things in our world... conspiracy theories, dictators, astronomy, honey badgers, Vikings, natural wonders...
  • Invent a character for your story
  • Do a random image search on Flickr or another photo sharing site
  • Think about your favorite books/movies/etc... why do you like them?  What are they about?  Write about those things!
  • Play the Wikipedia game... start on a random article, and try to get to a specified page (i.e., "the pope") in as few clicks as possible... and while you're playing, pick up some ideas!
  • Look up "creative writing prompts" on Google and pick a few that you like to try!
  • Reflect on your life experiences... what could you turn into a (mostly) fictional story?
  • Meditate / pray... ask God or the Muses for inspiration!
  • Dream... keep a dream journal and scour your weird subconscious mind for plot and character ideas.  Whatever you come up with, it can't be more "out there" than Kafka!
  • Take a walk in nature and reflect upon how interesting the world can be
  • Etc.  Do what works for you!

2. ORGANIZE: Once you have your idea, we need to draw up a road map.  The best authors spend countless hours planning their story, so they know that every piece of the puzzle will work together to create a beautiful and powerful finished product!  Here's what you need to do:

    a. Create a STEAL chart for the main character of your story... what are their major characteristics and what does this say about them?

    b. Write one sentence describing the setting of your story.

    c. Write one sentence describing how you want a reader of your story to feel... i.e., what will the mood of your story be?

    d. Create some sort of brief outline of your story's basic plot... use a story board, a text outline, a graphic organizer, a "mountain" diagram, etc. to lay out the five narrative elements (exposition, rising action, and so on) of your story.

    e. Write one sentence, after you've finished all of this, explaining what you believe one theme of your story might be.  What will a reader of your story learn about life, human beings, relationships, death, love, etc.?


This is not intended to be a terribly time-intensive assignment unless you're having a great time and want to dig deep... each element needs only a brief response, indicating that you've given some real thought to where you're going with your story.  Don't panic just because there are a lot of steps!  You will have plenty of time to be lazy and gorge yourself on delicious Thanksgiving foods!

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Also, everyone except the Danes should note that your pronoun quiz will now be first thing when we get back from break... please take advantage of this time and STUDY!  Here's a website with some pronoun quizzes that you might find helpful, although please note that I cannot absolutely guarantee that everything you read on this site is accurate! --> http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/pronouns.htm