READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS FOR WEEK OF APRIL 10 – 16, 2006:

Tuesday, April 11, 2006:

If you haven’t done so already, please make sure to read Chapter 4 – The Flesh Made Word: Characterization, Part II in Writing Fiction.

Thursday, April 13, 2006:

Award-winning poet Julie Sheehan will be visiting our class, giving a reading, and answering questions today!

Please come prepared to ask questions, and enjoy her visit!

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Don’t forget that the next installment in your short story will be due on Tuesday, April 18, 2006. The guidelines are as follows:

Your short story scene should be approximately 3 pages, or 750 words.

The scene can take place at any point in your story that you wish. In other words, it doesn’t have to be the scene that occurs immediately after the opening scene (exposition) that you turned in last week. So perhaps you might like to try writing a climactic scene in your story, or take a stab at writing the ending/closing scene. The choice is up to you.

The scene should reveal aspects and traits of the characters who are in the scene.

The scene should explore and move forward the dramatic situation/narrative tension/central conflict in your story.

Your scene should attempt to skillfully weave together different elements of fiction writing (action/dialogue, narrative summary, scene setting/description, etc.) in ways that work best for the scene.

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And finally, here is your memoir prompt for blog posts due on Sunday, April 16, 2006:

Who was your best friend at seven years old? Who was your best friend at 11? At 16? At 20? At 30? And who was your biggest enemy at each of these ages? Describe them.