What to do for Thursday, September 2nd:

 

 

Read the sample “Freak” papers and write one of your own. Here’s the premise: A character (not you, but a made-up character) goes to a house in which a “freak” character lives. By “freak,” I mean someone who is obsessed with something, and the signs of that obsession are everywhere. Be wild and imaginative. This is just a start, but try to keep some of these things in mind:

    1. Be specific. One of the tricks to writing is to get specific and precise and concrete. For example, rather than say that someone drank a beer, name the beer: Coors Light or Heineken or Old Milwaukee or Budweiser. These details reveal a lot about the character.

 

    1. Use your senses: Yes, you’ll primarily use sight details, but try to slip in other senses—like hearing specific music that fits your freak or hearing an odd sound to the doorbell. 

 

    1. Try to invent a story. Rather than have a flat description of a place, it’s more fun to read and to write a story while doing the description.

 

    1. Try to include at least one simile.

 

    1. Please type this. Try to model your format (called the MLA format) after the models.

 

Have fun. Sure, try to be a little conscious of the mechanical stuff, but mainly just have a good time with your bizarre tale.

 

 

Also, bring two things to class on Thursday:

1.      A blank cassette tape. I use these to record my comments on your writing.

2.      Your copy of Angela’s Ashes.