What to do for Monday, March 14^th:

Your writing: A week ago you began to write a story about a significant event in your life. Continue writing it to the point that you have a typed draft for next Monday, plus three copies. A few notes about this paper:

·        Show us the event and the people rather than tell us;

·        Create pictures of the places and the people;

·        Get the people to talk. If you’re not sure how to write dialogue, open up any page of Serendib and study how it’s done;

·        Try to create suspense—that element that makes us want to turn the page to see what is next;

·        The usual formula for this story is to grab the reader’s attention first, then provide the background, then move on with the story;

·        Have a title that grabs the reader;

·        I encourage you to include such poetic elements as similes and metaphors and even a musical rhythm to your prose.

Reading: Read chapters 9 and 10 (to page 200) and do this writing:

·        Free-write for 10-15 minutes after each of the two chapters;

·        Write down one or two moments in each chapter when you think the writing is effective, and briefly comment on what it is about the language that moves you;

·        What are you learning about the culture of Sri Lanka? Would you ever want to visit it?

·        Could you ever see yourself joining the Peace Corps?

·        What is one question you’d like to ask me?

·        What is one discussion question that we can throw out to the class?