Villanelle

We will start out study of the form of villanelle poetry by looking at Elizabeth Bishop's "One Art." Click on the link below!

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15212

Nature Walk Poems

Hey,

So I'm not here today, though you will see me in the building today--I'm at a conference. Your task today is to write a poem (or two, or three!) about yesterday's walk around the beautiful grounds known as Herricks High School.

Poetry!

Go here and read poems!

http://www.poetryoutloud.org/poems/browsepoems.html

"How To Become a Writer" by Lorrie Moore

After you have read "Mudlavia" and written a response, please read the short story "How To Become a Writer" by Lorrie Moore.

http://www.bridgewater.edu/WritingCenter/Resources/102in-class11.htm

Response Questions

1. This entire story is told in second person point of view ("you"), which is slightly unusual. Do you think this works for this story? Why or why not?

2. Pick out your two favorite parts of the story. Why do these parts work for you?

3. What is Lorrie Moore trying to say about being a writer? How do you know?

"Mudlavia" by Elizabeth Stuckey-French

Read this short story:

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200309/stuckey-french

Respond to these questions on your blog when you're finished reading:

1. What are some of the conflicts in this story? How are these conflicts developed by Stuckey-French?

2. Find two quotes that develop the characterization of either the main character or his family. Explain how these examples add to the characterization.

3. How does Stuckey-French create suspense in this story?

4. Pick out two parts/elements of the story that you find particularly strong. Why do you think these parts are strong? What is Stuckey-French doing to make these parts work for the reader?

5. Mudlavia is a real place in Indiana with a real history. Do some internet research and find out what you can, and then answer the following: how does Stuckey-French use real stories to create her fiction? How can we, as writers, use real stories in a fictional way?

Fiction Guidelines

The following guidelines are taken from SNReview, an online literary journal.

"Short stories should be less than 7000 words. Be original. Catch our attention with your characters, plot, theme, style of writing, imagery, and point of view. No romance, mystery, science fiction, fantasy, or horror genre fiction. Not interested in short stories that start or end with a scene that includes an alarm clock ringing. Here's the best description we can offer. It comes from C. Michael Curtis, the fiction editor of The Atlantic Monthly: “What most editors look for, in addition to a respect for the conventional strengths of orderly composition, is a sentence or two sufficiently complex in structure and idea to signify a serious mind at work. Editors look for an engaging sensibility, a writer with wit, imagination, and an appreciation for the benefits of a well-constructed sentence.” And a piece of advice I heard from novelist/playwright Sarah Schulman: Stop trying so hard. Make sure the words are yours, yours from the heart, not a strained rhetoric (vocabulary, sentence, paragraph) that you presume writers use. Be true to thyself."

Sample Lead

Intro to "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" by J.D. Salinger

THERE WERE ninety-seven New York advertising men in the hotel, and, the way they were monopolizing the long-distance lines, the girl in 507 had to wait from noon till almost two-thirty to get her call through. She used the time, though. She read an article in a women's pocket-size magazine, called "Sex Is Fun-or Hell." She washed her comb and brush. She took the spot out of the skirt of her beige suit. She moved the button on her Saks blouse. She tweezed out two freshly surfaced hairs in her mole. When the operator finally rang her room, she was sitting on the window seat and had almost finished putting lacquer on the nails of her left hand.

She was a girl who for a ringing phone dropped exactly nothing. She looked as if her phone had been ringing continually ever since she had reached puberty.With her little lacquer brush, while the phone was ringing, she went over the nail of her little finger, accentuating the line of the moon. She then replaced the cap on the bottle of lacquer and, standing up, passed her left--the wet--hand back and forth through the air. With her dry hand, she picked up a congested ashtray from the window seat and carried it with her over to the night table, on which the phone stood. She sat down on one of the made-up twin beds and--it was the fifth or sixth ring--picked up the phone.

Dialogue

"Hey."

"What's up?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

"I said nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

"Okay. I guess."

Introduce Yourself!

Now that you have created your own blog, it's time to introduce yourself...creatively, of course. In your first post, please answer the following questions:

1. Who are you? Introduce yourself...and be creative about it!

2. Why did you sign up for this course?

3. What are your favorite types of writing to do?

4. What types of writing would you like to experiment with?

5. What types of writing do you dislike?

6. What do you like to read? (Remember, good writers are good readers!)

You should answer these questions all as one response (don't answer them by number). Be detailed and infuse your voice into your response. Happy posting!

Introduction to Creative Writing

Welcome to Creative Writing! This blog will be our homepage. Since we're in the computer lab, we'll be using this as a way of communicating with each other and critiquing each other's writing. I've included some introductory information below.

MATERIALS

Flash drive/disk to save your work
Notebook
Pen/Pencil

ASSIGNMENTS

Major Writing Assignments: The course will be divided in half. In the first quarter, we will work on assignments together in different genres. In the second quarter, you will be able to choose and design your own projects. I anticipate that we will have about three assignments a quarter, but that really depends on how quickly or slowly our ideas come to us.

Revision/Critiques: Every student in class will be asked to share his/her writing and to critique other students' writing. Sometimes we will do this through read alouds and sometimes we will use the blog.

Reading Responses: Every once in a while, we will read published pieces of writing to help inspire and inform our own writing. You will be asked to write short responses/blog entries reflecting on what you've read.

Final Note about Assignments: Since this is an elective course, I plan to give you plenty of class time to finish your work. If you utilize your time effectively, then you should have minimal work to do outside of class.

SOME RULES

• Since we are in the computer lab everyday, you are not allowed to have food/drinks in class. Sorry!
  
• I believe that ipods do play an important role in the creative process; therefore, on days when you are working independently on your writing, you will be able to listen to your ipods. However, be respectful and courteous. If someone begins to address the class, please take out both earphones.
  
• Cell phones have no role in the creative process. Keep them away at all times, otherwise I will be forced to confiscate them.
  
• The attendance policy will be strictly enforced, which means that lateness, cutting, and excessive absence from class will not be tolerated. See the school policy on attendance if you need further clarification.
  
• Please be respectful of everyone in class and everyone's writing. Writing creatively is difficult, so it is helpful to have people encouraging you throughout the process.
  

PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is the stealing of words or ideas from a source without giving credit to that source. Plagiarism in any form will not be tolerated and will result in disciplinary action according to our school honor code.

Now that you've read the rules, let me say that I look forward to a fun, productive semester. Please respond to this post by saying you've read and understand the rules. Also, tell us a fun fact about yourself.