Assignment for Thursday, Nov. 29

Come to class with two or three ideas for stories. In addition, try to give a sense of how those stories could develop--their length, story arcs, characters, etc. In class, we will look at two classic, but very different stories, and talk about ways to start writing your story or stories. 

Class Reflection

Send me a statement (four-to-six sentences) that reflects on your work in this class so far. How do you feel about your progress? How do you feel about your growth as a writer? What specifically do you feel you can do now or understand now about your writing that you didn't understand or do at the beginning of the class? Do you feel you've given a good effort to grow as a writer? How would you like to continue to grow as a writer in the second quarter? (Keep in mind, we will be turning to fiction after Thanksgiving.) You have no other homework for the weekend. Enjoy!

Assignment for Friday, Nov. 9

Write at least eight lines of your sonnet. Give some attention to its imagery. What does the reader hear, see, smell, touch, taste? If you are finished with your sonnet, again, give some attention to its imagery, and work on the rhythm of the lines. See where you can rearrange words to draw attention to particular images or keep the flow and consistency of the iambic pentameter.

Assignment for Wednesday, Nov. 7

In Mayes's The Discovery of Poetry, read pp. 85-95. Take three of the literal images you generated in Monday's class and write the same images figuratively.