Rant or Rave?

Time to let off some steam instead of having it come out of your ears! You can rave, too, if you'd prefer.

Pieces for Further Review and Comment

Anything you are working on and wish us to review and comment on should be placed here as a comment. I plan to bore you some more with my experiences as a writing teacher. Sorry!

Rhetorical Sentences

Practice here. Use the handout of 50, choose four or five (different from the ones done in class) and put them here. ID them by number (or by name) and fire away!

Have a great holiday. Hope we have some warmer weather sometime soon . . .

Book Review: Brief Description

Give us a general idea about the book you are reading for review before we meet again on April 7!

Pieces for Publication and/or Comment

Anything at all. We'll start with Marco's review of 127 Hours and work from there. I'll publish Linda's piece on TV and the law before our newsletter goes out next week and the two recipes, too, so people can try them over the holidays!

Thanks all of you for making this class my favourite every week.

For The Pearson Buzz

Any pieces you think might be published at The Buzz should be submitted here . . .

More Narrative Essay Work

Either a new piece, part of a piece, revision of a piece. Whatever you have, here's the place to put it for review in next week's class. Remember your focus, no matter what it is, needs to be on your mind as you write. We should be sure exactly why you are telling us (showing us) something.

What influence has the person had on you? How can you illustrate that influence in a way that is understandable and enjoyable?

Good luck!

Field Work: Looking Out a Small Window

You can write in any style you choose. Mix it up to make it more interesting: use description, some dialogue, settings and the like. I'll post an old example of mine here to give you some ideas and provide you with a link to Kay's piece.

Working on a Narrative Essay

From Tiffany or Maria or Linda (or anyone), a first paragraph or more on your chosen character. Remember to bring the person to life as much as you can and avoid telling us; instead, show us. Use as many of the techniques from our example essay as you can . . .

Something for The Pearson Buzz

First drafts anyone?

Monologues Anyone?

I promise to do mine! Linda can revise; Tiffany can find her glasses; Maria can join in; Marco can have his femme fatale deliver one; Esther can give insight into bulimia. Looking forward to them!

Field Work: Magazine Random Write

Open the magazine and (be honest now) let it be a random page. Choose the first and most noticeable word or graphic from the page and get going from there. Remember to concentrate on solid nouns and verbs and avoid using too many adjectives or adverbs.

The Pearson Buzz: Story Ideas

Here's where you can "pitch" an idea to us. If, like Linda, you have already written a piece that might be used at the Buzz, name it. Sketch out your idea in a bit of detail and suggest a suitable length. Also, say why student readers may be interested in your story idea.

Ideas for Narrative Essay

Put your ideas here. For example, name the character who had/has had an influence on you as Uncle Charlie did to his nephew. Also, see if you can find some concrete details (like the sawhorses, the carpentry tools for Maria's father, the journal belonging to Linda's uncle etc.).

Other things to think about: things the person repeatedly said; a personality trait (like Uncle Charlie's smile); a special event or incident (like the building of the cottage barn/garage). If you can think of these details, outline them here.

Colour Me Red!

If you are feeling inspired by our discussion of "red" today, please put that writing here!

Field Work: What Did You Forget?

Write about forgetting something (or to do something). Make it a rant (angry tone is preferred) and use a bit of hyperbole (exaggeration) for emphasis.

Monologue Poems

If you have any good ideas for characters etc. you can share them here. If you missed class, here's the worksheet and sample poems for you to see.

Field Work: A Love Letter (to some thing)

Write a love letter to the thing you love most. You might choose ice cream, your bed, a soccer ball, an easy chair, your iPhone! Use your imagination.

Why I Write: Edits

I'll edit my demonstration essay as well. See you in February!

Here's an edit (with track changes shown) of my demonstration essay. I tightened it up quite a bit, but am still not satisfied!

Field Work: One Small Thing

Find one small thing near your home. The object should be no bigger than your hand.

Describe the object fully. Give colour, shape, smell details. Imagine how the object came to be at its location. What is its story?