Friday, April 3, 2015

Creative Writing Final Project Weekly Progress



Creative Writing Final Project Weekly Progress
Week of…
Classroom focus
Goal for the week
(planning/writing/revising)
Achieved that week
(planning/writing/revising/ reading/researching)
Changes in your plan.
New possibilities.
Exciting breakthroughs.
Successes you're proud of.
Challenges to deal with.
3/30
planning & writing week (proposal letter due April 1)



4/6
writing week (progress check April 10)



4/13      

workshop week



April Vacation & week of 4/27
writing week (progress check May 1) 



5/4
workshop week



5/11  
writing week (progress check May 15)



5/18
workshop week



5/26
writing week (progress check May 29)
[Senior due date and coffeehouse reading* TBA]



6/1
workshop week



6/8
writing week (progress check June 12)



6/15
workshop, editing, formatting, writing (?) week
[Grades 9-11 due date and coffeehouse reading* TBA]



Monday, March 30, 2015

Writing for Publication Final Project Proposal Letter



Writing for Publication Final Project Proposal Letter         
The proposal letter is due: April 1
The proposal letter must be typed and be written in the form of a letter.
Dear Mr. Cook:
First paragraph: Describe your project.
  • What genre? Short stories? Micro-fiction? Poems? A poetic journal? A sonnet cycle? A novella? A TV, film, or play script? A Memoir? A series of non-fiction feature articles? A graphic novel? Something else?
  • What length? How many stories? How many poems? How many pages?
  • What unifying idea? Will the stories be linked by character or setting? Will the script or novella include a particular plot arc? Will the poems be linked by topic, theme, or type? (The writing can be unified by form or content or both?)
Second paragraph: Describe your plan for the remaining weeks.
3/30 planning & writing week (proposal letter due April 1)
4/6 writing week (first progress check April 10)
4/13 workshop week
April Vacation
4/27 writing week (second progress check May 1) 
5/4 workshop week
5/11  writing week (third progress check May 15)
5/18 workshop week
5/26 writing week (fourth progress check May 29)
[Senior due date and coffeehouse reading* TBA]
6/1 workshop week
6/8 writing week (fifth progress check June 12)
6/15 workshop, editing, formatting, writing (?) week
[Grades 9-11 due dates and coffeehouse reading* TBA]

*At the final you will turn in your completed manuscript and will read a five minute piece of it. (Practice beforehand to make sure it’s five minutes and to make sure you can read it fluidly.) You will also eat treats and drink hot beverages.

 Third  paragraph: Describe what you will read as you complete your project
  • Choose a published work (or works) to read. (Be as specific as you can be.) (For example if you are planning to write a fictionalized memoir you might read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Or, if you are planning to write a screenplay you might read the screenplay to your favorite movie.)
  • Explain how what you plan to read will help you with the project.
Sincerely,
Your Name

Friday, March 13, 2015

Creative Nonfiction Out Loud: This American Life & The Moth



Creating Your Own Creative Nonfiction

Your task is to create a five to ten minutes story in the style of This American Life or The Moth.
Moth-style stories will be performed in class starting Wednesday, March 18.
This American Life-style stories will be shared in class starting Monday, March 23.

Option 1: This American Life
This American Life is a weekly public radio show broadcast on more than 500 stations to about 2.1 million listeners. There's a theme to each episode, and a variety of stories on that theme. It's mostly true stories of everyday people, though not always. There's lots more to the show, but it's sort of hard to describe.” [text from thisamericanlife.org]


Option 2: The Moth
The Moth is an acclaimed not-for-profit organization dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. It is a celebration of both the raconteur, who breathes fire into true tales of ordinary life, and the storytelling novice, who has lived through something extraordinary and yearns to share it. At the center of each performance is, of course, the story – and The Moth’s directors work with each storyteller to find, shape and present it. [text from themoth.org]

  • If you choose this option you will create a five to ten minute nonfiction story on a topic of your choice.
  • This story will be told in first person.
  • This story should follow the storytelling tips on The Moth website. (The tips are here.)
  • The story will be crafted, revised, and practiced ahead of time but delivered live in class. There a lots of examples at themoth.org.