We reviewed plot and character development, as per Anne Lamott. Chase read Lamott's chapter on dialogue in class, writing down the Top Ten Best Pieces of Advice in the chapter.
Chase read Lamott's chapter on plot development and wrote down at least 5 key points she gleaned from the reading. She also worked on furthering her 1" picture frame, now that conflict is in place and action is set in motion.
I gave Chase feedback on her story addition from last week (adding a character and setting action in motion). We read and discussed pp. 44-53 (about character development) in BIRD BY BIRD. Today and tomorrow, Chase will develop her story even further (partly by following Lamott's advice for building character) -- Chase will introduce another character and create a conflict of some sort. She will work to show, not tell, as she details the initial moments of that conflict. She will continue to work on this assignment during class tomorrow.
Using figurative language effectively to convey an image
Lesson Outline
We reviewed Chase's (excellent) 1" picture frame writing done in the yoga garden, discussing which of her images were most effective, which were not as effective as they might be, and WHY. We also read Anne Lamott's recommendation about the necessary stages of drafting one's work (down draft, up draft, dental draft). Chase then added to her 1" frame by introducing a character into the scene and setting some kind of action in motion. We will review this addition on Monday.
We reviewed what it means for writing to be referred to as "contrived" -- and how to avoid that horror. We also read pp. 19-20 of BIRD BY BIRD, stopping to discuss Lamott's advice. Chase chose to go to the yoga garden to choose an object/area on which to develop her own short image-rich assignment (approx. 150-200 words). We will look at it together tomorrow.
We read and discussed pp. 3-6 of Anne Lamott's BIRD BY BIRD, stopping to discuss contextual vocabulary. Chase selected and began a short, focused writing assignment to convey a highly specific childhood image.
We briefly discussed Chase's "The Corn Field" story, as well as her overall writing process and whether she's a "plotter" or a "pantser," along with the benefits of each style. We also discussed Anne Lamott's "bird by bird" and "1-inch" picture frame advice for writers, as well as Stephen King's "The road to hell is paved with adverbs" admonition. We examined some sample sentences/descriptions and discussed why some were more effective than others. I also introduced four new vocabulary words that might be useful in describing characters, while also exploring how alternate methods of character development might supersede using strings of adjectives.
