Memoir Day!
(Homework reminder: Macbeth Acts I & II should be read by Wednesday or Thursday class.)
Some general notes and reminders:
P.O.V. = point of view
"Nice" = a good passage
Voice: the quality of being "you" in your writing.
We discussed the idea of a "Telling Detail"
The specific words you choose to describe something reflect your feelings about it.
Old School: bright; art work everywhere
New School: dark; big; brick
Which school was licked better? Which was feared?
The new school is a foreboding place. The details you pick are those details that support the emotional feeling you are attempting to create in a piece.
It all goes back to "Show Don't Tell"
Today's Lesson is to exercise our "detail muscle"
We rely a lot on sight, especially for details. However, the other four senses (hearing; touch; Taste; Smell) are particularly powerful, in large part because they are underutilized. In the writing prompt today use all of your senses, particularly hearing, touch, taste, and smell.
In the following prompt, I want you to use all of these senses. Write about a time when you were scared. (A perfect response shows the fear, but doesn't actually have to say that you are scared.) Fill at least a whole page.
If you get stuck, remember that the sense of smell is our most evocative. Even to say, "It smelled like my old dogs bad breath," brings about a response from readers.
"On the Body": big emotions can be shown powerfully, by writing about the effects of these strong emotions on the body. E.g., love makes the breath go quicker; fear may bring a ugly taste to the mouth; joy may make our feet feel light.
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