READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS FOR WEEK OF NOVEMBER 6-12, 2006:

Tuesday, November 7, 2006:

No assigned readings for today.

Important!! Guest writer Sean Johnston will be giving a reading in class today! Your responses to this reading will formulate one component of your second compare and contrast paper due at the end of the semester. Please come prepared to listen carefully, and also ask questions afterward.

Thursday, November 9, 2006:

Class canceled today. Instructor out of town for an academic conference.

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Here are the guidelines for your next fiction assignment.

Guidelines for Fiction Assignment #2 - Due Thursday, November 16, 2006:

The assignment is to write another installment in your 8-10 page (2,000 word minimum) short story that you will be working on throughout this half of the semester.

Your short story scene should be approximately 3 pages, or 750 words.

The scene can come from any place in your story, and doesn't necessarily have to be excerpted from where you left off after your exposition/story opening tthat you turned in. For example, you might wish to try writing your story's ending to get feedback. Or perhaps you might want to work with writing the climax of your story, etc.

The scene should reveal aspects and traits of the characters who are in the scene, using the techniques we've been discussing in class.

The scene continue to reveal and develop the dramatic situation/narrative tension/central conflict in your story.

Your scene should attempt to skillfully weave together different elements of fiction writing (action/dialogue, narrative summary, scene setting/description, etc.) in ways that work best for the scene.

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Please note that since we won't be doing any in-class exercises this week, you will need to replace your in-class exercise post with a "freestyle" post.

And finally, here is your memoir prompt for blog posts due on Sunday, November 12, 2006:

Who was your best friend at seven years old? Who was your best friend at 11? At 16? At 20? At 30? And who was your biggest enemy at each of these ages? Describe them.