Character Profile Jan. 7

Students should write up a complete character profile, either for their protagonist or antagonist.(Remember, an antagonist is a character who gets in the way of the protagonist reaching his goals, not necessary a "bad guy.") The profile does not need to address every single subquestion; rather, you should use your judgment and intuition as a writer as to which aspects are relevant to your story.  The profile is due at the end of class on Friday.

Character Profile
1) What is the character's name and age?

• Does he have a nickname?
• What do other characters call him? For example, what does his mother call him? What does his girlfriend call him?

2) What does the character look like?

• Is your character tall or short?
• Are they thin or fat?
• What is their body shape?
• What color and style is their hair?
• What color are their eyes?
• What are their most distinguishing features?
• Do they have a particular smell - pleasant or otherwise? (Don't forget to use all of the senses when you create character profiles.)
• What clothes do they wear?
• Do they use any "props" - like a walking cane or an iPod? (What is unique about the prop that reveals something about the character's personality?)
• Do they have a particular way of walking, running, standing, sitting?

3) How does he speak?

• Do they use long, fancy words or short, Anglo-Saxon ones?
• Are they educated or uneducated?
• Do they use precise grammar, poor grammar or something in between?
• Do they have any pet phrases, particularly unusual ones?
• Is their voice low or high in pitch?
• Do they have a booming voice or do people struggle to hear them from three feet away?
• Do they speak differently to different people and in different situations?
• Do they have a "telephone voice"?
• Do they have a stammer - or some other speech impediment?
• Do they chatter on and on, or are they laconic like Clint Eastwood?
• Are they a good conversationalist or are they "hard work"?
• What is their laugh like?
• Do they look people in the eye when they talk to them or down at their shoes?
• Are there any habits or mannerisms associated with the way they speak - a facial tic, perhaps?

4) What is he like as a person (personality/character)?

• Are they happy or unhappy?
• Are they an optimist or a pessimist?
• Are they adventurous or do they tend towards the familiar?
• What is their basic temperament? Are they moody?
• What are their religious or spiritual beliefs?
• What are they insecure about?
• Are they the life and soul of a party or the quiet one in the corner?
• Are they environmentally conscious?
• Are they left wing or right wing, or could they not care less about politics?
• Do they believe people are basically good, or do they not trust a soul?
• Do they think life is great and can't wait to get out of bed every morning, or do they believe life is some kind of sick joke and can't wait for it to be over?
• Are they the sort of person to believe in a conspiracy theory?
• Are they mean or generous? (Not just in the financial sense.)
• What do they fear?
• What do they feel guilty about?
• Are they a romantic or a realist?
• Do they have an inner child?
• Are they sensitive or thick-skinned?
• Are they conscientious?
• If you had to describe a character using three adjectives, what would they be... Nervous, gullible, insecure? Mean, cynical, materialistic? Romantic, naive, immature? Generous, thin-skinned, kind?

5) What are his interests?

• What music do they listen to?
• What music do they hate?
• Would they prefer to go to the opera or a karaoke night?
• What would they order in a restaurant? Or would they prefer a greasy burger?
• What is their comfort food of choice?
• What would they stay in to watch on TV?
• Would they prefer a beach holiday or a sightseeing one?
•  What do they like to read at the breakfast table?
• Do they like clean and contemporary or period charm?
• What is their most treasured possession?
• What is their opinion of modern art?
• What sport do they follow, if any?

 6) Who does he know?  What are their relationships like? What do other people think of them?

• Describe his relationship with his mother and father. Which one is he closer to? What trait does he admire or want to avoid from his parents?
• Which sibling is he most similar to? Most different from? In what way?
• Does he have extended family involved in his life? Grandparents? Uncles/aunts? Cousins?
• Does he have any romantic interests? What is it about their personality that he is drawn to? (Remember, sometimes opposites really do attract.)
• Does he have any children?
• Who is his best friend? Other friends?
• Does he interact often with any neighbors?
• Would he consider anyone his enemy? Why?
• Does he have a mentor? Who does he go to for advice? When he needs someone to listen?
• Who does he look down on (feel a little superior to), even if it is subconscious?
• Who does he feel inferior to? Why?
• If married, is his marriage happy or unhappy - or something in between?

7) Where does he live?

• What kind of house do they live in?
• What kind of neighborhood?
• Is the house large or small?
• Has he lived there for six months or his whole life?
• If you went in his bedroom, what kind of objects would you see on the floor, on the walls, on top of shelves or the desk?
• Does he like where he lives, or does he have aspirations to move on?
• Can he not wait to get home every evening, or not wait to get out in the mornings?
• Is it well maintained or going to seed? What about the garden?
• Is the house tidy or cluttered? Is it clean or dirty?
• Where does he eat his meals?

8) What does he do?

• What does he do extraordinarily well? (Talents?)
• What does he do that makes him ordinary?
• What does he do to earn a living? (Or does he go to school?)
• How much does he earn? Is it enough for him?
• Does he enjoy his job/school, or does he dread going into work/school every morning?
• Does he have a hobby or pastime?
• Does he do any charity work or community work?
• How does he unwind after a long day?
• What does he do on weekends?
• What is he not very good at?

9) What events from his past have made him want what he wants?

• Does he have any skeletons in the closet about to fall out? (Anything he is ashamed of from his past?)
• Has someone betrayed him? Has he betrayed someone?
• How does he feel about his childhood? Anything that he wants to avoid doing or becoming?
• What spiritual experiences has he had? What religious experiences? (Note: these are not the same thing.)

10) What is his role in the novel?

• What does he want? Why?
• What does he yearn for? What does he yearn for subconsciously?
• How does the character change during the story?
• Do any of his relationships change during the story?
• Does his spirit change during the story?
• Does his sense of identity change?
• How does he tend to react when confronted by problems? (fight or flight? intellectual or emotional? reserved/private or open/public?)
• What choice does he make that ends up making things worse for him?

Adapted from: http://www.novel-writing-help.com/create-character-profiles.html

Things I Know Sept. 15

Today we read the poem "Things I Know" by Joyce Sutphen. We noted that the poem has a "turn" in it in the final two stanzas when the speaker of the poem says, "I slip/ through the fence and into the woods,/ where I know everything: trunk/ by branch by leaf into sky." Up to that point, the poem was about small concrete images (sensations) that the speaker knew from the farm, but with the turn the speaker shifts our focus to the continuity and oneness of the natural world and how knowing is really part of our being in the world and being a part of the world (the trunk is connected with the branch bone, the branch bone connected to the leaf bone, the leaf bone connected to the sky bone).

Another name for poetry is verse which means "to turn." Once a poet has learned to use concrete images to create a sensory experience for a reader, her next task is to get those images to add up to something meaningful, avoiding the dangerous pitfall of hitting her reader over the head with a moral-of-the-story anvil. Introducing a turn is essential to making it all "add up." The turn shifts our perspective, enlarges our field of view, contextualizes the poem. In jokes, it is the punchline. A poem without a punchline is just as sad.

We continued hearing students read their poems and providing feedback. This is a critical process for all involved for honing our poetic ears.

So far students have completed one assigned poem. By Wednesday, they should complete another. By Friday, a third. One of the next two poems needs to be an imitation of "Things I Know." Please write about something you know intimately, just as the speaker in this poem knew the farm, something you have spent hours, and days, and even years doing so that no one else could know it the way you do.

Poetry Circle Sept. 8

Today we held our first poetry circle for students to read aloud their first poems and receive feedback from their classmates. For now, feedback involves identifying the phrases, words, and images that are most effective. Helping other writers to know which parts of their writing are effective is very valuable. If no one is talking about some portions of a poem, the author should question whether those lines should be kept, cut, or revised.

No new homework. Feel free to continue to work on your first poem or draft additional poems. Those who did not get to share their poems today will have an opportunity on Wednesday.

Coming to Our Senses: Sight and Touch Aug. 29

Today we continued our exploration of poetry as sensation-rich experience by looking specifically at the senses of sight and touch.

We wrote words to describe details in the following picture:

Then we considered the painting entitled "Starry Night" by Van Gogh:

Why is Van Gogh's painting so popular? It helps us see the night sky with new eyes, a sky we've grown used to seeing in a cliché way has become real and vivid to us anew. Although his painting is not true in the sense of being photorealistic, it is truthful in how it helps us to see aspects of the sky as they really are and not according to preconceived notions of what the sky looks like that blind us from seeing more.

Whether we are talking about painting or creative writing, the same principles apply. Our medium simply changes from oil paints to word images.

Next, we considered a clip from the Iranian film The Color of Paradise (minutes 31:00-32:00):  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gddtjBAVVQk.

We used our sense of touch to experience some textures outdoors and then tried to recreate the experience with words.

Homework:
You are invited to sit somewhere (your backyard, a mall, in your home, by the road, etc.) and write words and phrases that capture the moment using your senses of sight and touch.

What is poetry? Aug. 27

We read a few poems and discussed what poetry is. We decided poetry could be described as

• defying expectations
• making the ordinary extraordinary
• orange juice concentrate
• coming to your senses

Emily Dickenson says, "If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry."

We read "Do You Have Any Advice For Those of Us Just Starting Out?" and identified words or phrases that appeal to our five senses.

We also read "The Pasture" by Robert Frost. This poem is an invitation to come to our senses.

I defined poetry as a way of being in the world, one in which we are alive to our experience and our senses.  I shared some examples from my life: of getting dressed in the morning and talking with my wife about aging, about watching my children bury a baby rabbit, about holding my injured child, and about attending a funeral viewing. Being alive to our experience does not mean being "drama queens" or "emos"; rather, it is being truthfully aware of experience, whatever what emotional content that experience may include. If you are bored, write about being bored, but write it truthfully. Capture what it is to be bored in the world.

We practiced being in touch with our senses by listening without talking for a minute and then writing what we experienced. We talked about avoiding clichés which fail to conjure a sensory experience for a reader. For example, if we say a chair squeaked, it means nothing. We have heard that onomatopoeia so many times, we fail to hear the "squeak." Instead, we looked for fresh, more accurate ways to help readers experience sensually what we intend. One student suggested the chair sounded like a croaking. This is more effective. We could keep searching for just the right words to capture and recreate the sense experience. I thought the sound was shorter in duration than a croak (which has drawn out vowel sounds and thus sounds long). I thought it was lighter in tone as well, perhaps a chirp.

Here are the little poems I shared from my writing. Please keep in mind they are first drafts:

Almost Middle-Aged

Man tucking button-up shirt into jeans
The way the shirt balloons near the waistband reminds him of his father
Asks wife still lying in bed,
Tucked in or not tucked in?
Tucked in.

On the edge of his bed tying his shoes,
Do I look like an old man?
I don’t think so.
Do old men know that they look like old men?
Do old women know that their men look like old men?

The Viewing

 
She was only fifteen
Her classmates mourn her never-to-bes
No driver’s license, no first kiss, no wedding dress.
I wait in line
Having decided the day before not to try to say anything.
(What could anyone say?)

A sign says
Members of the family are still healing from injuries from the crash—
A gentle squeeze is appreciated.
Handle with care.

I view her family

Her father and brothers in matching sea foam green ties
Lined up as if for a wedding reception.
Her mother is smiling until
She says to someone I do not know, “I just have to look up there,”
Signaling away from the open casket
Towards the photograph on the easel
And her voice pitches shrill and her face contracts
And I look away.

I hug her father—men don’t usually hug this way, at least we never did—

He tries to introduce his other children,
His son wears an arm brace and sits on a stool
His oldest daughter is in another room tending to his first grandchild
His other daughter says, “Thank you for coming.”
(What else could she say?)

And then I am there in front of her

Her face is caked in makeup like calamine lotion
Her closed eyelids seem larger-than-life
She is not so much a porcelain doll
As dried clay.

A dress silken green

A spray of flowers and peacock feathers
A ratty stuffed animal tucked in by her folded terra cotta hands.
I think of my own children
And with sympathetic imagination ask myself
Why that toy? Why those feathers? Why that dress?
How to select a casket? A picture frame? A photograph?

Creative Writing Syllabus 2014-15

Course Description
In this year-long elective course, students will play with a variety of creative writing processes as they learn to produce their own works in the genres of poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction. As a class, they will publish their best pieces in an anthology. Great writers have two essential habits: they read a lot and they write a lot. Likewise, this class will include readings from a range of inspiring authors and extensive writing. Students will learn to play with words—with the sounds of Ss slithering through the dry grass, with the images of dimples and scars reflected in a toothpaste spattered mirror, and with the echoes of ideas glinting like gemstones or cat eyes in the caverns of the heart and imagination. Students will learn first-hand the resources of the English language and that perhaps creative writing is simply good communication. Students with any level of experience are welcome.

Learning Objectives: What

1.       Students will explore creative processes:
·         coming to ones senses
·         cultivating play and dream states
·         suspending disbelief
·         inviting divine inspiration
·         mining sources
·         honing and summoning craft
·         distilling and extrapolating experience
·         persisting in practice
·         forging order

2.       Through word play, students will delight in the gift and resources of the English language:
·         sound and silence
·         rhythm
·         diction
·         images
·         literary devices
·         syntax
·         pacing
·         organization
·         genre conventions

3.       Students will grow compelling, truthful narratives organically from characters, problems, and settings.

4.       Students will understand what makes some narratives true and helpful:

a.       a worldview wherein good and evil have true consequences, wherein the natural man wrestles with the “better angels of our nature,” wherein the love of God and the love of neighbor are the foundation of liberty, and wherein charity never faileth

b.      an author who respects the agency of her readers and trusts the power of truth to be self-verifying

 

5.       Students will use creative writing approaches to non-fiction subjects in a way that increases the potency, connectedness, and truthfulness of their communications.
 
6.       Students will collaborate to select, edit, sequence, and publish an anthology of student writing and individual portfolios highlighting their creative writing products across genres.
 
Learning Objectives: Why?

The decay of the English language in America is one of the new fronts in America’s fight for liberty. The state of our use of language reflects the quality of our thinking as a nation. Words are the filter through which we perceive the world. We typically cannot perceive something until we have a word to name it. For this reason, a narrowing of the English language spectrum American’s have at-hand is a weighty consideration. After all, Tyranny has long used the medium of language, the mists of darkness of propaganda and rhetoric, to blind and captivate. On the other hand, Truth, or rightly perceiving things as they really are, were, and will be, will always make free.

This creative writing course will bolster students’ access to and appreciation for quality literature in a time when popular trends in education minimize literature to make way for non-literary readings. As students read and write in this course, they will hone their language skills so they will be better prepared to discern truth from error and build the kingdom of God with their perspicuity:

PERSPICU'ITY, n.

Clearness to mental vision; easiness to be understood; freedom from obscurity or ambiguity; that quality of writing or language which readily presents to the mind of another the precise ideas of the author. Perspicuity is the first excellence of writing or speaking. (Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)

Although the objectives of this creative writing course are deeply important, these weighty considerations should not overshadow another reason for this course: sheer joy. As students engage in creative writing, they develop and enjoy their God-given creative impulse. Creation is a delightful experience and certainly helps us fulfill the measure of our creation:

[R]emember that you are spirit [children] of the most creative Being in the universe. Isn’t it remarkable to think that your very spirits are fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God? Think about it—your spirit body is a masterpiece, created with a beauty, function, and capacity beyond imagination.

But to what end were we created? We were created with the express purpose and potential of experiencing a fulness of joy. Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness. One of the ways we find this is by creating things. (President Dieter F. Uchdorf. “Happiness, Your Heritage.” Oct. 2008.)

Furthermore, creative writing can be an internship in seeking the Spirit:

The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create. That is your opportunity in this life and your destiny in the life to come. [Brothers and] Sisters, trust and rely on the Spirit. As you take the normal opportunities of your daily life and create something of beauty and helpfulness, you improve not only the world around you but also the world within you. (Ibid.)

Assessment and Grading

Because Creative Writing is an art and class is a workshop, you will be graded on both your products and your process.

Product

Portfolio

You will compile and submit a portfolio of your creative writing pieces each term. Each piece will be evaluated on a “personal best” criterion.

Portfolio due dates:

Oct. 13

Dec. 15

March 2

May 18

Contest Submissions

Each term you are required to select at least one piece to submit to a writing competition. You must do a final edit with Mr. Dye before submitting the piece. Please attach a photocopy of your completed submission form to the piece and include it in your portfolio.

Process

Writer’s Notebook
You will keep a writer’s notebook every day in class. It should be a composition notebook (9.75”X7.5”). Although this is a workspace, it should be clean and orderly. Each day’s entry should begin on a new page with the date at the top. Your notebook will be evaluated on orderliness, quantity, and quality.

Source Book

You will keep a source book with annotated readings. These will include poems, short stories, and essays that we read together in class. These readings will help us notice how other authors conduct their craft and generate ideas for our own writing. You may also include in this source book anything else you find that inspires your writing: photos, doodles, poems, blogs, etc. The source book will be evaluated on how you use it to enhance and inspire your writing.
 
Reading Circles
We will regularly gather as a class in a reading circle to read and evaluate our own writing. This is one of the most important parts of our writing process. Your participation both as a reader as a commenter will be graded.

Devotionals

We will have a devotional each morning to begin class. Students will sign up for days/topics. Giving devotionals will be part of your grade.

Grade Breakdown

Please note, I expect most students to receive a good grade. If you work hard, participate fully, and produce your personal best work, you will do well. This is an elective class where what we do is far more important than the grades.

Portfolio	30%
Contest Submission	10%
Writer’s Notebook	35%
Source Book	10%
Reading Circles	10%
Devotionals	5%

General Policies and Procedures

Submission of Assignments

All final drafts, unless otherwise specified, must be typed.  They should be in MLA format with Times New Roman font size 12. Although this is a creative writing class, it is not a graphics design class. Please do not use colored ink or cutsy fonts. Let your words speak for themselves. If your printer is broken, please plan to pay to print your assignment at the school library. Assignments should be submitted to the appropriate paper tray in the back of the classroom.

Electronics in Class

Laptops may be used in class for appropriate educational purposes. Misuse of electronics will result in loss of privileges and a parent conference on integrity.

Appropriate use of laptops is a matter of personal integrity—will you keep your commitment even when the teacher is not looking?

Absences
Students are responsible for getting work from the teacher in advance if they know they will be absent.  In the case of an unexpected absence, students should contact a classmate to find out about class assignments.  They should also speak with the teacher after school or during lunch the day immediately following the absence.

Tardy/Hall Passes

Please plan to arrive at school early so you can be to class when we start (when the bell rings). We will begin class each day with a devotional. Please respect the student who is giving the devotional by not interrupting. Please also respect our shared need to set the tone for the day.

You will receive 2 tardy/hall passes per term. Each pass may be used to excuse a tardy or a quick visit to the bathroom/locker. Tardies and leaving the classroom distracts from learning, so please be considerate as you come and go. Quietly fill out the pass and leave it on Mr. Dye’s desk. Please do not visit in the hallways or distract other classes. Unused tardy/hall passes may be redeemed at the end of term for extra credit. If you run out of passes, you will be required to come after school to visit with Mr. Dye the day of the incident.

Uniforms

Students who wear the uniform correctly will be admitted to class. Proper wearing of the uniform shows respect for self, classmates, teachers, and education. The uniform is an outward reflection of an inward commitment to unity, modesty, neatness, and dignity.

Classroom Stewardship

Our building, worth millions of dollars, was gifted to us by generous donors who frequently visit our school. Please help us show respect for this gift by doing three things:

1)      Clean up after yourself each day in the classroom. Please store personal items (including jackets, notebooks, and backpacks) in your locker and not in the classroom.

2)      Don’t lean back in chairs and avoid banging the walls.

3)      Eat food in the classroom only during approved class celebrations. Please eat lunch and snacks in approved areas of the building.

At the end of each class period, students should get in the habit of always cleaning up around themselves (i.e., pushing in your chair, cleaning up bits of paper on the ground).

Emergency Drills
Although emergency drills are routine, we must take care to practice them as if they were the real thing. During building evacuation drills students must line up in a straight line with the teacher at the head. Students must not wander to visit with friends. Timely accounting for each student and orderly conduct are essential in a real emergency.

Communication with Parents

I welcome feedback from parents. The best way to reach me is by email or in person. Whereas this is an elective class with a limited number of graded assignments, there will not be weekly updates to Edline. The best measure of your student’s progress is by visiting with him or her about in-class participation and the progress they are making on their writing.

bdye@ahsmail.com

First Day of School Aug. 25

Welcome back to school! I am excited to work with you and to enjoy creative writing together. Today we had an opening assembly. Then we got our feet wet by doing a quick write response to this picture. What does the paper in the typewriter say?