Creative Writing: Week 3 Assignments

Discussion: Dialogue

Dialog can tell your readers a lot about the characters. How something is said is just as important as what your characters say. Unless you have something extremely concise to report through the use of dialog alone, you do not need to include a lot of action in the dialog. Most of us do not have that kind of skill. Please tell us what is happening. Are they talking in a cafe? Are they talking in private? What is the difference between conversations in public and in private? Are they getting dressed? Going to sleep? Waking up? What time is it and where? All of these details can make a huge difference in the meaning of what they actually say.

Small Groups

This week I would like you to focus on how you write. We will want to know how often you write, what times of the day are best for you, and how much you like to write in one sitting. We will also want to know if you compose directly on the computer or if you use notebooks. What kind of pens or pencils do you prefer? What word processing program do you use? Tell us anything about the actual method of your writing. Report your findings for your group back to the main discussion board.

Reading

Read this story carefully for its use of dialog. What do the patterns of speech tell us about the characters? How does Hemingway use dialog to shape this story?

Describe the narrator or point of view in this story.  Is this narrator a young teenage boy or is he an older man remembering an important incident when he was younger?

Assignments:

1. Read Hemingway's "The Killers"; post to the discussion and comment on the postings of at least two others.
2. Write your second piece of fiction and send a draft to your group and instructor by the end of the week.
3. E-mail your group and describe your writing practice and process (how often you write, what you write, etc.).
4. Write two entries in your e-journal.