Mimicking the Artist 1

Mimicking the Artist 1: (plot, narration and character)
due: Friday, May 1 2009

Guidelines:

- 1-2 page short story (perhaps one brief scene from a larger piece) that serves as a creative homage to a writer you admire (or don’t!).

- Can be an author we’ve read, or a writer you’ve read and feel you understand their literary techniques/writing style.

- Imitate/parody the author’s writing style – the literary device(s) that make them famous (plot, characters, language/dialect/syntax/word choice, dialogue, theme, symbolism, suspense, allegory/ etc.)

o At the top, on left-hand side, head your paper with:
    • Your name
    • Mimicking _______ (insert their name)
    • ID story and/or aspect of their writing you’re mimicking

Modernize the stories (or sci-fi them), update the language and setting, etc. If an author is known for thick language or dialect of their time and culture – use the dialect of our time and culture. However, be true to who you are, and consider if your language might offend your audience! In other words, do your best not to have flat characters (stereotypes) unless this is part of the authorial imitation.

The ubiquitous advice to burgeoning writers (even if forced to write!) is to be honest, and “write what you know.” However, leaving the statement at that is dangerous. Without context, it tells you to write with an authority of having the answers, when this is simply not the case What that statement really means is this:

Write from the reality and experiences of your life; what have you been through, what people in your life have gone through; what is the world you live in; what themes of humanity obsess you? What do you know, but not really know? What is worth exploring based on you and your experience?

For Friday, 4/17:

Response #1 (50 points)

Due: Friday, April 17th


Atwood v. Oates

Here is your first written chance (in this course) to turn personal preference into an analytical response.

Which story, of the last two read for Plot Week, do you prefer? Both authors are considered major writers of the 20th century; both, that is to say, have their literary merit, and are worth analysis.

So, focusing mostly on plot and its effects on the characters, what parts of your favored story – upon a close reading – makes the story worth sharing with readers 50 years from now?

Use specific detail from story. Quote lines from the text and explain in your own words how you understand these lines operating in the story – how do they make the story?

Guidelines: 12pt, Times New Roman (Cambria is okay); 1-2 pages double-spaced.
This will serve as a “diagnostic” as well as your first grade.