Today we looked at Hills Like White Elephants and looked at the different ways we can convey different information via dialogue. Dialogue is a great way to practice showing and not telling and a great way to start a specific scene in your narrative. Presenting the words that people actually say allows us to provide our narrative with a higher level of specificity. We can reveal things like character, setting, the conflict, the relationship between two characters, the mood of the piece, time period, background, etc.
Conflict
A story isn't a story without conflict. A character overcoming an obstacle is what drives a story. Again think about our activity in class as you write. Remember how you had to use different tactics to attempt to get what you want. Remember that you weren't given what you wanted easily. You want to show your character working hard for what they want. Also if it's another person preventing you (or your main character) from getting what you want, try and provide them with a reason while they're doing so (remember how your classmate always denied you for a reason). This keeps us from having flat stereotypical villains.
Theme/Thesis
What do you want to say to the world with your story? That is the thesis of your piece and should be your guide as you write. Try and answer this question: If people do nothing else they should come away from my piece thinking/feeling/believing/wanting....what?
Stories can help us illuminate the things we find important in life. We can increase the empathy people have for one another. We can use that empathy to change minds and behaviors. We can make others feel less alone. I know that the narrative assignment can sometimes feel like a fluff piece for some, but being able to tell a story that teaches a lesson, or reveals an important part of your identity, is an important skill to have.
In "Mother Tongue" Amy Tan aims to change the way we think about "broken" English and those who speak it. There is so much importance placed on "proper" English that we fail to understand the things we can learn from other ways of speaking English. She actually uses storytelling to start a conversation about a bigger issue.
Sherman Alexie does the same with his narrative. He uses his life experiences to show how people stereotype him because he is Indian and the effects of those stereotypes. He explores what it's like to be a member of both worlds, Indian and American, and how Indian life is American life, just an aspect of it that is rarely explored in literature and other forms of media.
What bigger issues do some of your life experiences speak to? How have your experiences shaped the way you see the world? The way you see yourselves? The way your fictional characters see themselves?
As you write, please be mindful about stereotypes and assumptions. Don't assume that everyone is going to see the world through the same lens that you see it. Help them to understand where you and your characters are coming from. BE SPECIFIC. SHOW DON'T TELL.
Here is a video about the dangers of stereotyping and a "single story."
Theme/Thesis
What do you want to say to the world with your story? That is the thesis of your piece and should be your guide as you write. Try and answer this question: If people do nothing else they should come away from my piece thinking/feeling/believing/wanting....what?
Stories can help us illuminate the things we find important in life. We can increase the empathy people have for one another. We can use that empathy to change minds and behaviors. We can make others feel less alone. I know that the narrative assignment can sometimes feel like a fluff piece for some, but being able to tell a story that teaches a lesson, or reveals an important part of your identity, is an important skill to have.
In "Mother Tongue" Amy Tan aims to change the way we think about "broken" English and those who speak it. There is so much importance placed on "proper" English that we fail to understand the things we can learn from other ways of speaking English. She actually uses storytelling to start a conversation about a bigger issue.
Sherman Alexie does the same with his narrative. He uses his life experiences to show how people stereotype him because he is Indian and the effects of those stereotypes. He explores what it's like to be a member of both worlds, Indian and American, and how Indian life is American life, just an aspect of it that is rarely explored in literature and other forms of media.
What bigger issues do some of your life experiences speak to? How have your experiences shaped the way you see the world? The way you see yourselves? The way your fictional characters see themselves?
As you write, please be mindful about stereotypes and assumptions. Don't assume that everyone is going to see the world through the same lens that you see it. Help them to understand where you and your characters are coming from. BE SPECIFIC. SHOW DON'T TELL.
Here is a video about the dangers of stereotyping and a "single story."
Make sure you don't depend on generalizations to carry your story. Avoid statements that say or imply that all college students do this; all girls do that. Specificity is what make our stories interesting.
Homework
- One Page Dialogue via Google Docs (due Monday 9/26 at 11:45pm) You can use your dialogue to either further your personal narrative that you started over the past week or you can use it to start your fictional narrative.
- Do the Review Task- Character/Setting Description Review via ELI Review (due Monday 9/26 at 11:45pm)
- Do the Review Task - One Page Dialogue Review. (due Tuesday 9/27 at 11:45pm)
- First Drafts of Narratives (due Friday 9/30 in class) Please review the Narrative Assignment Sheet for requirements.
