AWI 2008

Friday, September 26, 2008

Do the Right Thing Conversation
Kwame Photo Gallery
Obama Speech on Race and Politics (34:00 to end)

What are the principles that exist in moral ambiguity?

How does the moral ambiguity of daily life inform the development of characters in our writing?

How can we look beyond media imagery and determine the core issues that are common to all human beings?

Wednesday 8.6.08

Mini Lesson on chunking

Linda Denstaedt

Think of each chunk as a scene in a story

*Act 1*	Put the character up a tree
*Act 2*	Throw rocks at character (make problem worse)
*Act 3*	Get your character down (consequences of action/resolution of conflict)

You will create chunks of text that fit together, whose combination creates the story.

By the first page of a novel, you should know the problem by the end of the first page.

By the first page of a short story, you should know the problem by the end of the first paragraph.

Some editors don’t read past the first two sentences.

To begin, plot your story in three acts in order to create a problem.

Plan the back story, at least 10 things have to be disclosed about the character (show, don’t tell)

We are writing character-driven stories.

Raymond Carver story. Minimalism.

Take a look at your chunks and decide what to abandon and what to keep. Control the time setting (e.g., a weekend or a trip to the mall)

nTo what extent is advertising diametrically opposed to Amy Tan’s notion of moral ambiguity?

Snoop Dogg - Gin and Juice
Gin and Juice (Redneck Version)
Phish – Gin and Juice (text)
Al Green – Let’s Stay Together
Led Zeppelin – Rock and Roll
Shakira – Whenever, Wherever
Shakira – Ojos Así
Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do it for You