The Draft, Part 2: February 23, 2016

Focus: How can we discipline our first drafts into stronger second drafts?

From www.goodreads.com

“The writer must have a good imagination to begin with, but the imagination has to be muscular, which means it must be exercised in a disciplined way, day in and day out, by writing, failing, succeeding and revising."

[The Writer's Digest Interview: Stephen King & Jerry B. Jenkins (Jessica Strawser, Writer's Digest, May/June 2009)]”

"Me takey your books today." --Ms. Leclaire

1. Celebrating your opening sentences

• In this world, there are two kinds of people. There are people who know exactly what they’re doing at all times. They never question themselves, they never worry, and they have their mind one hundred percent under control. And then there are the people who aren’t lying to themselves.

• Solipsism and a lack of empathy can destroy the lives of others. Those two terms describe Macbeth and the character from “I, Myself” by Angel Gonzalez.

• Corruption feeds on internal conflicts.

2. Peer or self editing for format and content (our focus tomorrow will be style)

Click here for the editing slides.

3. Wrapping up with creative concluding sentences using visual imagery

• Close your eyes and let images from Macbeth roll through your mind, particularly images from the play's ending.

• Reread the last stanza or two of "I Myself" and picture the speaker.

• Go to Google images and search terms such as "crossroads," or "final scene of Macbeth." You might find some inspiring images. Do a little freewriting and see where it takes you.

• Let your creative writing into your concluding sentences.

HW:
1. For the essay timeline, click here.

2. Banned books should be complete by this point.

3. Please complete the FANBOYS www.noredink.com assignment (it's not new--just the same one as last week); brief "quiz" on Friday.