vignette n. (vin-yet') a brief evocative description, account, or episode
Vignette #6: Any topic/approach Due to Google Classroom by the end of class Weds, 8/31
Write one more vignette rough draft. You may choose to write another description of a moment, person, or point of view. Or perhaps you have some other style or approach that you'd like to experiment with.
As with the other vignettes, make this about a half to one page in length, and turn it into Google Classroom.
Vignette #5: Point of View Due to Google Classroom by the end of class Mon, 8/29
Vignettes #3 and #4: describe a person
Details:
• Read examples of character descriptions written by writers I love.
Rough draft of vignette #3 due by the END of workshop time on Weds, 8/24
Rough draft of vignette #4 due by END of workshop time on Fri, 8/26
Please type these up on your Chromebook and submit them to Google Classroom.
Vignette #2: another moment
Vignette Revision
Choose one of your vignettes to revise. Don’t necessarily choose the piece that is the “best” as it is now. Choose the piece that you’d like to spend a lot of time on and/or that you think has the most potential.
Steps
Revision Goals: Concision, Precision, and Flow
Another revision suggestion: Most of you should divide your piece into paragraphs.
Choose one of your vignettes to revise. Don’t necessarily choose the piece that is the “best” as it is now. Choose the piece that you’d like to spend a lot of time on and/or that you think has the most potential.
Steps
- Choose one vignette to revise.
- Copy and paste your rough draft to the bottom of the document so you have a copy of your original draft to refer to after revising.
- Do some revision with the revision goals in mind.
- Feedback (you can do the following in the order you prefer)
- Get peer feedback >>> revise some more.
- Conference with Hill >>> revise some more.
- Submit final draft for grade. Turn into Google Classroom Due any time before end of day 9/12.
Revision Goals: Concision, Precision, and Flow
Goal Strategy
Concision - - - Eliminate words
Precision - - - - Be specific
Flow - - - - - - - Move across subject deliberatelyAnother revision suggestion: Most of you should divide your piece into paragraphs.
Vignette #6: Any topic/approach Due to Google Classroom by the end of class Weds, 8/31
As with the other vignettes, make this about a half to one page in length, and turn it into Google Classroom.
Vignette #5: Point of View Due to Google Classroom by the end of class Mon, 8/29
Your perception of the world is shaped by who you are: your experiences, abilities, prejudices, socioeconomic status, personality traits, gender, age, etc. You see things through a particular lens that frames your perception. Think of this assignment as an exercise in observing something through a lens different than your own.
Imagine a particular setting or object*. . . and describe it as seen by one of the people listed below.
[*ideas: a river, a building, the sky, a bowl of candy, a staircase, a mop, a playground...]
...as seen by a man whose son has just been killed in a war. Do not mention the son, war, death, or the man.
...as seen by a person blissfully in love. Do not mention love, the loved one, or the person doing the seeing.
...as seen by a carefree, happy child. Do not mention the child or his/her age.
...as seen by an old woman who has lived a full life. Do not mention her age or the woman herself.
...as seen by a runaway teenager. Do not mention his/her home or running away or the teenager.
...as seen by a paranoid schizophrenic. Do not mention his/her condition or the man/woman herself.
...as seen by * [Come up with some other "lens" to write from.]
Specs
• Write in first person point of view.
• Do not mention the "seer" or their state of mind directly…imply it in how you describe what they see.
• Do not mention the "seer" or their state of mind directly…imply it in how you describe what they see.
• Your vignette should be about one page, but I am more concerned with quality than quantity.
• In the heading or file name, include the assignment name (vignette #5).
Vignettes #3 and #4: describe a person
For these vignettes I want you to bring a person to life by simply describing their appearance. The details of our appearance (how we wear our hair, our body language, the colors we wear, the condition of our fingernails, the way our eyes move around a room, etc.....) say so much about us. A good writer pays attention to these kinds of details as she develops her characters.
As with the other vignettes this is not a "story" in the traditional sense, so do not concern yourself with plot or conflict. Try to make your description of the person’s appearance tell his or her story.
Describe a person (real or imagined) in as much detail as possible. Consider whether your subject will be still or active.
Details:
• Read examples of character descriptions written by writers I love.
• I recommend that you write this in third person point of view (he/she…), but you don’t have to
• Make each vignette about a half to one page in length.
• Include the assignment name in the heading &/OR in the file name.
• Submit your drafts to Google Classroom
• Remember that these drafts will not be graded. You will earn credit if you turn them in. Once you have written a couple more vignettes, you will choose one of them to revise and polish and submit for a grade.Rough draft of vignette #3 due by the END of workshop time on Weds, 8/24
Rough draft of vignette #4 due by END of workshop time on Fri, 8/26
Please type these up on your Chromebook and submit them to Google Classroom.
Vignette #2: another moment
Write another vignette describing a moment. Try describing a moment that is markedly different than your first vignette - in mood, tone, style, etc. Discuss possibilities with me and/or your classmates.
Rough drafts of vignettes 1 and 2 are both due by the END of workshop time on Friday. Please type these up on your Chromebook and submit them to Google Classroom.
Vignette #1: a moment
Every experience you have is a potential writing subject. Just being alive gives you a wealth of information and sensory experience from which to draw. For this assignment, you will write a vignette that conveys a focused, particular experience. (Some ideas: seeing a shooting star, diving into an icy river, losing a video game, looking for a friend in a crowd, opening your first paycheck.)
A vignette is a "slice of life" or a short descriptive sketch. It is not a "story" in the traditional sense, so you do not need a plot or conflict or background information or even people in the scene. The purpose of this assignment is to practice conveying experience with fresh language and images.
A vignette is a "slice of life" or a short descriptive sketch. It is not a "story" in the traditional sense, so you do not need a plot or conflict or background information or even people in the scene. The purpose of this assignment is to practice conveying experience with fresh language and images.
Write a vignette based on any experience you’ve had or imagined. It does not need to be a meaningful or exciting moment. In fact, it can be an utterly mundane moment. The point is to bring the experience of the moment to life with language. Be creative. Experiment.Specs:
• Try to make your piece about one page, but I am more concerned with quality than quantity.
• In the heading, include the assignment name ("Vignette #1," etc..).
• Choose an easy-to-read font (like Times or Helvetica), double space, size 10 or 12, 1" margins.
