Given how things are going (and getting a sense of where everyone is at with everything), I’ve decided to change our regular Monday class session into a couple of asynchronous activities instead. I’ve included those activities below. You should complete these in your individual folder (in either one or two documents, as long as they are clearly labeled). You are responsible for having completed both of them by the time class starts on Monday, December 2.
Activity 1 – Imitation
So, this week, you’re going to have the chance to learn from others who write in the genre you’ve chosen for the final project. While we often disparage copying and imitation as a way of “cheating,” when it comes to developing as a writer, it can actually be a very useful practice. So, with this in mind, you’re going to have the opportunity to imitate someone else’s writing style… ideally, you will be seeing how folks write in the genre you’ve chosen for your final project and trying your hand at writing in a similar way. (If you are not in class, keep in mind – there are three parts to this (each relatively brief), so make sure you do them all.)
Part 1 – Finding a Genre Example
- Find an example of the genre you plan on writing in for the final genre project
- Skim/read through it
- Identify a paragraph that you find particularly effective
- It would be best if you could include this paragraph in your document if possible
- Take some time and write about what elements of this passage/text appeal to you.
- What do you like about it?
- What specific words do you appreciate?
- What “moves” does the author make that you think work well?
- How does it make you feel?
- Also, consider going through and really breaking down the parts/types of speech throughout the paragraph. (See the example below.)
In other words, analyze this piece and then explain why you want to imitate this specifically. Try to get detailed here; focus on the specifics, and feel free to annotate the paragraph if you need.
Part 2 – Imitating the Style
- Write about your topic imitating the style of the paragraph you’ve selected and analyzed above. Basically, this means keeping all of the same sentence structure, format, punctation, etc. but replacing the content with your own subject and word choice.
- Use similar sentence structure/format
- Use a similar tone
- Make similar moves
- Try not to feel too awkward
Part 3 – Reflecting
- Now, take some time to reflect and write on the experience and what you just discussed:
- How was the process of imitating?
- What worked? What didn’t?
- What did you learn from the process? About your own style? About the genre?
- What might you take away from this activity in terms of your own final genre project?
Example Imitation:
I’ve included an example of imitation below. While the “analysis/breakdown” uses more terminology that I would expect of you, it can give you a sense of how you can go about the process.
Original
My name is Mary Katherine Blackwood. I am eighteen years old, and I live with my sister Constance. I have often thought that with any luck at all I could have been born a werewolf, because the two middle fingers on both my hands are the same length, but I have had to be content with what I had. I dislike washing myself, and dogs, and noise. I like my sister Constance, and Richard Plantagenet, and Amanita phalloides, the death-cup mushroom. Everyone else in my family is dead. (From We Have Always Lived in the Castle – a mystery novel by Shirley Jackson)
Analysis/Breakdown
My [noun] is [proper noun]. I am [predicate adjective], and I [verb] [prepositional phrase] [proper noun]. I have often [verb] that [prepositional phrase] I could have [verb] [noun], because the [noun phrase] [prepositional phrase] are [adjective phrase], but I have had to [verb phrase] [prepositional phrase]. I dislike [phrase], [phrase], and [phrase]. I like [phrase], [phrase], and [phrase]. [Short, seemingly non-sequitur sentence.]
Imitation
My refuge is Eden. I am reflective, and I walk through the lush groves with a heart full of wonder. I have often dreamed that by communing with the garden’s creatures, I could have unlocked the language of nature, because their existence speaks of a deeper connection, but I have had to be content with silent companionship. I dislike doubt, the unknown, and temptation. I like the morning dew on my bare feet, the chorus of birds at dawn, and tranquility. The serpent calls me by name.
Activity 2 – Example Analysis
For the second activity, pick two of the example projects and do the following:
- Focusing on the project and reflection, answer the following questions:
- What genre is this project?
- How do you know?
- What stands out to you about this project?
- What do you think is missing or could be improved?
- Where/how does the research come through for this project?
- That is, how do you know the author researched the place?
- How do they cite this information and/or reference it?
- What genre is this project?
Again, you should do this for two different student example projects. Try to get detailed and analytical in your responses, and we’ll work with these in class when we all reconvene on Monday.
Participation Notebook
This week for your participation notebook, you should reflect on things as a whole: how are you feeling about the class, your progress, and your direction. Really try to take some time to reflect on where you are with everything and make a plan for how you’re going to finish up the rest of the quarter.