12.3.13+and+12.4.13

Share out Snapshot writes Wendel sample:

Hooks and Leads: Samples:

Hooks and Leads: consider using... (take these notes in your journal)
 * start in the middle of the action
 * flashback
 * dialogue
 * shocking/thought-provoking idea
 * vivid description
 * irony
 * a question
 * mysterious information--make your reader want to know more


 * Practice:** create two new hooks for one of your snapshot writes--try different techniques (in your journal)


 * Character Detail:**
 * Notes: take these in your journal**

Characters: What types of characters do we see in the world? What makes characters “come to life” for you?

Notes: Character Detail

Physical: details about a character’s physical appearance:
 * hair
 * eyes color
 * height
 * weight
 * smell
 * touch
 * voice quality

Material: details about the material items that belong to, or represent them:
 * clothing
 * possessions
 * appearance in the world based on material items

Emotional: details about the character’s emotion/emotional state(s):
 * their typical reactions to situations
 * their outward emotional states
 * their private vs. public personas
 * quirks
 * Speech patterns/sayings


 * Creating Character Detail: helpful structure**

Emily was the sort of person who was practical in situations where most people were sentimental: When someone died, she arrived with toilet paper, paper cups, and a three-pound can of coffee.

He was the sort of person who always had to be the better-looking one in a relationship.

She is the type of person who talks during a movie.

He’s the type of guy who buys new socks instead of doing laundry.

She was the type of girl boys came to school for.

He’s the type of person who would tell you he’s listening to Lil Wayne, when, in reality, his I-pod’s full of Taylor Swift.

She’s the sort of person who never eats a meal sitting down.

He’s the kind of guy who gets cast as a tree with two lines, and becomes the most interesting part of the play.

They’re the type of couple who has dinner together but spend the whole time on texting other people.

She’s the kind of person who leaves a 7% tip at a restaurant.

They were the type of friends that could have a conversation without saying a word.


 * J**: He/She is the type of person who…

Create at least 5 examples of this type of character detail. Make sure to have at least one example of physical, material, and emotional detail in the mix.


 * HW: Obituary—character detail**

Craft your own obituary. Approach this less as morbid, and more as a celebration of yourself and what you’ve done in life thus far. What details would you include about yourself? How would you describe your experiences? What aspects of your character are most important and relevant? In at least a half a page in your journal, you must use:


 * At least two examples of each of the following: physical detail, material detail, emotional detail
 * At least two examples of the “he/she is the type of person who…”structure


 * You might combine the two requirements

Ex: Ms. Wendel was an avid ice cream eater and extremely slow runner, a fact she never blamed on the ice cream. She was the type of person who liked the smell of old books and always carried one in her purse for spare minutes. At the time of her death at age 104, Ms. Wendel had traveled to, 16 countries, 43 states, climbed two small mountains, run one marathon, and seen exactly one alligator. She was the type of person who took photographs of rain reflections rather than people, and quoted useless movie trivia more than was necessary. Upon her death, she donated her car, lovingly nicknamed Phineas, to Lincoln High School’s driver’s education program. Her one true regret was never learning to play the bass guitar.