Metaphor by Metaphor

English 2250 workshopping

sdgibson — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:23:55 +0000

This PDF contains the first set of poems we’ll workshop this semester. They’re in the order I received them.

English 4420 and characterization

sdgibson — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:15:26 +0000

Address these questions:

How do your characters act in the face of opposition/desires that contrast with their own? Do they plan, try to persuade, take physical action, for example?
Describe three events that your central character remembers and that influence his or her current actions.
Who has power (physical, emotional, etc.) over whom and why? What’s the source of the power? How is it being used? Which actions express that power? Which actions lead to shifts in that power?
What actions by which characters show relationships at risk rather than overt/obvious conflict?
List scenes you currently feel you’ll need to write. Which actions should you summarize?

Continuing toward characterization

sdgibson — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:18:13 +0000

I found this exercise useful when trying to create characters. From Alice LaPlante’s Method and Madness, here is the PDF.

Collected stories from English 2250

sdgibson — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:35:18 +0000

This PDF contains the stories students in English 2250 in Fall 2011 wished to share with each other. They are in the order they were given to me. Enjoy.

Open House for London Study Abroad

sdgibson — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 22:32:37 +0000

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Liberal Arts 116
10 AM-2 PM

Ø Get refreshments and lots of information!

Ø Find out how to use Financial Aid (Pell Grants, SEOG, Perkins and Stafford Loans )

Ø Discover funding opportunities from UVU, the Gilman Program, and others

Ø Find out how to fulfill GE requirements abroad.

Ø Meet the professors and learn about their courses.

Ø Hear from former program students about their experiences.

2250 fragments

sdgibson — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 16:15:18 +0000

Remember, you need to bring an electronic version of your notes on these fragments. I suggest using the fiction criteria on the course syllabus in the writing of your notes.

Brown’s Wieland, exploration, and doubt

sdgibson — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:16:17 +0000

From Richard Gray’s A History of American Literature: “Brown is exploring the two prevailing systems of thought in early America: respectively, the rationalism of the Enlightenment and the mysticism of Christianity. He is also casting both into doubt” (97-98).

What evidence might Gray use to support the idea that Brown casts doubt on both Enlightenment thinking and Christian mysticism? Cite specific examples from Wieland.

Controlling point of view

sdgibson — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 19:32:39 +0000

How do we move from an exterior to the inner life of a character? One method:

exterior description of character and setting (at least three sentences)
explicit thoughts about the setting (one sentence): “He thought,” “she thought”
implicit thoughts/interior monologue (at least three sentences)

character’s past or
inner life

explicit thoughts about the setting (one sentence)
exterior description of character and setting (at least three sentences)

What breaks readers out of a character’s inner life? Abrupt movement back up this scale of closeness.

Try it.

Cinderella, conflict, and connection

sdgibson — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:51:44 +0000

Look at this view of Cinderella, from Janet Burroway’s Writing Fiction. Consider also these contrasting views of conflict and connection when plotting/characterizing, which are also from Burroway’s book.

Encountering objections

sdgibson — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 16:14:07 +0000

Which of the objections (generated by either you or a peer) to your thesis or supporting points are most likely to be presented by your audience? Of these, which do you want to refute or concede?

How can you directly refute?

If you are conceding, what is the greater “support” to your thesis you can explicitly mention?

Brainstorm a brief plan for replying to each objection you are likely to encounter.