Today, we discussed ways to ward off fear.
What we often do when we are challenged is venture into blame. We get sick. We give up. We blame the course, the brain. We say mean things to ourselves and we start to believe them: I am not creative. I hate English. ETC
Don't be fooled by these ideas. They are not real. They are the voice of fear.
Stand up to these voices in English 10 and you'll be able to stand up to these voices at work, in sports, in recitals, when giving a speech at church or in your community.
Feel the fear and do the job!
Steps to get the story written:
1. USE THE TEMPLATE.
2. IT'S YOUR STORY. TELL IT YOUR WAY.
3. KNOW WHY YOU ARE WRITING IT.
4. FOCUS ON SMALL SCENES. DON'T WORRY ABOUT HOW IT WILL END UNTIL YOU GET TO THE END.
5. PUT YOURSELF IN YOUR CHARACTER'S SHOES. WHAT DOES HE/SHE NEED TO SAY OR DO? WHY CAN'T THEY SAY OR DO IT? WHAT OBSTACLES--MENTAL OR PHYSICAL MUST THEY FACE?
6. RE-READ STORIES WE HAVE STUDIED OR READ NEW STORIES IN YOUR NAMING THE BABY BOOK.
Find a reason to guide you through this process. Why am I writing this story? If you bring a sense of choice to each assignment rather than BECAUSE I HAVE TO PASS, it is much easier to stay motivated. You resist any psychological blocks.
Finish the sentence below:
I am writing this story because . . .
Some reasons could be
- I want to see what my character does.
- I want to reveal the truth about . . .
- I want to explore another view of the world.
- I want to try to figure out what I feel about what happened to me last summer.
- I want to be a writer.
- I want to play God.
- I want to use words in a new way . . .
FINAL SHORT STORY TEST IS THURSDAY:
You will read a short story and answer a question in a formal, literary paragraph. You must finish on time.
You will be marked on your ability to find good examples from the story and cite them properly. How well you form an insightful thesis. Your use of sentence variety and vocabulary. Your sense of grammar, spelling, punctuation and how to use language effectively to create a logical but passionate argument. Your ability to use the # 3 quote integration rule. Your use of all the literary must-haves: DO NOT USE THIS SHOWS OR THIS MEANS OR THIS REVEALS . . . . Revise the sentence to avoid using this or say what THIS represents.
For example: This shows that Sibylla is represented by the sick pigeon because . . .
Change it to: Society's contempt for Sibylla reveals that the sick pigeon not only represents . . .
STUDY:
1. Memorize the literary must-haves' list.
2. Memorize all three ways to integrate quotations.
3. Know how to cite using the MLA style sheet.
4. Study our vocabulary words and use them in your answer.
5. Study synonyms for reveals, shows, portrays. Try strong verbs such as exemplify, elucidates, depicts, emphasizes, suggests, etc.
6. Study the two paragraphs that I have marked. Is there something you need to learn? Do you use semi-colons and commas and apostrophes correctly? If not, google their usage. Study the rules. Are your sentences dull? How might you improve your sentence variety? Google: How to improve sentence variety.
Part of grade 10 English is learning how to be a student. How do I learn? What do I need to do differently? How can I get more involved in taking responsibility for my own progress? How can I stop the negative self talk and/or the procrastination? How can I organize my time?
Short stories: Bring an edited, typed copy of your short story (double spaced) for peer editing on Monday.
Final deadline for the story is Wed. Oct. 29th.
