I've been thinking about how to most efficiently post materials from class (if I can post word documents; if I can have separate folder for things like the syllabus and similar materials)--and have come to no conclusions. Thus, this is how we're going to roll for now.
Ok--in class last Thursday, we (I) talked a little bit about what a personal essay is. I gave you my own version of a definition... I made you do a writing exercise... We had fun. Believe me.
So, posted below are both of the materials we looked at in class. In previous classes I've taught, should you have been one of my students, you would have gotten these printed on little pieces of paper. In lieu of that, you get them here, and we'll all save a few trees or some such silliness.
Ok, The Definition:
The Personal Essay:
The personal essay is a an essay in which you, the author, guide us through a subject. The subject can be one deeply tied to your past: an exploration of a book you loved as a child; a description and exploration of your first job. Or it can be something you’re interested in: Nickelodeon game shows from the 1990s. The subject of your essay can vary widely…but one thing has to stay static: the essay is from your point of view. You must guide us through the subject, comment on it, relate it to your life. We, as readers, are equally as interested in your subject as we are interested in you, in your own thought process about your subject.
Another aspect of the personal essay to keep in mind is its message. This does not have to—and should not—club the reader over his head; you do not need a moral. But your reader should come away from your essay feeling as if she has gained an understanding you were trying to impart. But don’t worry too much about this—at least, in the initial stages. If you do worry too much about it, the essay will come off as stodgy, heavy-handed.
Now, The Writing Exercise:
Sometimes the most fruitful writing comes out of a place we’re totally familiar with—a literal place. For me, when I began, it was a river. This landscape might be, like mine, rural, or it might be urban—or even somewhere in between. Take a few minutes, channel what you might consider to be your most beloved landscape, and begin just describing the landscape you see. Because we began to talk about sentence structure today, think about sentence structure in writing about your landscape. First, try writing in long, rolling sentences, with lots of clauses and descriptive language. Then, switch it up. Rewrite, or continue writing, about the landscape in short, choppy sentences. Use subject-verb-object construction only. Use fragments.
The syllabus, the personal essay guidelines, workshop guidelines, are all soon to come.
Any questions? Anything else I've missed? Leave a note in the comments....
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