Day 11

M-Tu Sep. 27-28

Some advice about revision
Thinking about building a “writing practice”
Read “I Remembers” together and observe

Homework

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Due at midnight (11:59pm) on Sunday May 14 (China time)

Choose one of your three essays—the one you’re proudest of, or most interested in improving—and revise it into a complete, polished work that you could imagine being published in the Literary Atlas of DKU, or elsewhere.

➤ Tell me which essay you want to revise

By next class, please decide (at least tentatively) which of your essays you want to revise and submit as your final project.

Message me on WeChat and tell me which essay you think you’ll choose!

As soon as you have a new version of your essay ready, feel free to make an appointment with me to read it. I’m happy to give feedback on as many drafts as you’re motivated to produce before the final deadline. Please note that the final project is due at midnight (11:59pm) on Sunday October 17th.

(Note that it’s better not to wait to the last minute to do this! If I hear from you the Friday before the deadline, it might be too late to fit in an appointment. Please also note I am mostly likely not available to give feedback on weekends or during the National Holiday.)

➤ Write a “postcard from the present”

Write a paragraph 4-6 sentences long that attempts to capture, as vividly as possible, a specific moment between now and next class. Imagine that your intended reader is yourself, ten years from now. What could you put down on paper to vividly transport yourself back into this moment — to make them feel “there”?

Upload this assignment to Box, to the folder titled “Postcards from the Present.”

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Joe Brainard, "I Remember" (excerpts)

Excerpts from the book I Remember, in which painter and poet Joe Brainard recalls his childhood in a series of brief vignettes, each of which begins with the words “I Remember.”

➤ Read “I Remember,” come ready to share observations

Read “I Remember” by Joe Brainard. Write a list of observations about it and come ready to share one or two. (No need to upload your observations; just be ready to share.)

➤ Go back and look at endings

Look at the endings of the following pieces: “The Old House at Home,” “Orange Crush,” “Southern Summers,” “The Man Who Eats,” and “Mazie.” For each one, ask yourself: Why does the author choose to end this way? Come prepared to share next class.

WOC190 Fall 2021 Session 1