Inkwell

 Scholars  @  www.nicolebianchi.com  

Homework Assignment:

1. Read pages 12-15 of The Art of Styling Sentences. There are

several exercises at the end of the chapter; try your hand at these.
They will help you in constructing the Pattern 2 sentences. If you
are feeling adventurous, try adding one of these to your paper.

2. We are working on finishing up our personal essays/memoir. Your

essay should have five paragraphs: an introduction, three body
paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Type your essay up on your computer, add and underline the 5

dress-ups and one sentence opener in each of the body
paragraphs, add and underline your pattern 1 sentence, and double
space. Print your name, number of essay assignment, and the date
in the upper left hand corner of your paper. Give your essay a
creative title. Center this title at the top of the page, underlined or
italicized, with your full name printed beneath. For example:

Your Name Here

Essay Assignment 1
September 23, 2010

Your Title Here

By
Your Name Here

When you are finished, save your document to your computer and
email it to me as a WORD document by this Thursday (9/23).

Having trouble converting your essay into a WORD document on a

Mac? Here are two quick and simple ways.

If you are using Pages: Open your document. Click on "File" on the
navigation bar. Click on "Save as." Look for the unchecked box that
says "Save copy as." Check the box. There should be an option to
save your document as a "Word document." Select it. You might also
want to change the name of your document. Click "save" and you're
finished! When you attach your document to email, make sure it is
the one you converted into the word document format.

Copyright, Nicole Bianchi, 2010  

 Inkwell  Scholars  @  www.nicolebianchi.com  

If you are using TextEdit: Open your document. Click on "File" on

the navigation bar. Click on "Save as." Look for the option that says
"File Format." You may see three different options for Word format:
Word 2007 Format, Word 2003 Format, or Word 97 Format. Choose
either 2007 or 97. You might also want to change the name of your
document. Click "save" and you're finished! When you attach your
document to email, make sure it is the one you converted into the
word document format.

What we learned in class: Something New and Some Review

This week we discussed ways to make your writing come alive. A

simple way to remember this is Showing versus Telling.

Good writing exhibits the following qualities (we'll be focusing on

each of these in the coming weeks):

• Incorporates the 5 senses

• Chooses concrete language over abstract languageCreated by Nicole
Bianchi
• Uses figurative language (metaphors, similes, personification)
• Doesn't just state a feeling (e.g., "I was angry"), but gives us detail
that helps us understand the feeling intuitively (e.g.,
"I slammed my fist down on the table.")
• Uses fewer, but more precise adjectives and adverbs

What are the five senses?

• Sight
• Hearing
• Touch
• Taste
• Smell

How do we incorporate these into our paper?

Let's say you are describing one of your favorite places: a hiking
trail.

Copyright, Nicole Bianchi, 2010  

 Inkwell  Scholars  @  www.nicolebianchi.com  

What do you see? Be descriptive. Where does the trail go? Is it a dirt
trail? A gravel trail? Is it uphill? Downhill? Straight? Curved? What is
the scenery like?

What do you hear when you walk on the trail? Bird calls? The
crunching of dead leaves beneath your hiking boots?

What does it feel like? You can describe this both externally and
internally. Is it cold? Windy? Do you feel adventurous when walking
on the trail? Happy?

What does it taste like? This one is possibly the hardest, but what if
it starts raining while you are hiking? You can definitely describe
that.

What does it smell like? There are lots of smells on a hiking trail. Be
creative.

Remember the video we watched in class:

Descriptive writing is like painting; it is used to explain the
tone, the mood, and the details of a setting or event.
Descriptive sentences use adjectives or describing words.
Adjectives are used to help the reader picture a scene, event,
or character better. If you wanted to get really descriptive,
you could try using some figurative language. Figurative
language involves using different figures of speech that have
meanings that differ from the literal meanings. Some
examples of figures of speech are metaphors, similes,
personification, hyperboles, and irony.
(http://www.esp.brainpop.com.mx/english/writing/shownottell/qa
nda_popup.weml?qanda_id=7616&character=Rita&character_id=8)
We'll be talking about this further in the coming weeks!  

Copyright, Nicole Bianchi, 2010