FRST 1101-015 College Writing Fall 2014 Pam Cross, Instructor
Office: J-105i; office phone: 609-652-4899 (x4899); cell: 609-442-2293
e-mail: course blog: https://blogs.stockton.edu/write14/
Graded essay #5, worth 100 points, due Tuesday, November 24
Tell a story that has a point.
· Think about a question you could answer with a story. Why are dogs so great? Why is family important? What did you learn from the time you got arrested? Why is Thanksgiving your favorite holiday?
· Your story must a have a clear point that is stated either up front or at the end, or both.
· What title do you want to give your essay? It should be a title that hints at the substance and tone of your story. For example, Grandma Knows All, or 2:00 A.M. Phone Call from the Police, or Cocaine and My Cousin.
· Think about how you need to begin. What sort of set-up or background information do you need to include? How much detail might be more than a reader needs or is superfluous to the story?
· Think about the climax (or point of tension) to your story. What? No point of tension in your story? You have a dull story. The climax is the moment when the reader isn’t sure what’s going to happen next, and what happens next reveals the point to the story.
· What? You have no point to story? You have a crappy story.
· Think about how long you need to tell your story. Choose a story you can tell in 3 – 5 minutes, or 3-5 pages (double spaced). What? You couldn’t possibly tell your story in that short a time? Choose another story? Same if your story is too quick.
· Think about how you should end your story. What do you want to leave the reader thinking?