Development: Creative Nonfiction Assignment

4. I had just been thinking about how nice it was of my step-mother to do my laundry for me. I, of course, had to fold it myself, but that was to be expected. It wasn't as though I exactly wanted her folding my underwear or anything, anyway. She'd given my my clean, dry laundry in a basket, still smelling like it had just come out of the wash. That clean clothes smell that only seems to last while the clothes are still warm from the dryer. I folded and put away all of my laundry, and noticed that there were a couple of towels in the basket that didn't belong to me. I folded those, too, and due to the fact that I wasn't on the best of terms with my step-mother, I didn't want to ask her where to put them. I did not have a good relationship with my biological father or my step mother, and I avoided talking to them as much as possible. At eight years old, I'd say I was pretty mature for my age. My thoughts on the towels and what to do with them, I eventually ended up putting them right next to the door to my bedroom, in the hallway, touching the baseboard. I imagined she would see them and pick them up and put them where they belonged. I returned to my previous activity, reading the newest Harry Potter book, and soon heard this awful, banshee-esque screeching coming from the hallway.

"WHO PUT THESE TOWELS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HALLWAY?!?!?" my step-mother yelled, most likely knowing full well how they had gotten where they were.
"Well, it was me, but they're not in the middle of the hallway, they're-"
"THEY ARE DEFINITELY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HALLWAY, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD PUT THESE THERE...IF YOU THOUGHT I WAS A WICKED STEP-MOTHER BEFORE, YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET, LITTLE GIRL, YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET!"

I slammed the door and retreated back into my room, huge heaving sobs I was unable to suppress now coming out at full force. 

5. This was an interesting scene to write. I made up one line of dialogue that I couldn't remember, which to me felt very weird. If I'm writing a nonfiction piece, it feels very odd to be making up details that may not be true. The general gist of it is very true, however, and that last line of dialogue from my step-mother (beginning with "if you thought") is exactly, word for word, what was said. I will never be able to forget those words. It bothers me a little bit as a writer because it sounds like such a lame and cliche phrase that I would never use by choice, but it is exactly what was said, and I think if I can remember exact details, I should use them.

Fiction: Endings Assignment

Part 1

1. What is the plot?
Mary is unhappy with her marriage. Her husband Trent no longer acts like the man he was when they got married, especially after the two of them had children. Trent is not satisfied with anything in his life, but doesn’t know what to do to fix it.

2. What are the major scenes? For each scene, what is the vital question posed?
Setup scene for family arrangement/Trent’s feelings about where his life is heading. Vital question: What does Trent want/where does he want his life to go?
Conflict: Mary confronts Trent about his behavior and how she feels about it. This sparks an argument.
Vital question: Is their relationship in danger?
Some final decision is reached. Maybe the couple split up, maybe they decide to go to marriage counseling, maybe they decide Trent needs his own therapist, maybe they separate temporarily to work out their situation. I have not thought this far ahead.
Vital question: Is this solution truly what was best/what they wanted?

3. What scene is missing from the story or what scene has been under-explored?
I could definitely explore more on how the parents’ relationship affects the children. I don’t even have names for the children at the moment.

4. How could you rearrange the sequence of events and still focus on the character's struggle?
The conversation about how Trent’s behavior is affecting their relationship could probably happen at several points in the story. There could also be more events and scenes interspersed throughout.

5. What external forces stand in the way of your character getting what he/she wants?
The children are a major factor in Mary and Trent’s relationship. They have to consider them when making any decisions about their future.

Part 2

1. What is the internal conflict?
Trent is having an internal conflict regarding what direction he wants his life to take, and dealing with the fact that nearly every outside force he encounters makes him angry or irritated. Mary is dealing with the internal conflict that her marriage is not living up to her expectations, and she doesn’t know what to do about it.

2. What is at stake for your character in terms of the conflict?
Either character could end up going through a divorce. Something is definitely going to have to change, because neither of them are happy.

3. What type of decision does the character have to make at the crisis point?
Mary and Trent have to decide what sort of initiative to take regarding their relationship, if any. Mary will probably initiate the action, because Trent tends not to care about anything in his life.

4. Why is the character ambivalent about this decision?
Trent does not know what he wants to do, because he doesn’t know what he wants in general. Mary wants what is best for her and what is best for her children. She’s not sure that breaking off their marriage will have a very good effect on the kids, and she is still struggling with her mixed feelings for Trent.

5. What action shows your character's change at the end of the story?
Hopefully, something will cause Trent to figure out his life and have an attitude adjustment. I have not yet thought far ahead enough to decide what this something will be.

6.  Fiction Reflection: Now that you have finished the fiction section, reflect on how it went for you.  You might respond to such questions as What do you know now that you didn't know before starting the fiction section? What do you still want to learn? What are your strengths and weaknesses in story writing.
I liked all of the exercises we worked on. They definitely helped me brainstorm what to write about. I might like to learn more about what kinds of descriptive language work best, and how best to structure a story to hold a reader’s attention. I think my strengths in writing happen when I really get a good handle on a character. I’m fairly good at getting inside their head and putting myself in their shoes in order to write what they are going through. I think I have weaknesses in coming up with good plots. A good character is not going to do me any good without a good storyline.

Character Assignment

C. Observations of Personal Characteristics
Gender: Male
Age: Mid to late 30s?
Physical Appearance: Very tall, muscular, black man. Short hair. Wore a grey shirt, shorts, and sunglasses. 
Education: I would guess not very well educated, due to the way he spoke.
Marital Status: Married
Ethnicity: Unsure. Most likely African American.
Relationships: With one other man, possibly his brother, and that man's wife. His wife was also present. Each couple had two children. It was likely he was traveling with his son and daughter, and his niece and nephew. 
Posessions: Not much to be gathered from the scene, though he did own a stroller that his children were using. 
Sexual History: He had two children that appeared to be biologically his. 

D. Character Sketch
Trent is a very impatient and angry character, who does not like to follow rules, listen to others, or be told what to do. He is very tall and very well built, and he uses his size to threaten others. When this doesn't work he is not afraid to offend people to get them to do what he wants. He does not set a very good example for his children, and sometimes his wife wonders why she married him in the first place. He thinks he is above everyone around him, and while that may be true in terms of physicality, it is obviously not when you compare his behavior to that of the people around him. This is not a person anyone would want to cross, but at the same time, is exactly the type of person that needs to learn how to respect others.

F. Character as Desire

• What makes your character laugh?
  While he may not be the best father, Trent does love his children, and on occasion, they do make him laugh.
• What is your character afraid of?
  He is afraid of being subordinate to others.
• What makes your character angry?
  Anything that does not go the way he wants it to will probably make Trent angry. Someone asking him to do something, no matter how small, will set him off, as will anyone not doing as he asks. 
• What specific incident is your character most ashamed of?
  He thinks he is always right in every situation, and therefore rarely feels shame. His parents wanted him to go to college, and he was slightly ashamed when he didn't get in to any of the schools he applied to, but then reminded himself that college was for nerds anyway, and he didn't need it. 
• What are your character's superstitions?
  He doesn't have any superstitions. He thinks superstitions are a stupid waste of time.

   Character as Image

• Characters are defined by the objects they wear, carry, and even throw away. Write about your character describing the contents of his/her garbage.
  Trent's garbage is full of cans of beer, paper towels, boxes of take out food, packaging from his kids' toys, and food that he and his family didn't eat before it went bad. He doesn't bother recycling because he simply doesn't care. He ends up buying his children stupid little toys at the grocery store just to shut them up, and half the time they don't even play with them. Often times his wife will buy food that they forget to eat, and they end up getting take out half the time anyway. 

   

   Character as Voice

• Write a paragraph in the voice of your character in the first person where he/she introduces him/herself. Have your character include the following information: Name, Age, Physical Appearance, Education, Vocation/Occupation, Ethnicity, Financial Status, Martial Status, Residency, Hobbies, Transportation, Sexual History, Religion
  Name's Trent. I'm 36 years old, black, and really tall, obviously. I finished high school but didn't bother with college, half the time these days you end up paying for a degree you don't need anyways, and I can't afford that shit. I work in construction. Doesn't pay all that well, but my wife kinda picks up the slack a little. She's a schoolteacher. I don't know if she's a very good one, but we get by. We're from Chicago. I hate it. There's never enough space to park my car. I hate my car, too, but my wife insisted I get a mini van to drive the stupid kids around. Yeah, I've got two kids. I didn't really care about having children, but my wife wanted 'em, and well, can't say no to some unprotected sex, since that's so hard to come by otherwise. 
• (note - I didn't think it was in character for Trent to mention Religion at all. I just think he doesn't care.)

   Character as Action, Thought, and Conflict

• "I've become a different person since we had the kids, Trent. I don't know what I'd do without them," his wife Mary said, beaming, as she made spaghetti for their dinner.
  "Oh yeah?" Trent asked, only half listening, watching TV.
  "Of course. Don't you feel the same way?" She never felt like Trent was interested in anything, and it broke her heart that he never seemed interested in their children. When they'd first met she felt like he would be such a good father, but it all went downhill from there. You never know everything about people right away, she supposed.
  "Hm? Oh, yeah, they're alright." Trent actually thought the kids were a nuisance, mostly. They cost a fortune, got in the way, broke his stuff, and took up his precious time that he could be doing other things with.
  "Just alright?" Mary asked, her heart sinking in her chest. She had to do what was best for her kids, but their daddy didn't seem to want to do anything but what was best for himself. 

G. Situation and sketch for potential story

     "FUCK! Goddamit!"
     "Trent? Trent, baby what's wrong?" Mary ran into the sitting room, but her husband didn't have to answer her. She knew immediately what was wrong. The corner lamp had been standing in its place earlier, but was now on the floor, smashed to pieces.

     "I went and turned the light on, and the goddamn lamp had to go and knock over!"

     Mary knew better than to go near him when he was this upset. She had no idea why practically every little thing seemed to make him so incredibly angry, but she had to do her best to ease the situation.

     "It's not a big deal, it wasn't expensive or anything, we can get a new-," she began, but Trent cut her off.

     "But can't you see it's broken?!? Now there's glass and this shit everywhere, and just...fuck that stupid lamp!"
     Mary could do nothing but turn away from him and go get a vacuum. She knew he wouldn't clean it up himself, especially since she also knew he believed the whole affair to be the lamp's fault. They'd been through this before. The lamp somehow fell over all on its own and caused this mess. He'd wonder why they ever bought such a stupid lamp in the first place. She brought the vacuum back to the sitting room and plugged it in, and knew her husband had started to yell again, but couldn't hear him over the loud hum and crunching sounds of the remains of the lamp being sucked away.

Standards Assignment

1. Proper grammar is always important. If the sentence structure is so bad that the story becomes difficult to understand, no one will read it.

2. Don't crowd the story with too many characters. Readers can have trouble keeping up with all the action going on if there are too many characters involved.

3. Make sure the relationships between the characters are realistic. If it doesn't make sense in real life, it won't make sense in the story.