Journal Prompts, Week 4

Hey guys,

Hope that your drafting is going smoothly, and that you're really getting into your writing. The personal essay is just that, personal, so I hope that you're taking the time to do some solid reflection and really consider what you want to be writing about. Here are your journal prompts for this week. They mostly pertain to the writing process, in hopes of helping you guys make your essays into something that you can be really proud of. Enjoy the week!

Monday, February 11
One of the easiest, best ways to hook a reader is to bring them into the action with a solid lead. A lead is a opening paragraph that starts the reader right in the middle of the action, and often "shines a light" into your story be hinting at the point or main conflict of the piece. Write a descriptive, interesting first paragraph that starts the reader out immediately in the present. It can be for your personal essay, or just something that you choose to make up.

Wednesday, February 13
What piece of writing are you most proud of?

Friday, February 15
Description and detail are the best ways to move action in the personal essay. As a genre, it generally focuses on SHOWING not TELLING. Rewrite this paragraph with details from your life, or ones that you make up, so that it shows instead of tells:

When we were kids we were always getting into trouble. We would do something that our parents didn't like, and, though we sometimes got away with it, they would sometimes get mad at us and reprimand us. We weren't intentionally disobedient. Just, sometimes, things would come up and we would get all excited and then we'd be getting chewed out. Sometimes the things we did even destroyed parts of the house. It was crazy.