For Tuesday, Sept. 18, and Thursday, Sept. 20

While reading the essays for Tuesday, be especially mindful of how they were arranged by their authors. When you read a narrative essay, you might expect the author to arrange it chronologically. A chronological structure can be restrictive, confining authors to the straightforward time sequence of events.  Chronological structures might also present a false sense of unity, making events that were disjointed appear to be cohesive. Because of these limitations, authors will play around with the structure of the narrative essay for a variety of reasons, including drawing attention to important events or realizations, grouping certain experiences together, or giving a sense of how they came to make sense of the experience they're writing about.  Paying attention to the structure of a piece usually provides important insights on the author's purpose for writing the essay as the structure reinforces the thing the author has come to say.

For Tuesday, read and annotate the following essays in Gutkind, Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 2. While reading pay close attention to the authors' rhetorical strategies. Then, respond to one of the prompts below.
Potts, "The Art of Writing a Story about Walking across Andorra" (pp. 41-53)
Bernard, "Figurines" (pp.146-158)
Richards, "It Was Nothing" (pp. 305-309)

In one or two typed pages (double-spaced), respond to one of the following prompts:
1. How does the structure or organization of each essay reinforce the thing the author has come to say?
2. Write an essay about an incident that happened to you or a relationship you've developed with someone  using a structure suitable for either the subject of the story or the point you want to make.

For Thursday, read and annotate the following essays in  Gutkind, Best Creative Nonfiction, Vol. 2. While reading pay close attention to the authors' rhetorical strategies. Then respond to one of the prompts below.
Renner, "The Suicide Murder of Joe Kupchick" (pp. 173-188)
Sewell Matter, "Pursuing the Great Bad Novelist" (pp. 54-73)
Optional: Matherly, "Final: Comprehensive, Roughly" (pp. 6-20)

In one or two typed pages (double-spaced), respond to one of the following prompts:
1. These essays have subjects that are usually written by news reporters and journalists (or, in Matherly's case, teachers and professors). Explain the strategies the authors use that distinguish these pieces from straightforward reporting and transform them to creative nonfiction.
2. Take a topic or subject that you would ordinarily write about in a straightforward manner and turn it into a creative piece employing the strategies practiced by Renner and Sewell (and, optionally, Matherly). You may base this piece on an assignment you've completed for another class, e.g., a lab report or translation exercise.