My “One Thing” or How to go from zero to a draft in one hour . . .

​Hey everyone. I thought I’d try something. If you are reading this on a phone or a computer, you are on my teaching website. Welcome. If you are reading this on a piece of paper, well, we’ll figure it out.
 
So today is a working day (either on paper or online). I hope you’ll use this time to write as much as you can towards a draft of your first assignment. (Click here to read it if you are online—or look at the sheet of paper I gave you on Wednesday if not).
 
I’m going to give you a series of prompts for you to write about for short periods of time in class, and then you’ll get feedback from your classmates/writing colleagues about what is interesting and what is not so interesting—which should tell you what you should try to write more about.
 
By the end, you should have MORE than 300 words to work with for your “one thing” essay/presentation. You’ll workshop this in-class next week Wednesday. And, remember, you’ll read your essay out loud, in class, on Monday, 18 March 2019.
 
1.  What is your astrological sign (I’m a scorpio). If you don’t know it, look it up by the month you were born. You don’t have to believe in this to do this prompt. Just read what your sign supposedly says about you.
 
For five minutes (we’ll time you) write about how true you think your astrological sign says about you—both good and bad.  If you are doing this online, hit the “comment” button to open up a dialog box to write your answer. If you are doing it on paper, well, you know. Hit “submit” when you are done.
 
2. Now look up your Chinese Horoscope on your phone or computer. You determine what your Chinese horoscope is by the year you were born (I’m a dog).
 
For five minutes (we’ll time you) write about how true you think your chinese horoscope says about you—both good and bad.  If you are doing this online, hit the “comment” button to open up a dialog box to write your answer. If you are doing it on paper, well, you know.
 
3. Give your writing to another person in the class. If you are doing this online, read what a person sitting next to you wrote.
 
In either case take about 5-7 minutes and give them this feedback: What is interesting and you would like to hear more about—maybe hear a story about? If you are working on paper, circle that.  What is less interesting to you? DON’T circle that. If you are responding online, “reply” to your writer with what is interesting to you. Be very specific. This only works if you are very specific.
 
4. Read what your partner circled in your writing. Write MORE about it for three minutes. Did they circle more than one thing? I hope so. Write for 3 minutes more about other circles or, if you are doing this online, other things that your reader said would be interesting to say more about.
 
5. Take a minute to read the assignment sheet I gave you on Wednesday. Talk with a partner about what you have to do. Do you have questions? Worries? Write them down either online OR email them to me at [email protected]. I’ll answer them as best I can if John can’t answer them.
 
6. In your remaining time, work on drafting your 300 words. If you want, you can post your 300 words online and I will get you some feedback. But you don’t have to. If you want to email me your draft (doesn’t have to be 300 words), feel free: [email protected]. I’ll get you some feedback.
 
See you in a week!