Vignettes

Following are some exercises I did for an English class. Each one focused on one aspect of storytelling, and each focus point (Plot, Structure, etc.) had its own series of prompts from which the student chose. The writing was limited to a two-page maximum. What follows are the revised versions that received the final grades; we had a chance to turn each one of these in early and have the teacher give comments. I hope you like them.

• The Plot Exercise-- This one combined two prompts: first, it's a story involving a passive character; second, it's a story in which the main character learns nothing, but the audience comes out with some insight. If you think the main character does learn something, read it again.
• The Structure Exercise-- This is a stream-of-consciousness scene between two characters, the protagonist, named Riley, and a man named Jon Glaive. This one received some heavy editing, and the second character's first name was lost. So be it.
• The Rhetoric Exercise-- For this one, I chose to start with an illogical premise and, by the end of the piece, have the reader understand my point of view. We'll see how well it works.
• The Character Exercise-- This is a character sketch without any concrete information like class, nationality, or even gender.
• The Setting Exercise-- I chose to write a scene in which the weather does not seem to match the protagonist's mood directly, but actually is a compliment on closer inspection.

• To the Fiction Page
• To the Glarryg Pages Home