Personal Essay Writing Workshop

Materials: An Excerpt from The Kite Runner (Chapter Three)

Overview: In this workshop, we'll learn to use social setting, characterization and conflict to portray the relationship between characters (father-son).

Activities:

1. Read the excerpt.

2. Discuss the importance of social setting, details ( of characters, relationships etc) and the scope in memoir writing.

3. Use the the following two activities to help you brainstorm ideas for your personal writing-

Activity 1: Create a chronological timeline.

• Put the "personal story" as Event 1 and put it in the center of a straight line. Write your birth year at the left end of the line and 2002 at the right end of the line. We'll create a chronological timeline.

1986-------------------------------------Event 1----------------------------2002

• Is there an event prior to Event 1?
• Is there an event after Event 1?
• Are there any other events in between any events?
• Are there any memories of images, sounds, smells, tastes and feelings? Use doodles to represent any images that come to your mind?

1986-------Prior Event---Event A------Event 1------After Event--Event B-----2002

Activity 2: Create a thematic timeline. Use the diagram to help you bring out your memories. Again an event can be triggered by a scent, an image, or certain feelings of touch, etc. Use your five sense as your resources.

Activity 3 : Take one or two events that can best illustrate the theme or topic, and do some research exploring the historic or cultural movements during the timeframe of the events you selected. Once you finish exploring one or two of the selected events and movements, now you can start writing a short memoir excerpt that relates the events on your timeline to the historic or popular culture information.

Write the final topic you have decided on the top of your paper and respond in written words to the following ( your topic can be a question)-

• What is your personal reaction to the topic? Is there a personal story (or stories) behind the reactions? Did the event take place in a special setting or background? Who do you see in the event, your family members, schoolmates or teachers, friends, cops, etc? What was happening in your community, town or the world when the event occurred?
• What would your parents or family members say about the topic?
• What did some of the well-known scholars, historians, critics,  TV. or newspaper commentators say about the topic?

Activity 4:

The chart below shows how you need to portrait a character with details instead of general descriptions.

Use the blank chart to create a rough portrait fo