PLANNING/INVENTION: The Natural
Narrative and dramatic elements have a strong bearing on ideas in well-written stories, poems, and plays. In this sense, an idea is like a key in music or like a continuous thread tying together actions, characters, statements, symbols, and dialogue. As readers, we can trace such threads throughout the entire fabric of the work.
Remember that your approach to your essay assignment for The Natural should have three major steps: to explain, to analyze, and to argue your individual point of view, essentially you will be doing all three steps simultaneously. The goal here is not to point out, however, that your interpretation is the “correct” one and that everyone’s ideas are invalid. The point is to merely argue your opinion and explain why you feel the way you do. You are to write about a theme found in The Natural and trace its development through the author’s use of the fictional elements (characterization, setting, symbolism, etc.).
To complete your invention work, follow the steps below in the order that they appear. To maximize your creativity, time yourself or have a friend time you.
Rules to remember:
1) Write as quickly as you can without lifting your pen from the page until your time is up.
2) Do not worry about spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc. It's not important in invention work.
3) Never ask yourself if an idea is "good," "bad," etc. This also isn't important. We are only concerned with generating raw material for you to use that will help you to begin a draft later or to help you in those times that you get "stuck" when you are in the process of writing your paper.
4) Write something down even if it seems completely unrelated or "off the wall.''
5) If you can't think of anything to say, write "I can't think of anything to say" until you think of something. If you don't want to do that, just doodle or draw until you think of something. The important thing to do is to just keep the pen moving.
a.
Brainstorming (5 minutes). Quickly list all of the ideas/themes in the novel that you think are important.
Brainstorming (5 minutes). Quickly list all of the ideas/themes in the novel that you think are important.Remember in brainstorming that you are only making a "grocery list" of individual words; do not use complete sentences. Write down whatever comes to mind as quickly as you can so that your "internal critic" doesn't have time to criticize you.
b.Clustering (5 minutes). Before beginning your cluster exercise. Read over your brainstorming list. Identify what you believe to be the single most important idea found in the nove. Draw a circle on the center of a piece of paper just big enough to write this word you have chosen from your briainstorming list inside of it. Now from this idea in the center of a piece of paper, by free association, create a “spider web” by listing and linking how this idea is connected to the characters of your story. Connect each idea to the next by drawing lines between them. These ideas should also be inside of circles.
Clustering (5 minutes). Before beginning your cluster exercise. Read over your brainstorming list. Identify what you believe to be the single most important idea found in the nove. Draw a circle on the center of a piece of paper just big enough to write this word you have chosen from your briainstorming list inside of it. Now from this idea in the center of a piece of paper, by free association, create a “spider web” by listing and linking how this idea is connected to the characters of your story. Connect each idea to the next by drawing lines between them. These ideas should also be inside of circles.Remember to let a strand "play itself out" until you have nothing else to say about it. When that happens, return to the word in the center of your page and begin a new strand.
Remember you are only writing individual words here only, not phrases or sentences.
Write as quickly as you can!
This is a visual scheme for brainstorming about your subject that should aid you in seeing relationships among your topics and subtopics, and give you a rough idea about an order or shape you may wish to favor for your essay.
c.Freewriting (24 minutes). With freewriting, you are now writing complete sentences and thoughts; don't forget, however, that you should not concern yourself with grammar, spelling, or punctuation.
Freewriting (24 minutes). With freewriting, you are now writing complete sentences and thoughts; don't forget, however, that you should not concern yourself with grammar, spelling, or punctuation.From your brainstorming list, identify the word that you feel is most important or the word/idea that you would just like to explore a little further.
First, iin a freewrite of 8 min., you should plan to discuss how the actions of these characters might reveal or be connected to this idea. Freewrite for eight minutes about any such actions.
Next, freewrite about for eight minutes about any such objects, places, things characters say, or actions that are closely associated with your characters and/or their actions.
Now, look over what you have written. Underline the most important sentence there.
Next, using this sentence as a starting point, write about anything that comes to mind concerning this sentence, or a theme connected to this sentence and its importantance to the novel.
This final freewrite should also be 8 min. long.
Now using your invention work to help you shape ideas, you should begin your rough draft.
SHAPING YOUR ESSAY:
An outline for your essay might look like the one below:
I.Intro (Identify the central idea or thematic thread that can be traced throughout the story and briefly discuss its importance)
Intro (Identify the central idea or thematic thread that can be traced throughout the story and briefly discuss its importance)II.Character (Analyze the idea as it applies to character)
Character (Analyze the idea as it applies to character)A. Character 1 1. Discuss how this idea is revealed in this character’s actions2.Discuss how it is revealed in this character’s dialogue.
Discuss how it is revealed in this character’s dialogue.3.Discuss how this idea is revealed by any objects or places closely associated with this character (here you are looking at the function of setting and symbols within the setting and story).
Discuss how this idea is revealed by any objects or places closely associated with this character (here you are looking at the function of setting and symbols within the setting and story).B. Character 2 1. Discuss how this idea is revealed in this character’s actions2.Discuss how it is revealed in this character’s dialogue.
Discuss how it is revealed in this character’s dialogue.3.Discuss how this idea is revealed by any objects or places closely associated with this character (here you are looking at the function of setting and symbols within the setting and story).
Discuss how this idea is revealed by any objects or places closely associated with this character (here you are looking at the function of setting and symbols within the setting and story).III.Summarize the validity or force of the idea (e.g., Are you convinced by the author’s ideas? If you are you should discuss the relevance of the idea to current conditions. If you are not persuaded by the idea, you should demonstrate the idea’s shortcomings or limitations.
Summarize the validity or force of the idea (e.g., Are you convinced by the author’s ideas? If you are you should discuss the relevance of the idea to current conditions. If you are not persuaded by the idea, you should demonstrate the idea’s shortcomings or limitations. 