Remembered Events

Your task

Write a 2-3 page double-spaced essay about an event from your life that will engage a

reader. It is important that you can describe the event and include the context, the

incident, and the overall significance the event had on you. The event might include

adopting a pet, learning to drive, visiting a distant place, meeting new people, buying an

important object. There are other topics you might explore, too.

Getting started

In order for a memory to effectively capture an audience, the writer must have purpose.

Start by brainstorming a list of short experiences that reveal something about you and

your talents or interests. For example, if you are very experimental, think about

incidents that show how you take risk, how you are open to change, how you interact

with strangers, or how you explore new territories. Actively brainstorm before

committing to a topic.

Three essential elements

1. Context: Your purpose is to reveal some event from your life to your readers.

It is a story, and it requires you to be descriptive as you set up the

background information. Help the reader “see” the situation. Paint a picture.

Let your first paragraph (or more) set up the scene. What does your reader

need to know in order to understand your event?

2. Incident: The actual event that you share should be a very short period of

time—perhaps a few minutes or an hour. If you went on a cruise and you

want to write about it, decide what part you will really focus on. You don’t

have time to share the entire two weeks, but you do have time to show a

great hour of whale watching, for example. Decide what part of your event is

the focus and capture it for your reader. (see examples during week 2)

3. Significance: The significance of your event occurs because you took time to

reflect on the situation. Think about why this event or situation is meaningful

to you. What did it teach you? How did you change? What makes it

memorable? Keep in mind that a significant event does not have to be harsh;

it could be something that was fun and spontaneous. But at the very least, it

is memorable because you hold meaning around the event, so share that

meaning.

Typically, the significance occurs at the end of the essay, but you are more

than welcome to play with writing “style” and offer a sneak preview of the

significance as you open the paper. Just a thought ?Things that will make your writing strong

• Writing about a remembered event does not require you to reveal every last

detail. As a writer, you are the authority on your experience, so carefully select

which parts of an incident you want to illustrate and which parts you may not

need. For example, if your event was part of a surfing vacation in Honolulu, you

may not need to include the ride on the airplane—focus on the actual surfing

event.

• Most events take place for a few minutes or even an hour. Situations are not

“events.” So, you might have gone to school for two years in another country.

That is a situation. From those two years, there may have been a significant

event to write about, such as a visit to the beach, or a conversation with a tourist,

or a whale-watching excursion.

• Let humor, spirit, or any other appropriate emotion work for you. If your incident

was not funny at the time but in hindsight is hilarious to tell, bring in all the details

that make the story great. Something like a broken leg may not be funny, but

how it happened may reveal significant character traits that will help engage your

reading audience.

• Review the examples provided during week 2. What skills do the authors from

the examples use that you could adopt in your essay?

Due Date, Format, and Assistance

DUE DATE: Your completed essay is due on Friday, January 18, by midnight. You

have the option to revise your essay for an improved grade at the end of the quarter.

DEFINITION OF COMPLETION: Your essay should demonstrate your best effort.

Outlines, handwritten notes, or short bodies of notes are not acceptable alternatives of a

completed draft. Save your draft in WORD (.doc or .docx) or RICH TEXT (.rtf).

QUESTIONS: Please send any questions to the instructor. Take a look at the

examples available at the Blackboard site during week .

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