As we discussed earlier, fiction is a carnival; behind your mask you can express yourselfmuch more freely than with a straight face
I really like how they said this it gives it a fun twist and an easy understanding of a "mask" for characters.
35 Matching Annotations
- Mar 2026
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docdrop.org docdrop.org
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Where does the story come from? Who is telling it? To answer these questions, writers use the point of view (POV) —the vantage point(s) from which the story is observed. News stories are filled with, he said, she sai
Different point of views give the story a different vibe, so it's important to choose the right one for what you want the reader to feel.
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cather.unl.edu cather.unl.edu
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He was thoroughly tired; he had been in such haste, had stood up to such a strain, covered so much ground in the last twenty-four hours, that he wanted to think how it had all come about
Time flies by, sometimes we need to stay in the moment and look around.
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Yet he rather liked to hear these legends of the iron kings,
Everyone should live for a good legend, it keeps life interesting.
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He felt a sudden zest of life; the lights danced before his eyes and the concert hall blazed into unimaginable splendor. When the soprano soloist came on, P
Really emphasizes how wonderful life is and it always gives back.
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His teachers felt, this afternoon, that his whole attitude was symbolized by his shrug and his flippantly red carnation flower, and they fell upon him without mercy. He stood through it, smiling, his pale lips parted over his white teeth.
There is so much that is going on in his life, yet people see what they want to see without looking beyond.
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Someofthegreatestliterarycriticismofthelasthundredyearshasfocusedonstructure.
All great story's come from a strong structure. You might notice this too while listening to a story someone is telling out loud. The ones with a well thought out structure are usually the ones that are the most interesting and easy to listen to.
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Whenitcomestoshapinganarrative, structurejoinsstoryandplotasthethirdforcethatmustbeatwork. Inordertobetold, astoryhastohaveaplot. Andinorderforthatplottobecoherent, itmusthavesomestructure
This is a nice reminder that everything connects, you can't have one thing without the other necessarily.
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Don'tlettheissuebewhetherthereisorisnotsome“formula”inyourstory.
The issue doesn't always have to be solved right away. This is a good reminder that there are so many variables that go into writing a story.
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YOUCANNOT“PLOT”ASTORYTHATYOUDONOTKNOW
I like how they make sure to emphasize this. It also implies that that beginning or intro is the most important start to a story. The beginning has to present itself to the reader much like making a first impression to someone in the real world.
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- Feb 2026
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In the passage below we see how the narrator's obsession with his girlfriend-and his obsessive personality generally-drive the plot forward:
I'm glad that they pointed this out that personalities often relate to the plot of the story. This can be a reminder when making a story, also making it easier to write one. I like that they also provide an example so you are reminded of the details that make the story.
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In this story we Sl'L' the pt1rticul,1r w-1v th.it .i rn,rn -1ds when his marriage is ending-and the very p,irticul,ir reaction of tlw n,mc1tor, the SOllll to be l':\ wife (who Wl)Uld prefer thJt he show anger rJtlwr th,n1 this resigned, p,1ssiw st1d1wss).
I really like how this example is a perfect way of showing the mood without coming right oout and saying it. It shows two perspectives as well. I like how you can feel the sadness at the end and the wife misses what they once had.
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r\'s, plot is important, and so arc scene and narra-tion, and point of view, and all the other things we've been discussing in this book, but whether the characters ,m' compl'lling or not is really the bottom line.
I like that it makes a point that the characters are almost more important to the plot. It makes sure to point out that the characters should be our main focus. It's very important to make them come to life so the reader doesn't have to guess what they look like and what their personality is.
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d, most import-1nt, characters whom our readers will find worth caring about.
Characters are what makes a story. If you don't make the characters realistic enough or relate to the reader, then the reader will be uninterested. I can't count how many times I started a book and didn't finish it because I didn't like the characters.
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inst-fs-iad-prod.inscloudgate.net inst-fs-iad-prod.inscloudgate.net
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The workshop should ask ques- tions that help the author clarify her intentions.
Questioning won't only help yourself to get a better understanding, but them as well. Questioning can spark new ideas. And in questioning others you can see what they really know about their topic.
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Sticky Notes:
This can also be seen as annotating, or at least it reminds me of it. Though, these will just be your thoughts and feeling towards the text and doesn't have to go into depth what so ever.
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This is a conversation—readers are not allowed to say what they have already written in their peer letters.
This will make more more thinking. It's easy to come up with simple topics of conversation. But, not being able to say anything that's already written down will help whomever in their creativity.
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he author responds to the description and poses a question or multiple questions that frame the discus- sion that follows.
Questions are always good to start a discussion. It's almost like making small talk with others. So, when a good thought out question is asked, it makes for a good conversation/discussion.
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e gives us elaborate dilatory detail about everything from how Howie holds his CVS bag to why his shoelace snap
This small text shows just how important it is to give imagery to things that aren't or don't necessarily seem important.
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It is the most important to have a way with words that creates an image. This text reminded me of that. Much like during an investigation, an artist can create an image based on what the person is saying, bringing their words and descriptions to life.
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he necessary slowness to seduce Ellen, our stranger decides, is by telling stories,
Personally, I take this as a metaphor, relating the men to books. The man that will end up winning is this stranger, he doesn't go straight through the trees like the other man, instead he wanders and decides to tell stories. Much like how a book you want there to be twist and turns and not simple going straight through the book.
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It takes three pages to get to the once-upon-a-time “be- ginning,” and another thirty
I honestly love when stories don't get right into the action two pages in. I like the setting to be told and the character and their backgrounds to be introduced.
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The point now: Sebald’s Emigrants was the first book to show me a way beyond the causal arc to create powerful forward motion
Again, I like that over and over it is mentioned that the triangle or arc is more like a guideline. I like that it makes sure to show that there is are different structures that cen be used that are even more, "powerful".
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phisticated practice of sex, much of the art consists of delaying climax within the framework
Sex isn't a often topic discussed aloud when talking about the structure of a story, but in this case I like how they used it to compare sex to a climax in a set of writing. Both are beautiful things and should take time to create climax and satisfaction in the end.
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showing the parts of drama: introduction, rise, climax, return or fall, and catastrophe.
Over and over again we talk about the shape we should follow for fiction writing. We have to remember that, like Aristotle describes, a triangle is but just one simple shape to follow but the shape changes as you make a story your own.
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We hear or listen to a narrative, but when we grasp a writer’s total pattern we ‘see’ what he means.”
I had never thought about writing like this. It's even true when watching a movie as they often start with something that catches the eye. There is so much to see that sometimes you forget to listen to what the narrator is saying. The same thing goes for when we're reading. Seeing the words on the page then choosing to read and then seeing.
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- Jan 2026
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Questions to Ask Yourself as You Read
This is a very important thing to remember. You must always ask questions. But sometimes, it's hard to know which questions to ask. So, I'm glad this is here to remind you of the simple questions, they don't need to be the most intricate questions.
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Choose a method of annotation that works best for you and that will make sense when you go back to recollect your thoughts and responses to the essay
Im glad the writing mentions this. More specifically, it mentions to use an annotation method that works best for you and makes sense to you. There are so many different styles. What is most important is that you choose a way to annotate that when you go back you know exactly why you highlighted it.
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To g e t t h e m o s t o u t o f y o u r reading, follow the five steps of the reading process
I often read for my own enjoyment and entertainment so when it comes to having to active read it is very different. I'm glad there is a reminder of the steps here to show that it does take a little more time but, active reading is simple once you get the hang of it and have had practice.
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Most of us have been taught to read for ideas. Not many of us, however, have been trained to read ac-tively, to engage a writer and his or her writing, to ask why we like one piece of writing and not another.
Reading a text is different from reading a book. You have to learn how to not only read for entertainment. Reading a text is having to analyze and process all the information so that we can understand writing style and reasoning for the order and formation of the text.
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Similarly, most of us do not ask our-selves why one piece of writing is more convincing than another. When you learn to read actively, you begin to answer these important questions and come to appreciate the craftsmanship involved in writing
Actively reading is all about questions. Instead of reading the text to gain knowledge, you would read to to continue getting new information that wasn't there when you read it the first time. I like how they define active reading in this text because of how similar it is to active listening. It's all about precessing and actually thinking about the reasoning behind it.
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To m o v e f r o m r e a d i n g t o w r i t i n g , y o u n e e d t o r e a d a c t i v e l y, i n a t h o u g h t -ful spirit, and with an alert, inquiring mind. Reading actively means learning how to analyze what you read.
It is important to learn how to truly analyze a text and figure out what are the key points that you're supposed to be focusing on. Active reading is important when it comes to writing about a specific reading.
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docdrop.org docdrop.org
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Note that I may use homework as anexampleassignment in class. Write a note at the top of your assignment if there is a par>cular reason you would like an assignment not to be shared.These are just broad outlines. More informa>on will be given in classand posted to CANVAS.General WorkAuthor’s Notes:Each major assignment will be accompanied by an approximately 250-wordauthor’s note. The author’s note allows you to reflect on your wri4ng process. It also allows you to direct the type of feedback you’d most like to receive from me and your peers.
I like that she might use our homework as examples. This makes me feel like I want to truly do my best and be proud of my work and for others to see it as well.
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Submitting work which is not your own is not only harmful to your learning, but also an Academic Integrity violation.
Writing is all about making up ideas from your experiences and perceptions. It's all about you writing what you want, what you are passionate about.
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Include EXTENSION REQUEST in your subject.
Take your time with your writing, make it to the best ability. I really enjoy writing, especially fiction and poems so I usually take longer than planned. But this is why I can ask for an extension and not feel bad about doing so.
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