→I am

Write a list of twenty “I am” statements (I am green, I am hungry, I am a walrus, etc.) The “wilder the statement, the better, and skip several lines between each “I am.” Now go back and after each line, say why or how you got that way. Then trade papers with a classmate, and with the list you have received, choose one of the “I am” statements, and treat it as the beginning of a dream. Write for 5 minutes telling how the dream unfolds.

→Narrative icon assignment

Use photos or really quick thumbnails to create a portrait of yourself surrounded by episodes of your life, all rendered in the digital domain.

→Dreamtime

Write about a time you had magical powers; you might have to go back to childhood. Or write about dreams or wishes you’ve had for magical powers. Give those powers to yourself, and write from that place. Write for ten minutes, without thinking, take a leap--

→Juxtapose

At the top of the page, jot down the seven things you are afraid of. Now do a ten-minute timed writing, telling about the first time you fell in love, but as you write, you must include the words on above list in there some place. Just grab the words from your list helter-skelter as you go along, and incorporate them.

→”He said/She said”

Write a one-page story that alternates voices. He said:_________. She said: __________: He said_______. She said: _______. And so on.

The two characters should disagree about an issue or subject and their dialogue should have a subtext, an emotional truth that is operating on a deeper and perhaps hidden level

→Clothes Line

Write a quick story (15 minutes/in class) that revolves around an article of clothing in some way—a hat, a shirt, a suede jacket, underwear, what have you. The article of clothing doesn’t necessarily need to be the primary focus of attention, but it will hopefully act as a trigger to or as a symbol of your imagination, which should help spur a fleeting sketch that captures something of greater meaning.

→Hiding in Plain Sight

Many of us at one time or another have succumbed to the impulse to hide something and then either to lead people to it or to make it as difficult as possible for others to locate. Recall one such impulse that you had, and develop a short narrative about not only the circumstances but also the consequences of your yielding to the impulse.

→Makeover

ABC’s Extreme Makeover is a weekly one-hour television show that follows the head-to-toe transformation of individuals by way of the latest cosmetic procedures. The show begins with “before” stories. Participants share how their looks have held them back in life and how they hope their lives will change with an extreme makeover. There seems to be a makeover show for every category of self-improvement. Choose or invent one (category of self- improvement), and write a one-page letter to the show’s producer explaining what your ideal makeover would entail and why they should select you as a participant.

→Misinterpretations

Think of an instance when your appearance—your clothing, your body, your demeanor—led others to misinterpret something about you. Write a short narrative about that incident, the source of the judgments, and the effect of the misinterpretation on you.

→Discovery

Complete this sentence: “When I entered college, I discovered I . . .” and then explain and develop what you mean by that statement, and what the discovery means for you. (10-15 minutes)

→Nicknames

When you were a child, what nicknames were you called at home? in school? Did you have a name you called yourself when you said or did something silly? Write a short narrative about the origins—and the personal consequences of your nicknames.

→Connections

Write a page on your own feelings of ethnic or cultural identity, and what facts and images you have to wrestle with.

→Research

Do research to explore the traditional roles of men and women in at least three different cultures. Discuss the roles of both sexes in the home and the workplace and the roles they play in social and religious life.

→Explore Gender

If you performed in a drama in which you had to play someone of the opposite sex, consider how you would behave, walk and talk and what gestures you would adopt. Write a short piece describing what changes you would make from your usual behavior and give examples of specific behavior you would adopt. How much of you as you know yourself would remain?

→Nurture vs. Nature

Discuss: How much of who you are comes from what you inherit (from genes, from family) and how much from what you do to construct the story of your life? Consider this: “We have, each of us, a life-story, an inner narrative—whose continuity, whose sense, is our lives. It might be said that each of us constructs and lives a narrative, and that this narrative is us, our identities.”

→If Game

Have students respond quickly to the following questions, but not identify themselves on the response page. Collect and pass them out randomly. Have students try to guess who is who.

  • If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
  • If I gave you $10,000, what would you spend it on?
  • If you could watch your favorite movie now, what would it be?
  • If you could talk to anyone in the world, who would it be?
  • If you could wish one thing to come true this year, what would it be?
  • If you could live in any period of history, when would it be?
  • If you could change anything about yourself, what would you change?
  • If you could be someone else, who would you be?
  • If you could have any question answered, what would it be?


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