Specific Craft Elements Help Craft Elements Discu
INTRODUCTION
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Craft elements refer to the building blocks of fiction/poetry. They include things like plot, character, point of view, imagery, rhyme, rhythm, meter, etc. Craft elements are the tools that writers use to build works of fiction/poetry, just as other types of artists use paint, clay, wood, metal, concrete, and even digital media to build creations for the sake of art, communication, or business. Creators use the tools of their craft to guide their audiences to focus on what’s most important in their creations. So, as readers of fiction/poetry, it’s worthwhile to ask how authors construct their creative work, and why they make their craft-related choices. And as creators ourselves, it’s crucial to consider how we can/should use the craft tools we have to construct our fiction/poetry.
1. Part one: point of view
FIRST, read the Point of View handout,Shirley Jackson “The Lottery” and Lorrie Moore “A Kid’s Guide to Divorce.”
SECOND, post your responses on the following items on this discussion board:
- What point of view (POV) are these two stories told from?
- Why do you think the authors chose these POVs? (Consider: Why are these POVs effective/appropriate for these stories? How might the stories change if the authors had chosen different POVs?)
THIRD, post at least ONE thoughtful response to a classmates’ original post. Focus your response on adding to the original poster’s thoughts on why the POV in Jackson’s or Moore’s stories are/are not effective. You can agree or disagree, so long as you’re adding a new or deeper perspective to the original poster’s thoughts. You can also play devil’s advocate again, as you did in a previous discussion forum.
FOURTH, Think long and hard about your Point of View options in your own work–how might you use POV? What are the advantages/disadvantages to each option? Which option best suits your fiction/poetry? Apply your learning to your own work!
Part two:
FIRST, read the Rhythm-Meter-Rhyme and listen to the audio file of “My Papa’s Waltz.”
SECOND, use the items above to understand how incredibly important this info is to poetry–and also to fiction and even casual conversation!
Examples from everyday language: Rhythm and meter tell us what words/syllables to stress.
Consider, a sign hanging outside an auto repair shop reads, “German Car Specialists.” German CAR Specialists means something very different than GERMAN Car Specialists, doesn’t it? After all, do we care what nationality our mechanics are?
A sign hanging outside a seafood restaurant reads, “All You Can Eat Shrimp!” ALL You Can EAT SHRIMP means something very different than “All You can EAT, SHRIMP!” The latter isn’t going to draw a lot of customers, I think.
THIRD, Post a message on the forum below that addresses the following items:
- See if you can identify the rhythm and meter Roethke uses in his poem, and share some thoughts on why he might have chosen this rhythm/meter. How does it impact the subject of the poem? Why might this rhythm/meter be an appropriate choice for this poem?
- Many readers believe this poem is about something negative–abuse, neglect, etc. Other readers believe it’s a happy, nostalgic memory. Which is it? And what specific craft elements help readers answer this question?
Part three:
FIRST, read Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” and the “Setting-Description-Image-Word Choice handout
SECOND, post a forum message that responds to the following items. Post your message in the “Setting, description, word choice” forum thread.
- The American and Jig are having a heated discussion about something. What is it? What craft elements in the story help readers understand the subject of the characters’ conversation?
- Based on your understanding of what setting is and how it works in creative writing, comment on how Hemingway seems to be using setting in his story.
- By the end of Hemingways’ story, what decision does Jig make? How do you know (what evidence is there in the story itself to support your ideas)?