Blog9. What worked in my essay
Well choosing a topic was relatively easy. I made a list up of some areas that I had difficulties in. It goes as follows:
1. Narrowing down which ideas to focus on when it comes to my topic.2. How much is too much? I wasn't sure if some of the things I would reveal were appropriate in a creative nonfiction essay for class. I had some nasty details, but of course I'm too ashamed to let it out in the open. These are crucial details of my life just spread out in the open for you to read and forget.
3. Protecting the identity of the people it involved. I had to change their names.
4. Avoiding the temptation exaggerate or make things seem more dramatic. In fiction, I make my characters more interesting, I can make the story more dramatic. In creative nonfiction, you write what happened.
5.Where to start and end my story. I obviously know what happened in my life, yet this happened over a long period of time. Picking just a few moments to portray in 5 pages is very difficult. I have so much to say, but I don't want to say too much that it seems as if I'm just whining and complaining on paper.
So far those are the problems that I've encountered.
For my next essay, I may want to talk about my neighbor's house that burned down. Because I was able to unfortunately witness my neighbors house burning, I've developed a fear of fire.
My essay may be formatted according to this outline.
I. The night of the fire.
A. I came home from a Sweet 16. I fell asleep in my dress.
B. Hearing banging on my door from my neighbor.
C. Hearing my neighbors screaming.
D. Looking out my window seeing a gigantic home in flames.
II. The very next morning
A. The smell of smoke in the air
B. My neighbors went to the hospital but returned
C. Nobody Perished except the cats.
III. A few weeks later
A. Learning the cause of the fire
B. Having to see the ruins of my neighbor's house for days
C. The effect it had on the entire neighborhood
IV. The effect the fire had on me
A. I hate fire
B. I would not used the Bunsen burner in chemistry that year. I was terrified of just a tiny flame
C. I would scream at my brothers who jokingly played with matches
D. I've developed a paranoia with candles, I must blow them out before leaving a room.
V. Fire Again
A. The day before my 21st birthday and I woke up to the news that a Filipino Family in my town has perished in a fire.
B. The fear of calling each of my friends to see if they were okay. (Some didn't answer the phone)
C. Finally finding out who's family perished. It was the family of my friend from high school.
D.I attended a funeral of an entire family.
E. Seeing my friend at the wake of his mother,father, sister and grandmother.
Posted in: on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at at 2:48 PM
