Creative Writing I , II
Essay #1
A Favorite Memory
In addition to the stories we tell often, we are all storehouses of significant memories that we have not
tried, or not tried often, to voice. These may be fragments more than stories— for example, the way you felt
climbing the stairs at your grandparents’ house when you were small, or an episode you shared with your best
friend in the first grade. Leaf through your memories. Find one that is attractive to you, for reasons you do not
need to understand. Give it an ending if it lacks one, or explore your feelings about what it means to you. Ask
yourself why it would be interesting to someone else, and make it mean something to your reader. Your
memory should include description (like in Think Small), dialogue (like in Character Sketches), and a rough
form of plot (like in the Twilight Zone episode).
Be sure to follow the steps in the Writing Process (you will turn in your prewriting with your first draft).
Your response should be completed in approximately 2-3 pages: double-spaced, with the standard
heading, page numbers, and a two-line title (just like Think Small).
Grading Breakdown
Prewriting (approximately one page required)
Gathering Ideas (brainstorm, idea map, freewrite, etc.)
Organizing Ideas (outline, highlight, number, etc.)
7 points
5 points
Drafting (first draft)
15 points
Revising/Editing
Peer Response/Writer’s Workshop
Second Draft
10 points
15 points
Third Draft (“Six Traits” x 2)
48 points
Total
100 points
Your prewriting is due tomorrow. Your first draft is due Wednesday by the end of the period. You
will have plenty of time to work on it in class.
Notes: