Workshop Assignment due Monday, January 7, 2013
Assigned: Friday, January 4, 2013
Directions:
 Construct a free write for your chosen story idea by using one of the writing formats
listed below.
o Character Sketch
 In this writing format, you construct a descriptive paragraph presentation
of your “Somebody-Wanted-But” chart. This free write includes three
paragraphs that focus on an introduction of your character (paragraph
1), a description of what the character wants (paragraph 2), and a
description of what stands in the character’s way (paragraph 3).
o Exposition
 In this writing format, you are constructing the opening event in your short
story. Begin trying out an interesting lead to hook in your reading
audience, introducing your main character, and beginning to set up
events to introduce your climax.
o “Set the Scene”
 In this writing format, you are to describe the primary setting of your story
using your senses. Consider what the setting is like for your character by
using sensory details and “show, not tell” to express the setting image in
your head to your reading audience.
 Senses to consider: sight, touch, smell, hear

Your free write should be one page or more in length.

Examples of the free write styles can be found below.
Free Write – Character Sketch
(Borrowed from Gary Soto’s “The Marble Champ,” pg. 90-91)
Lupe Medrano, a shy girl who spoke in whispers, was the school’s spelling bee
champion, winner of the reading contest at the public library three summers in a row, blue
ribbon awardee in the science fair, the top student at her piano recital, and the playground
grand champion in chess. She was a straight-A student and—not counting kindergarten,
when she had been stung by a wasp—never missed one day of elementary school. She had
received a small trophy for this honor and had been congratulated by the mayor.
But though Lupe had a razor-sharp mind, she could not make her body, no matter
how much she tried, run as fast as the other girls’. She begged her body to move faster, but
could never beat anyone in the fifty-yard dash.
The truth was that Lupe was no good in sports. She could not catch a pop-up or figure
out in which direction to kick the soccer ball. One time she kicked the ball at her own goal
and scored a point for the other team. She was no good at baseball or basketball either,
and even had a hard time making a hula hoop stay on her hips.
It wasn’t until last year, when she was eleven years old, that she learned how to ride a
bike. And even then she had to use training wheels. She could walk in the swimming poop
but couldn’t swim, and chanced roller skating only when her father held her hand.
“I’ll never be good at sports,” she fumed one rainy day as she lay on her bed gazing
at the shelf her father had made to hold her awards. “I wish I could win something, anything,
even marbles.”
Free Write – Exposition
“We are sure to win!” Jillian squealed excitedly as she linked arms with Josephine to
navigate the swarms of students heading out of the school for dismissal. “There’s no way that
anyone is going to beat our performance at the talent show tonight.” Josephine slowly
unlocked her arm from Jillian’s to push in the combination for her locker. As Jillian continued
to rattle on about their fabulous costumes and flawless choreography, Josephine fought to
keep a confident smile on her face. It’ll be fine, Josephine repeated to herself for what
seemed to be the hundredth time that day. We’ve practiced and practiced. There’s no way
that I’ll mess up in front of the entire school.
“And just imagine the looks on their faces when we do the double cartwheels,” Jillian
continued. Josephine had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. She knew that Jillian was
depending on her to help her win the talent show, but Josephine could feel her fear
hovering above her like a storm cloud slowly descending upon a valley. There was no
escaping her fear. And worst, if she backed out of the talent show now, Josephine knew that
Jillian would never forgive her.
“Josie? Hey, anybody in there?” Jillian asked as she waved a hand in front of
Josephine’s face. Startled from her thoughts, Josephine looked up quickly, hoping that her
doubt was not showing on her face.
“Sorry, I was thinking about the math project that’s due next week. What were you
saying?” Josephine replied.
“I was saying that you should come over to my house around six tonight so that we
can get ready together and rehearse one more time before the show. What do you think?”
Jillian looked wistfully at Josephine. I can’t let her down. Not this close to the show,
Josephine thought to herself. She had made her decision weeks ago, and now she was
trapped by it.
“Yea, six sounds fine. I’ll see you then.”
Free Write – Set the Scene
The solemn, click-clacking of Mrs. Johnson’s high-heeled shoes echoed down the
barren school hallway as she made her way to her classroom. The marble floor, untouched
by the mud-covered shoes of eager middle school students, shown in the florescent light of
the hallway from the polishing it had received the night before. Rows of fire-engine red
lockers lined the hallways, revealing little about the student whose belongings were tucked
inside.
As Mrs. Johnson turned the corner to the fifth-grade wing, an unnatural streak of neon
broke the symmetry of the naturally bleak hallways. Hi-lighter yellow, neon pink, and lime
green paper streamers decorated the locker of one lucky student whose birthday was
today. The long streamers fluttered against the fire-engine read locker door, filled with the
exuberance of being a secret surprise from friends. The lone, purple, polka-dotted balloon
hung joyfully to the locker surface, attached only by one piece of scotch tape that was
slowly starting to fall away from the locker’s surface. Mrs. Johnson stopped in front of the
locker to secure the solitary piece to prepare for the onslaught of student traffic once the
morning bell announced the start of the day.
Content with her work, Mrs. Johnson continued down the hallway to her classroom
door. Clumsily shifting the piles of glimmering gold paper copies from one hand to the other,
Mrs. Johnson struggled to remove her classroom key from around her neck. She struggled to
remove the hunter green lanyard, only succeeding once the stack of copies she held in her
hands cascaded to the floor, falling into a golden puddle around her feet. Sighing deeply,
she bent down to retrieve her colorful mess, unsure of whether or not this mess was a sign of
the day to come.