Journal 3

ENG 520 Module Three Journal Guidelines and Rubric

Overview: Journal activities in this course are private between you and the instructor. A course journal is generally made up of many individual assignments. For this course, you will keep a journal in which you will reflect on the knowledge gained throughout the course and document your growth as a writer and how your own ideas about creative writing evolved. Prompt: For this journal assignment, you will analyze the development of a character in one (or both) of the stories in this week’s readings. First, read the following selections in Creative Writing: A Workbook with Readings:

 #10 “Biggest Elvis”

 #18“Girl”

 and Writing Dynamic Characters: A Checklist Provide a commentary on what works well within these stories and what might be improved through your understanding of good characterization. How can the rules implemented in these stories be applied to your own characters? Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

1. Effective Use of Rules: Analyze the use of rules for writing dynamic characters as evidenced by the character(s) in the textbook reading(s). How effectively are these rules used? How well do you feel you know the character(s) in the reading(s)?

2. Improvements: Describe areas in the reading(s) in which the rules for writing dynamic characters could be better implemented. What opportunities are present where the author could have better fleshed out the story’s character(s)?

3. Application: Explain how you plan to implement the techniques used to create the characters in the textbook reading to your own characters in your story.

Guidelines for Submission: Submit assignment as a Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Your journal assignment must be no more than 300 words and any sources should be cited in MLA format.

Rubric

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (90%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value Effective Use of

Rules Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides specific examples of effective or non-effective use of character rules from the reading(s) that support analysis

Analyzes the use of rules for writing dynamic characters in the textbook reading(s) by explaining how effectively the rules are used and how well the student feels he/she knows the character(s)

Analyzes the use of rules for writing dynamic characters in the textbook reading(s) by explaining how effectively the rules are used and how well the student feels he/she knows the character(s), but explanation lacks details or is insufficient

Does not explain how effectively the rules are used and/or how well the student feels he/she knows the character(s)

30

Improvements Meets “Proficient” criteria and supports explanation using examples from the text of how the author could better implement rules for writing dynamic characters

Describes areas in the reading(s) in which the rules for writing dynamic characters could be better implemented and explains opportunities present where the author could have better fleshed out the story’s character(s)

Describes areas in the reading(s) in which the rules for writing dynamic characters could be better implemented and explains opportunities present where the author could have better fleshed out the story’s character(s), but description lacks detail or is insufficient

Does not describe areas in the reading(s) in which the rules for writing dynamic characters could be better implemented and/or explanation of opportunities present where the author could have better fleshed out the story’s character(s)

30

Application Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides a rationale for the use of each technique

Explains possible ways to implement the techniques used to create the characters in the textbook reading(s) to student’s own characters in his/her story

Explains possible ways to implement the techniques used to create the characters in the textbook reading(s) to student’s own characters in his/her story, but explanation of implementation is lacking in detail

Does explain possible ways to implement techniques used to create the characters in the textbook reading(s) and the student’s own characters in his/her story

30

Articulation of Response

Journal assignment is free of errors in organization and grammar

Journal assignment is mostly free of errors of organization and grammar, which are marginal and rarely interrupt the flow

Journal assignment contains errors of organization and grammar but they are limited enough so that assignment can be understood

Journal assignment contains errors of organization and grammar that make the journal difficult to understand

10

Total 100%