Stoplight Romance (a.k.a. Missed Connections)

Write a Missed Connections ad based on a character from one of your stories or create a new one. 
Here is an example of a missed connection ad from Craigslist:

BAND-AID YEARNS FOR CHIN

You wowed me with your whoopie cushion shenanigans for hours.. I was reluctant at first but then soon fell in line with the jubilant merriment. You can play it in our band! I wish I could give you your band-aid back.. but a new and sterile one. Did you really fall off your bike or was that just some beard burn on your chin? I don't care, let's get together and I'll give you some ointment!

When: Sunday, August 7, 2011
Where: This Toilet Earth
I saw a: Woman
I am a: Man

Use this format to write a missed connection ad based on a fictional character.  Here is an example:

I'LL BE YOUR KNIGHT IN SHINING OVERALLS
You:  Damsel in distress wearing a white dress and in distress.
Me: Brave mustached plummer with a fetish for overalls and mallets.
Will you let me help you get that monkey off your back?

When: Saturday
Where: Top of building
I saw a: Woman in the clutches of an ape
I am a: Barrel dodging plummer named  Luigi

Critter Point Of View

The video clips posted below were filmed using a critter cam that had been attached to an animal or insect. Watch one of the videos and write a story from the point of view of an animal.

Writing from the POV of an animal has helped some author's create fantastic works of fiction. Watership Down by Richard Adams and Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White are two examples of books written from an animal's point of view.

Consider the following when choosing your point of view:

First Person. “Unites narrator and reader through a series of secrets” when they enter one character’s perceptions. However, it can “lead to telling” and limits readers connections to other characters in the short story.

Second Person. “Puts readers within the actual scene so that readers confront possibilities directly.” However, it is important to place your characters “in a tangible environment” so you don’t “omit the details readers need for clarity.”

Third Person Omniscient. Allows you to explore all of the characters’ thoughts and motivations. Transitions are extremely important as you move from character to character.

Third Person Limited. “Offers the intimacy of one character’s perceptions.” However, the writer must “deal with character absence from particular scenes.”

Fonts Personified: Ever wondered what Wingdings would look like?

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Create a Criminal Character

Here is your chance to create a criminal character.
1. Go to the following website and create a sketch artist's rendition of a criminal.
http://flashface.ctapt.de/

2. Use the image to create a crime for your criminal character. You have to decide if your story is told from the POV of the criminal, the victim, or the detective assigned to the case.

3. Publish your story along with the image you created using the sketch artist website.

Send In The Tropes!

Tropes:

What Type Are You? (A Personal History of Typefaces)

The following was originally posted on the Very Short List Blog (www.veryshortlist.com)

Since 1974, the design studio Pentagram has come up with a special way to usher in the holiday season, sending a select group of friends, colleagues and clients small booklets with an emphasis on strong graphic design rather that pat holiday greetings. But we kinda think they outdid themselves with 2009’s edition, the charming and incredibly well-executed and interactive What Type Are You? Typeface, that is!

After entering your name and password—happily, we are allowed to reveal here that it is “character”—turn your speakers, as directed, up. A nattily dressed man, seen only from the neck down, goes into therapy mode, speaking in what we’re imagining is a Freud-like accent. He’ll ask you four simple questions, pausing and fidgeting impatiently if you take too long, and will reveal your own individual “type.” There are 16 different possibilities (from Archer Hairline to Universal), and you’ll receive a short and fascinating history lesson on the specified font.

http://www.pentagram.com/what-type-are-you/

National Day of Listening

A great starting place for a story can be found at home with someone in your family or neighborhood. The National Day of Listening encourages participants to set aside one hour to record a conversation with someone important to them. This year, I interviewed Jewel Johnson. After listening to the interview, I found many stories that I will be using as starters for my own stories.  During the interview Jewel recounts an episode of "coon hunting" and what life was like in Sumter during the 1930's. 



See more Audio at TeacherTube.com.



See more Audio at TeacherTube.com.