Writing Assignment: Second Chance
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- 4/1/2008 |
- 10:00 am
How many times have you done something, or said something, and later wished you could go back in time and get a "do over." That's the seed for this month's creative writing assignment. Here are the details...
I want you to imagine a story as told from the perspective of someone who is given a second chance. We've all wanted a second chance at various times in our lives. Maybe you said something to a stranger that you later regretted, and wanted to find that person and somehow make it right. Or maybe you betrayed a confidence with someone, and wished that you could go back and start over again.
When I was 21, my mother passed away. I had no way of knowing that our last conversation would indeed be the last time we spoke. When I left her that day, I was sure we would have many more talks, many more laughs. But we didn't. Since that day I've often wondered what that conversation would have been like if I'd known. There's a story in there somewhere.
And there's a story within you, too. Think of a situation where a character has the chance to go back and make something right. What do they learn from the experience? How does it change them? Do they make a similar mistake, or do they actually set things right? What if things turned out the same, regardless of their new chance? The possibilities are endless.
This month's writing tip is about character development, so your writing assignment fits nicely with that. This might be your best story ever!
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Riley O'Connell
April 10, 2008 6:04 am
Dom~
I love your website! I was wondering... about the April 2008 Writing Assignment--is this something we send in to you or is it just a challenge for us to do? If you could write back ASAP, that would be much appreciated. I would love to do this writing assignment, just wanted to know if we could possibly send it in to you.
Thank you so much!!
Riley, 11
(NOTE FROM DOM: Hi Riley! I'm glad you're excited about the Big Brain Club's assignments. I wish I could read all of the work that our students do, but it's mostly an exercise for you to improve your skills. However, here's a suggestion I'd like to make: Ask your teacher if he/she would like to use the Big Brain Club's assignments as either a class project, or maybe even as extra credit. There are a few teachers who do that.
Either way, don't wait! Start writing today! And thank you very much for your note.)
