write a creative imitation of one of the authors we have studied so far. Those writers include William Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Kate Chopin. This exercise is designed to give you greater insight into the practice of literary writing.
In a creative imitation, you will write the fiction or poetry yourself. Although you are free to invent your approach, I would suggest thinking about the assignment in terms of style and theme. One idea is to take a style and adapt it for your own purposes. For example, how would you write a Shakespearean sonnet about sitting in traffic? Another idea is to modernize one of the poems or short stories we have read. For example, how would Kate Chopin write “The Storm” if it was set in NEW ORLEANS TODAY? A third idea is to add a scene, a prequel, or a sequel to a story as if the author had written it herself. Another idea is to tell the story from the perspective of another character, such as little Bibi in “The Storm.”
Please feel free to innovate in any way you see fit, but make sure your reader knows exactly what your imitation is imitating. A good, creative imitation should always engage with and depart from its original source.
Paper requirements:
Papers must be 3-5 typed pages for fiction, but there is no set page requirement for poetry.
All work must be double-spaced in 12 point, Times New Roman font.
All late work will be penalized.
Some helpful suggestions:
1. Before writing, go back and re-read the text and closely study the style and major themes.
2. Title your work and make it interesting.
4. Be concise. Think always: quality, not quantity.
5. Practice, practice, practice. Don’t write thinking you are going to turn in every single word you write. Let things flow freely, then decide what you want to keep and incorporate into a final version.
6. Revise, revise, revise. Start writing early, let it sit, re-read your work, and fine-tune your language.
7. Enjoy yourself! And remember: you won’t enjoy yourself if you procrastinate and struggle to write something the night before.
