you
actually know well--not Hitler, Saddam Hussein, or some other well-known
person you've never met. Those persons are essentially abstractions; we
want real, live, flesh and blood here. In fact, the better you know the
person, the more fun these next few writings will probably be.)
Tell us a story that will enable us to SEE that person troubling you. Or being a trouble to you. Or doing whatever it is that troubles you or is a problem to you.
Telling
the story of one specific incident will be probably be better than trying
to write a description of the person or making some general statement about
him or her. Actions speak louder than words, and in a story action is usually
more powerful than description. But remember to give us things to
see.
Also, in a story, direct quotations are usually more powerful than summaries, so you'll probably feel the need to get in some dialogue. If you can't remember exactly what the persons involved actually said, don't let that bother you. Just try to make each person sound true to life, and don't worry about any possible misquoting.
By the way, I specified "real, live, flesh
and blood" and used the word "see" because you can SEE flesh and blood--and
smell it, hear it, feel it, taste it. You can believe it. (You know what
we say: "Seeing is believing.") Try to describe an abstraction sometime--love,
for instance, or truth--and
you'll see what I'm getting at.
Be sure to think up a title for your story. And remember to write me a note about the story--whatever seems relevant to you.
Because there will be other assignments about this same subject, I'd better caution you not to write about yourself. That would make at least one of the coming assignments awkward. The same goes for someone who is no longer alive. It's probably best not to write about someone else in this class, either.
Oh, and by the way--you might write about someone you LOVE.
