A/P Philip Holden (email: ellhpj@nus.edu.sg)

Assignment 1

Due in class Week 5.

Take either of the two short stories we studied in week 2, and:

1. Write an additional passage or episode of between 250-500 words in the style of the author which can be inserted anywhere you wish into the short story. Your challenge is to produce an episode that fits so well into the story that, if inserted into a printed version, it would be undetectable to a new reader. Remember to specify the exact point where your passage will be inserted.

2. After completing the episode, write a brief essay reflecting on the difficulties and decisions you made in writing the episode. You should indicate the effect you were trying to produce on the reader, and the relation of this to what you see as the overall theme of the short story. As you explain your intended effect, try to use vocabulary such as duration, point of view, characterization, structure, and setting, indicating how the different elements of your episode contribute towards an overall effect. The essay should be between 750-1000 words in length.

There’s a common belief that some people are naturally more gifted at writing than others. This isn’t necessarily true, but if you feel anxiety regarding part 1 of the assignment, note that most marks here will be given for the depth of your reflection on your effort (part 2).

Presentation of Assignments

Proper presentation of assignments is important because it is the first thing a tutor or lecturer notices about the asignment, and it can seriously prejudice him or her in your favour or--if the assignment is poorly presented--against you.

Follow the following guidelines:

1. Give your name, matriculation number, assignment number and due date, and module details (tutor's name) on either a cover page or at the top of the first page of the assignment.
2. Double space all text.
3. Give page numbers on each page
4. Give clear subtitles at the beginnings of part 1 and part 2 of the assignment. Start part 2 of the assignment on a separate page.
5. Give a word count at the end of each of the two parts.

Last updated: 30 June, 2003