Estimated Time: 45 - 60 minutes

One way to become a better writer is to read good writing.

Read:

This week read "Invisibility" by Maile Meloy on page 80 of Breakfast on Mars and 37 other Delectable Essays.

6 Traits of Writing Rubric:

This month in our 6 Traits of Writing Rubric, we are going to focus on the trait Word Choice, which is shown in the second row. Word Choice and Observational Writing are closely related.

As you are working on your writing project this month, be sure to choose words that paint a picture in the mind of your reader.

Writing Project

Your writing project for this month is to rewrite a scene from the book from two other perspectives.

This week, you learned about narrative perspective. Here's a quick review of what you learned:

First-Person Perspective:

• Definition: The story is told from the point of view of a character within the story, using "I" or "we."
• Key Points: Provides direct insight into the thoughts and feelings of the narrator, can be biased, and is limited to the narrator’s experiences and knowledge.

Second-Person Perspective:

• Definition: The narrator addresses the reader as "you," making them the protagonist of the story.
• Key Points: This is a less common perspective that can create a sense of immediacy and immersion but can also feel jarring if not used carefully.

Third-Person Perspective:

• Third-Person Omniscient: The narrator knows all thoughts, actions, and feelings of the characters. This perspective allows a god-like view, seeing everything that happens within the world of the story.
• Third-Person Limited: Focuses on the experiences, thoughts, and feelings of one character at a time, providing a more intimate understanding of that character while maintaining some narrative distance.
• Third-Person Objective: The narrator reports only what can be seen and heard, like a camera following the characters around, with no insight into thoughts or feelings.

Let's try rewriting one of the scenes from this week's reading in another perspective.

Here are some ideas:

• First-Person Perspective: Rewrite it as if Dr. Watson or another character is telling the story directly to the reader.
• Second-Person Perspective: Write a scene where the reader is a new character in "The Hound of the Baskervilles," experiencing a moment from the plot.
• Third-Person Perspective: Convert a first-person passage into third-person, choosing between omniscient, limited, and objective perspectives.

Remember this important quote from the article you read in the Read, Write, and Learn Section:

"You can use perspective in all points of view to help define your narrator’s attitude and personality. The character’s perspective affects how he feels about certain experiences or other characters."

Share your writing with us in the comments below.