Adapted from The St. Martin's Guide to Writing
Audience: general audience
Subject: a person, negative
or positive, who has affected you or your beliefs
Structure: three-five page paper
with introduction, body, and conclusion
Pre-writing/Invention: Using a list or a cluster,
remember people that fit into the categories described above. Once you
have generated several people select two positive and one negative or one
positive and two negative. Again choose a list or a cluster. Free
associate about these people, writing down anything that comes to mind.
Freewriting: Select
two people from the pre-writing above. Compose one page of freewriting
about each of these people. Explore ideas for the
questions below.
Why is this person
so important to you?
How has this person
influenced you?
What have you learned
about yourself from this person?
What would your life
be like without this relationship?
Tell your favorite
or worst memory of this person.
Selecting your subject: From these two people, select
one to use as the subject for your paper. Perhaps you should choose
the one for whom you have the strongest emotion or the one you remembered
the most about.
Describing the
person.
Physical Features: With an image of this person
in your mind, list physical features. Write one on each line.
Then describe each feature in words or phrases, such as forearms- muscular,
tan, moist from sweat. Think about the person's way of dresssing, including
jewelry, hats, and other accessories. Use the same manner above to describe.
Behavior: Put one item on each line
as you consider
any specific gestures
or habits you remember
activities or interests
typical of the person
ways you recall him
or her "in action": walking, running, driving a car, sitting at the kitchen
table
what you observe when
the person expresses a mood or emotion
Now go back and describe
each item fully in words or brief phrases.
Speech: What can you remember about
the way he or she speaks?
any memorable phrases
or expressions
the tone of voice
the first thing you
remember the person ever saying to you
the most memorable
thing you recall him or her saying to you
Anecdotes: Recall any important events
or incidents associated with the subject. List the events one per line.
When you finish, put a number from one to three next to each one to show how
much the event tells about the person or your relationship (one=very telling,
two=somewhat telling, three=not especially telling).
At this point, you
should consider if your initial choice will help you successfully write a
paper. Do you feel connected to the subject? Do you remember
enough information? If you answered yes, proceed with the writing process.
If no, go back to your first list of people and select someone else to try.
Basic Features: Before you plan, you need
to understand the basic features of the paper.
1. Vivid portrait
of the person ( describe appearance and show language)
2. Detailed anecdotes
and scenes
3. Person's significance
Planning:
First, DRAFT a thesis statement that incorporates your subject and the significance
of your relationship. Everything you include in your body paragraphs
must support and relate to this sentence. Be a storyteller. Use
anecdotes mixed with description to elaborate as you write. You should
also include thoughts and feelings to explain the importance of this person.
This information could be part of your conclusion as well. Use
an attention-getting technique to begin. In your conclusion, borrow
the same technique but use different words. Above all, plan an order
in which to present your anecdotes (chronological, compare/contrast,
attributes, etc.).
Drafting:
Remember that you have collected a great deal of information about this
person. Look over your freewriting, cluster or list, and your describing
the person activity. Do your best to follow your plan, and borrow the
words you have already composed. Elaborate, elaborate, elaborate! see Instructor Example
Conferencing:
First, let someone in class read for a first impression.
After you have created a second draft, you should have two peers PQP your paper.