Seven Pounds

Background:   Tim O’Brien claims that part of his motivation for storytelling is that, “I want you to feel what I felt.   I want you to know why story truth is truer sometimes than happening –truth … What stories can do, I guess, is make things present” (203-204).   In doing so, “you (the writer / storyteller) objectify your own experience.   You separate it from yourself.   You pin down certain truths.   You make up others.   You start with an incident that truly happened … and you carry it forward by inventing incidents that did not in fact occur but that nonetheless help to clarify and explain” (179-180).


Task:   Write a ‘true war story’ by incorporating elements of O’Brien’s writing style, figurative language, sensory details, imagery, and strong word choice.   Explore the “story truth” through exaggeration, omission, and the structure of the story.



Rough Draft Due: Tuesday, May 23

Final Draft Due: Wednesday, May 31


          Part 1:   your ‘true war’ story (75 points)

Part 2: ‘Notes’ in which you write a meta-analysis of your story (25 points)



Part 1:   Your ‘true war’ story


Take inspiration from the book and select an event from your life, an experience that you have had, a memory that you possess, or an emotion that you carry and tell the story.

Think about how you want to convey the story so that it creates the MAXIMUM effect for the reader and “makes the stomach believe.”


You may consider the following questions as you plan your story, but do not feel compelled to incorporate each of them.

      What emotional impact do you want to create?


      What parts are unnecessary and can be cut?


      What aspects need exaggeration, repetition, or changes to make them more powerful and
      real?


      What point of view would be most effective in conveying your story?


      How do you want to use time?   Do you want to flashback in time or jump around from
      the past to the present?


      Do...