Writing Week 1 Notes 20 Sept 2017 “Imagine every passing idea as a stranger worthy of following through a crowded street not out of curiosity but out of boredom. Now, imagine every street as a passing idea and yourself as the stranger. Art is what happens when someone else begins to follow you.” —Noah Eli Gordon "Imaginary evil is romantic and varied; real evil is gloomy, monotonous, barren, boring. Imaginary good is boring; real good is always new, marvelous, intoxicating, fascinating." —Simone Weil What fascinates you? Draw an image that represents something that fascinates you on your nametag. What is an essay? On the syllabus, I’ve given you a list of questions I hope we’ll discuss in class. What questions would you add to this list? (try to think of at least 2) What other topics would you like to discuss, and/or what aspects of writing would you like to practice in this course? HW for Week 2: 1. Sometime this week, go to a part of Brno you aren’t familiar with, and spend some time getting lost. (Be safe. Please don’t put yourself in any dangerous situations!) During and/or after “getting lost,” document your experience in (English) words. This can be in ANY form/genre (a poem, a story, a FB post, tweets, graffiti), and of any length. Bring your work to class to share next week. 2. Read the essay “Open Door” by Rebecca Solnit (it’s about 22 pages long, so please allow yourself enough time to read it carefully). Focus on the relationship between content/theme (what the essay is talking about) and form/structure (how Solnit guides us through the essay and makes us feel like it’s one complete, connected piece). 3. In your notes, copy down one sentence from the Solnit essay which you think is especially interesting/beautiful/effective. Be prepared to talk about why you like this sentence. 4. In your notes, copy down three new or unfamiliar vocabulary words from the Solnit essay which you would like to use in your own writing.