Authenticity Project
Authenticity Part 1
As I began Laura Esquivel’s novel Like Water for Chocolate, I noticed right away how as a writer from Mexican culture she uses storytelling techniques in a unique way yet uses common strategies to connect her story to others and to the reader:
strategy 1 active verbs
strategy 2 reveal character by dialogue rather than long descriptions. “Show” rather than “tell” like a director of a film
strategy 3 keep detailed descriptions of characters short but relevant to the story, only what we need to know about them to understand their thoughts or actions
strategy 4 expose insights into each character’s dominant impression
strategy 5 determine a clear setting and timeline [beginning, middle, end]
strategy 6 create a mood by word choices, code switching, and imagery
strategy 7 “code switch” from formal to casual tone in dialogue
strategy 8 use italics for foreign words and “translating” what the person is saying directly or indirectly
strategy 9 include local color like foods, smells, textures, landmarks, and sound effects
strategy 10 opening sentence leads into story by catching attention
Esquivel and Oda both convey the truth that traditions play a role in our culture but that some are no longer beneficial or are outdated. Stories convey truth. In a two-page story, creatively retell one personal story of a time you experienced a tradition that needs to be changed:
option 1 a tradition from your ethnicity is in conflict with an American tradition
option 2 a tradition that lead to a verbal conflict [like an argument]
option 3 a tradition that lead to physical confrontations [like a fist fight]
option 4 a tradition that lead to conflict at work or at school [like discrimination]
option 5 a tradition that lead to feeling isolated, ignored or neglected [like not having a voice]
option 6 a tradition that caused you to be stereotyped or you stereotyped another individual [ideas in Blog 2]
option 7 a tradition that lead to a moment of failure [refers back to JK Rowlingl
Guidelines for 1-2 page creative writing (25 points):
Instead of thesis have a low-key controlling idea stating why this story is worth retelling
Body: each time a new speaker begins, start a new paragraph
code switch between casual and formal in dialogue for character development rather than describing them
express your “voice”, your pathos, in retelling a story authentically about a tradition which should change
Conclusion can restate the controlling idea in fresh words. Tie your smaller story to a bigger lesson: *a lesson which impacted your present character
experience change your view of others or yourself
your response to this cultural conflict help your character change in some way
6. suggestion: ask a classmate, the Writing Center, or myself in my office hours for feedback
Extra credit 5 points: ideas from the Pulitzer Center for Photojournalism
option 1 include one photo of yourself at that age of your life or in work uniform
option 2 include a photo of the setting [cite a source if needed]
option 3 interview a hoto ot, friesor colleague who was with you the day of this event for their
insights and include in conclusion
Rubric for Authenticity: Art of Storytelling (25 points)
Content (10 points)
active verbs to describe action
dialogue and code switching to develop the characters and plot relevant details to develop story
opening sentence draws the reader in [pathos] a specific setting a clear timeline
Grammar (5 points)
aware of sentence structure and verb tense
uses appropriate punctuation such as quotation marks or question marks uses italics for foreign words [if appropriate] with clear translations where helpful
Structure (5 points)
opening sentence draws the reader into the intrigue of the story states a controlling idea at the end of the introduction starts a new paragraph every time a new speaker begins
brings the beginning and middle of the story to a conclusion with a lesson learned or an insight in separate paragraph
Controlling idea (5 points)
uses the controlling idea to argue a tradition lead to conflict
Extra credit (5 points)
includes one of the four creative options from the Pulitzer Center on photojournalism
