Write a 1000-word profile on someone you find mysterious

ASSIGNMENT

Write the true story of someone you know using artful, stylized language and a compelling story arc—the defining features of creative nonfiction. Choose someone who seems like they have a bit of mystery to them, and follow your curiosity. Brainstorm what you know, research any questions, find a universal theme that will resonate with your readers, and write the truth into a compelling, cohesive story.

DELIVERABLE

A final draft of 500-1000 words (or approx. 3 pages) profiling someone you find mysterious. Share your writing in the class project gallery by pasting the text or linking to a Google doc. A complete profile may include:

lede
facts
dialogue
quotes
paraphrased expert opinion
observations
description
commentary
artful conclusion

Note: Feel free to also share notes, brainstorming, and drafts from your full writing process.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Download detailed lesson notes in the attached PDF project steps.
Download "The American Male at Age 10" (attached), or read it in print: The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup: My Encounters with Extraordinary People (Random House, 2002).
For more on narrative journalism, check out Harvard University's Nieman Storyboard.
Reading creative nonfiction will help you pick up on the patterns you want to cultivate as a writer. A few sites to explore: The Atavist | Byliner.com | Creative Nonfiction | Longform.org | Narrative Magazine | The New Yorker | Scratch
Three favorites creative nonfiction anthologies: The New Kings of Nonfiction (Glass, 2007) | The New New Journalism: Conversations with America's Best Nonfiction Writers on Their Craft (Boynton, 2005) | Literary Journalism (Sims and Kramer, 1995)
Browse the collected stories and works by the legendary writers mentioned in the video lessons: Bruce Chatwin, In Patagonia | Joan Didion, The White Album | John McPhee, The Second John McPhee Reader | Joseph Mitchell, Up in the Old Hotel | Lillian Ross, Reporting Back: Notes on Journalism | Mark Singer, Mr. Personality: Profiles and Talk Pieces from The New Yorker | Tom Wolfe, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test

Michele Washam

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