VOICE IS VISIONDeveloping the Narrative “Voice”TIW – July 23, 2014Hudson Valley Writers Project

Pre-Writing: Writing into the Photo

Look closely at the picture. Make observations. Come to the photograph from many angles. Look at it as a physical object. What is there? Look at its subject(s), closely! Examine the emotions it evokes. Ask it questions. What is your relationship to this scene? Who is taking the photograph? And don’t forget to observe what is not there—sometimes absence is what it is all about. (3 min)

Then write a brief story based on your observations. What is the picture’s backstory? (10 min)

Share (5 min)

Expanding the Pre-Writing Activity – Different Perspectives

Using the same photograph from pre-writing activity write briefly from a different perspective: Subject of the photograph, the photographer, the person who developed the photograph, a family member/personal friend witness to the event/scene depicted in the photograph, a person standing just outside the frame of the photograph…etc. (10 min)

Share (5 min)

PAUSE AND REFLECTHow does the point of view change the narrative?

We Are Going To… Motivation for development of the assignment/strategy (2 min) Read first 2 paragraphs of “The Woman in the Photograph” in

ILoHL (5 min)

Review how I arrived at my Inquiry Question (5 min) What is the narrative voice? Why is it important?

Overview of the Assignment – A Picture is Worth a Thousand…What?! (5 Min)

Review Student Work (first drafts) (30 min) What do you notice? Can you see the influence of the pre-writing activities in the student writing? What can I do to help them develop a stronger narrative voice?

Motivation

The start of a Unit on Narrative Structure and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, a photograph (of Henrietta Lacks) prompts author Rebecca Skloot to research the subject. “I’ve spent years staring at that photo, wondering what kind of life she led, what happened to her children, and what she’d think about cells from her cervix living forever…” (pp. 2-3).

The unit emphasizes a personal stance. What gives students power or control over their own writing is not an excessive concentration on what they are writing; it’s more productive to focus on how they decide to express their thoughts.

Narrative “Voice”

“It isn’t what she said, it’s the way she said it.”Get an attitude!!

The term “Voice” describes various aspects of a writer’s expression in story; it includes your unique writing style and the style you’ve chosen to adopt for the particular story you’re telling. The voice of your story is influenced by your audience—youth, adults, crazy people, etc.—as well as the subject matter and general overall theme of the story.

Inquiry Question: How can photographs help unlock the narrative “voice”?

Students can find their voice in

expressive writing and evolve from

an informal stance to a more formal

one.“I know what I

want to say, but I just don’t know how to write it.”

LET’S READ!“The Woman in the Photograph” of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

(We will look at the first two paragraphs only.)

Overview of the Assignment – A Picture is Worth a Thousand…What?!

Find an old family photograph and write about it in a way that makes it "matter to readers," not simply a description but "Bring to your reader what looking will not provide - the smells, the sounds, the texture of the day."

Remember… your readers do not come to the photograph with any prior knowledge. It is your job to make it matter to readers as much as it matters to you—and in the way it matters to you.

Write from the photograph, using it as a starting point, expanding on it until it comes alive for the reader. You can write to the photograph, speaking directly to the person there, or you can write it into being, telling its story right up to the point of the camera’s click. If you don’t know the “back story” of the photo, do a little research, ask questions. It will make your narrative stronger.

Put in enough descriptive words that the reader will be able to “see” it by reading your words. Narration depends heavily on verbs to clarify and enliven events. Use strong, active, and consistent verbs!

What this exercise does is unlock your reflective voice and give it focus. By directing your own attention to the photograph you find a “voice.”

And yes, your essay must be at least 1000 words!This exercise is adapted from Worth 1000 Words by Judith Kitchen in NOW Write! Nonfiction edited by Sherry Ellis.

REVIEW STUDENT WORK (FIRST & ONLY DRAFT)

Reflection

What do you notice? Can you see the influence of the pre-writing activities

in the student writing? What can I do to help them further develop a stronger

narrative voice?

Standards

CCSS Writing 11-12.3, 3a, 3d CCSS Reading 11-12.6