Personal Essay Project: The Writer’s Notebook
Most professional writers keep a writer’s notebook. It is generally a sketchbook or some kind of loose-leaf notebook. They use their writer’s notebook as a way to collect material for their writing projects and to connect them with their work. It is an invaluable tool for self-reflection.
In the first few weeks of fourth quarter, you will be writing a reflective essay based on personal experience. In preparation for that assignment, you have studied published personal essays, written a personal profile about a classmate, and now you will keep a twelve-entry sequence of informal notebook entries. Hopefully, this writing exercise will awaken your creativity and increase your sensitivity to the impact of your experiences.
Guidelines for Notebook Entries:
- Think of your entries as freewriting. Do not stop to revise or edit your writing. The goal is merely to collect experiences.
- Set a timer and write for at least 15 minutes per entry.
- Write in concrete detail.
- Date each entry and leave space between each one so that entries are clearly delineated.
- Think of your notebook as an artist thinks of a sketchbook. It will be filled with fragments, random images, lists, scribbles, and even drawings.
Grading Criteria:
Although only the writer generally reads a writer’s notebook, you will be receiving a grade on completing the entries as assigned. Each completed entry will be worth a quiz grade each week. Grades will be awarded based on the following criteria:
Format
Adherence to the daily topic
Lots of detail
Evidence of thoughtfulness and effort
Quick Caveat:
Reflecting on and writing about your life’s experiences for others to read is not the same as writing for yourself. Although this “notebook” and eventual reflective essay are based upon personal experience, self-reflection does not require you to make unwarranted self-disclosure.
Due Dates:
The first six entries (1-6) are your responsibility over Spring Break. Essentially, you should be writing three times a week each week. More than likely you’ll either be doing something fun or having a significant amount of free time, so these exercises should be no issue.
They will be due the Wednesday after we return from break, March 25th. They will count for two quiz grades.
The next three entries (7-9) will be due April 1st. They will count for one quiz grade.
The final three entries (10-12) will be due April 8th. They will count for one quiz grade.
Entry 1: This entry is to capture where you are in your life. It might be a good idea to begin with a comment on your general situation as you sense it. Begin with a broad comment, then let your mind sweep through your recent life. Record specifics, bits of dialogue, frustrations, pleasures, questions, dreams—everything that comes to you. Be specific and date your entry.
Entry 2: In the previous entry, you described where you are in your current life. For this entry, you are going to record impressions of where you live. Try to capture the fleeting impressions and details. Record any associations you make. Perhaps your mind will connect you with other places where you have lived; work those details into your entry, but always come back to your immediate surroundings. Be specific and date your entry.
Entry 3: List personal items in your possession. Don’t just name individual items—include brief descriptions and associations you have with them. Start by emptying out the contents of your wallet or purse—or, if needed, your backpack or car. Arrange the items in whatever way suits you, then study them. Hold them. Read the writing on the items that have writing. Smell the objects that have smells. As an alternative, go to the medicine cabinet in your bathroom, cosmetic drawer, or refrigerator. List jars, bottles, cans, and individual items. List your association with these items. Be specific and date your entry.
Entry 4: List current activities you do: attend classes, read, writer papers, take tests; drive or ride to school; sleep and roll out of bed in the morning; talk with friends, teachers, parents; hold a job or play sports; draw, paint, or play a musical instrument; attend church or participate in community service; go to shows, movies, dinner; etc. Then from the list, select one or two to write about. Record everything that comes to you: how it feels to do the activity, why you like doing the activity, how long you have been doing the activity, etc. Record any associations you have with them. Be specific and date your entry.
Entry 5: Write about special places in your current life. Randomly list places that come to mind. These special places need not be your favorite spots; they may also be place you associate with discomfort, such as a doctor’s or dentist’s office. Perhaps one or two places on your list will be “secret” places, spots where you may visit for a moment or two when the world seems to be coming down around your shoulders. Then select one or two to write more detail about. Record any associations you have with them. Be specific and date your entry.
Entry 6: Develop a list of memories from your past. Begin by sitting quietly and reflecting on the past. Then record in two or three lines half a dozen to a dozen of the strongest memories that come to you. They may not be big events in your life, but for the moment they hold your interest. Be sure to write legibly enough to reread your entries, and leave plenty of space around them. Finally, after you finish the list, reread it and write the approximate date when each event took place. Be specific and date your entry.
Entry 7: Take one of the entries from your memory list and expand it. Be specific about all the details, images, other individuals, associations, connections, and feelings related to this event. Date your entry.
Entry 8: Develop a list of people to use for descriptive portraits. Spend a few minutes sitting quietly and allowing your mind to roam throughout your life history. As you make your list, add brief comments about the relationship between you and these individuals. Make sure your list is full of detail and observations. Be specific and date your entry.
Entry 9: Select one person from your list. Describe the person and elaborate on the relationship you have shared with him or her. Remember to include more than physical details. Include all that comes to you about the relationship. Try to develop a specific event that embodies some aspect of the person’s character. Be specific and date your entry.
Entry 10: Select a favorite personal photograph that connects with some aspect of your life—past or present. In as much detail as possible, describe the images within the photograph. Discuss how this photograph makes connections or associations with your life. You may want to describe the events or situations surrounding the time of the photograph. Be specific and date your entry.
Entry 11: Select a dream, fear, challenge, accomplishment, or decision that has had an impact on your life. It does not have to be something that has been life-altering, but it has caused you to be reflective in some way. Be specific about all the details, images, other individuals, associations, connections, and feelings related to this situation. Date your entry.
Entry 12: For the final entry of the notebook, you have an opportunity to choose your own topic on which to write. First, decide on your topic. You may wish to review what you have written and simply record your response to one or more of the previous entries. You may wish to take another event or individual from your lists to write about. You may wish to draw something that has special significance for you. Whatever you write about or draw, be specific and date your entry.
Adapted from materials developed by Dr. Teri Marshall.