Writing With Atticus: Week 2 (Adult) • The Habit

Lecture 4: Pacing

Writing Exercise

Write two paragraphs describing the cereal aisle of your grocery store (you’ll be describing the same cereal aisle twice):

1. In the first paragraph, describe what a character would see in the cereal aisle if he or she is looking for raisin bran.
2. In the second paragraph, describe what the character would see in the cereal aisle if he or she is being chased through the grocery store by bad guys.

You can write in either first person or third person, but in either case, decide which details to include based on what your character would notice.

Lecture 5: Convincing Description

Writing Exercise

When Scout sees Miss Maudie’s house on fire, she says, “Jem, it looks like a pumpkin.” That’s not the first comparison most of us would have thought to make, but it makes perfect sense. It helps the reader picture exactly what the burning house looks like. Try coming up with your own unexpected comparisons: Envision a tree being blown by the wind, and write three surprising but believable similes to describe it.

Lecture 6: Symbolism

Essay Question

From stories you know (movies count), think of three things that become symbols by “accumulating meaning”—in other words, not conventional symbols like wedding rings or stop signs, but symbols that “work” only in the context of the particular story. An example would be the tree in the Radleys’ yard, which symbolizes Boo’s unusual friendship with Scout and Jem. Trees don’t typically symbolize friendship, but this particular tree has “accumulated meaning” in the context of this particular story.