Narravtive Essay

Task: Write a true-to-life illness narrative based on personal experience. This should recount a significant instance of sickness or injury.
Scope: This can involve a singular event (e.g., contracting COVID-19) or a chronic condition experienced over time.
Comfort Level: Choose an experience you are comfortable sharing. Avoid self-censorship about extreme experiences; opt for something you can articulate well.
Detail Requirement: Describe the event with enough detail to evoke emotional realism, noting both the unfolding events and their significance at the time.
Resolution: The narrative does not need a clear resolution; it may remain ambiguous, reflecting ongoing struggles or insights.

Imagined Recipient: Write for a specific audience (friend, stranger) to establish tone and avoid assuming prior knowledge.
Narrative Tone: Consider how to express the story meaningfully, aiming for an understanding you'd like the reader to have.

Format: Must be written in prose, with complete sentences and paragraphs.
Style: Emphasize creative writing rather than formal or academic language. Use idioms, slang, or dialogue as fits your style.
Length: Aim for 700-1000 words (approximately 3.5 to 4.5 pages). Use word count, not page count.
Writing Tools: Avoid using AI tools like ChatGPT or Grammarly; write in your own voice using your memories.

Authenticity: Write in your own voice; it should be a natural reflection of your style.
Detailed Memory: Focus on significant details such as feelings, sensations, and important moments from the illness experience.
Metaphorical Language: If struggling to describe sensations or feelings, consider using metaphors or similes. Acknowledge if aspects of the experience are difficult to express; this acknowledgment can enrich your narrative.

Perspective: Approach the narrative as if it's someone else's story. Avoid inferring details not included in the text.
Insight Development: Analyze what was at stake for the narrator during the experience and the implications for their present self when telling the story.

Original Experience: For the character in the narrative, what was significant about the illness or injury experience?
Current Perspective: As the narrator, what is significant in recounting this experience? Is there a disconnect between the two?
Intended Effect: What seems to be the intended effect of the narrative on the audience?
Empathic Response: If told in person, what tone and language suggest an appropriate empathic response?

Question Development: Generate three follow-up questions based on the narrative's details.
Rationale: Explain why these questions are appropriate, tied to the narrative's content.
Relationship Implications: What do these questions say about your perception of the narrator and your relationship to their story?

Connection to Class Concepts: Choose a relevant concept from the class and reflect on how the narrative exemplifies or challenges this concept.
- Relevancy: How does the narrative illuminate the concept? What limitations does it reveal?
- Brief Explanation: Define the chosen concept and illustrate its relevance to the narrative.

Deadline: Due by 10 AM on December 10.
Submission Format: Must be in Microsoft Word, PDF, or Pages format.
Turnitin: Must submit through Turnitin for plagiarism checks; emails won't count.
Assignment Breakdown: The entire assignment is worth 30 points (30% of final grade). Creative writing counts for 9 points; the interpretive response counts for 16 points.

Craft Practices: Is the narrative well-constructed? Does it reflect thoughtfulness?
Attention to Detail: Is it realistic and personal, avoiding generic expressions?
Point of View: Does it reveal the significance of the experience from the author’s perspective?

Relevance: Is the response on topic and addressing the questions?
Text Grounding: Are insights supported by the text?
Prompt Coverage: Does the answer address all aspects of the prompt?
Plausibility: Is the response thoughtful and coherent, reflecting genuine engagement?