Journalism

The Assignment: Write part of a story in the form of journal entries.  Everything that happens in the story will most likely happen between the entries.  Make sure your readers can see the events offstage, but also present your journalist's blind spots -- she will not present the whole story, just parts of it.  Your journal writer may not even understand the significance of the events until a few entries later -- if ever.  Keep all the entries close together in time (within a week or two).  This exercise will challenge those writers who think there is no limit to realism: Make sure that the journal writer is still telling a story -- showing as often as telling, revealing things about herself.  In other words, you have to work just as hard in this exercise to choose the words of this narrator.  Writers will tend to think that this journalist can say anything and not look outside of herself.  Avoid completely self-absorbed narrators here -- and everywhere. 700 words.

My Response:

MONDAY

He told me again. Just walked right up to me at lunch and told me that he loved me. I wish he would stop. I hate when he says stuff like that. He doesn’t understand, though. He thinks that we should be able to say whatever we want all the time. Is it really so bad that I just want to have a little privacy? To not have everyone looking at us like that? I could see it in their eyes. What they really thought about it. I don’t blame them. Sometimes I’m not even sure why I agreed to this. It was stupid. I should just stop it all. Maybe I will. Maybe tomorrow when he walks up to me at lunch, it will be me that says something.

TUESDAY

I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t. I tried, but he just kept giving me that look like he thought I was going to tell him that he was the best boyfriend a girl has ever had. I couldn’t just break his heart like that.

Talia says that I chickened out. This is just so hard. I didn’t think it would be like this. I just thought that we were having some fun. I was so stupid. I’m going to tell him tomorrow.

WEDNESDAY

I told him. He came up to me at lunch and he took my hand, and he looked in my eyes. I just knew. I didn’t let him say anything. I told him that I didn’t want to be together anymore. That I never wanted to be together, that it was just a stupid bet. He looked so sad, but I don’t care. Who cares about that?

So, why do I feel so bad? And why did I wait for him after school? He didn’t show up. I don’t know why I thought that he would.

THURSDAY

Talia just wouldn’t shut up today. Every time he walked past, she teased him. As if the break up wasn’t bad enough, she had to go and do that? I didn’t say anything, though. We’re best friends. And she’s always been like that. I can’t expect her to change now, can I? I just wish that I hadn’t seen how much it hurt him. He kept looking at me like he expected me to tell them to stop it. Maybe I should have.

I don’t know what to do.

FRIDAY

He wasn’t at school today. I’m thinking about going over there and making sure that he’s alright. I’m just worried that he’ll read too much into it. That he’ll think that I want to get back together, when I don’t. I just want to be friends. That’s allowed, right? Friends?

What am I thinking. No, he’ll be in school on Monday. I’ll talk to him then.

MONDAY

What’s wrong with him? Why wasn’t he in school today? He hates missing class. I know he does. He told me that when we were together. Something has to be wrong. I’m going to go see him.

TUESDAY

…Is this real?

WEDNESDAY

Can’t go to school. Can’t see anyone. This is my fault. What did I do?

THURSDAY

Mom says she’s going to bring me to see someone. As if that would help. Talking won’t do anything anymore. I should have talked when I could have.

FRIDAY

It was his funeral today. I thought about not going. I don’t really deserve to go. I was so stupid. Why did I think that I had the right to treat him that way?

Why can’t I get the image of him out of my head. All of that blood all over the bed.

His mom said I should come. She said that he talked about me all the time. That doesn’t make me feel better.

Talia went too. She snickered through the entire service. I couldn’t believe how disrespectful she was. Her and the rest of them. Don’t they understand? Can’t they see what we did?

I wrote him a note and put it on the coffin. They didn’t have it open. I wish he could have read it. Maybe he could have forgiven me, but it’s too late now.


As always, I would love to see what you thought of my interpretation of the assignment, and also what you've come up with.

All exercises are taken from The 3 A.M. Epiphany by Brian Kiteley