"Special Post" #1 (Character-Based Short Story), February 8

The post due for class on February 8 will be our first special post-- a character-based short story. Instructions for writing this story are as follows:

• By "character based,"  I mean that the "point" of the story should mostly be about revealing and developing a nuanced or multi-layered or complex character.
• The story needs to be fiction, but the character can be loosely based on someone you know.
• This story can be as long as you like. At a minimum, it should be at least 1000 words.
• You can use as a model any of the stories we've read so far: "My Tea with Madame Descartes" by David St. John would serve particularly well.
• It should make use of all of the aspects of "characterization" discussed in class: what the character looks like (or sounds like, smells like, etc.); what the character does; what the character says (or thinks, if you decide to give us a view of his or her thoughts); and what other characters say or think about him or her (if you have other characters).
• It should have one or more characters, as many as you want, though in general one ought to be the main character.
• Concerning plot, the story should have a beginning, middle, and end. It may have one or more scenes. 
• The story should be written and revised through at least two drafts. I don't need to see the drafts, but the quality of the story ought to demonstrate that it is not a first draft.
• The final draft of the story should be posted as the entry due before class on February 8, though you should begin working on it much sooner than then. In addition to posting your story, make sure to bring a printed copy of it to class.