The sketch assignment

The aim of the sketch is to allow the reader to enter, briefly, the world created by the writer. It can be a bit whimsical or deadly serious, depending upon the situation and the writer's point of view. It's really a feature form, but the best sketches firmly invoke the here and now, and touch at least obliquely on a wider issue, or the moment -- an event, appearance, trend, etc. Those that don't have immediacy as a hook must evoke the universal, capturing human interest. The very best combine a sense of immediacy with universality.

Sound a bit too lofty? Sorry. Shoot for capturing mood and moment.

This class is working on very diverse sketch subjects, so it's hard to generalize, but I'll offer a few pointers that I hope will be helpful as you work on your first drafts:

1. What about the scene or situation best introduces my central theme? This is where to look for your lead.
2. How intrinsically interesting is the activity or action? The more interesting the situation you're describing, the longer you can sustain it. Try to read your material as you write your drafts as a reader who is new to the material, harried, easily distracted.
3. What can you do to introduce tension in the piece, to pique the reader's curiosity and sustain the reader's interest -- without exaggeration or being too manipulative? Pacing is important, even in a short piece.
4. If the activity you're describing is rather subdued and subtle, you might look to your subject and explore his or her observations, motivations, expectations, etc. (Many of you will be blending your own observations with those of your subject, but that won't always be the case in a sketch or scene depiction.)
5. Look for an ending that rings a bell for the reader, resonates in some way, and helps to reinforce the theme. Don't preach or try to be a columnist.
6. As with any first draft, feel free to explore and experiment on the page. You can fix problems in revision. (Still, in the version you submit for class, read it carefully and critically and try to make it as polished as you can for a first draft, with an eye toward proper grammar, spelling and AP style.)
7. Have fun.

We've all been reading about the Haiti earthquake aftermath, with destruction and human suffering on a scale that is staggering. Here's an insightful piece by journalist Steve Coll of The New Yorker. He was recalling his experience in covering a devastating 1990 earthquake in Iran, and feeling overwhelmed by the scope of the disaster. He passes along some great advice, from a veteran foreign correspondent, about how to tackle the job before him:

“Make lists—all the little things.” And so I did. A tin cooking pot with rice still in it. Five boots, none matching. A bicycle wheel protruding from a pile of rocks. Like that. We rode back to Tehran that night on a bus. I wrote my story on one of those ancient Radio Shack portables. When I flipped through my notebook with a flashlight, I gradually came to realize that I had something particular—and for American audiences so distanced from revolutionary Iran—something useful to say.

Read more: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/stevecoll/2010/01/earthquakes-and-journalism.html#ixzz0cnaK3M8F