WRITING YOUR OWN COMING-OF-AGE STORY

WRITING YOUR OWN COMING-OF-AGE STORY
For your project, you will be required to complete the following assignment using your creative, storytelling skills and your critical thinking and writing.
Over the course of the year, we have explored coming-of-age stories “in which the main character, usually a child or adolescent, undergoes an important experience or rite of passage”–or several– “that prepares him or her for adulthood” (Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia. An Introduction to Fiction. 11th ed., Boston, Longman, 2010). We have approached the genre through a variety of works including OK for Now by Gary Schmidt, The Odyssey and especially “The Telemachiad” by Homer, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, and most recently The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.
For our project, you will create:
An essay introducing and analyzing your story.
Directions: Write a 5-paragraph essay–polished but informal–in which you introduce and discuss how your coming-of-age story relates to or connects with 2 of the works we have studied this year as points of reference.
Requirements:
Your essay should be written in the first person
You must include a reference page and use proper in-text citations
Your essay should be 5 paragraphs long (introduction, inspiration, Book 1 connection, Book 2 connection, conclusion)
Directions: Introduce and discuss how your coming-of-age story relates to or connects with 2 of the works we have studied this year as points of reference.
Instructions:
Your narrative essay should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Think about what makes a good story!
This will be a 5-paragraph essay
Think about structure: rising action, climax, conclusion, and resolution
You should hook your reader
Use imagery
Use literary devices (metaphor, simile, personification, dialogue, rhetorical questions, etc.)
At the end of your story, the reader should be left with an understanding of why this event was significant and how you grew or changed through this experience.
Edit; this is a story, so the story will use your voice (personal, first person, informal) but it is polished. Avoid typos. CRAFT your story.
Lastly, you should include a reference page with the 2 texts you chose to quote (this will be your bibliography, you should cite it in MLA format using a citation generator like https://www.easybib.com/mla/source)
P1: Introduction
P2: Inspiration
Where did your idea come from? what drew you to this specific moment? what was your thought process?
P3: Textual Influence 1
Using at least 1 quote from your own story + 1 quote from a novel we read, why did you create/write/draw what you created?
P4: Textual Influence 2
Using at least 1 quote from your own story + 1 quote from a novel we read, why did you create/write/draw what you created?
P5: Conclusion
Drafting/Blocking Story:
Exposition (Intro)
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution (Conclusion)
What’s happening in the story?
In the exposition of my story, I can paint a picture of my life before the transition. I can introduce my life at Atlanta International School and what it meant to me. This could include my relationships with friends, teachers, and the school’s culture. I can also talk about how I felt about the school and what I enjoyed most about it.
The rising action of my story would include the events leading up to my transition. This could include discussions with my parents, researching potential schools, and touring Woodward Academy. It would be crucial to describe how I felt during this time, whether I was excited, anxious, or a mix of emotions.
The climax of my story would be the moment when I made the decision to switch schools. This could be a conversation with my parents or the moment when I signed the paperwork. The climax would represent the turning point in my life, where I began to prepare for a new chapter in my life.
The falling action of my story would include my first few weeks at Woodward Academy. This could include my experiences meeting new people, getting used to the school’s culture, and adjusting to a new academic environment. It would be crucial to highlight the challenges I faced during this time and how I overcame them.
Finally, the resolution of my story would be a reflection on my experience. I could talk about how the transition helped me prepare for adulthood and what I learned about myself during the process. This could include the skills I developed, the friendships I made, or the new perspectives I gained.

Last Completed Projects