A Traveling Experience In Yellowstone National Park

———Write a flash piece. Five formal specifications: (1) Do not use line breaks (except those that occur naturally as in an essay). (2) Fully justify the text (on the left and on the right). To see an example of this, see "A Story About the Body," by Robert Hass, on the handout from the other day. (3) Single-space. (4) Do not go longer than a page. (5) Do not rhyme.







You may write about anything and take any approach you like, but let me outline a few possibilities in case you need some help getting started.









Write a straightforward narrative that centers on an unusual, surprising image. Again, see "A Story About the Body."

Write a very strange narrative with a tone that suggests it's completely normal. This is a Russell Edson move.

Write a scary, sober poem in which fear and cruelty are registered via surrealistic images. See "The Colonel," by Carolyn Forché.

Write about a breaking point in a relationship, using a listing technique. See "Swerve," by Brenda Miller.

These articles are available online.

I dont need the name ,date and class number on the first three lines. Just write paper and title.