The Epistolary Narrative Project

Now that you know all about the epistolary novel, you will be writing your own.   You have a few options here.  You can work on your own or with a partner.  You can write your narrative as a series of cards and letters or email/text message exchanges.

The Scenario

You are corresponding with a person whom you have never met.  Your  first few exchanges will introduce the characters and may hint at the situation.  Several exchanges into your correspondence you discover the problem that it will take the both characters to solve.  As you work on this problem, several complications present themselves.  By the end of the story, both characters reach some sense of resolution. 

Narrative

You must create characters who are not you.  In fact, your characters should be as different from you as possible. Feel free to make fun of your characters and to let your characters make mistakes and fail if necessary.

Communication must outline the plot, but the reader must be left with details to fill in.

The reader must be given a perspective available to neither character.  The shortcomings of the writers must become obvious.  This is a good format to employ dramatic irony.

Setting should take a back seat to character development and to conflict.

Form

You can format your story using a word-processor, making it look like either letters or email.  If you like, you can use an email program and take screen shots.  This looks authentic but can be a lot of work and hard to read.  If you have other ideas, talk to your teacher.  Your story will likely be comprised of 12-20 emails in total.

Upload your assignment below.  You can include up to three files.  If you plan to hand in a hard-copy, talk to your teacher. Don't forget to include any rough work that you have held onto. 

Click HERE to see an exemplar project.

Evaluation

mark	Form (20)	Content (20)
17-20	Presentation is stunning Letter/email format is used effectively and creatively Graphics employed effectively Story may have a few minor errors in punctuation, capitalization, and spelling, but no grammatical errors. A great deal of rough work included Main characters seem like real-life people, full of contradiction and complexity.   Author gives character a unique and believable voice.	Vivid imagery is employed. Writer conveys a strong sense of control over the events in the story. Situations are handled creatively. Clichés are avoided. The reader has a sense of everything falling into place at the right time. Reader is able to infer many important points Humour is extremely effective Story is a pleasure to read
14-17	Presentation is very good Email format is used effectively and creatively Graphics employed Story has a few punctuation, capitalization, and spelling errors which do not interfere with meaning, and few grammatical errors.  Has been spell-checked. Much rough work included Main characters are believable.  Author gives character a unique and believable voice.	Detailed imagery brings story to life.  Writer conveys a strong sense of control over the events in the story.  Situations are handled creatively.  Reader is left to infer some details Uses humour well Story is a pleasure to read
11-13	Presentation serves purpose Acknowledges the medium of mail/email Some graphics used Has been spell-checked Some rough work included	Characters are able to be distinguished Story makes sense, but is predictable Some clichés employed Attempts to use humour
10 or less	Little thought given to medium or to presentation Little or no rough work included	Characters indistinguishable Story is hard to follow Story does not really make sense