The First Synopses

When I was a kid in first and second grade, we had to write essays every Monday about what we had done on the weekend. Our Weekend Stories, as they were called, were a few paragraphs written on ruled yellow paper and illustrated appropriately with a drawing such as the one to the left.

I realize this dates me. I believe that first graders today are writing essays about what they did on the weekend using their i-Pads and posting them on their blogs. They photoshop the digital pictures they took with their cell phones at various weekend athletic events and insert them with appropriate special effects.

But I digress.

I remember finding it kind of frustrating to write my Weekend Story. First I needed to think of something to write about. And we never seemed to do ANYTHING exciting. There were only so many times I could write “I played Barbie with my sister.”

Then I had to summarize. I mean the WHOLE WEEKEND had to fit into a few sentences! And, honestly, the less sentences the better as far as I was concerned. Writing neatly was hard (it still is).

Looking back at my Weekend Stories now, I believe they were my first attempts at the art of writing a synopsis. For example:

Note the concentration on action, streamlined to hit only the high points: “First we ate.  Then we played.  Then we ate.  Then we played.”  No wasted words – just a brisk summary of events to give the gist of the story.  Note the lack of detail. I have no idea what the “little prade” was that I “murched” in.

I think I didn’t like writing a synopsis then any better than I like writing one now.

But that’s okay.  Miss Leta gave me an “O”  😀

 

Comments

  1. Eleri Stone says

    It looks like your prade involved a tuba. And I think that’s an awesome synopsis. Very concise:)

  2. OMG you writing is so neat! I could never write that neat! LOL My teachers have given up on asking me to write more legibly. I always have to inform them that is the better writing LOL

    So cute! My mom never kept stuff like that so I don’t have any school work from when I was young. I have some stuff for my boys up until about 3rd or 4th grade.

    • Betsy Horvath says

      @Doris: Mom doesn’t remember giving them to me, but I have a lot of stuff from elementary school. I’m sure more youthful endeavors will make blog appearances. LOL (and my handwriting has REALLY gone downhill). 😀

Trackbacks

  1. […] what Memorial Day was about. I knew there were parades (or “prades”, as you can see in this post). I knew there were marching bands. The local Masonic temple would come out on their motorcycles […]

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