tuff-stuff - freewrite - discussion board

"Flight plan cleared -- proceed to Thunderbird."

-- Ford marketing slogan for '65 T-Bird

Estimados Estudiantes,

Before we start on our tuff-stuff, cause and effect essay, I want you to write a FREEWRITE.

It’s FREE. You write what you want to write.
Our goal is to write 300 – 500

The Freewrite is not an essay, but it will give you a good start. I suggest you consider the following four elements:

Summary – 100 words
Causes – 100 words
Effects – 100 words
Lesson Learned – 100 words

Here is the way I would go about writing my “T-Bird Up in Smoke” – this is from the story I shared in class.

SUMMARIZE your idea, event, person – Give a little background - 100 words

Jay’s Tip: Paint a picture for your reader. Give them a snapshot of where you were in your life.

When I was 22, I didn’t have much going for me. I didn’t have a very good job. I didn’t have a lot of friends. I wasn’t very good looking or interesting to talk to. But I owned a beautiful ’65 Ford Thunderbird. It was red like an apple and had a 390 c.u. V-8 engine. When I drove down the street the windows of the houses would rattle. People would turn their heads. Everybody knew who I was. This car meant everything to me. It was like when I was behind the wheel I felt I was SOMEBODY. One tragic day, I watched it burn to the ground. I still don’t know what happened. But, I feel a part of me died that day.

CAUSE –WHY is this topic is so important to you? Or maybe, HOW did this happen to you?

Jay’s Tip: Think in two parts: The OBVIOUS (50 words) and maybe the NOT-SO-OBVIOUS (50 words)

The Obvious: I learned later that a small power-steering leak may have started the fire. The fluid somehow dripped, dripped, dripped and ignited something below the hood. I didn’t notice what had happened. I had left the car safely in a Wendy’s parking lot. I didn’t notice any smoke. That is, until a woman rushed into the Wendy’s restaurant and asked if anyone had a ’65 Red Firebird. She yelled, “It’s ON FIRE!” Through the windows I could see plumes of black smoke rise above my T-Bird into the sky.

The Not-So-Obvious: The real reason I lost my car had little to do with power-steering fluid and more with me. I had to be an idiot. I put all my money into how the car looked. I certainly didn’t spend a lot of time checking the power steering.

EFFECT – WHAT were the consequences? HOW did you life change as a result

Jay’s Tip: Think in to parts: The IMMEDIATE effects, and maybe the LONG-TERM effects.

a. The Immediate: I suffered the trauma of watching what I loved the most go up in flames. When the firefighters came, they didn’t know how to open up the hood of the car to put the fire out. I mean the care was more than 30 years old. They end up using axes. I couldn’t believe it. They hacked up my “baby.” That’s an image I’ll never forget.

b) The long-term effects: It took me a long time to recover from this horrible tragedy, but it may have been the best thing for me. I didn’t go out and buy another car this old and this big, that’s for sure. I felt I had reached a point in my life where I had to take more responsibility in my decisions.

4. Conclusion – What did you learn from the experience?

In the end, I learned the most important things in life aren’t something you buy. Although I felt important behind the wheel of my ’65 T-Bird, that didn’t mean that I felt good about myself. thought more about that car than I did for my well-being. No wonder, I didn’t have many friends. While watching my car go up in flames, I guess it like the light went on for me.. (get it?) I realized if I ever wanted to be happy, I would have to change my ways. I should think about developing a personality. Maybe, losing my car was the best thing that ever happened to me.

Here is how it looks when I copy and paste it together:

I learned later that a small power-steering leak may have started the fire. The fluid somehow dripped, dripped, dripped and ignited something below the hood. I didn’t notice what had happened. I had left the car safely in a Wendy’s parking lot. I didn’t notice any smoke. That is, until a woman rushed into the Wendy’s restaurant and asked if anyone had a ’65 Red Firebird. She yelled, “It’s ON FIRE!” Through the windows I could see plumes of black smoke rise above my T-Bird into the sky. The real reason I lost my car had little to do with power-steering fluid and more with me. I had to be an idiot. I put all my money into how the car looked. I certainly didn’t spend a lot of time checking the power steering.

I suffered the trauma of watching what I loved the most go up in flames. When the firefighters came, they didn’t know how to open up the hood of the car to put the fire out. I mean the care was more than 30 years old. They end up using axes. I couldn’t believe it. They hacked up my “baby.” That’s an image I’ll never forget. It took me a long time to recover from this horrible tragedy, but it may have been the best thing for me. I didn’t go out and buy another car this old and this big, that’s for sure. I felt I had reached a point in my life where I had to take more responsibility in my decisions.

This is what the cover of my project folder will look like after I publish my essay: