1. On a sheet of notebook paper: Create two characters, alike or different. Describe both their physical characteristics and their personalities. Be as thorough as possible! You have five minutes! Our first voice lesson …

2. Voice Lesson 2: Detail

3. Detail Copy this definition: DETAIL: Facts, observations, and incidents used to develop a subject, impart voice, and create a precise mental picture.

4. Why use detail? Use of detail brings life and color to the description, focusing the reader’s attention and bringing the reader into the scene. Use of detail influences readers’ views of the topic, the setting, the narrator, and the author.

5. Copy this quotation (and author’s name): “The dog stood up and growled like a lion, stiff-standing hackles, teeth uncovered as he lashed up his fury for the charge. Tea Cake split the water like an otter, opening his knife as he dived. The dog raced down the back- bone of the cow to the attack and Janie screamed and slipped far back on the tail of the cow, just out of reach of the dog’s angry jaws.” - Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God

6. Answer these questions on your sheet: What do we know about Tea Cake? What do we know about the dog? What do we know about Janie? How does Tea Cake differ from Janie? What details were used to set them apart? Analysis

7. Using the two characters you described in your writer’s notebook, write a sentence for each character showing how they would react to a fight. Do not explain their reactions but, instead show it through your use of detail. Ex: “She was scared” versus “Janie screamed and slipped far back on the tail of the cow.” Practice