Many, many thanks!

You guys are so good to me! Thank you for all the kindnesses, support, and hard work you’ve been doing in my absence. I feel very blessed indeed! Thank you!

I hear there may be some confusion about the personal essay and the adaptation (since I haven’t been there to do the mini-lessons and the picture shows online just aren’t the same), so here’s the lean and quick tips:

Personal Essay

The key here is that your experiences (memoir moments) have taught you something about yourself, life, or the universe that you want to share with others. Though the experiences are unique to you, in making sense of them for yourself, you have discovered a connection to something greater (the universal), to which many people can relate.

	For example, in the example provided, the young woman with very specific family traditions for Thanksgiving has discovered over time that what her family eats for Thanksgiving isn’t “typical”… as she researched the history of Thanksgiving, she learned that the meal hasn’t been static but has been evolving continuously from its inception and that the contributions of various people’s has fed into that evolution.
As we all do, she grew up trying to make sense of herself and her place in the World (“Circle of Life”). For her, that journey has included figuring out what it means to her to be a Vietnamese immigrant in America. In the universal of the Thanksgiving meal she has found a way to express her insight that instead of being an outsider, she is a part of the whole, unique and yet a significant contributor to the constantly changing tapestry that is “America.”
	Thus, she has created a beautiful synthesis of personal experiences, research, and universal themes to articulate the insights she has gained about what it means to be Vietnamese, American, a member of her family, and to value all those pieces of her identity.

Adaptation

The key here is that you don’t have to limit yourselves to adapting a novel!!

Seriously, Harry Potter was only used as an example because it’s the most familiar adaptation in our universe right now. I don’t expect you’all to go about filming your favorite novels, I promise.

Have fun with it!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, contact me. I’m more than willing to provide whatever help I can from home! And, for a head start on the hero journey next week, check out these interesting videos.

Part 1: Molotov Alva

Part 2: Molotov Alva