1. Exploring the relationship between writer and reader

2. I am now 38 years old, married and have two children, Jacob and Monica. I went to college at the University of Washington, because I knew my mother would have really wanted that. I received my bachelor’s and master’s in computer programming like my father. To this day I own my own computer programming company that is nationally known. But when I look back on my life, I never would have known I would turn out to be this way.

3.  Imagine McDaniel’s selection as someone talking  What does s/he look like? (Age? Gender? Body style? Facial Features? Clothing? Any other features?)  Location, Posture, etc.?  Don’t just make up your answers; let a feeling for the words guide your imagination.

4.  Again, taking your cues from the text, imagine the person talking as a speaker behind a podium  What kind of space is it? (Auditorium? Theatre? Classroom?)  What time of day is it?  What is your physical position, relative to the speaker?  How do you feel about being there?

5.  Imagine the speaker as trying to do something to you with his/her words.  (Warn? Scare? Reassure? Flatter? Something else?)  How do you feel about what s/he is trying to do?

6.  Now, imagine the speaker as an actor, performing a monologue written by someone else.  What is that someone else like? (Like the speaker or using someone very different from him- /herself)  Where is this person as s/he writes the speaker’s words? (Living room with pen and paper? Typewriter? On laptop in office? Somewhere else?)

7.  Imagine the writer as trying to do something to you through the actor/speaker on stage.  What is s/he trying to do?  Why choose this person, as opposed to some other? (What other kind of person could the writer have chosen? What might make this one more effective?)