15 Sentence Self Portrait This is an exercise to help you generate different types of ideas when writing a paragraph.

Grey We had been father and son a long time ago. Then came the grey, sunny day that you left our home and moved in with another family. My heart was ripped from my chest that day, and part of it has never fully returned to me. I was as helpless as a goldfish on a frying pan and in as much invisible pain. I sat there as my mother told us that you were leaving, told us it had nothing to do with us, told us that it was a problem that Mommy and Daddy had between themselves and nothing at all to do with our childish quarrelling and bickering. But part of me didn't believe her. I wanted to cling to her and have her tell me it wasn't so, but I couldn't; I sat there, shivering in my school uniform, suddenly cold despite the heat of the afternoon, Florida sun coming in through the glass doors to the patio. I closed my eyes and wished for it to not be true--wished for this to be another adolescent nightmare that I would wake up from any moment--but knew it was not. Was this why we gave away our ailing dog recently, in preparation for a breakup that would rip apart all our lives? Hot tears trailed down my face to fall unheeded to my lap. I am not sure, to this very day, all the changes that happened to me then. You came home later, smelling of sweat and asking permission to shower before you left, left us all and the grey feeling of unreality continued on. I was as lost as a penguin in the Amazon. This wasn't fair. And in the grey blackness of the night, you left--our relationship forever changed.

Picture yourself in your mind. PREWRITING STEP 1

For a title, choose an emotion or a color that represents yourself. You will not mention the your name in the writing. PREWRITING STEP 2 Grey

For a first line starter, choose one of the following: You stand there... I think sometimes... No one is here... We had been... In this (memory, photograph, dream, or whatever) you are... The face is... Complete this sentence. SENTENCE 1 We had been father and son a long time ago.

Write a sentence with a color in it. SENTENCE 2 Then came the grey, sunny day that you left our home and moved in with another family.

Write a sentence with a part of the body in it. SENTENCE 3 My heart was ripped from my chest that day, and part of it has never fully returned to me.

Write a sentence with a simile (a comparison using like or as). SENTENCE 4 I was as helpless as a goldfish on a frying pan and in as much invisible pain.

Write a sentence of over twenty-five words. SENTENCE 5 I sat there as my mother told us that you were leaving, told us it had nothing to do with us, told us that it was a problem that Mommy and Daddy had between themselves and nothing at all to do with our childish quarrelling and bickering.

Write a sentence with less than eight words. SENTENCE 6 But part of me didn't believe her.

Write a sentence with a piece of clothing in it. SENTENCE 7 I wanted to cling to her and have her tell me it wasn't so, but I couldn't; I sat there, shivering in my school uniform, suddenly cold despite the heat of the afternoon, Florida sun coming in through the glass doors to the patio.

Write a sentence with a wish in it. SENTENCE 8 I closed my eyes and wished for it to not be true--wished for this to be another adolescent nightmare that I would wake up from any moment--but knew it was not.

Write a sentence with an animal in it. SENTENCE 9 Was this why we gave away our ailing dog recently, in preparation for a breakup that would rip apart all our lives?

Write a sentence in which 3 or more words alliterate; that is they begin with the same initial consonant: "She has been left lately with less and less time to think..." SENTENCE 10 Hot tears trailed down my face to fall unheeded to my lap.

Write a sentence with two commas in it. SENTENCE 11 I am not sure, to this very day, all the changes that happened to me then.

Write a sentence with a smell or a color in it. SENTENCE 12 You came home later, smelling of sweat and asking permission to shower before you left, left us all and the grey feeling of unreality continued on.

Write a sentence with a simile (a comparison using like or as). SENTENCE 13 I was as lost as a penguin in the Amazon.

Write a sentence with a thought that could carry an exclamation point (but don't use the exclamation point). SENTENCE 14 This wasn't fair.

Write a sentence with a thought to end this portrait that uses the word or words you chose for a title. SENTENCE 15 And in the grey blackness of the night, you left--our relationship forever changed.

Grey We had been father and son a long time ago. Then came the grey, sunny day that you left our home and moved in with another family. My heart was ripped from my chest that day, and part of it has never fully returned to me. I was as helpless as a goldfish on a frying pan and in as much invisible pain. I sat there as my mother told us that you were leaving, told us it had nothing to do with us, told us that it was a problem that Mommy and Daddy had between themselves and nothing at all to do with our childish quarrelling and bickering. But part of me didn't believe her. I wanted to cling to her and have her tell me it wasn't so, but I couldn't; I sat there, shivering in my school uniform, suddenly cold despite the heat of the afternoon, Florida sun coming in through the glass doors to the patio. I closed my eyes and wished for it to not be true--wished for this to be another adolescent nightmare that I would wake up from any moment--but knew it was not. Was this why we gave away our ailing dog recently, in preparation for a breakup that would rip apart all our lives? Hot tears trailed down my face to fall unheeded to my lap. I am not sure, to this very day, all the changes that happened to me then. You came home later, smelling of sweat and asking permission to shower before you left, left us all and the grey feeling of unreality continued on. I was as lost as a penguin in the Amazon. This wasn't fair. And in the grey blackness of the night, you left--our relationship forever changed.