Have you ever read the classified ads in the newspaper and wondered about the story behind some of them? For example:

FOR SALE: Wedding gown, Size 8. Never worn. PH: XXX XXXX. Why didn't the lady wear her wedding gown?

OR:

TO GIVE AWAY: Five year old male cocker spaniel. Great with kids. Family pet. Looking for a good home. Why are these folks giving away the family pet?

For this week's assignment, find a classified ad that looks like it might have a story behind it. If at all possible, use a newspaper. Maybe you have one delivered daily, read it at the office or the library, or you could go out and buy one, just to do this exercise. The smell of printer's ink, to me, has always personified journalism and writing. However, if no newspaper is available, many can be found online. Check this site for newspapers worldwide: http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/

The exercise: Think about the ad. Ask yourself why the person is selling the item, or perhaps it's an ad for something lost -- or found. Or try the personals. They're always interesting. Then, in 400 words or less, tell the story, or, considering the word limit, part of the story, that might explain why the ad is in the paper. Be sure to post the ad and credit the source. Then stick to the information given. Don't change the family dog to a cockatoo or substitute a pair of glass slippers for the wedding gown.

Florence Cardinal's wrap-up
Posted on: May 26, 2003

What a great variety of ads, not at all what I was expecting. I thought everyone would head over to the personal column. I was gratified to see you proved me wrong.

The stories and partial stories show your imaginations were working well, and I saw an improvement in the critiques. Some still said nothing but - Hey! I like this! but the majority gave reasons why something did or didn't work for them and some even suggested ways the stories might have worked better.

What was the purpose of this exercise? I wanted everyone to realize that story material lies everywhere. In fact, once you get your mind working, it's impossible to get away from story ideas. They pop out at you from the most surprising places.

This was a fun exercise I think. Keep up the great work.

Florence

Pam Hauck's wrap-up
Posted on: Sat, 11 Sep 2004

Wrap-up for "This is Classified" Prepared by Florence Cardinal

Thanks to everyone who participated in the rerun of this week's This is Classified exercise developed by Florence Cardinal.

We've seen a broad variety of newspaper ads that sparked writer's imaginations from all over the world. Several ads came from online sources, some from local papers. One ad was placed in the paper by the writer of the submission. Another ad was from a paper dated 1949. Some of the ads worked as foreshadowing, while others didn't.

Overall, this week's stories, or partial stories, used more levity than usual. We had stories from ads about a 1972 Cadillac Fleetwood hearse with oak coffin, a black midget named Standello who makes a house call with her lover Othello, and a six-feet tall life-like Elvis statue.

Other submissions were created from ads that mentioned a Albino Burmese python female snake, a young grey tiger striped female cat, a pure white dove also known as Peace Dove, and handcrafted bed headboards with incorporated antlers.

One writer mentioned in a critique: "Seeing which parts spark the writer's imagination and which parts are left alone is part of the fun for me in this exercise."

In reviewing this week's work I noticed Florence had stated, "Then, in 400 words or less, tell the story, or, considering the word limit, part of the story, that might explain why the ad is in the paper." All of our stories didn't explain why the ad was in the paper, mine included. That's something we can aim for next time.

Florence also said: "What was the purpose of this exercise? I wanted everyone to realize that story material lies everywhere. In fact, once you get your mind working, it's impossible to get away from story ideas. They pop out at you from the most surprising places."

I appreciate everyone's response and wish you all the best with your writing.

Pam Hauck