Proposal - Senior Project

Approval Form

Student Name (please print) ______Zuzana Kocsis__________________________________

Teacher____Ms. Dasher_______________________________ Date ___8/19/08____________

Senior Project is part of your senior English curriculum, and therefore must be completed during the current school year just as you would any other assignment for your English class.

Important: Before you can begin logging hours for work on your Product, your Proposal must be approved by either your Senior Project teacher or the Senior Project Advisory Board. Answer each of the following questions as thoroughly as possible.

1. Describe what you are proposing to do for your Product step-by-step and in detail.

For my Product, I plan to expand on a short story idea from last year, and develop it into a novel (or novella). I would have to begin writing from scratch in order to incorporate several sub-plots that I did not explore in the short story. I would also edit it and ask others to give me feedback on it, so that I could create a final version of it.

As an extension if this, I would illustrate the story, either by hand or by taking and editing photographs to fit the story. Then I would submit the story to publishers, and attempt to get it published, possibly continuing this process even beyond the Senior Project. Until such a publication could occur, I plan to use the Internet as a medium to spread it to a wider audience than any paper printouts could ever reach. This is why I chose to write my research paper promoting free e-books such as those on the Gutenberg Project.

In order to spread the feeling of connection to books which caused me to choose this project, I would like to volunteer at a library, bookstore, or elementary school to read to children.

2. Why have you chosen this Product?

As I mentioned above, my main motivation was my love of literature, and the short story that I wanted to expand. I know that this Project will be interesting, yet challenging to me throughout. I read several books each month, and I believe that by writing something of my own and trying to get it published I will be able to appreciate the work that each individual author had to undergo before I could enjoy their book.

At the same time, I love art, but I have never had to create it in a way that would fill the expectations that book illustrations have, like unity within the entire series of pictures, or would fit the format of a printed book.

I am also not knowledgeable about the publishing process, and I would like to see whether it is possible to publish something starting with no connections to the publishing business. Perhaps learning about this would give me a more through understanding of the reasons given against e-books at the moment.

3. Explain how this Product is a “learning stretch” and challenge for you?

Never having written anything beyond school essays and short stories for recreational purposes, I will have to write something much larger and more serious. I will be working with a time restraint to finish before it is due, and will have to write regardless of writer’s block or outside activities. By working with a Project Facilitator and other people on my project, I will have to be able to interpret their criticism, good and bad, and edit my story based on it. I will have to illustrate within the constraints of the book format and make both the story and the illustrations meet a high standard to be considered for publishing.

The publishing process itself is a challenge, because I am not at all familiar with it at the start of my project.

4. What skills/knowledge will you acquire in completing your Product?

By aspiring to write a novel, I will need to learn to both manage my time and organize my ideas. These skills are useful in every career and in everyday life. So far, I have a tendency to procrastinate and to live in a state commonly described as “organized disorganization,” which, while it is sufficient for me and for small projects would not make sense to anyone else, especially with a project on a scale as large as this one.

In working with a Project Facilitator, I will need to learn communication skills and learn how to use his or her advice effectively. Communication skills will also be essential with the publishing companies in the later stages of my Senior Project.

I will gain specific knowledge about the publishing process through research (both for the Research Paper and then for practical information), and also through my attempts at publishing my story.

Although I have not decided on a career, I know that writing skills are useful in most fields, and art skills are useful in many. My experience with the Senior Project will definitely help me in practically any field, and in any career I could decide to pursue after college.

5. Do you have a Project Facilitator in mind? If so, what expertise does your Project Facilitator have in the area related to your topic? If not, what is your plan to locate one?

Although I have not chosen a Project Facilitator yet, I have several people in mind, and intend to ask them whether they would like to be my Project Facilitator. My main criteria are availability, experience in writing, and enthusiasm for the Project.

6. How will you demonstrate your Product for Presentation at Senior Boards?

I will show the process I went through to write the book, showing the drafts along the way, and the edits in them. I will give a brief synopsis of the story, and show an excerpt of the book. If my budget permits, I will print the book so that I can have two to three copies of it to show as well.

Depending on the outcome of the publishing portion of my project, I will show my progress, or I will show my rejection letters.

Student Signature ____________________________________________________Date _____________

Project Facilitator’s Signature _________________________________________ Date _____________

Project Facilitator’s email address ________________________________________________________

Project Facilitator’s phone # _____________________________________________________________

Parent/Guardian’s Signature___________________________________________ Date _____________

Parent/Guardian’s email address _______________________________________Date ______________

Parent/Guardian’s phone # ____________________________________________ Date _____________