Ask students to write an opinion piece but with a very special twist. In this they must attempt to create a personal voice, writing that has a conversational tone. For starters, share this excerpt from an article written by eighth-grade soap opera fan Cathleen Conry:

          Arrest me already! Throw me in a cell! Darkness, starvation, misery---I can take it! But please, whatever you do, don't turn off the soaps! I know, I know; it all seems so dramatic, and trust me---I'd rather live with darkness, starvation, and misery than give up soap operas, but there are those who would beg to differ.

          "Sharon, you know I only want what's best for you and Nick," Grace says with a sincere smile. Inside, the wheels are turning---she's got to think fast if she wants to move in on Nick, the rich and extremely good-looking young entrepreneur, who also happens to be her best friend's husband! And if that's not enough, Sharon, Grace's best friend, and Nick's wife is pregnant with Nick's child!

          Sound a little unbelievable? It sure should! This is just a fraction of a typical day in Genewa City, the fictional town where the cast of the "Young and the Restless" live their dramatic lives. Sure, some of the story lines are stupid, unrealistic, and sometimes even (gasp!) boring, but it's all worth it once you taste those thrilling cliff-hangers, right? Those juicy love scenes that some viewers live for can be a bit extreme or just plain ridiculous at times. Then all this leaves us with a question: Why do so many people (mostly women and teenage girls) get hooked on soap operas?

          You can hear Cathleen almost as though she were sharing her views over lunch with friends. Ask students to try capturing a similar tone.