Have students imagine a scene where events are almost out of control, such as a boy who is lost in a mall, an athlete making a critical play in a sporting event, a musical performer pushing his abilities beyond the limits, an individual caught in a natural disaster, or a cat being chased by a dog. Ask students to picture as many details as possible about the events---to listen to sounds, to look for details, to smell the aromas or odors, and to feel the texture of objects. Then have each student write a one-paragraph description using fragments and/or run-on sentences to capture the whirl of action.

          Before students write, share this description of a stock car crash by Tom Wolfe, taken from The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine Flake Streamline Baby.

          The pack will be going into a curve when suddenly two cars, three cars, four cars tangle, spinning and splattering all over each other and the retaining walls, upside down, right side up, inside out and in pieces, with the seams bursting open and discs, rods, wires and gasoline spewing out and yards of sheet metal shearing off like Reynolds Wrap and crumbling into the most baroque shapes, after which an ash-blue smoke starts seeping up from the ruins and a thrill begins to spread over the stands like Newburg sauce.