OK, this assignment is a little unusual. It should help you learn how to write vividly about a real event. If it makes you curious how often real reporters do this, that's fine. From Jayson Blair in the New York Times to Ronald Reagan getting his start simulating "live" baseball games over the radio, caveat lector where it comes to on-line journalism.

Think about what your event is. Visualize it in your mind. If you can, sketch out a mini schedule of events that will be going on during the next hour. This is not for the post itself, just preparation for it.

Do a series of 3 blogs "from the event". This might make it easier to conceptualize it. First post is right before the event starts, previewing what's about to happen, second post is a candid snapshot of the event as it is in process, third post explaining what just happened and assessing the event.

If your imagined event was longer than one hour, focus upon one mini-event within it. i.e.,

1) I'm here at Lollapalooza, the Drive-By-truckers have already played, but here's the band I'm really here to see . . . the Dandy Warhols!

2) The Warhols are playing and it's an amazing set. They just played "Not if you were the last junkie on Earth" and Grant Park turned into a giant mosh pit.

3) The last encore just ended and no one can still believe what they just saw. Anton from Brian Jonestown Massacre got up on stage with Courtney and Dandies for an encore! Everybody thought they would punch each other out but they just did a couple of sweet Velvet Underground covers. Peace and love, y'all . . .

send me questions if you need more details . . . JLT