Poetry (Blog #11)

Hi everyone,

As you know by now, I love poetry. However, not all of my students feel the same. Somewhere along the arc of your education poetry became a necessary evil to you. (Some may not even think it necessary). But poetry is really a study of the English language, using words to express your inner thoughts and feelings. The best poetry takes an ordinary object or situation and looks at it in a new light.

This week I would like you to explore online and find a poem that speaks to you (school appropriate please). Then copy it and post it here on this blog. In the next week, come back and comment on another's choice of poetry.

I will go first - My favorite poem of all time is "Enough Music" by Dorianne Laux because of the nature of family and travel. We have all been in the car on those long car rides, and have most likely felt what she expresses in these lines:

Enough Music

Sometimes when we’re on a long drive,
And we’ve talked enough and listened
To enough music and stopped twice,
Once to eat, once to see the view
We fall into this rhythm of silence.
It swings back and forth between us
like a rope over a lake.

Titles.... (Blog #10)

While some may consider a title to be like a cereal box label in that it explains what's inside, there are other motivations for including one.

It isn't unusual for a poet to leave their work untitled, but even the word, "untitled", becomes a title in itself. A poem needs a reference for publication, and in the event that a poet chooses to leave their work untitled, the first line is often used.

Why Title a Poem?
The cereal box metaphor aside, there are, without a doubt, more choices for titles than there are individual poems and collections. Some may argue that a title limits the poem, as it may become a barrier to "entering" it. Others may argue that a title expands the poem's scope or offers clues to unraveling its meaning. Still others will claim that there needs to be a way to distinguish one poem from another. I feel that the title is the first thing a reader sees when coming to a poem, and therefore sets the mood or gives important information to the reader.

The following poem by Miller Williams is one of my favorites. I've left the title off and I am tasking you with coming up with a new title for the poem. Next week, I will reveal the true title of the poem. Have fun and title away!




Some of what we do, we do
to make things happen,
the alarm to wake us up, the coffee to perc,
the car to start.

The rest of what we do, we do
trying to keep something from doing something,
the skin from aging, the hoe from rusting,
the truth from getting out.

With yes and no like the poles of a battery
powering our passage through the days,
we move, as we call it, forward,
wanting to be wanted,
wanting not to lose the rain forest,
wanting the water to boil,
wanting not to have cancer,
wanting to be home by dark,
wanting not to run out of gas,

as each of us wants the other
watching at the end,
as both want not to leave the other alone,
as wanting to love beyond this meat and bone,
we gaze across breakfast and pretend.

Charactaerization (Blog #9)

I hope each of you had some time over the break to relax and spend quality time with family and friends.

I took some time to re-watch past seasons of the television show “The Walking Dead.” For several years I had avoided the show while my husband has been an avid reader of the books and watcher of the series, all the while listening to him go on and on about the fantastic writing and depth of the characters. So, I finally caved in and started watching a few seasons ago. Within 2 episodes I was completely hooked. Now anyone who knows me understands that I do not like violence, gore, horror, or anything remotely zombie…but these characters are compelling, driven, and as a viewer I want them to survive and succeed! (I just close my eyes every time a zombie comes on screen!) And the show is just SO GOOD that now we re-watch entire seasons for fun :)

I also took the time to read through some of your jumble stories and started thinking about how you could improve the characters and enhance their stories.

For this blog, I’d like you to think carefully about a character(s) in a current television show, movie, or book that you enjoy. Tell us why the character(s) are so compelling. What makes them so? Why do you keep watching/reading?

Please post your comment but go back and comment on 2 others’ as well.

Ms. Z.

Naming Your Characters (Blog #8)

When you name a baby you’re taking a real chance, because you have no idea how the little tyke is going to turn out. We all know people whose names seem to belong to someone else. When you name a fictional character you have no excuse for getting it wrong because you should know him better than the members of your own family. The names you choose to give your characters should suggest certain traits, social and ethnic background, geography, and even things that have yet to occur in your story. Charles Dickens was so good at this that some of his characters’ names have become generic personality types – think Ebenezer Scrooge. The names you choose will have a strong influence on how your readers will respond to your characters. – from “What If?” by Anne Bernays & Pamela Painter

For this week’s blog I’d like you to think carefully about character names, and give a full name in your response to each of these 5 characters:

1.      A petty, white collar thief who robs his boss over several years.

2.      An envious, bitter woman who makes her sister miserable

3.      A sweet young man too shy to speak to an attractive woman he sees every day

4.      The owner of a fast food restaurant who comes on to his young female employees

5.      A grandmother who just won the lottery

Examples

1.      Robin Blackstone

2.      Mona Livids

3.      Tod Humboldt

4.      Lenny Salsa

5.      Nana Shimpkis

First Lines.... (Blog #7)

Every famous novel began with a memorable first line. The following are the top ten most famous "first lines" in history.

10 Best First Lines from Novels

1. Call me Ishmael. —Herman Melville, Moby-Dick (1851)

2. It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. —Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1813)

3. A screaming comes across the sky. —Thomas Pynchon, Gravity's Rainbow (1973)

4. Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice. —Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967; trans. Gregory Rabassa)

5. Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. —Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita (1955)

6. Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. —Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina (1877; trans. Constance Garnett)

7. riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth Castle and Environs. —James Joyce, Finnegans Wake (1939)

8. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. —George Orwell, 1984 (1949)

9. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. —Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities (1859)

10. I am an invisible man. —Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man (1952)



Now, I'd like you to pick up your favorite novel or short story and in the comment section to this blog posting, write the first line to that piece of fiction. Feel free to comment on each other's first lines. Which ones "hooked" you? What makes them memorable?

Enjoy!

Re-Visioning (Blog #6)

Re-Visioning

This week we begin the process of revision. For some of us, this is more difficult than others. Writing is personal, and every time we share it we are sharing a piece of ourselves. One of the hardest steps in the writing process has already been overcome - the peer workshop. But now I believe the difficult work begins for you - deciding where you want to take your pieces. You must decide what advice you want to take and what you want to leave on the table, so to speak.

One of my college professors quoted Falkner to me, and I will never forget it. She told me:

"In writing, you must kill all your darlings.”  

You must choose which darlings are cute enough to stay and which need to hit the high road. For some assistance, I'd like you to read the following article about revision.

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/revising-drafts/


Once you've read the article, I'd like you to post your thoughts about it. What did you find most helpful/least helpful, what tips will you take with you to the computer lab this week as you begin to prepare your portfolio. Please try not to make the same comments as someone before you, so make sure to read through the previous comments before leaving your own. 

Incarnadine Seas (Blog #5)

Hi all, 

Georgia Heard has a book "Writing Toward Home" in which she gives advice to novice writers. She has a chapter on words that I love. This is an excerpt:

I collect words like shiny red tomatoes, picked from the vine, ripening in my notebook. When I read a word I like in a newspaper or book, I write it down. I collect words for their music, their poetry, their possibility, their surprises.I haunt used-book stores looking for books that contain unusual words. "Elementary Seamanship" has a glossary of sea terms: scupper, bulwark, winch, windlass, scuttles. The book is a cup of possibility for those days when I'm thirsty for words. Gwendolyn Brooks, a poet, says "Collect Words!" Buy your own dictionary. Circle exciting words. The more words you know the better you will be able to express yourself, your thoughts. I collect words because I love them, and as a writer I need to be able to pepper my writing with words from everywhere.

For this blog post I'd like you to listen to words around you. Notice them on menus, signs, books, newspapers - the more you become aware of the words possible to you, the more abundant your writing will become. Post at least 5-10 words that you find beautiful or new or exciting. Comment on each other's posts as well.

Some of my favorite words include: Serendipity, Seaglass, Ethereal, Luminous, Celestial...

Ms. Z.

Observations from a Coffeehouse (Blog #4)

This week I'd like to focus in on description. It's important to pay attention to your surroundings because life moves fast and we may miss it! One of my favorite activities is people watching. I do it everywhere I go. My favorite place is an airport or a coffee shop when I can sit back and watch unobtrusively. But if you get into the habit of "paying attention" any public place is up for grabs. A high school is a great place for watching teenagers, but what if your characters aren't teenagers? Then what? This week I would like you to start noticing the people around you. Libraries, coffee shops, malls, sporting events, fast food restaurants, parks, and grocery stores all make for good character building experiences. Get into the habit of carrying a small notebook with you at all times. Jot down fascinating conversations you overhear, wild and crazy outfits you see, unusual habits people have, and anything else that you find to be different.

For this week's post, I'd like each of you to describe some of your "eccentric" findings.

Some of my own observations from the week include:
“’Tell me a happy story’ she said. So I did. And then she cried.” Overheard on Shrewsbury St. in Worcester between two dark haired boys.

“Latest update......I punched 400 holes into what can only be described as cardboard covered steel disguised as paper...seriously, you all better like those save the date invitations..” and the other guy replied “You are such a *%&$%^” Overheard while sitting in a Starbucks.

"Can you believe she was SO drunk that she fell into that? Conversation between two girls while walking down the hall at Algonquin.

She had on metallic gold, leopard printed pants and a red halter top. Must have been 45 or 50, big blonde hair, heavy eyeliner. Couldn't walk a straight line to the bathroom. The bartender cut her off and she let out a strong of expletives.

Have fun with this!!! 

Peer Editing Woes (Blog #3)

Welcome back! I hope you all had a restful vacation.

Glad to see you are still here and following our class blog. I enjoyed learning about all of you from our introductory passages and the 6 word memoirs are very telling!

One of the biggest concerns I've heard from students over the years is about peer editing.

What is peer editing? Why is it so important? Why do teachers make you do it?

It is simple. Practice makes better. No one is perfect. No piece of writing is ever really finished. One of the skills I want us to practice this semester is the art of peer editing. Having the ability to objectively judge another's piece of writing is definitely a skill. Being able to take criticism on our own writing is sometimes tough. But in the end...we all want to be the best we can.

So for this week's blog, I'd like you to tell me one positive experience and one negative experience you've had with peer editing. Then, go back and read your peers comments. Make an additional comment on at least one.

See you in class!


Ms. Z.

Brevity (Blog #2)

Hi Class,

Your second assignment is to read the NPR article about writing six word memoirs. 6 words you ask? How can you write a complete story in just 6 words? It is a challenge, but in writing each word holds weight, each word should be chosen carefully:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18768430

It is is rumored that Hemingway was once asked to write a story in six words. The result? "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."This is the ultimate in brevity.

And so I have been writing my own six word memoirs. Here are some of the results:

Always taking chances on Prince Charming
Found my soul on the beach
Conservative English teacher: secretly a rebel
Have cat and child, will travel
Married, Divorced, then fell in love
Living life as if on vacation
Old soul at 8, young at 36
Life got in way of writing
Lost soul mate, found real one

Now, I'd like each of you to post to this blog, your own six word memoir of your life. THen in a few days, return to the blog and read each other's memoirs and comment on a few.

Enjoy!

Ms. Z.

Welcome! (Blog #1)

Hello and welcome to our class writing blog. As you are all aware, I absolutely love to teach writing. Our first assignments will center around personal narrative writing, otherwise known as memoir and of course, the art of telling a good story!

In your first posting, I'd like you to tell me a little bit about yourself. Share what your goals are for this class. Tell me what you love (or don't love) about writing.

Have fun with it! Feel free to comment on each other's postings, after all this is our community.

Ms. Zuba