Week 11 (3/26-4/1)

Bird by Bird

            This week we move back to learning how to improve our writing skills through the readings of Bird by Bird.  I really enjoy reading this book because it has taught me a lot about how to get over problems that writing presents on an everyday basis.  She focuses more on what a writer goes through everyday, and what to do with what problems you are presented, and less on what problems you face as a published author.  This makes me think that she understands that many of the people that are going to read her book aren't published authors. 

            During this weeks reading I found a couple different sections that I found interesting.  The first section that I really liked was "Jealousy".  She writes, "Of all the voices you hear, the most difficult to subdue is Jealousy".  She says that adding Jealousy to your story can be extremely difficult, and for me this is really true.  I have a really hard time with adding things like Jealousy to my writing.  Jealousy is a very strong emotion and can add much to a story when it is added correctly.  This section gave me some great ideas for how to ad jealousy the right way to my pieces of writing and taught me how by adding it can really help my story. 

            The next section of Bird by Bird that I found very interesting was called, "The Moral Point of View".  This section was really cool because it gave you ideas without telling you that you needed them in your writing.  As she writes, "If you have a message, send a telegram".  I understood this as, if you have a moral for the story then make sure you include it in a big way.  On the other hand, I also thought that it was saying that if you don't have a big moral or if your story isn't based around a moral, that is alright.  She also showed us how to add the moral of the story to our writing.  This helped me clearly make my stories better and more clear as to what they are emphasizing.  She was clear that the stories that we are writing don't have to be morally correct or right, but if they are already headed in that direction then why not run with it.  I thought this section was very helpful to the stories that I have written so far.

Week 10 (3/19-3/25)

Wreckage of Reason

            This week we again shifted focus from Bird by Bird, back to Wreckage of Reason.  While I enjoy reading Bird by Bird more than Wreckage of Reason, mainly because you are learning how to write from a published author, I always tend to have fun reading Wreckage of Reason because how different some of the stories are.  Reading all these different short stories, that have so many different writing styles, and different forms of writing, really helps give me some ideas for when I hit a writer’s block.  Some of the stories in this book are so bazaar and different that I would have never even thought to have wrote it that way.  It makes me wonder how there authors come up with these weird formats and writing styles.  I really enjoyed reading what was assigned this week.

            One of the eight short stories that we read that I really enjoyed was on page 191, and is called, The Woman, by: Nina Shope.  I really didn’t overly enjoy this piece of writing in terms of the content but I thought it was very interesting in how it was written.  The grammar was very strange because sometimes it was right and sometimes it was wrong.  Sometimes there are periods at the end of sentences and sometimes they are placed at the end of fragments.  She used the word “we” at the beginning of most of the sentences.  The entire story is just the author, Nina, writing about things that she did with this “woman”.  She wrote about the time they spend together, and about how she felt about her.  It is like she is documenting her time with this woman and how she made her feel.  I personally didn’t like the style that she wrote this in because it is far to centered around one person.  I also thought that it got a little boring because of how repetitive she was when using the word “we.  It was definitely a funny read, and a different perspective on writing.

            The next story that I found interesting was called, A You War Story.  It is written by Summer Brenner and is located on page 258.  The first thing that I liked about this story was how short it was.  It got right to the point and told how the author was feeling.  She states right away that her lover just went away, and started to write about him.  This turns into a form of a love letter or sob letter about the person that left her.  Also it could be interpreted as someone just complaining about how they were treated by their significant other.  It seems like she was upset about her lover leaving her and so she decided, as a form of stress relief, to just write down all the things that are going through your head at that moment.  She also talked about all the great times that they had together over time and how he left her because he got bored with her.  She states, “But things can only please a person for so long”, I guess her time just ran up and it was her time to go. 

            Finally the last short story that I really wanted to talk about was Ten Birds.  This is located on page 277, and was written by Karen Brennan.  This was another story that attracted me because of how different it was.  The story wasn’t written in your typical story form, instead it was written in sections that were numbered all the way from one to ten, instead of written in your typical paragraph format.  It isn’t the way that I would have written a story but that’s what makes what we read this week so much fun, it really is so different from your typical writing format.  The reading from this week along with the first half of Wreckage of Reason from three weeks ago has really taught me a lot about writing how I want to and how to be creative when picking your format to write in.

Week 9 (3/12-3/18)

            This week we shifted from Wreckage of Reason back to Bird by Bird.  This is great because while Wreckage of Reason is great for learning about different ways and forms in which to write fiction, I feel like a really learn a lot from reading what Anne Lamott has to say about writing, the writing process and how to write in general.  I really like how she tell the writers in her class that getting published isn't the greatest or best thing about writing a book, rather the real joy is the struggle through writing the book and through the writing process.  She seems to have a much different outlook to writing and the process of writing a book then others.  I believe this comes from her own personal experiences writing, along with her experiences from her childhood of watching her father as an author and writer.

            In this section of the reading, pages 33-94, I found a couple different sections very interesting and very intriguing.  The very first section in the reading this week is called "School Lunches".  I thought this was a great outlook at writing because I would never actually think to equate writing to school lunches.  In the reading, Anne asked her students to write about their experience at school lunches.  She sat down with them and wrote how lunch was really about, "Opening our insides in front of everyone.  Just Like writing is.  Some bag lunches, like some people, were Okay, and some weren't.  There was a code, a right and acceptable way.  It was that simple."  This is a great way to show how something so simple, as just thinking about a school lunch, is so much like writing.  Opening up and sharing everything that you have written is like showing what your parents packed you for lunch.  She also talks about how these are both also like taking a shower at school in front of everyone.  To get clean and not smell bad, you have to get naked in front of everyone, even when you know that everyone is looking or judging you.  She states that writing is similar to this because you have to show everyone what you are writing, even though you know that everyone is looking at it and judging it.  This really helped me when writing my own fiction stories because when I had a hard time thinking of things to write, I simple thought of this exercise and it gave me ideas, which helped me press on with my writing and get through writers block.

            The next part of the reading that I enjoyed and thought was interesting was called "Dialogue", and is on page 64.  This section really appealed to me because personally, I have a really hard time with adding dialogue to my stories and many times, I simply don't add dialogue because I don't feel like I Mix it into the writing correctly.  In this section she really opened my eyes to how important dialogue can be to a piece of writing.  A narration can tell you exactly what is happening from an outside view, but when you add dialogue, it makes you feel as if you are part of the story, or that you are actually there.  It can really help the reader get a feel for what kind of person the narrator or person telling the story is, along with giving a better view of what the character that is doing the speaking is actually like.  She says, "Remember that you should be able to identify each character by what he or she says.  Each one must sound different from the others."  This is an excellent point because if the dialogue of one person doesn't differ from that of another then the reader can get confused as to who is actually speaking.  Once your reader is confused, they will become uninterested, and this is what you really want to avoid.  This section really gave me some good ideas of how to add dialogue to my stories.  It also showed me how adding dialogue correctly can really help paint a picture for the reader of what is happening in the story and really help the reader understand the characters.  On the other hand it also showed me how adding dialogue the wrong way can be a total disaster.

            Finally, I thought the section called, "Set Design", was great as well.  I really try hard to paint a picture for the reader of what the scene should look like, and to really give the reader a sense of where the story takes place and what is happening around the characters.  With this being said, I really did learn a lot from how Anne talks about set design.  In this section she uses a garden as an example, which I think is a great example because if when described correctly, a garden can seem beautiful, colorful, and alive, but described poorly can make a reader think of a black and grey dead plants.  She states, "Characters prepare for their roles, improvising dialogue, while you set the stage for their appearance.", and she nailed it dead on with this statement.  Characters can only do so much in a story or piece of writing, the scene and surroundings around the characters really make the story whole.  This section helped teach me how to describe the surroundings in a story better, and how to set the scene for the characters in a story more accurately.  The reading this week was an easy and helpful read.  With our portfolios due in a few weeks, the reading really helped me with some of the problems that I was running into while writing.  I enjoyed the reading and can't wait to finish reading what Anne Lamott has to say about writing.

Week 8 (3/5-3/11)

Reading these fiction packets has been a fun experience the last couple of weeks but I think it is about that time to switch gears and get back into an actual book. While it is much more reading than the packets, it all flows together much better than skipping from packet to packet. So this week we shall turn out attention to The Wreckage of Reason.

After reading the first eight stories that were assigned for this week, I found that a couple stuck out to me as ones that I not only enjoyed reading, but that I also learned a few things from. The first one is called Word, by Cynthia Reeves. I believe this is about words that she has in her head. She thinks about the word, "word", and how by adding the letter, "L", she can make the word, "world". She then talks about how the letter, "L", makes her think of tongue. This is weird because there is no letter "L" in the world tongue. She then continues to analyze a few other words in her head and also talks about the alphabet a little. I found that this story was great because it is so different. The first thing I thought was, "what is this lady talking about?". Who thinks of stuff like this, and better yet, who actually goes on to write a short story about it? After reading the whole thing I realized that this is what makes it unique. I also enjoyed this story because of its length. It showed me that the story doesn't have to be long in order for it to be good. This one is only a page and a half and it was quite a fun and funny read.

Next, I would like to talk about a story written by Karen Lillis. The story is called, New York/LA Whirlwind Romance. The first part is about all the things that the character, which I think is a female, was told by a person, who I think is a male, before they had ever met. This seemed really weird because there are quite a few intimate and sexual things that she were being said to her and they had never even met before. The second section is about things that the guy told the girl once she arrived in LA. This section seemed to be even weirder because I couldn't pin point how these two knew each other in the first place. This is a really weird short story not only because the story is very strange, but also because the way that it is written. The person the story is about, which is a girl I believe, doesn't say anything the entire story. The whole thing is written in quotes that a person, who I think is a guy, says to her, either in person, or over the phone. I found this story interesting because I have never seen a story written in this way. It used only quotes, from only one person, to tell a story. I personally thought it was rather humorous, but in terms writing style and getting the meaning and message across to the reader, I thought I was not effective.

Lastly, I want to talk about the story on page 134 called, Until the Reparations. It is written by Roni Natov, and is written in the eyes of a woman who is married to a man named Jim and has a son named Jay. The story seems to be written about how she passes this corner all the time and there is always a homeless man sitting or wandering on this corner begging for food or money all the time. I thought this was unique because I have never seen a story about how a homeless guy on a corner acts. I didn't think it was the most interesting thing to write about but I did think it was unique. I did like the way it was written, which is over a course of time. The first section takes place in March, the second in December, the third in the following March, and the last one takes place in her dream. I thought this was a cool way to write because it gives a timeline and paints a picture of what the person who is being observed is doing. I think this is a way of writing that I will be trying to use in the future. Overall, I thought the reading for this week was pretty good. It got a little confusing at times, but the unique way that the stories were written kept me interested and opened my eyes to different ways to write a story. I am excited to see what ideas the rest of the stories in this book will give me.

Week 7 (2/27-3/4)

Spring Break Week

            Since we didn't have a blog due during break I figured I would just write a short post about some of the stuff we have been learning over the last couple of weeks.  In my opinion fiction is the greatest type of story writing ever created.  What you are writing or reading in the world of fiction could literally be about anything.  It opens up the mind and imagination to endlessness.  Any person can create any kind of situation that they want.  It could make absolutely no sense in real life, but in the world of fiction it is totally normal.  Great examples of this are books and movies such as Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Game of Thrones. Lord of the Ring's takes place in an imaginary world that doesn't exist, and is filled with races and species that are completely made up.  Some people may think this is totally rediculous, but others may think that it is great.  It is a chance for people to go outside the box and immerse themselves in a world other than the one they live in, a chance to get away and put all worries aside, even if it is just for a small portion of time.  I think it is great that we are learning about fiction in class, and I must say that I enjoy it much more than learning about poetry that I have a hard time understanding.

Week 6 (2/20-2/26)

Short Story

I apologize that this is a bit late, I was sick the last time we had class and I was sick all of break!

It was a red house more beautiful than he had ever seen. Beautiful red brick, amazing large trees swaying, and green grass as far as the eye could see. It was the house that he had always dreamed of while growing up in the slums of Detroit. A garage filled with sports cars and motorcycles. If only the people from his old neighborhood could see him now, they would never believe it.

He is a simple man, a hard worker from a small one parent home. He was beaten as a child and hated both of his parents. To get away from the place that he was born into has been his goal since the first time his dad struck his mother. He tried with all his strength to stop his father from hitting his mom, but he was just too weak. His youth was his worst enemy. When he was young his mother was murdered, right in front of his very eyes. This was a moment that scared Ryan for life. He was never the same man after the loss. When he was eighteen he left the bowels of Detroit and moved to this new house that he has finally built. 

He enters the house after staring at it for about an hour. He then realized that he was looking straight at a ghost. Freaked out immediately, he took off running and didn’t stop until he got to the door. He then realizes that there is an aura about the house that he had sensed before. It was a comforting voice from his childhood that he hadn’t heard in a very long time. He turned his head and standing in the dark doorway was his mother. (Her ghost) She smiled at him and softly said, “I’m so proud of you my son”. He was frozen is total shock, not able to mumble a word except, “I love you”. She disappeared and he finally realized that the last part of Detroit and his childhood was finally behind him. A year after his high school sweet heart moved in with him they decided to make things official and get married. They had two children named Mike and Mark. They then lived happily ever after.

The reading for this week was another fun week in the world of fiction. It seems that there is never really an end to the different ways you can structure and write a fiction story. Another great example of this is in our second fiction packet. The first story in it is called, Internal, and is written by Brian Evenson. While this story isn’t super unique in the way that it is written, it is still different then some of the stories that we have read so far. I actually enjoyed this story because it had good structure to it. It has a title, followed by a section that contains chapters in it. Each chapter or section is about a different part of him. For example some of the parts were his internship, instructions, record and journey, apartment, technique, furnishings, etc. Each chapter, within a section, tells another part of his journey. This may seem relatively boring because most books are written in this form, but it is actually nice to read a story with some structure to it. Maybe in the next few weeks we will see some more stories written like this, instead of so many that are written in an odd format like some of the weird ones in these packets that we keep reading.