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.