Monday, April 18, 2011

Week 14: Last Week of Blog Posting

Hello class! I'm sad to say, this week marks your final week in preparing creative nonfiction for blog posts. Next week, you'll visit your group members' blogs once more for review, but this week, you finish with your assignment routine. As you successfully finish out this course, scan the pages and pages of writing that you've posted to your blog. Your lives are rich books, aren't they? I hope you are as impressed by what you've accomplished as I am. Consider keeping your blogs and continuing to write for writing's sake... or at least, save a copy of your precious writing on your computer or in print. Read it a year from now, five years from now, or even further down the road and impress yourselves with the knowledge that you always were, and continue to be, an original and extraordinary being. Consider sharing your writing. Share with someone you're close to, or send your best writing out to be considered for publication. Continue writing. Consider enrolling in more writing classes during your college career, or organize a writer's circle. For the purposes of this course, I'll ask you to keep your blogs up and running at least until final grades are posted. After that, it's up to you! Next week, we'll focus on drafts of final essays. You could begin writing a rough draft as early as you'd like, and you're welcome to see me for assistance. This is my final post to the class blog site, as next week, you'll turn your focus to Blackboard for work on the Final Essay. It's been a pleasure to work with all of you. You've kept me delighted throughout the semester with heartfelt and evocative writing. I couldn't be more appreciative if I'd known you all in-person in a traditional classroom... you've truly shared yourselves with me and with each other, and for that, I'm very lucky. Make this week the best yet. With gratitude and appreciation for your fine work as writers, Amisha GREAT HITS Directions: Stay on this page and scroll til your entire list of classmates is visible on the screen. Close your eyes. Ramdomly touch your screen. Open your eyes. Drag your finger to a name directly to the right, or closest to your finger. Visit this writer's blog. Enjoy! WRITING TIP OF THE WEEK Writers Plan Goals and Rewards Upon successfully finishing this course, you have created more writing than most professional writers do in the span of 4 months. You have accomplished creating an entire portfolio of stories, any one of which could be revised to a publishable standard and shared through print media, revised as a screenplay, interpreted as dance, song, or otherwise. Trust me... you deserve a reward. What will your reward for finishing your writing goal be? Start thinking about the perfect reward for your accomplishments now... and don't forget to reward yourself promptly when the semester ends out. (Confused about what to reward yourself? Send me an email with your mailing address for mid-May and I will happily mail you a mix CD.)

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Week 13: Ending Out the Semester

Hi class Welcome to the final few weeks of the semester! This week and next, you'll continue onwards with blog posting, reviewing, and reading & writing Writer's Journal posts. After that, you'll begin work on your Final Project. I call your attention to that project now so that those of you with busy schedules or perfectionist tendencies can start working in advance. You'll find details about your Final Essay under "Tuesday, April 26th" on your Course Calendar. If any of you would like to schedule an appointment with me for assistance/feedback on rough drafts of your final essay, please schedule early. The final few weeks are busiest with student appointments, and I'd like to do my best to get everyone in who wants to meet. Optionally, I can meet off campus in Scottsdale (at a coffee shop) more easily than on campus in Tempe. This is also a good time for you to review grades, should you have any questions. I look forward to seeing some more fantastic writing on your blogs this week, and I encourage you to check out last week's Great Hits. :-) See, also, a new Writing Tip of the Week below. Happy writing! -AP GREAT HITS! Miranda's "Happiness and Health" http://glitteracceptedhere.blogspot.com/2011/04/43-happiness-and-health.html In this post, Miranda successfully creates the feel of ongoing, repeated action. That is not an easy thing to do, yet Miranda's particular voice as a writer lends itself to reflection of this sort. She describes an event where she and other students eat out as a matter of routine, breaking from their work at the studio. The tone of this account draws in her readers and allows us to feel included. I especially love the shift from scene to reflection in paragraph two. The second part of this post reveals a thoughtful, humanitarian psyche that can, at one and the same time, enjoy and appreciate a meal while considering the struggles of others. Both the tone, and feeling, resemble prayer. It's beautiful, Miranda. Thanks for sharing with us! Rebecca's "No Need for White Chocolate" http://owlsandicecream.blogspot.com/2011/04/prompt-43due-4-7-11-no-need-for-white.html This post is one of my favorite stories posted by Rebecca in this course. It's wonderful thanks to the subject matter itself, but also thanks to the great writerly choices Rebecca made. She did an excellent job "showing" the scene as opposed to telling us what to think or believe based on her own emotions or assumptions. The story is at once nostalgic, funny, and heartbreaking. We get introduced to a scenario that is wholly "high-school" era, where social acceptance is the heartbeat of everything else we strive to experience. We all have those moments of being rejected, yet they tend to be amongst the hardest moments to tell others about. I'm impressed then, that Rebecca did it so well. Excellent work! :-) Skylar's "Order in the Court" http://skylarthehonestone.blogspot.com/2011/04/prompt-43-order-in-court.html I am amazed by how this class uses their writing to go beyond the personal or interesting events from their lives to successfully write about topics of societal import. Skylar's post, "Order in the Court", is a prime example of that. Her masterful use of dialogue allows her to forefront keen political opinions with personal experience and an evocative scene. Eventually, she reveals what's at stake for her in sharing this story. She writes, "The judge was nothing but a robotic hammer, just doing her job, but without human capacities: no empathy, no compassion, no understanding. Is there no mercy for what people need? Why is it the innocent have to spend time away from their lives to judge the incompetent, the law-breakers, the unhappy, the unjust? Isn't that injustice?" Congratulations, Skylar, for making ideas as beautiful and lyric as songs are. Great work on this post! Leena's "Sleep Walkers" http://leenawalker.blogspot.com/2011/04/sleep-walkers.html In Leena's post, "Sleep Walkers", we watch a familiar scene: a study group of students (who could be anyone, anywhere) during an iconic late-night study session. I love the ambiguity of who the people are in the context of this scene, since there's a sense of universality to the experience. The ambiguity about characters also lends itself to the feeling of "sleep walkers", which is redefined, here, in the context of students who stay up way too late in preparation for an exam. Wonderful work with this post, Leena! I'm sure many of your classmates can see themselves in the mirror of your writing. :-) Writing Tip of the Week How to Title Your Writing One of the most difficult responsibilities of writing essays and stories is coming up with great titles. It's also one of the most important responsibilities. Titles create interest for readers, set moods, and set up major themes. They also work to specify topics and to argue. A great title is not unlike a great song name. It serves to locate one particular unit of creative work as independant, complete, and beautiful. Essays and stories without titles are like babies without names. Remember to name your babies wisely and intentionally. There are no fixed rules for Title writing, but you can learn a lot about effective titles by reading published work and seeing what professional writers do. Often, a particularly central subject is picked out and highlighted ("The A Train", "Birds at Night", "Cedar Falls"), and other times, a theme is highlighted ("Men Who Talk", "The Importance of Eating Breakfast", "Marriage Before 20"). Regardless, precision and specificity are of the utmost importance. A tip that I give to students who have trouble writing titles is, write a list of ten possible titles and then pick the best one. Another tip I give writers is to have other readers review your work and weigh in on title possibilities. In this class, it's possible for you to ask peer reviewers to suggest titles during their feedback of your writing.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Week 12: One of My Favorite Writers is Denis Johnson

Hello class! In reviewing this week's assignment checklist, I was excited to see you're due to read a piece by Denis Johnson. He is a writer of fantastic imagination and intensity. Enjoy the reading, and enjoy the other assignments for the week! I look forward to seeing your new work. Read on to review some of Week 11's "Great Hits". (I stopped using the phrase "Greatest Hits" when it became apparent that all of you were producing heartfelt, inspiring work. Now, I'm just cycling through groups of writers to acknowledge your fabulosity as a matter of routine.) Also, look for a new Writing Tip at the bottom of this post. Best of luck as you continue to write! Enjoy this beautiful Spring weather, too! -AP GREAT HITS Kimberley's "Interviewing Universally - 'Boldly Going Where No Man Has Gone Before...'" http://alittlecynical.blogspot.com/2011/03/writing-prompt-34-interviewing.html In opening this post, Kimberley writes, "In the world of Sci-Fi geekdom, he can be considered an anomaly - or worse - a heretic." This introductory line, as well as the following writing, results in an amazing article about the choice to love BOTH Star Wars and Star Trek. Kim profiles a man named Alexander, who claims to love both series, and explains exactly why. Best of all is Kim's treatment of this subject matter. Whereas she takes it seriously enough to thoroughly examine it, she creates humor by exaggerating the social consequences. Excellent work, Kim! Nynn's, "Yummy Goodness" http://lafraser.blogspot.com/2011/03/prompt-34-yummy-goodness.html This post is so much fun to read! I love Nynn's description of a comfortable Happy Hour scenario where attention is paid to the drink itself. So often, bar scenes have little to nothing to do with the love of a good drink, but in this post, Nynn describes appreciation for something delicious. I especially like the context that Nynn gives us. Knowing that she doesn't know much about alcohol allows us to feel a sense of innocence and joy in reading that we otherwise may not. Great job, Nynn! Matt's, "Reflections of a Once and Former Randian" http://oneguytwodeserts.blogspot.com/2011/03/reflections-of-once-and-former-randian.html Thank you, Matt, for coining the new word "Assholiness". :-) This is a great example of writing that develops a coherant rant. Rather than trying to prove his opinions, Matt allowed himself the dignity of authentic, uncensored expression. Because he expressed his opinions in the context of storytelling, they have more appeal, regardless of readers' personal opinions about political topics that Matt discussed. I also appreciate Matt's ability to reflect on another piece of literature in a descriptive and clear way, as a way to develop his theme. Thanks for a wonderful post, Matt! Writing Tip of the Week Read, Read, & Read Some More Some of you may wonder why reading examples of personal essays in your textbook is such a routine part of our coursework. I could imagine it's much more enjoyable to write something of your own than to read and reflect in your Writer's Journal. The reason why you're asked to read is because reading is an essential tool of writing. Writers read a lot. We read so we can learn from other writers, stay inspired, and develop our vocabularies and imaginations. If this week, or any other week, you have "Writer's Block" when you sit down to write your posts, consider reading as a part of the writing process. Pick up a book by one of the writers you've enjoyed reading in your text, or email me for suggestions, and go back to your writing with fresh eyes.