Sorry for the delay...

Sorry to everyone, I guess I really wanted to delay my goodbyes. I want to thank you for all that you did and do. Everyone was inspirational in their writing in their own different ways. Especially with our work shopping groups, everyone was different in their writing styles but everyone contributed to the group in a unique way. We have gotten a little morbid, but all of still had something to contribute!
I probably will not be taking another creative writing course, however no promises, but I will also probably never try and publish a piece of writing. However, I now feel like I have the ability to write what I want, how I want and with semi-okay writing. It is all still a work in progress but thank you for, through the help from everyone I feel able to know write what I want, when I want, how I want, and know that I constantly improve my writing. So to everyone that provided me that opportunity I thank you. My writing is not perfect, but it is my ability and new medium of expressing my thoughts, ideas and feelings. This class has provided me not just with an educational level but also with enjoyment. So to everyone, thank you have a great break!

the last blog

I must say that I agree with the sentiments of my peers who have posted before, this semester has certainly flown by! I had a lot of fun in this class, and certainly learned a ton. Something that I was really pleased by was the high amount of participation in class: that blew me away. It wasn't just a few people, but really the entire class got engaged. Especially when we did those hysterical writing pass along activities, everyone had something to say. Also, echoing what Casey said, this was the first time that I learned about and used a blog, and it was certainly an interesting experience. I liked skimming through previous posts from other people, and seeing what people noticed and reflected upon. You learn a lot about people through blogs, I guess you could say.

Well, here is to another semester almost done. My second to last semester at St. Lawrence! As the only senior in this class, my advice to everyone is to live it up and enjoy your time here, don't get overwhelmed by work etc to the point where you cannot enjoy your friends and great experiences here. I mean, do your work too, but have a balance. It will be over before you know it!(Seriously)

Thanks for a fun semester! Good luck with finals!

Final Blog post

Well, I guess you know that finals—and the related stress—are here if you manage to write a blog post in Word and then totally forget to post it. ^_^

~*~

So, today was our last workshop, and I have to say that, as enlightening as they could be at times, I am more than happy to have them over with. The clash of personalities, the differences of literary tastes and styles, and the range of stories made for some interesting, if not always helpful sessions.

Though I am really not sure how much the workshops really helped me with my actual writing, I will say that they did serve wonderfully in another function; coaching me in how to quietly and gracefully take criticism. I’m pretty sure I speak for all of us when I say that it is really, really hard to sit there and listen as your peers rip apart a story that you put time, effort, and love into. This is doubly hard when the story is one that you either are getting conflicting responses on—both from between you peers, and between your peers and your professors—or one for which you really don’t think that people were getting the point of. However, considering that writing is a profession that means you will face a lot of rejection, and some of it quite vehement at that, I have to say that learning how to take that rejection with humor, accepting what they say and what you feel at the same time, is perhaps one of the most important lessons a aspiring writer can learn. It was always interesting in the workshops because you could tell who was more receptive to criticism, and who wasn’t. I’ll be the first person to admit that I wasn’t always the most receptive person to criticism about my own stories, but I like to think that I got better by the end of the semester.

Work-shopping will always be my least favorite part of any writing course, though a necessary evil it may be. Hopefully, however, one thing this semester has given me is the thicker skin that every writer needs to be successful. Here’s hoping!

Good luck on finals, and Happy Holidays everyone!

Last blog

I agree, Casey; this semester has flown by! I can't believe the weekend before finals is only two days away.
This course has been extremely interesting. I loved workshopping; my classmates are talented writers and it was fun interacting and getting to know each other in that context. My favorite part of the class was the mini writing assignments. When given the assignment, they sounded so crazy (how was I going to pull that off? Where would I get the creative inspiration?) yet, as soon as I started simply moving my pen across paper, I always surprised myself.
I just watched the Jon Stewart--Mike Huckabee debate, and wow, Huckabee looks like a fool. The comment that struck me was when Huckabee said, "I want to make sure that people understand that if a person does not necessarily support the idea of changing the definition of marriage, it does not mean that they are a homophobe." Stewart responded by asking, "Why? It would be redefining a word. And it feels like semantics is cold comfort to humanity." Stewart then defends that "Words do matter. Definitions matter." I do not think that allowing gays/lesbians to marry necessarily re-defines the word "marriage." Two people of completely different races marrying does not re-define the word "marriage." Raising your biological child versus adopting a baby does not re-define the word "parenting." I hope this does not offend anyone, but I think that people are often scared of what they don't know, and I truly feel that not even trying to understand homosexuality but just rejecting it is a form of homophobia. I have no evidence, but I assume that most people against gay marriage aren't close with any gays or lesbians. I know the anti-gay marriage people I have talked to all refuse to believe that being a homoesexual is not a lifestyle choice.

goodbyes

It still hasn't hit me that this semester is coming to a close. I see the snow on the ground and hear Christmas music on the radio but for some reason I'm failing to recognize all the signs of winter break approaching! Maybe I'm just in denial of all the work I have this coming week, who knows! But anyway, I wanted to talk about this class. Even though I took this class to fulfill a requirement, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Looking back at all the writing assignments I've done over the semester as I assemble my portfolio, I can't help but feel a sense of pride. Who knew I was capable of all of this! I mean, sure, my mom always believed in me but I never thought I could write like this. I'm impressed with myself. I think that's what makes a good course -- when you can walk away feeling accomplished and proud. I'm going to miss the workshop sessions and the class discussions. Oh on a side note, I have never in my life written on a blog before. I'm glad I was forced to do so or else I would have never had such an experience! I really pushed myself in this class and tried new things and I'm grateful I had such an opportunity! It's been a pleasure =)

VERY late Jennifer Brice

So, I was so kindly reminded by my peers about blogging on a writer's series reader, and I totally neglected to write about Jennifer Brice after I saw her in..October! Time flies. So, thinking back to then, I loved Jennifer's reading, and I had the opportunity to meet her in my Advanced Creative Non-Fiction course that morning, where we learned a lot of interesting things about the process of writing and generating a story. At her reading, I was very relaxed by her conversational tone and mellow, comedic voice. She read from her newest novel, "Unlearning To Fly", which is a collection of shorter pieces about flying and learning how to fly, along with other stories. Her writing is so dead on: I loved her descriptions of juggling things with her girls, and the demands that children can have and how utterly exhausting and irritating those moments can actually be. I was laughing out loud listening, and when I read some of her pieces before meeting her.
Jennifer has a sort of soft spot to me, because she was my brother's professor at Colgate, where she is currently a creative writing professor. We had a good little chat about my brother, and she let me into his life a bit more, which was pretty interesting. Something that she mentioned in her Q&A at the end of her reading, was that writing teaches people something new about you, in a traditional or non-traditional sense. She used the example of my brother, who wrote an essay about how he loves going to the dentist, because it is so relaxing, which is something that I never knew about him. But that was her point, writing is a chance for you to talk about these little (or big) things that people do not know about you, and this is the opportunity to express these things: you can write about the dramatic or the mundane: whatever you want, as long as you make it captivating, interesting and a story. There has to be something to what you are writing, otherwise nobody will care.

I really enjoy going to the writers series readings, and I think that they are always enjoyable and interesting, with a good takeaway. And, listening to someone read is always relaxing to me, so it's a nice way to segue into the evening!

I was inspired by Ali's post to write about something that I have noticed(sadly) watching Television. When I think about writing, and being a writer, I think about logging odd hours, writer's block, and writing a novel, a short story, a memoir, an essay, those sorts of pieces of writing. What I never thought about was writing a script, either for a movie, or a television show. That must be really challenging(duh). But seriously, I was thinking about it, having this sort of epiphany, relating the difficulty these writers(collaborating must make it even more difficult) have in conveying what they want to realistically. Then I started thinking about the difficult that I have in my dialogues with making it sound realistic and believeable, and I thought about what a challenge that really is. To pass dialogue across as whoever your characters are, so that anyone can believe what they are saying is rather realistic. It's hard to think about how we ACTUALLY talk when you stop and think about it. So, the problems I struggle with in my writing are not as juvenile as I was thinking they were. That is certainly a relief.

So this is probably such a lame blog, but I was just sitting watching...Gossip Girl I confess, and I started thinking about it and how hard it must be to capture the dialogue of upper east side high school students in a way that people that age believe it. Not so easy. So writers of all levels and abilities, writing about whatever they are writing about, face challenges.

Belated Jennifer Egan Review.... ^_^

The discussion in class today about Richard Rubin’s talk reminded me of the fact that, a few weeks ago (before break) I went to the talk by Jennifer Egan—a talk that I found every bit as much brilliant and engrossing as it seems people found last-night’s talk.

One of the things that really struck me about the piece that Mrs. Egan read was the way she was able to combine so many story-lines and time-lines so seamlessly in one piece. As I am sure my group has come to understand, I have a bit of a pen chance for playing with timelines, and I love to weave a few different story threads into one. I suppose I like writing like this because I personally believe that nothing is ever singular; every action people take is influenced by, and influences, many, many other actions, both by themselves any by other. Because of this, I really like to read (and create!) stories in which this inter-connectedness of actions and consequences is showcased. I do not pretend to be even remotely as good at this as Mrs. Egan is; as her stuff is simply brilliant (I caved and got The Keep while there… I haven’t been able to read much of it yet, but I really have liked what I have read so far), but I can say that I was really inspired by her work. It is funny that the only Writer’s Conference that I was able to attend this semester was one that so closely fit with my own style… something that was fortuitous, if totally unintended (Sadly, I would have liked to be able to attend more of the Writer’s Conference, but as I work most nights I was unable to do so. Perhaps next semester!).

Who knows, maybe in a few years one of us will be reading as a guest of the English Department’s Writer’s Conference!

To analyze?

I think that it is so interesting that we, as a society, spend so much time focusing on whether it is productive or unproductive to analyze a poem or piece of writing. I find it mildly ironic that we are analyzing whether or not to analyze? Oh well, regardless, I think that people are going to analyze and I think that as long as we don’t murder a poem or piece of writing then it is acceptable (and of course murdering a poem is subjective too). I think that all reading is very subjective. If a person reads a poem in order to analyze it, analyze it. If they read the poem in order to read it for pleasure, then do so. Do what you want to, your choice. It is all your choice, except for the whole teacher asking you to do something, besides that to each his or her own. Really, the point I am trying to make in all this blabber, is that we spend so much time thinking about whether or not to analyze something, but what it all boils down to it, it is our own decision what we do with a piece of writing. So let us use our time wisely and either enjoys the poem or piece of writing, or analyzes it and enjoys it. Your choice.

I completely agree with what Sellers has been telling us about insight. In my opinion the one thing that is than story with no point is a story that is preachy. You can still read a pointless story for enjoyment. However, I don't know anyone that really enjoys being preached at. The only thing that preaching is really good for is making people feel bad about themselves. I think that it is much better for a reader to find little pieces of wisdom throughout the piece.
I also think that the best bits of insight in a story can be the things that each individual reader takes away from the story. I think that each reader can look at a story and take a completely different meaning or lesson from it. Those meanings come from each individual's life experiences and there is no way for the author to be able to purposely put those in. I guess people find those meanings in moments in the story that show something real, but without any preconceived meanings. I think that good writing can create the opportunities for those moments and the best authors are able to write those moments.

Richard Rubin

That was interesting. Like a few of the others, when I thought about non-fiction I thought things like Ugh, biographies and text books... I too was wrong. I suppose I'll have to take a creative non-fiction writing class now because my interpretation must have been way way off. I thought that because it was non-fiction a person had to write what was there and not what you felt or imagined.

For the most part I was impressed with Richard’s reading and, of course, his writing. Although I’m not sure that I am a fan of his style; I enjoyed listening to his rendition of that Greyhound bus ride out into Mississippi and to that first Mississippi Christmas. The reading gave me a little insight into what creative non-fiction is. It is not biographies and textbooks. Creative is the key word there. Creative non-fiction is the truth in creative words. The events that happened are told through a creative lens. I almost have the urge to go write some of my own creative non-fiction. Of course, I’d have to see something worth writing the way it happened… I’m on a college campus, that can’t be too hard to find. =)

As a secondary not about the reading, I enjoyed hearing Richard talk about his perseverance to get published. 59 rejections from one journal is a lot of rejection and he didn’t back down. It’s really encouraging to hear because I don’t want to lose faith when I (hopefully) make it to the publishing stage of the writing process.

Writers Series

I went to the Richard Rubin reading last night and to perfectly honest, I'm not a fan of his. I'm not really sure what it is about him, but he's just not my cup of tea. Sometimes, I get the feeling that he's trying a little too hard to write "authorly" or something. I know that's not true, but there's just something about his style that I dislike. I'm not saying that there weren't any merits to speak about Richard Rubin, there were. He brought a levity to his reading and made the reading very conversational. He was a great reader, kept a great pace and spoke clearly. The only slight problem I had with his speaking would be when he paused to take a drink. It wasn't anything big, but it just left an awkward silence. I have weird pet peeves.

Moving onto Rubin's actually stories, although I might not like the writing, the stories themselves were actually rather interesting. I know that nonfiction is about real life, but I found that the characters aren't always that engaging because people feeling that they don't have to develop them any since they are real people. Rubin's characters were not like that. They all had their own quirks and characteristics. I also enjoyed his side stories that he told, especially his one story about the odd things written at Grant's grave.

Weekly blog

Lately I've been noticing just how important it is to portray something you are composing in a light that makes it appealing to your audience. Particularly in movies -- the build-up of horror, the climax of drama, the twist in suspense, the satisfaction in comedy. And in tv shows, the way a show is edited can truly attract or repel viewers. I watch "The Hills," for example, and I am the first to admit that it is a horrible show. The characters seem pointless and generally pretty boring; sometimes the plot is wildly dramatic yet resolutions seem absurdly difficult to attain. Other times, the plot is made out to be dramatic but at the end of the episode, the viewer feels slightly disappointed in the lack of substance. However, the show is so attractively presented, complete with catchy music, characters that you love to hate or hate to love, stylish clothing, and gorgeous shots of Los Angeles, that you want to tune in every week almost for the glamour of the show rather than the show itself.

Anyway, this relates to writing because when you write your opening line and continue through your introduction, you have to set up your piece in a way that sucks in whatever audience you are aiming to captivate. (Because I don't think anyone writes without the intention of influencing, informing, or at least entertaining the reader.) In my first short story, my group gave me a suggestion to enhance character development SO minor, at first I hesitated to accept that it would have such a major impact on setting up a brief but significant background on my mentally challenged main character's broken relationship with his "lost" father (how the father was lost was vague in my draft). Anyway, my classmates suggested that I simply mention one line regarding the main character's hesitation in setting up a place for his father at the dinner table - I know this makes no sense to the other half of the class, but it was a brief portrayal of a petty act that carried immense weight and meaning in the main character's development, and carried the reader along -- much like how the glossy depiction of random people's generally boring lives in an exciting city can be captivating to an audience.

writer's series

Tonight I went to the Sykes formal lounge to watch Richard Rubin speak about his writing and read from his book. Before listening to him read and discuss his book, I had never particularly taken an interest in non-fiction. I think I have always turned my nose up when I hear about non-fiction, regardless of whether or not it's creative non-fiction. I must just think, 'oh that's boring, real life isn't fun and exciting to read about,' but I was wrong. At times in the past when I have been forced to read historical fiction, I've accepted and liked those stories but that was as close as I'd come to real life. Come to find out, creative non-fiction is a lot of fun. I really enjoyed listening to every word of Richard Rubin's story tonight. I never once tuned out his words. I realized once he finished reading that I had actually created vivid imagery in my head of every scene he discussed. I saw the darkness of the streets of Mississippi from the Greyhound bus. I saw the girl who accidentally killed herself. I saw the lights in the cemetery. He wrote with such incredible detail and used such beautiful and accurate words that I was right there in the south along with him. To say that I'm impressed with his writing would be an understatement. During the reading tonight, I actually had fun!

Richard Rubin

I went to the reading by Richard Rubin tonight. I was nice to see his tasteful and honest depictions of a world that was so new to him. Rubin read about his time in the south. It was great experience because not only was I able to hear some funny and enlightening stories of his time with his first southern Christmas and such, but I was also able to look at a new side of non-fiction writing. Usually when I think of non-fiction writing, I envision text books and factual texts. However, Richard Rubin showed non-fiction writing in a vivid and creative sense with a new element. I know that everything in non-fiction writing must be true to write non-fiction, but that does not mean it has to be boring. He spiced up his stories with such life that I was able t o see what he was seeing. It did help, obviously, to have the author and original viewer of the situation reading the stories, however, it was still a new look and very alive. The one point that I took from the lecture was this fresh outlook on non-fiction writing and second to record every situation as it happens in order to properly live the situation. For when an idea for a story arises these tools will help to create a powerful piece of writing such as those demonstrated by Richard Rubin.