| Prompt #7 |
[Oct. 28th, 2006|11:00 am] |
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In an attempt to make your lives a little less overwhelming, I am extending the deadline for blog #7 to Nov. 7. In other words, you will have until then to freewrite about what you know about your topic. Then there won't be another blog due until Nov. 14. I know it is not much of a reduction, but maybe it will give everyone a moment to breathe in between all of your other assignments. |
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| LIve Theater |
[Oct. 20th, 2006|01:01 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  chipper | ] |
| [ | music |
| | classical | ] |
Theater productions always energize me. I like the whole experience: entering the lobby where one can sense the excitement of other patrons, waiting for the lights to go down or the curtain go up, the entrance of the actors, and then the slow unfolding of the play itself. Last week I attended the Guthrie's "Lost in Yonkers" and was not disappointed. My husband and I met our daughter and son-in-law in the impressive lobby of the new building and proceeded up the long escalator to the floor that houses the thrust stage that is a hallmark of the Guthrie. In this particular play, two young Twin Cities residents played the parts of the thirteen and fifteen year old boys who have main roles. Despite their age, these two showed characteristics of seasoned actors. On stage for the entire play, they showed their artistry by displaying a range of emotions. At one point, they tossed pillows at one another celebrating their freedom, and at another moment they raged with anger at the treatment they received from their uncle. Toward the end of the performance, they put on their best manners as they interacted with their elderly grandmother. Although I have no personal connection to these young men, I felt pride in their accomplishments and stood in awe at their talent and ability.
Tonight I return to the Guthrie to see "Yellowman." I'm excited already. |
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| reason_writes makes a mistake |
[Oct. 20th, 2006|12:47 pm] |
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I have just posted responses to many of you about your entries for prompts #4 and #5, and I've managed to give a fine example of my technical ignorance. I forgot to log-in for a while, so I expect that some of you got messages that appeared to be anonymous. In actuality, they were from me, your illustrious, but technically challenged teacher. Have a great weekend, and I'll see you on Tuesday. |
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| Lunching with Wes |
[Oct. 7th, 2006|10:07 pm] |
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I have lunch with my grandson Wes at least once a week. When he's at our house, he sits in a chair that attaches to our kitchen table where he can look out the window and notice any movement on the landscape. Although he still doesn't talk much, he communicates with distinct gestures to let me know that the leaves of the river birch trees in the neighbor's yard are blowing, that a squirrel is scurrying around on the lilac branches, or that a visitor is splashing in the bird bath. This week, turning his attention from the outside world, he calmly munched his peanut butter sandwich for a while and then suddenly reached my way to offer me a bite. Just as I was about to sink my teeth into the gooey mess of bread and spread, he pulled back his hand, smiling in delight at this clever teasing. I laughed as well, amazed once again at how quickly children develop a sense of humor. |
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| There's a summer place |
[Sep. 27th, 2006|09:59 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  nostalgic | ] |
Despite the golden aura that attends these crisp fall days, my dreams are of summer at Lake Hubert. On many a sizzling afternoon, I sit on the dock, sipping coffee and watching dozens of sail boats from the camp across the lake dip and bow as the wind sends them gliding over the waves. Little else moves, for this is not a place that attracts the cabin cruisers or large speed boats of those who enjoy a fast-paced life style. Even on the busiest of weekends, only a few water skiers shoot past. Otherwise, we mostly spot slow-moving pontoons and small fishing boats whose occupants are seeking the best spot to drop their lines. As I leisurely turn pages in my latest favorite novel, I am only disturbed by an occasional swallow darting out from under the boat canopy. After determining I am trustworthy, she's off on her search for nourishment for her off-spring, and I return to enjoying the solitude and serenity of my favorite place. |
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| Seasonal Flip-Flop |
[Sep. 13th, 2006|07:50 pm] |
Here are a few more words about blogging. Remember that the idea behind this exercise is to get you writing fairly often. so it begins to feel natural and non-threatening. As you respond to the prompt, then, you don't have to spend too much time thinking and planning. Certainly if you want to edit your piece some, go ahead, but this is not the same as a formal essay when you want everything to be organized, clear, and correct. On the other hand, please don't write in a completely stream-of-consciousness style, using absolutley no structure or punctuation marks. Do reread the piece once you write it and check for punctuation and spelling errors. Although I will not be judging the entries or marking off for mechanical errors, it is always easier to read something if there are not too many such problems.
So sit back and ponder the prompt that follows. Then write what comes to mind.
Prompt number 1: September is a month that gives us some reminders of what summer was like and also provides some glimpses of what lies ahead as fall approaches. Think about which of these two seasons you prefer and describe some aspect of your favorite. Try to keep your focus narrow, so you are not talking in generalities. See if you can use some physical details that will let a reader understand your preference. (By the way, I have just used about 200 words in these two paragraphs.) |
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| Becoming a Real Writer: Keeping a Journal |
[Sep. 3rd, 2006|02:55 pm] |
Most writers agree that their best ideas come at odd times. They may be crossing a parking lot at the mall, eating a tuna fish sandwich on a park bench, or giving a bath to their newborn when a flash of insight strikes them. Sometimes the words they read on a cereal box, in a short story or a newspaper article, or the lyrics of a song they hear on the radio prompt a new and luscious thought. Jotting down these bits of inspiration is a way to save them from escaping. At some future time, the writers can then recapture these.
During the semester, I would like you to keep a journal on this web-blog, so you, too, as a budding writer, will have a catalogue of material that you may choose to use for some future writing project. At other times in your life, you may choose to type your journal entries or do them in longhand. You can purchase a neat little book to carry around with you, or you can enter your thoughts into a regular school folder. You might even decide to be like Anne Lamott and use index cards, which, of course, can be filed neatly in a card file.
I would like you blog once a week over the semester. Each entry should be in the vicinity of 200 words. Katie and I will be reading and responding to your blogs during the term, but we will not be critiquing or grading them. These are intended to be practice writings for polishing later if you wish. Other students will have access to your entries as well, so be sure you are comfortable with what you are saying.
These entries are not meant to be like those in a diary where you might enter your most private thoughts. Rather, they should be responses to what you see, hear, feel, taste, or smell around you or reactions to an experience, a conversation, a movie, a song, a reading. The purpose is to help you become more aware of your environment and your relationship to it and to put some of that awareness into words. This practice will also help you become more comfortable with using words to express yourself. Be creative, free, specific in detail, and honest.
I will be giving you a prompt or a choice of prompts each week, but if something supersedes these in importance some week, feel free to write about that which made you pause and stare or stop and think |
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