The good thing about Advanced Creative Writing was that we did more than just write fiction papers. From what I’ve learned as an education major, every chance a teacher or professor gets, they should incorporate technology into their lessons. Professor Quinlan did exactly that! On top of technology, we had weekly meetings where all we did was edit and discuss each other’s work. It didn’t have to be anything that was for the class. It could have been part of a novel or a book of poems that we could have been working on. Not only did we explore as writers, we explored and analyzed the works of James Joyce’s The Dead. Not all of us enjoyed his works, but in the end, we did have a good time talking about it.
As for technology and education, there couldn’t be a better match. As an education major, I’m supposed to know how to work a smart board, and LCD screen, a projector, and whatever other snazzy things are on the market today. The one thing I never thought I would use, or benefit from, is blogging. This class opened up a whole new part of the internet to me. I was always aware that blogs existed, but I always thought they were cliché like have a diary. The thing is that’s not the only thing they’re used for. There are blogs for everything; whether it be cooking, advice, lovers of literature, etc. We were asked for blog each week about something that either had to do with the class, something we were writing, or anything out in the literary world. Commenting back and forth and getting feedback from each other was fun. I’m surprised that another professor didn’t come up with this idea first. I think it’s pretty awesome. At first I was skeptical, but it was a great idea. At times it did get tedious, but what on the internet doesn’t. I’m beyond sick of instant messaging, so there you go!
Now, about this work shopping business! We all did complain about doing it, but it the end it did benefit each and every one of us. My first paper was on the bad side and it probably got better because of the input that I was given while work shopping. My second paper, in my opinion, totally rocked because I remembered the ideas that were given to me the first time around and tried to incorporate them into that paper. I walked away feeling accomplished and pleased with what I had written. Besides just doing work at our work shops, I think we came together as a class and got to know each other pretty well. It’s easier to understand a person’s work, if you know who they are. We also had a lot of fun and some good talks during those sessions. I particularly enjoyed the time we passed that paper around the room and we each added two lines to it and it became this out of control poem. We all definitely got a kick out of it.
The one thing I was never good at is poetry. Everyone always says this about themselves, unless they have a real knack for it. The great thing about poetry is that it doesn’t always have to be rhyming and/or in meter. Thank god for prose! By going onto the blog each week and having to go look at other literary sites on the blog, I found a new way to write poetry without having to think too hard and write clichés all the time. Being that I’m awful at poetry, I tend to bump into clichés a lot! On the Big Window blog, the class and I found different prompts that can be used for poetry writing. I think every ones particular favorite was the blackout poem. I will be handing that in as my poetry piece for my portfolio, since the one I did write this semester was absolutely awful. For all those people out there that come up with or find poetry prompts, they have probably saved a lot of students from not having an idea what to write about when writing poetry.
One more side note on poetry is about abstraction. It sounds really cool and when done the right way, probably comes out awesome. When you have no idea what you’re doing, like me, things tend to get a little messy. For those students in our class who did great on the abstraction assignment, I’m very proud of them. For those who had a hard time, I’m right there with them!
Now, about James Joyce! I always found him hard to read and never enjoyed anything that I’ve ever read by him. It was in the first part of American Literature that I first heard about James Joyce. I do have to admit that I was nervous when I saw his name on the syllabus. Unless you have some insight onto what he’s really about, it’s hard to like him. It was fun to read him in class and analyze what the story was about. Doing it with a class is so much better than sitting and reading it alone. Maybe another author would be better for next semester!
Advanced Creative Writing is a great class. It was definitely different from what I thought it was going to be and that made it better! I really did enjoy this class and I hope that you teach it again and do everything exactly the same. Maybe just take out Joyce!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Blair's Top Ten Best Writers...
As a teacher, I have a lot of children's authors that are my favorite. As a regular reader, I have a few that are my favorites as well. Lets get cracking shall we :-) I love this blog business. It's to the point where I'm comfortable now and I have no problem being an idiot on it.
1. J.K. Rowling: http://www.jkrowling.com/ I've had her listed as a favorite before so I'm not going to go into detail why I like her so much. Why do it again when previous entries already tell about it. :-)
2. James Patterson: http://www.jamespatterson.com/index2.html James Patterson is another author that I also wrote about. I believe it was my first blog entry ever. So go check back on that one to read about it.
3. Dr. Seuss: http://www.seussville.com/main.php?section=home&isbn=&catalogID=&eventID= Dr. Seuss is one of the greatest children book writers of all time in my opinion. All of his thoughts and stories are so out of the box. It makes a child really use their imagination and a lot of chilren these days are lacking that. With television and video games, they don't feel the need to use it as much. That's why reading Dr. Seuss books is good to read to children. It lets them explore that side of their brain.
4. Shel Silverstein: http://www.shelsilverstein.com/indexSite.html The poems are stories of Shel Silverstein are fantastic. Not many people are fans but I definitely am. I would sit in the basement or by the pool as a child and just read his book of poems. They were entertaining and well written. A child can easily get lost in his books.
5. Stephenie Meyer: http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/index.html As a new author, Stephenie Meyer has really proven herself. Having a whole series out in less than a year and having the whole word captivated by her novels is like another J.K. Rowling phenomenan. It was instant fame over night. The movie did really well in the box office, but it was nothing compared to the book. It kept you on your toes and wanting more. We're going to see great things from her.
6. C.S. Lewis: http://www.cslewis.org/ C. S. Lewis is a great author. I loved reading and re-reading the Chronicles of Narnia. I just find it odd that it took some movie producer all this time to decide to do a movie based on the books. The writing and the descriptions are absolutely fantastic. Someone should read these books at some point in their life.
1. J.K. Rowling: http://www.jkrowling.com/ I've had her listed as a favorite before so I'm not going to go into detail why I like her so much. Why do it again when previous entries already tell about it. :-)
2. James Patterson: http://www.jamespatterson.com/index2.html James Patterson is another author that I also wrote about. I believe it was my first blog entry ever. So go check back on that one to read about it.
3. Dr. Seuss: http://www.seussville.com/main.php?section=home&isbn=&catalogID=&eventID= Dr. Seuss is one of the greatest children book writers of all time in my opinion. All of his thoughts and stories are so out of the box. It makes a child really use their imagination and a lot of chilren these days are lacking that. With television and video games, they don't feel the need to use it as much. That's why reading Dr. Seuss books is good to read to children. It lets them explore that side of their brain.
4. Shel Silverstein: http://www.shelsilverstein.com/indexSite.html The poems are stories of Shel Silverstein are fantastic. Not many people are fans but I definitely am. I would sit in the basement or by the pool as a child and just read his book of poems. They were entertaining and well written. A child can easily get lost in his books.
5. Stephenie Meyer: http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/index.html As a new author, Stephenie Meyer has really proven herself. Having a whole series out in less than a year and having the whole word captivated by her novels is like another J.K. Rowling phenomenan. It was instant fame over night. The movie did really well in the box office, but it was nothing compared to the book. It kept you on your toes and wanting more. We're going to see great things from her.
6. C.S. Lewis: http://www.cslewis.org/ C. S. Lewis is a great author. I loved reading and re-reading the Chronicles of Narnia. I just find it odd that it took some movie producer all this time to decide to do a movie based on the books. The writing and the descriptions are absolutely fantastic. Someone should read these books at some point in their life.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Since I didn't blog last week...here's is the make up!
So, last class we went over what we need to fulfill our blog requirement. I found myself laughing as I said that. Which is silly, because I really did enjoy coming on here every week and doing just that. Part of our requirement was to go see a poetry reading or other reading of some sort. Due to the fact that I was student teaching this semester and working every other chance I could, I did not have time to go to a reading this semester. I have made it to others in the past, but this semester I found it hard to get to one. Its particularlly interesting to go to readings at WPU. Sometimes they have guest speakers and you can even hear the work of students that you walk campus with everyday. I definitely won't be getting it done this semester, but hopefully I'll get a chance when all is said and done.
Atleast I didn't lie and make it up! :-)
Atleast I didn't lie and make it up! :-)
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Big Window
I wish I could say that I read things for other classes, but this is really the only course I'm taking this semester. Student teaching is more of a full time job than a class. I find myself reading stories about animals, plants, and different animals that live in shells rather than important college readings. The rest of my life is going to be reading textbooks and elementary level reading materials. I wish I had more time to read. I started a book three weeks ago and have only read 24 pages of it. How ridiculous is that? I find myself sleeping during my down time. Hopefully I'll be able to do more reading when I start my MA at the College of St. Elizabeth next semester. I went on an interview there yesterday and got accepted. How fantastic is that?!?! I'm so excited!! This is going to open up a new world of teaching for me.
I know its not the most interesting thing to read about and I know we're required atleast two reviews of what we're reading in class, but all I can say is that from reading what I did today in school, plants have four parts: the stem, leaves, roots, and the flower. That I knew and thats my review :-) I'm so stupid. I'm sorry.
I know its not the most interesting thing to read about and I know we're required atleast two reviews of what we're reading in class, but all I can say is that from reading what I did today in school, plants have four parts: the stem, leaves, roots, and the flower. That I knew and thats my review :-) I'm so stupid. I'm sorry.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Bad/Good News Prompt Story Assignment
Remembering what happened at a frat house the night before was the least of Amber’s problems. She lived at home and her parents would kill her once she got home. After she turned the key in the ignition of her blue 2001 Eclipse, she leaned back in her seat and ran her fingers through her long, flowing blonde hair. Getting home without getting into an accident was her main goal, not throwing up from her hang over was another. The trees seemed to be falling into the street and the squirrels attacking her car. She shook her head every time she would hallucinate another farce.
Amber pulled into her driveway rather erratically and stopped short. Stumbling to her front steps, she fumbled through her purse to find her house key. Feeling that she was beginning to get frustrated about finding the key, she decided to ring the doorbell, regardless of what was going to happen once her parents saw her at the door. As far as they were concerned, she slept at a friend’s house the night before, but by the way she looked at the door there was no way that was true.
Ding-Dong, Ding-Dong
“Who on earth?” her mother yawned, as she unbolted the door, “Who is it?”
“Mom it’s just me. I can’t find my key and I need you to let me in.” At this point she was to weak to stand so she was leaning on the white railing.
“You look like hell. Where were you last night? Mrs. Lynch would never allow this kind of behavior!” her mother began to get furious.
“It’s not a big deal. Don’t worry so much.” Amber brushed her mother off and began to walk into the house. She barely remembered anything from the night before anyway.
“Don’t become a rebellious teen on me now. I know your father and I are getting divorced, but you could atleast at like a mature sixteen year old while dealing with this,” her mother yelled, yet pleaded at her.
Turning back to her mother, “Whatever, I’m going to my room.”
Slam!
Not remembering what happened the night before worried Amber. She’s not as immature as her mother thinks she is. Yeah, her parents are getting divorced, but she’d probably be doing things like this with a friend like Theresa anyway. She dumped her purse out on her purple and pink comforter and fished through her things for her phone. Picking up the small, black device, she called Theresa to get the gossip on what happened.
“Hey, hun,” she said quietly into her cell phone. “What happened to me last night? The last thing I remember was Dom breaking that beer bottle on the floor. Things are pretty hazy after that.”
Laughing into the phone, Theresa said, “ Am, you were out of control. No one could stop you from taking shots. I’ve never seen someone down so much vodka in my life.”
“Oh man.” She ran her fingers through her hair again and then got a quick smell of vomit and covered her mouth. “Well, that would explain the awful hangover. I had hallucinations of squirrels running at the car.”
“That sounds pretty bad,” Theresa giggled. “Maybe you should crawl into the shower and then take a long nap. That’s what I plan on doing.”
“Yeah, that sounds good. Any liquid that isn’t liquor right now sounds fabulous!”
The two girls hung up the phone. Theresa looked at the picture of her and Amber on her dresser and shook her head. She couldn’t believe her friend was capable of anything that she had done the night before, but it was something she was going to pay for in the long run.
After her shower, Amber brushed out all the knots and enjoyed the smell of cucumber melon radiating off her milky skin. No more vomit smell. Laying on her comfortable temper pedic bed made her feel like she was relaxing on a piece of heaven. Putting last night behind her was all she wanted to do, even though she couldn’t recall half of it. Little did she know what was ahead of her.
Amber pulled into her driveway rather erratically and stopped short. Stumbling to her front steps, she fumbled through her purse to find her house key. Feeling that she was beginning to get frustrated about finding the key, she decided to ring the doorbell, regardless of what was going to happen once her parents saw her at the door. As far as they were concerned, she slept at a friend’s house the night before, but by the way she looked at the door there was no way that was true.
Ding-Dong, Ding-Dong
“Who on earth?” her mother yawned, as she unbolted the door, “Who is it?”
“Mom it’s just me. I can’t find my key and I need you to let me in.” At this point she was to weak to stand so she was leaning on the white railing.
“You look like hell. Where were you last night? Mrs. Lynch would never allow this kind of behavior!” her mother began to get furious.
“It’s not a big deal. Don’t worry so much.” Amber brushed her mother off and began to walk into the house. She barely remembered anything from the night before anyway.
“Don’t become a rebellious teen on me now. I know your father and I are getting divorced, but you could atleast at like a mature sixteen year old while dealing with this,” her mother yelled, yet pleaded at her.
Turning back to her mother, “Whatever, I’m going to my room.”
Slam!
Not remembering what happened the night before worried Amber. She’s not as immature as her mother thinks she is. Yeah, her parents are getting divorced, but she’d probably be doing things like this with a friend like Theresa anyway. She dumped her purse out on her purple and pink comforter and fished through her things for her phone. Picking up the small, black device, she called Theresa to get the gossip on what happened.
“Hey, hun,” she said quietly into her cell phone. “What happened to me last night? The last thing I remember was Dom breaking that beer bottle on the floor. Things are pretty hazy after that.”
Laughing into the phone, Theresa said, “ Am, you were out of control. No one could stop you from taking shots. I’ve never seen someone down so much vodka in my life.”
“Oh man.” She ran her fingers through her hair again and then got a quick smell of vomit and covered her mouth. “Well, that would explain the awful hangover. I had hallucinations of squirrels running at the car.”
“That sounds pretty bad,” Theresa giggled. “Maybe you should crawl into the shower and then take a long nap. That’s what I plan on doing.”
“Yeah, that sounds good. Any liquid that isn’t liquor right now sounds fabulous!”
The two girls hung up the phone. Theresa looked at the picture of her and Amber on her dresser and shook her head. She couldn’t believe her friend was capable of anything that she had done the night before, but it was something she was going to pay for in the long run.
After her shower, Amber brushed out all the knots and enjoyed the smell of cucumber melon radiating off her milky skin. No more vomit smell. Laying on her comfortable temper pedic bed made her feel like she was relaxing on a piece of heaven. Putting last night behind her was all she wanted to do, even though she couldn’t recall half of it. Little did she know what was ahead of her.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Fav Literary Website!
I know I'm about a week late posting this, but since I was at teacher's convention last week I figured I'd do both last weeks and this weeks work at the same time. Before I dive into my favorite literary website, teachers convention was awesome! There were so many vendors and so many people. I had no idea where to begin. They were giving away a lot of free materials for teachers. My friend Jess and I definitely did well in getting all of that. By the time we got down there, a lot of the workshops were full, but Cynthia Nixon from Sex and the City was there. That was really awesome!
Okay, about literary websites! My favorite by far is J.K. Rowling's website. It doesn't even look like a literary website when you first enter it. It looks like a messy desk. When you scroll over whatever is on the desk, you find access to her biography, links, FAQs, Harry Potter stuff, any news, etc. Even though her website is pretty much about Harry Potter things, its completely awesome! If you click on the Extra's button (the hair brush) it takes you to a pin-up board where you can find a whole bunch of other information. Without giving a long lengthy summary of the website, why don't you go check it out for yourself.
http://www.jkrowling.com/en/
Have fun with it!!
Okay, about literary websites! My favorite by far is J.K. Rowling's website. It doesn't even look like a literary website when you first enter it. It looks like a messy desk. When you scroll over whatever is on the desk, you find access to her biography, links, FAQs, Harry Potter stuff, any news, etc. Even though her website is pretty much about Harry Potter things, its completely awesome! If you click on the Extra's button (the hair brush) it takes you to a pin-up board where you can find a whole bunch of other information. Without giving a long lengthy summary of the website, why don't you go check it out for yourself.
http://www.jkrowling.com/en/
Have fun with it!!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Literary Excellence!
I've written about her before and I'll do it again! J.K. Rowling! She has a knack for writing and did an amazing job with the Harry Potter series. Melanie also wrote on this great author. Rowling went from a woman who had nothing to a woman who owns a huge mansion in England and is a millionare.
When she wrote Harry Potter, she had no idea how big it was going to be; that the young wizard would create a wizarding empire. As new books came out, the plot thickened, there were more secrets to discover, and we watched the characters we know and love grow and develop. She turned her life around with one series. The series itself held the number one spot on the New York Times Best-Seller list and was turned into movies. She achieved over night fame. As the journey grew, so did her writing. She is truly a great example of literary excellence!
When she wrote Harry Potter, she had no idea how big it was going to be; that the young wizard would create a wizarding empire. As new books came out, the plot thickened, there were more secrets to discover, and we watched the characters we know and love grow and develop. She turned her life around with one series. The series itself held the number one spot on the New York Times Best-Seller list and was turned into movies. She achieved over night fame. As the journey grew, so did her writing. She is truly a great example of literary excellence!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Fiction: What's so great about it?
The great thing about writing fictional stories is the fact that a writer can stretch their imagination. Being able to write about whatever you want and write what may or may not be able to happen is fun and can take readers into the unexpected. When J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter, she probably had no idea what she was getting herself into, but she took her imagination farther than no other and wrote a series that will always be remembered. If I could learn to write half as well as her or any of the members of our class I would consider myself lucky.
The great thing about fiction, as Professor Quinlin said in her blog, is conflict. Being able to create a problem and take it anyway you want is pretty tricky. A problem can't be created a resolved in the matter of a page. It has to be presented and then the intensity of that problem has to grow, weaving it in and out of the characters lives. Sometimes its easier to do it when you're writing non-fiction pieces. Yes, you are writing about yourself or things that are real so its easier to understand. Writing about something that may not exist or ever happen is hard. Paying attention to detail in fiction writing is also very big. Description of the characters and the development of those characters are also very crucial.
Fiction was always kind of hard for me. Once I came up with an idea and got it flowing, it was okay. It was always just coming up with that initial thought for a story that kept me from success. Everyone in our class has extreme talent in that area. Some of the stories we work shopped last week were phenomenal. I doubt I would have ever come up with ideas like that. Every writer probably thinks that their own writing isn't as good as others. For me, its my fiction writing. It makes me feel uneasy. I'm sure I'll grow as a writer. My fiction writing will definitely flourish has an educator. I'll have to contsantly be coming up with fresh new ideas for my students and that will help my writing and them at the same time!
The great thing about fiction, as Professor Quinlin said in her blog, is conflict. Being able to create a problem and take it anyway you want is pretty tricky. A problem can't be created a resolved in the matter of a page. It has to be presented and then the intensity of that problem has to grow, weaving it in and out of the characters lives. Sometimes its easier to do it when you're writing non-fiction pieces. Yes, you are writing about yourself or things that are real so its easier to understand. Writing about something that may not exist or ever happen is hard. Paying attention to detail in fiction writing is also very big. Description of the characters and the development of those characters are also very crucial.
Fiction was always kind of hard for me. Once I came up with an idea and got it flowing, it was okay. It was always just coming up with that initial thought for a story that kept me from success. Everyone in our class has extreme talent in that area. Some of the stories we work shopped last week were phenomenal. I doubt I would have ever come up with ideas like that. Every writer probably thinks that their own writing isn't as good as others. For me, its my fiction writing. It makes me feel uneasy. I'm sure I'll grow as a writer. My fiction writing will definitely flourish has an educator. I'll have to contsantly be coming up with fresh new ideas for my students and that will help my writing and them at the same time!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
The World of Poetry Prompts
I think poetry prompts are rather helpful. Thinking of an idea is always hard for me, so if the idea is given to me, things are so much easier! A lot of of the prompts on the Big Window page have to do with writing a poem based on what you see in a picture. Thats a great way to write poetry I think. You're taking what you see and bringing it to a whole other level by going beyond the picture into an unknown world. Here are a few of the prompts that I find to be quite great from Big Window:
http://theothermother.typepad.com/bigwindow/2008/10/open-34.html
Writing a poem about what you're doing can take you in so many directions. It can be very descriptive as well and it will never be boring. Even if what you're doing is just sitting on the couch, a good writer will find a way of making it captivating.
http://theothermother.typepad.com/bigwindow/2008/05/open-36.html
This prompt is awesome because you have to picture what could be behind in a door of many colors and different prints of cloth. The writer has to tell what is beyond the door and the journey that they'll go on. I did something like this is Intro to Creative Writing. We were supposed to have our class in the Science building but the door to our room was locked and needed a code to be unlocked. Professor Liu asked us to write a prose piece about what could be behind the door. The things that came out of that prompt were crazy!!
http://theothermother.typepad.com/bigwindow/2007/06/furniture_poems.html
Writing about a piece of furniture can seem kind of boring to some people, but bringing that piece of furniture to life is what makes writing exciting. Putting that piece of furniture into a different setting or personifying it can make that boring piece of furniture interesting and beyond what we know as furniture.
http://theothermother.typepad.com/bigwindow/2008/10/open-34.html
Writing a poem about what you're doing can take you in so many directions. It can be very descriptive as well and it will never be boring. Even if what you're doing is just sitting on the couch, a good writer will find a way of making it captivating.
http://theothermother.typepad.com/bigwindow/2008/05/open-36.html
This prompt is awesome because you have to picture what could be behind in a door of many colors and different prints of cloth. The writer has to tell what is beyond the door and the journey that they'll go on. I did something like this is Intro to Creative Writing. We were supposed to have our class in the Science building but the door to our room was locked and needed a code to be unlocked. Professor Liu asked us to write a prose piece about what could be behind the door. The things that came out of that prompt were crazy!!
http://theothermother.typepad.com/bigwindow/2007/06/furniture_poems.html
Writing about a piece of furniture can seem kind of boring to some people, but bringing that piece of furniture to life is what makes writing exciting. Putting that piece of furniture into a different setting or personifying it can make that boring piece of furniture interesting and beyond what we know as furniture.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Something Interesting I Found About James Joyce!
Now I know there are people that aren't huge fans of James Joyce. I've only read a few things of his, so I don't have a full opinion. What I have read, I really do enjoy. My first major exposure to him was in my American Literature class sophomore year of college, and now again in this course. When I was doing some research on him, I came across an interesting website. There are days during the year on which we celebrate certain things that important. In the literary world there's two weeks dedicated to James Joyce!
James Joyce actually has a summer school over in Europe. It seems to be very popular from what I read. They refer to it at "one of the foremost gatherings in the Joycean calendar". Now I think thats funny because we don't see that in a normal calendar. If I wanted to know anything about Joyce, I guess I'd have to check his calendar :-)
His summer school is opening during the first couple weeks of July. Scholars and lovers of Joyce come from all around the world just to be there during those two weeks in Dublin. They pretty much talk about and analyse his works. I'm sure they've done it many times before, but people that are huge fans of his can obviously do it over and over again. There's events every night during those two weeks, so students can get the full advantage of being in Dublin.
I'm going to leave the website on here, so if anyone is interested and loves James Joyce they can check it out. Maybe even apply if they want!
http://joycesummerschool.ie/
James Joyce actually has a summer school over in Europe. It seems to be very popular from what I read. They refer to it at "one of the foremost gatherings in the Joycean calendar". Now I think thats funny because we don't see that in a normal calendar. If I wanted to know anything about Joyce, I guess I'd have to check his calendar :-)
His summer school is opening during the first couple weeks of July. Scholars and lovers of Joyce come from all around the world just to be there during those two weeks in Dublin. They pretty much talk about and analyse his works. I'm sure they've done it many times before, but people that are huge fans of his can obviously do it over and over again. There's events every night during those two weeks, so students can get the full advantage of being in Dublin.
I'm going to leave the website on here, so if anyone is interested and loves James Joyce they can check it out. Maybe even apply if they want!
http://joycesummerschool.ie/
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
My Creative Websites
http://www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/index.asp
I'm not one for art museusms, but the Metropolitan Museum of Art is amazing! It was for my art class during practicum. I had always planned on going, but the class was the push I needed for me to actually do it. The different types of art they had were mind boggling. The one that was most interesting exhibit was the Egyptian exhibit. They had exhibits about mummification, the weapons they had, and even a temple. Everyone should go atleast once in their lifetime! This site shows most, if not all of exhibits offered.
http://www.classicalarchives.com/
There's nothing better than good music. I'm not into classical, but there are a lot of people out there that are. This website lists all of the classical music composers and there are links for each one. If you subscribe, you can hear their music. Not only can you get their tracks, but you can hear live music. There's also a discussion forum so fans of classical music can discuss whatever they want. It's a good site.
http://pottery.about.com/
The good thing about this website that it gives you a basic introduction to pottery and ceramics. It lets you know what kind of tools to buy and where you can get a kiln and what the best type of one is. There's information about glazes and also a blog about pottery. The woman, Beth, about what a good potter should be like.
http://www.broadwaynewyork.com/
New York is one of the centers of the world that is known for its mix of cultures. One of the things about NYC is that its famous for the arts. The entertainment industry is comprised of poets, broadway, etc. This website talks about all the hot new shows going on broadway and the ones that have been on for years. Not only does this site talk about broadway but it also covers the theatrical part of what goes on in NYC.
http://www.alankritha.com/artists.htm
There are so many different types of paintings and more than enough examples of each. This website talks about the different types of painting and where there are exhibitions of those types. It's interesting to look at paintings that were made a very long time ago and then looking at art from now. The difference is amazing because the point of views are also different.
I'm not one for art museusms, but the Metropolitan Museum of Art is amazing! It was for my art class during practicum. I had always planned on going, but the class was the push I needed for me to actually do it. The different types of art they had were mind boggling. The one that was most interesting exhibit was the Egyptian exhibit. They had exhibits about mummification, the weapons they had, and even a temple. Everyone should go atleast once in their lifetime! This site shows most, if not all of exhibits offered.
http://www.classicalarchives.com/
There's nothing better than good music. I'm not into classical, but there are a lot of people out there that are. This website lists all of the classical music composers and there are links for each one. If you subscribe, you can hear their music. Not only can you get their tracks, but you can hear live music. There's also a discussion forum so fans of classical music can discuss whatever they want. It's a good site.
http://pottery.about.com/
The good thing about this website that it gives you a basic introduction to pottery and ceramics. It lets you know what kind of tools to buy and where you can get a kiln and what the best type of one is. There's information about glazes and also a blog about pottery. The woman, Beth, about what a good potter should be like.
http://www.broadwaynewyork.com/
New York is one of the centers of the world that is known for its mix of cultures. One of the things about NYC is that its famous for the arts. The entertainment industry is comprised of poets, broadway, etc. This website talks about all the hot new shows going on broadway and the ones that have been on for years. Not only does this site talk about broadway but it also covers the theatrical part of what goes on in NYC.
http://www.alankritha.com/artists.htm
There are so many different types of paintings and more than enough examples of each. This website talks about the different types of painting and where there are exhibitions of those types. It's interesting to look at paintings that were made a very long time ago and then looking at art from now. The difference is amazing because the point of views are also different.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Thoughts on Abstraction
Last week in class we learned about abstraction and what power it has in our writing. When we first started the exercise I thought it was kind of silly. When it was over I looked back over what I had written down and Professor Quinlin was right. There is potential for a good poem just coming from the abstractions. I'm not really a good poet, but when I do write poetry I tend to write more from the heart and what I'm feeling at the time. I definitely never thought about picturing what I see in a word and what the next picture would be after it to come up with another word.
When we were discussing the first lines of stories or poems, I really understood everything that we were discussing. It's like writing a good paper for class. If the first line is complete crap no one is going to want to read it, but if the writer knows how to write an outstanding opening line, getting the audiences attention will be no problem. I've always tried to have one of those amazing first lines, but something always tends to go wrong with it. Most of the times its very cliche. I'm going to try and avoid that this semester.
When we were discussing the first lines of stories or poems, I really understood everything that we were discussing. It's like writing a good paper for class. If the first line is complete crap no one is going to want to read it, but if the writer knows how to write an outstanding opening line, getting the audiences attention will be no problem. I've always tried to have one of those amazing first lines, but something always tends to go wrong with it. Most of the times its very cliche. I'm going to try and avoid that this semester.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Inspiring Work
I don't read a lot because I'm very busy, but last semester I did read all seven Harry Potter books in four months. That was the first time in about year that I had a hard time putting a book down, let alone reading an entire series! I don't read fiction or poetry to often, so I can't really post about something I've never read. The last great book I read was by James Patterson called London Bridges. James Patterson has a way of slowly getting you caught up in his books, but any rising action that is in his books comes up rather quickly. Between him and J.K. Rowling, I don't know how is better. I'm more of a writer than I am a reader, hence why I'm an english/writing major instead of lit. I'm very excited to see what this class has to offer!
Here is a link to James Patterson's homepage:
http://www.jamespatterson.com/index2.html
Here is a link to James Patterson's homepage:
http://www.jamespatterson.com/index2.html
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