My Short Story

For my short story that I plan on writing, I have decided to make it a fiction. In order to make it a great story, I must first plan ahead. I started off by searching for tips for writing a fiction short story. I found and used this set of tips; http://jerz.setonhill.edu/writing/creative1/shortstory/ Reading through these tips, I have gotten a better idea of how to write a good short story and how to provide all of the short story necessities. One of the main points that I have learned from reading these tips is that the protagonist can not be a general character that people would expect and have already read about a million times. the main character must be unique so that the reader can enjoy the story better. the reader wants something new, so you must play to that. Since I plan on writing a dramatic short story, I must make my protagonist have a unique problem that causes drama and interest. I am not sure yet, but I believe that i will have my protagonist conquer whatever issues he has.

My Obituary

Scott Drew was a great man who will be remembered in our hearts and minds forever. He died at the age of 78, caused by a fatal car crash that occurred during a street race that he would have won. He was caring, enthusiastic, fun-loving, and friendly. He will be greatly missed by his loving wife and their two children. Scott was most known for the many academy award that he has received over the years for the amazing films that he has written, directed, or produced. He is also known for his thrill-seeking lifestyle that seemed to defy the limitations of old age. the tragedy of his death surprises no one and we are happy that he died doing something that he loved and that is a perfect representation of who he was.

My "Watcher"

Like Gail Gotwin, everybody as a “watcher.” They are all unique in their own ways, but they all have the same goal. Stop the writer from writing. I believe that my “watcher” looks exactly like me. He has brown hair, dark green eyes, tall and skinny, with some facial hair scruff. He lives wherever I live. His only purpose is to follow me around and critique everything that I do. No matter what, he is there to judge any action that I make. He especially comes out when I am trying to write. This is his favorite thing to critique. I feel as if he is standing over my shoulder, watching and critiquing every single word that I write. This makes it hard for me to write confidently. He never eats and he never rests. All he does is judge.

Spanglish

Growing up in Miami, you get used to most people rolling their “r’s”, sounding like a rattlesnake’s shaking of its tale. Down in Miami most people speak a kind of unique language known as “Spanglish” (a mixture between Spanish and English) that to the untrained ear sounds like some English with a bunch of gibberish thrown in like when an infant is first learning how to talk and mixes the words he knows with the random sounds he often makes.

essay image

The picture I chose was a picture of a Ragdoll Cat. This is the same breed as my cat, which I mention in my essay. The thing that I love the most about this cat is the difference in the color of the cats fur on different parts of the cat. The dark, almost sut like color on the face, and the snow white fur on the torso. The toes also have that same beautiful ashy gray hue as the face. The ears are the darkest part of the body. They are also unexpectedly firm. They are constantly standing, as apposed to most other cats' ears, which are loose and often fall.

morning walk

The walk from Degraff to Williams is a long one. It provides many different elements, from the beautiful nature. There is one spot that stands out the most though. This spot is right in front of the first side door of Jenny Murphy hall and right before the path that cuts through the construction. This spot attacks most of my five senses at one time. First, this spot allows me to see many totally different settings. I can see construction, people, trees, and more nature. Another thing I like about this spot is that I can touch the fence. For some reason, I love to touch the fence. Running my fingers along the fence, felling them fall through the holes over and over again. Mostly, I hear the sounds of construction around this area. The sound of the head construction worker calling out instructions to his workers while a bulldozer drives past, smoothing out the dirt. The smells in this spot are sometimes overwhelming. For some reason, every time I pass this spot, I always smell the haunting aroma of marijuana. I have never been down that path and not smelled marijuana. Sometimes it also smells like fresh cut grass, but you can always pick out the smell of pot. This spot is amazing for opening your mind up to different senses in the morning. It usually makes me less tired in the morning because I am so interested as to what is going on around me in this spot.

First week

Within the past week, we have read three very helpful essays that provide necessary information about writing. Three female authors wrote these three pieces. They all provide different approaches to writing, while sharing similar views on some points. The first piece that we read was Anne Lamott's "Shitty First Drafts." The following two readings were Lorrie Moore's "How to Become a Writer," and Gail Godwin's "The Watcher at the Gates."
Anne Lamott's "Shitty First Drafts" talks about letting your writing just flow when writing a first draft. She views the first draft as a necessary experiment used just to see where the final piece will be going. She thinks that the first draft should be used as a tool to lead the author to a clean and clear final project. Gail Godwin's "The Watcher at the Gates" addresses a constant struggle that most, if not all, writers face. This struggle is the problem with a person’s inner critic. This “inner critic” causes a lot of great writers to question their work. If you do not know how to control your inner critic, then it can stop you from reaching your full potential. Godwin refers to the inner critic as “the watcher.” She believes that the objective of the watcher is "rejecting too soon and discriminating too severely” (283). Godwin believes that it is best to confront your “watcher” and learn about your watcher and think of ways to “outsmart” him. This concept of learning about facing and learning about your watcher is similar to learning from your first draft. Both present a concept that many writers have trouble crossing and they also provide answers to overcome these issues.
Lorrie Moore's "How to Become a Writer" is much different then both Anne Lamott's "Shitty First Drafts" and Gail Godwin's "The Watcher at the Gates." Unlike Lamott and Godwin’s pieces, Moore’s writing is a story. It has a female narrator that is named Francie. Francie is a new college student who starts off her first creative writing class with being criticized about her plots by her professor. After she revises her writing and reads it to the class, she receives more harsh criticism from her peers. Time passes and Francie has come across many more issues. She starts to question her major and her life. Towards the end, she starts to get even darker, isolating herself and quitting classes and jobs.
Although they are three totally different writings, they are important and useful pieces for new writers to read. All of them provide different aspects of the writing process that are perfect for introduction to writing.