Assignment 12

1. Some things I found frustrating when writing the play was the format. It felt like it was harder to get an idea across because my mind would be so focused on the spacing and capitalization. A pleasant surprise was that I managed to meet and surpass the page requirement. I didn't think I would have enough ideas or plot to fill up five pages, but in the end I had more than five pages and had a clear plot, and theme come across. I don't think I would ever pursue publishing a play because of the time it takes to write one. However, it was interesting to get a chance to experience writing one and learning the different styles they use.

2. In my personal essay some things I would like to include would be experiences in my life through church. I think that a lot of who I am and a lot of what I've learned has been from church and/or my experiences with God. I would try to portray a message of faith and how one should appreciate life by talking about my car accident. I think that this could express my feelings toward God and how my family and I became closer through faith. These are things I would include in my personal essay because they are real experiences and have shaped me to be who I am.

3. If I could give a ten year old advice, I would tell them not to try in school until ninth grade. I think that one should enjoy their childhood and have fun. So many kids feel pressure to succeed in sixth grade and it's just not worth it. I feel that if kids really focused on enjoying each day and having a fun time, they will develop a want to do well in school and ultimately do better in their years to come.

Assignment 11

1. I think that theme is really important in writing, however, it is not necessary if the writing makes a clear point. I do think that when reading plays or books or even poems that a theme is helpful when interpreting and trying to relate to the piece of writing. I think that literature doesn't really have that many boundaries. Pretty much anything goes and that goes along with expressing an idea. It is helpful to have an idea presented, that way you are not lost within reading or writing. For example, the movie "Breakfast Club" is an example of having a central idea and in the end concludes with a theme of accepting differences. I think that the movie does a great job of displaying their theme throughout by having the students act and talk about different stories that make them who they are.

2.I think what causes great literary works to live forever is their theme and overall writing style. I think an interesting plot and or intriguing message can draw an audience in and keep them there. Although I haven't read the book Pride and Prejudice, I enjoyed watching the movie. I think what really caught my attention was the characters and the history behind each scene. The topic was romantic and simplistic, yet it kept you wondering what would happen next. I think it's stories that can relate to each kind of person, and can keep one involved in the story is what makes works last forever.

3. If I could have one long- lasting impact on the world around me, it would be something realistic such as helping with the Children's Hospital and more importantly cancer patients. I feel like those who are diagnosed with cancer or any other serious illness at a young age is terrible, I think that to help I could really put my efforts into donation, and helping out at the hospital. While doing this, I could write poems with a message of hope, love, and happiness, and then give them to the patients. Each patient could then draw a picture of what they thought the poem meant to them, and each picture could be published next to the poem in a book. This book then could be sold for money and the money would go towards the hospital and cancer research. This idea could then inspire those children with hope and also encourage others to make a difference.

Assignment 10

I am a thinker and I think thinks

1. What concerns me now in the world is those who don't have enough money or aren't fortunate enough to have a Holiday. I think that many in the U.S and all over the world are struggling to even pay bills or eat, but I always think that people, no matter what, should be able to have a special day on Christmas, or get a chance to have a great holiday. I feel this way because I look at my life and how lucky I am to have what I have and it makes me feel sad about those who cannot or will not have a Christmas like mine. I'm so used to just getting presents and being able to have a huge meal with all of my family in a warm house, it's hard to realize that a lot of people don't have any of that. I think feelings like this happen more when the Holiday season comes up and it's something that helps me to realize how fortunate I am.

2. I think someone who is unique, special and amazing would be my church leader Kimberli. Not only has she effected my life, but that of many others. She is always there when you need her, and she offers the best advice and also is so easy to relate to. She is amazing in the fact that she can connect on so many levels with so many different people and equally accept them. I also think her relationship with God is one that I admire and I enjoy learning from her and with her through experiences in church and with God. She is truly special because is someone you can always count on, and even though she has a family of her own, she makes time for you. I really look up to Kimberli and love all that she does.

3. There are a lot of pieces of art that inspire me, one being the song "Yellow" by Coldplay. It is an older song by them, but it somehow always gets to me. It has inspired me in my poetry a lot in this class and is a song that relaxes me and helps me to take notice to all the little things in life. The phrase, "Look at the stars, look how they shine for you..." I think that ultimately means that the world is here for you and for the taking, and look at them wanting you to appreciate them, waiting for you to notice them. I also listen to Coldplay a lot when I'm running, although most of the songs are slower, they all have a good beat that keeps me going. It really helps to let go and focus on the moment, it relieves a stress and inspires me to keep going.

Assignment 9

Happiness

1. Happiness is a feeling and or emotion that comes from a personal experience, or that comes from another persons experience.

2. Happiness in my life comes from the things I do and the people I'm with. I enjoy playing a lot of different sports, and when I am playing them, I feel content. Also, when I run outside I feel really happy. All my problems go away because I'm only focused on running and enjoying the outside. Not only does a lot of my happiness come from sports, but also my friends and family. My friends and I are always having a good time, whether it be making cookies, rollerblading, going to the pool, or just watching tv, I feel happy with them. With my family I feel happy because we are all so close and we always have a good time no matter what. When holidays come around, my whole family is together. Just being together with them makes me feel happy.

3. My mom is someone who really influences my happiness because I'm with her a lot. Her and I are always laughing and she makes everything fun. She also comforts me when I'm sad or feeling stressed and makes everything okay, even if it's not.

4. I think I have a large impact on my parents happiness. With everything I do, my parents are with me 100 percent and that can effect their happiness because I may not always be happy. I think that my parents feel sad when I'm sad and when something exciting and or happy happens, they feel the same way toward me and for me.

5. My greatest need in life is passion. I think that you must have passion in order to be happy. You need to be passionate about the things you love, and I think that when you love what you do, you are happy.

Assignment 8

Some ideas for Photo Story:
cabin (inspired by a poem)
school- going through the years
summertime (inspired by a poem)
birthdays
weather (inspired by a poem)
traveling (prompt)

Assignment 7

1. What I enjoyed writing most this quarter was poetry. I think it was an opportunity to expand my knowledge on the different kinds of poetry, as well as being able to experiment with these different types. I really liked the metaphor poems because you could extend the metaphor into a poem form, or even use a bunch of different metaphors. I think I enjoyed it most because with poetry, you can write about anything and also because there are so many styles of poetry, you can't go wrong.

2. I would say poetry would be my strongest area of writing this quarter because not only did I enjoy it, but I did well on my poems as well. My favorite poem I wrote was titled, "Look at the Stars". This poem was inspired by the song "Yellow" by Coldplay. I think that poetry is my best because I get inspired from a lot of different things. I write poetry outside of creative writing, and I think that it's why I feel so confident in the subject.

3. This quarter, I learned that I really don't like structure in writing. I really enjoy doing whatever because it's easier to come up with ideas and go outside the box. I think that I'm very self motivated in that I don't need someone pushing me or nagging me to do an assignment.

4. A topic of writing I would most enjoy would be writing a memoir. I think that they are personal which can make them easier to write. I also think it's a good way to express something about yourself. Another area I would enjoy writing in would be plays. I think that we should get together with our writing groups and write a play, and then share them by acting parts out. This would be a fun and creative way to share ideas with our group members.

Assignment 6: Creating Fear

1. I really don't like to be scared. I can't watch scary movies without having nightmares for the next week. I think I get scared most because I'm afraid of things being in my house, my room, or any place in which I feel vulnerable. However, if I'm with other people when it's dark out, then I am fine, or if it's light outside or inside. Most of the time I don't like to be scared, but if it's for fun, like a haunted house, then it's fine.

2. Things that scare me are people being in my house or in my room. I used to fear being too high up, but I overcame that fear by doing things that required me to be high up in the air. I fear being alone in a dark place, or maybe just the dark in general. When I think of things horrific in the world I jump straight to things such as murder or malicious crimes. I think that terrorism is horrific as well because you never know when it's coming, but you know that there is the possibility for a terrorist attack.
I think fear comes from my mind, creating and imagining scary things. My mind always plays tricks on me, especially when I'm alone. I continuously hear noises when I know that there is nothing to be heard. I think fear is created, and that one can overcome a fear by facing it. The problem is that it's so hard to face a fear, especially when it's something like a noise from your basement. It's hard to just burst down the stairs and see what it actually is. I'm deffinitely more afriad of something horrible happening. Blood and guts don't freak me out unless it's that of someone I know, or someone in my house. I guess that would mean something horrible happened though. I think that I'm mostly scared of some horrible event happening to me, and when I watch it on t.v. or in a movie, I can't help but feel the same kind of fear.

3. In my opinion, madness is something of the mind. I think that one can become mad by having thoughts in their own head and creating more scary or maddening thoughts. I think that to be mad, you must have done something, or have imagined something happening and can't stop thinking about it. I think a person would have to either committ a crime such as murder or be some type of serial killer. However, someone mad could also have run over the neighbors dog without telling them. Either way, someone makes themselves mad by either not telling anyone what they did, or the feeling of guilt just takes over them. I think that bad thoughts just start to control their mind and soon enough they become mad.

4. What drives people to madness today could be anything. From murder and rape to burrying your cat alive, it can vary. I think that because the deffinition of madness itself is so broad, that it leaves room for just about anything. I think that someone can go from normal to insane by playing mind games with themselves. It's almost like they are creating more and more thoughts about the situation or crime they committed and it eventually eats them up inside. Just like in the short story "Black Cat", Poe demonstrates this man as someone who is fairly normal, but his thoughts and guilt takes over, therefor making him mad.

Assignment 4

PART ONE:

1. Original opener- As I stepped off the boat, I could feel mist from the water spray on my face. With the sun poking through the clouds, I squinted to see the Eiffel Tower. It was bigger than I had remebered. The sound of car horns and children playing in the park spread to my ears. The smell of coffe and fresh bread romaed through each street. With ever turn there was something to see, feel, smell, and something, to love.

2. There it was, the biggest stone house for blocks. Ivy circled the windows like spider webs, and flowers inched their way up towards the sun that poked through the trees shadowing the walk. I picked up my bags and headed towards the door. This was it; this was home.

3. "And now," said the Priest quietly, "we will hold a moment of silence". It was silent all right, it was defining. I could barely breathe, my heart was racing although everything around me moved in slow motion. I can't believe they're gone. Dead. This is what people read about in magazines and say, "That poor girl, lost both her parents at such a young age," then you turn the page. This was my reality, I couldn't turn the page. And now, now I've got to live with it.

4. "Last call for passengers boarding flight 144 A to Paris, France," the flight attendant muffled over the intercom. I grabbed my bags and took out my tickets and headed towards the gate. "Will you be traveling alone?" said the attendant grabbing my boarding pass. "Yes, I am alone," I quivered at the reality of my loss. I was, in this world, alone.

5. The Eiffel Tower is beautiful. Everything about it intrigued me. How did it last this long? I searched the shore as I saw painter after painter. Bakerys filling every corner and large museums trampled with people.

Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

Assignment 4:

The setting overall seemed like it was at night, which gave it a 'creepier' mood. No matter who she was with I felt that she was still always somewhat alone. I think that Connie could have handled the situation better by just ignoring them in the first place and acting right away rather than dragging out the situation. Connie does however draw you in because she is a younger girl which is relatable to many people in the class. I think that everyone has dealt with uncomfortable situations, maybe not this intense but we've all been there before. I think the author describes how she is feeling a lot and that helps to get into the mind of the character. The story ended poorly because it really frusterates me that it was left with so many things unanswered. I think that Arnold Friend ended up raping her and then waited for her family to come and killed everyone and Ellie escaped and told the police on Arnold.

1. A variety of characters, different personalities
2. Setting must be evident and somewhat interesting otherwise it's hard to get into a story
3. Interesting hook
4. Antagonist
5. Conflicts, it bugs me when everything is perfect, so conflicts usually keep me interested
6. Romance
7. Murder or mystery
8. Surprise ending, but questions answered
9. climax, something that leads to more questions but also gives you something to lead up to
10. A good title, one that grabs your attention

Hand in Hand, Step by Step
It was kind of cold,
but we didn't care
We decided to go into the lake
And wash our hair

In the closet, on a rack
Hanging like superhero uniforms,
Were two wet suits with our names on the back
You zipped mine and I zipped yours
As our barefeet scampered through the screen doors

Step after step you held my hand,
And my heart, as we walked to the sand
Two peas in a pod, that was you and that was me
Unconditionally loving, is what others would see
To you, I was your side-kick; your partner in crime
And all I saw, was that you were mine

My heart pounding, you didn't look scared
You reached for my hand, and I knew that you cared
With the wooden dock creaking beneath us,
Lunge after lunge
We raised up our arms and took the plunge
My heart racing, you poured the shampoo,
Bubbles all over, it was me and it was you

The memories we had, if only they knew
The world saw us loving, but it was
Always just me, and always just you

Remembering the Rain
Outside it's raining, puddles everywhere
Just another rainy day, but I don't care
As I look up, I see lightning flash
Then just seconds later, thunder makes a loud crash
I look out at the lake, used to be so still
Now rain drops are falling hard at their own will
I can feel the mist from the wind that blows
The rain gently tickles my feet, as if it knows
I take one more glance
This is my chance
I take a step as the rain falls on my face
Perfectly dropping, the rain full of grace
I spin in circles to get every inch wet
Not doing this sooner, is something I regret
I look up at the sky as a rainbow appears
The sun pokes through the clouds, my vision now clear
I notice the beauty of everything wet
Just another rainy day, one that I'll never forget

Assignment 2

The piece of work I chose was a song by David Gray called, "Shine". I first heard this song with my mom in the car, she is a really big fan of David Gray and we had put in one of his CD's. It has a really slow melody and is really relaxing, but also keeps your interest. I think that what really made me like it was the lyrics, they were so perfect, it's almost like he said exactly what he wanted to say. The lyrics not only moved me in a way of self expression, but also that they were uplifting and gave you a sort of hope.
"But who knows whats waiting
In the wings of time
Dry your eyes
We gotta go where we can shine"
This is the main chorus of the song, and also the most significant. I think it is very sweet the way he talks about the love of his life, and is telling her to step out of the darkness and shine. It is repeated in order to show more emphasis on the words and what he is really trying to say.

Prompt one: Think of a song that really 'gets to you' or is lyrically significant, write four sentences on what the song is and how it effects you.

Prompt two: Is there ever a time when you need to tell yourself to step out of the darkness and go where you can shine? If so, when is this and why do you feel this way? How do you overcome this feeling?

Autobiography

My name is Grace and this is my creative writing blog. Creative writing is a class for those who like to write, it is a class where you can open up to a notebook and just fill the pages with random thoughts and stories.
Some of my interests in writing are mostly real events, or past memories. I like to write poems on things that have happend or how these past events have affected me. Other types of writing I enjoy doing are short stories, either expressing my emotions towards one specific event, or even writing about a significant day in my life. I also really like writing about made up things; I think creating an imaginary world or inventing different events that would happen is fun and entertaining. I'm really looking forward to the next four months because I'd like to expand my knowledge on different types of writing and open my mind to new ideas.
I really enjoy poets such as Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson. Both of these poets are completly different, although they each have this deeper meaning that can't be found by just reading the poem once. Robert Frost has a lot of description in his, he pulls you into this world and makes you find your own way out, your own meaning. Emily Dickinson is very hard to understand, and I like that because you can get what you want out of it. I also really enoy reading Jodi Picoult, her writing is very relatable and she touches on topics most significant writers stray away from.

One of my favorite songs is "Stay or Leave" by Dave Mathews because it reminds me of summer. It's a very relaxing song so it immediately draws you in. Dave continues to state the phrase 'stay or leave' to emphasize the meaning in the words, making it a main focus in the song. He also includes examples of memories which is very relatable.