Toward the Future/ From the Past

1.I thought that writing a play was really frustrating because you couldn't describe how exactly a character was feeling or looking. When you write a play, you have to incorporate everything through the dialogue. A strength in plays is the ability to use language to convey emotion. It was fun to be able to write in mostly dialogue. It was surprisingly hard to show action in play writing. I don't think I would ever be interested in writing anything like a play ever again.

2. I might want to write a personal essay about camp experiences, spring break in Florida, spring break in Arizona, or conflicts between my family. I may want to talk about moving from Texas to Minnesota or moving from Grove St to Cahill Ln. Through my stories I wish to convey how friends are always there for you even when your family sucks. Also, tough times bond those who go through them together. Other ideas i wish to develop through my stories are being in a new environment allows people to adapt and change, change can be good but it also is hard to accept.

3. The advice I would give to a 10 year-old is that life is about to get a little more complicated, so appreciate every single day you have before you are off to middle school. Spend more time with your friends and stop watching tv or playing videogames. You are going to regret not taking advantage of your youth. Don't focus too much on the future, but always dream of your near impossible goals. Don't follow everyone else, make your own path. Make new friends, but never forget your old ones. Later in life you are going to miss your carefree days, so savor them while you can. I give advice based on my experiences and other people's experiences from that age. I give the advice I give because I miss the days when I could just pretend and have a great day.

Pirandello

1. I think that the theme of a work is one of the most important. If you write something with no meaning then there is no reason for it to be read. The intention behind a work is often what leads to the theme, and it is the intention that is most important in a work. A great piece of literature needs to be able to express some idea because without a good main idea the piece wouldn't be necessarily great. For those who think that a great work does not need a main idea, i believe that clear ideas are necessary for a work to be exciting or interesting. Almost all works convey some type of theme. Like in in Harry Potter, there are themes of friendship, good triumphing over evil, and love.

2. I think that works written a long time ago and are still popular today because those who wrote them were able to send a message through there work. Even when it is set in a different time, there are still some of the same issues present in old works. Like conflicting families and young love in Romeo and Juliet. I could never see myself creating a work that would be passed down through the generations just because I don't think any writing I have done is powerful enough.

3. If I could have one life lasting impact on the world through writing it would be to send a message that not necessarily changes the world, but instead show the world that there is good, love, friendship, and trust even in the coldest places. For the world basically sucks and if people were able to see the good and the hope then maybe things could change. As a writer I doubt I will ever have this impact on the world though. It would be important for the message to get out there somehow. If I was some great writer I would try to get my message out through great novels and short poems.

Thinker

1. One thing that concerns me is poor children not being able to have access to a proper education. If people want to better themselves they should have that oppurtunity. It really sucks for people who work hard and still can't further themselves. I think that some poor people in a way are doomed because they do try to get out of poverty, but not all of them have access to the appropriate oppurtunities. It bothers me that we live in a world where there are places that people can't go to school or get a job that pays enough to survive.

2. A person who has a dynamic personality is very talkative and personal. They could relate themselves to anyone and they are compassionate. They can go out every night and have a bunch of fun with people. They can stay home with their family and have a great bonding night. They are very versitile and outgoing. A person who is dynamic can take charge and make plans for the day but knows when to stop talking and listen.

3. A book that has greatly inspired me is any of the books written by Tamora Pierce. She writes about strong women set in a time when there was gender inequality. These women work hard and overcome many setbacks but in the end they achieve greatness.

Happiness

1. I would describe happiness as an emotion one feels when something good happens. It is being content. The feeling a person has when they fall in love, get a good grade, or when they are appreciated. It is just being glad.
2. The source of happiness for me is the people around me, chocolate, and random things like books or tv shows. My friends bring me happiness because they cheer me up when I'm sad, make jokes that may or may not be appropriate, and listen to me. Chocolate brings me extreme happiness because it is just the best thing in the world. Certain books and shows like Gilmore Girls make me happy because they envoke laughter and tell good stories.
3. All my main friends influence my happiness. When they are mad or sad I generally am sad. Or if other people treat me badly, my happiness suffers a bit. Or if I am around a person who is just always happy, It makes me happy.
4. I think that my acts towards my parents effects them a lot also my sisters. I generally distant myself from my family and when they realize this they get mad. When I dont answer texts to my sisters they get upset also. I dont think my actions affect many of my friends though.
5. My greatest need in life is the little things like chocolate, smiles, and blasted music. These are the things I need to make me happy.

8th Assignment

Possible Topics

1. One of my poems
2. the scary story
3. a day in the life of...
4. different places
5. Using songs by one artist, and images to make one story
6. animals
7. taco bell and bylerys
8. my friends

7th Assignment

1. I really enjoyed writing the poems. I think this is because its fun for me to try to make words sound pretty, to create a picture without directly saying something.
2. I think my strongest piece of writing was a poem called confusion. It explained the rush of thoughts and the sadness of being alone, using metaphors and figurative language. I think this is my strongest piece of writing because it conveys the idea of confusion well and i think it goes deeper then a lot of my other poems. I don't write that much poetry, but it is the most fun to write for me. I think I do have a lot of inspiration that poetry requires.
3. I learned that as long as I have a basic idea of what to write, it is easy. I require a little instruction to get started, but after that my mind takes over.
4.I'm not really sure what type of writing, I want to pursue. It would be interesting to go further in fiction lengthy stories, but I doubt I have the time or patience to dedicate myself to a story longer then 3 pages.

6th Assignment

1.I only like to be scared sometimes. I hate when someone like surprises you from behind or like makes you jump. But then I like scary movies and books. I think the only time I actually like to be scared is when I know that it isn't real. Or when I know that I am safe.

2.I am scared of heights, spiders, and sometimes being alone when my parents are out of town. I'm not really afraid of being high up but I'm more afraid of falling down and dying. I like to test my fear of heights a lot. I think I am scared of spiders because they could somehow get into my hair and then I'd feel them and they would try to bite me or something. When my parents go out of town and I come home to an empty house at night, I always yell is anyone home and make a lot of noise. So that if there was a burglar or someone creepy they would leave. Also I stay in a small part of my house the whole night. I think I'm scared of a stranger just being there and then killing me in my sleep.

3. Madness is when a person has driven themselves to the point where they don't know who they are and they don't know the difference between right and wrong. Basically when a person is crazy, they are mad. For me to consider a person mad, that person would have to be some stalker rapist murder.

4.I think tragic events like death and financial ruin can make a person mad. Also being obsessed with something and then a drastic change happens can also drive a person insane. I think that any intense change in a person's life can make them go temporarily mad.

5th Assignment

1. Wandering down a vacant, un-tordden path, Emma Paddock thought about the uneventful day ahead. Often mistaken as the typical misunderstood teen, she only had one friend, Shawn. After walking for about a mile of nothing but trees and overgrown shrubs, she heard him calling.
2. She stood there alone, on the edge of the street. A small, petite girl of 17 with a calm demeanor. Not one to smile easily, she had a blank face that was often filled with some thought. Emma Paddock was a day-dreamer. No one took the time to get to know her, except for her one friend, Shawn.
3. The bright sun shined upon, her hidden face. As she made her way through the winding path, tall trees made way for the teen girl.
4. "The day is almost done, but nothing worthwhile has passed," Emma Paddock murmured to herself as she began to walk to her only friend.
5.

4th Assignment

Task 1.
a. The setting of the second part of the story is important because she is home alone. Arnold Friend knew exactly where she lived. All of her family are at her aunts barbecue.
b. Connie's character is frustrating because she puts herself into bad situations. She cares so much about her looks and is proud when any guy notices her. She asks for trouble when she separates from her friend and goes off with a random guy. I think that she resembles the ignorance of teenage girls, who think they know everything and get themselves into trouble.
c. The author is addressing the issues of rebellious teenagers. The author shows how easy it is to get into a bad situation where a creep guy can threaten you and take advantage of a girl. The main issue in the story is how just because you think that are all grown up and can do whatever you want doesn't mean that you wont get into trouble.
d. The story appeals to people because readers can connect to the rebellious stage of being a teen
e. I think that at the end Connie gets taken away and the guy abuses her.
f. Arnold Friend represents rapists and stalkers in the world today. He is important to the story because he is the main bad guy. Without him there wouldn't be the major conflict.

Task 2
1. The characters have a vivid personality
2. genre: teen fiction
3. problems that are relatible to me
4. take place at home or school
5. not longer then 5 pages
6. it is a fast read.. the plot is enticing
7. Good background on characters
8. Self conflicts better then conflicts with another
9. Family issues
10. i hate open ending

3rd Assignment

Places

There are many places I miss
Many places to get a kiss
You set down a place mat
In the wrong place on your cat
Kids told to stay put yet
Can't for there are people to be met
Some say they wanna go
To explore the new snow
I still have no place though


Confusion

She wonders through the darkness
Lost in her own mind
Struggling through the vines
Few thoughts filter past
She sees a way out and
starts to follow a broken path
Mud weighs her down
She can't ecape the depths

Thoughts rushing past
Fears climbing, no, flooding
Fear consumes her as
She refuses to see the truth
Water rising
As she takes her last breath
She see the reflection of
herself

And then it all stops
The chaos is broken, the
frantic cries of survival are gone
and she lifts herself up
She makes her own path
She follows no one but the
Soft beat of what can be
Breaking into the light
She discovers life as it is
She knows. She Lives.
She accepts.

Assignment #2

7th and 8th grade was when I really started to like to read. The author that started it all was Tamora Pierce. I had seen one of her newer books at Barnes and Noble, and read it for a project in school. I talked to one of my friends and she said that there were a lot of great books by her. That moment started my reading obsession. I went out and started from the beginning. I got the first book Alanna: The First Adventure.

A passage from the book is:
Alanna looked around and checked the hall for servants. "Tomorrow he gives us the letters for the man who trains the pages and the people at the covenant. You can imitate his writing, so you can do new letters, saying we're twin boys. You go to the convent. Say in the letter that you're to be a sorcerer. The Daughters of the Goddess are the onces who train young boys in magic, remember? When you're older, they'll send you to the priests. And I'll go the palace and learn to be a knight!"

The book is everything that I love. A young woman growing up into something she's always wanted to be. Conquering evil and standing up for what she believes in. This book and all Tamora Pierce's books have helped me through my roughest times. I know that they will always be there to cheer me up and that when you put your mind to something, anything is possible.

Writing Prompt
In the book, Alanna goes to extremes to get what she wants. She pretends to be a boy for 8 years. Has there ever been a time when you thought it would be easier to be someone else? Who is that person and why do you want to be like them?

First Assignment

I'm Jordin. My writing interests are short poems and random thoughts. I'd like to be able to make some of my random thoughts into some thing more. This semester I want to be able to write longer poems and maybe short stories. Some writers I like are Meg Cabot, Tamora Pierce, JK Rowling, and just basically a lot of teen fiction and some fantasy. I really like Tamora Pierce because she writes coming of age stories about women in a male dominated time period. She writes a lot of fantasy, but its all relatable.

Here is a sample of my writing:

Confusion naws at her mind where contentment once ruled
Longing for a moment, Longing for the return of peace