This past week was super crazy!!!! I'm not going to say why, but I'm excited to see how things turn out. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed. Well. Anyway. I bought Matched, and I'm kind of addicted. Actually, I'm only on page 90, but the thing is crazy good. At first, I was thinking the society was kind of cool--heck, I'd LOVE it if someone told me who I was most compatible with! But as I kept reading, I started to get creeped out. The Society = danger zone. I wouldn't want someone to exert that much control over my life. I'm starting to see why Matched is called a dystopian novel. Oh yeah. The book cover? You know how you're not supposed to judge a book by it's cover? Well, I did. The Matched cover is awesome, and I love everything about it. I've never fallen in love with a book COVER before... that's kind of weird... but I can't even tell you how much I like this one. Well. That's all I have to say this week.

draft

I read a bunch of picture books this week, and I didn't enjoy each one. In particular, I observed climaxes, watching how the author used and didn't use it. For example, a whole bunch of books didn't have climaxes, or had very weak ones. Sometimes, the story worked; other elements, such as the tone or ideas, were clever enough to keep the book entertaining and engaging. However, other anti-climax stories fell flat on their faces, and were kind of awful. Still, other picture books had clearly defined climaxes, which often made the reading experience more enjoyable.

While reviewing my picture book, I realized I did not have a clearly drawn climax, as it didn't fit my story. However, this ended up being a weakness. With my picture book, I attempted to experiment, zeroing in on a snapshot of life rather than capturing a whole story. While I kept my plot untouched during edits, I realize I never want to do anything without a climax again. I feel the setup works for my intentions, though I never want to attempt an anti-climatic story ever again. In general, it's a really stupid idea, and I now know that through personal experience.

I also read the novel Missing in Action. My first impressions were largely negative, though I completely changed my mind when I reached the ending. The whole thing was full of heart, and I'm excited to discuss the elements of the work in class. Missing in Action made me think about the world in new ways, and I'm eager to hear others thoughts.

Writing Blog, Post One!

For my writing 320R class, I was required to write a picture book. Since I’m unfamiliar with the genre, I took a magical trip to the children’s section of the library and tried to observe the

market. Basically, I read a whole slew of picture books, aiming to gain a better understanding of the craft. Through observing the works, I attempted to understand what worked well and what didn’t. My overall goal was to learn what picture books were like, and my
sampling gave me a general idea.

The Three Pigs by David Wiesner was my favorite, thanks to its unique style and fun storyline. Another good read was Marette on the High Wire, which whisked me away to a realistic fantasy. Of course, I found a few boring books, which I promptly put back on the shelf. Through reading the books, I thought of a style I could develop, and observed picture book elements I disliked.

In my writing journal, I wrote the following passage: Quite frankly, I can’t tell if my picture book is stupid or actually good, so I’m anxious to hear what my class has to say. Basically, I meant that I need feedback from others to gain an honest understanding of my manuscript. I may believe something is well written, but it could actually be awful. I hope the peer-reviewing system helps me produce the best work possible, exposing me to new ideas that will help strengthen my story.

I’m eager for class feedback, and
can’t wait to see how my picture book manuscript improves with feedback!