Last week was a midterm party, though it was only the first wave. Why I have TWO separate waves of midterms, I don't know. Aren't the tests called MIDterms, like the MIDDLE of the term? Or, does it mean MID, as in not in the middle.
Either way, wave one is over. Wave two is coming up in a few weeks.
I love college.

For class, I wrote a sports short story, but decided I hated it at the last minute. I was experimenting with different styles, and came to realize my story was the worst thing I'd ever written! So, the day before the draft was due, I whipped up a unique science fiction concept. The story still allowed me experiment with different elements, and I'll ask the class if they think I was successful. This story is much better, and I feel will help me grow as a writer.

On Saturday, I went to a bookstore and looked in the kids section. A whole bunch of pre-teeny boppers were shopping around, and it kind of made me nervous. Would they like my stuff? Obviously, I'm targeting them and all, but seeing them shopping it's a scary feeling. Okay... I didn't go in and WATCH them, per say. I was in the section and saw what they were doing. Anyway... I noticed almost all of them stopped to look at Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Then again, it was on display at the front, so that probably had something to do with it.

That's all this week. Woooo.

This week was CRAZY!
I mean it! CRAZY! I had a reunion with fellow Disney College Program cast members, and we did some CRAZY STUFF!!!
.....
Okay, we had a bonfire, hung out, watched a scary movie, and a whole bunch of stuff like that. But when you've been doing schoolwork all week, anything else feels foreign. AND CRAZY!
Anyway.
My ENG320R class is fun too! Before I enrolled, I'd pretty much figured out my voice. I'm not PERFECT by any stretch of the imagination, but I know what I like and what I don't.
Soooo... I started out with the mindset that I'd experiment in my class. Do things that pushed my comfort zone, like trying new writing styles and genres. For instance, we had to write a MG short story, so I wrote about sports. I've never written anything about sports before, but I figure the best place to experiment with genres is in the classroom!
But then I realized... there's a reason I've never written sports, or whatever else I was planning to do. I don't like writing it!
Sorry, swimmer story. I really didn't have too much fun developing you.
See? The class taught me something valuable; no more swimmers.
But now, I'm at war with myself. To experiment or develop my current style farther? THAT is the question.
Option two sounds best.

If anyone READS this, comments?

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!