One of my strengths as a writer is that I can write deeply about things I know. I can express my feelings and views through writing. If I feel strong enough about something I can talk about it for a while. Another strength I have is that I can see both sides of everything. I can argue for both sides. I don't like to side with one person cause I can see what both people are thinking.
Some of my weaknesses are that I sometimes ramble. I can get into what i'm talking about and slowly wander away from the topic until i'm completely off topic. Sometimes when I write if i'm not paying much attention the topic changes. I could be talking about one thing and then somehow change the subject to something else. Then when I finally notice that the topic is different I go back to the first topic then nothing makes sense.
I think my best work is my friendship piece. I think so because it came from experience. Some of my friends and I have been fighting. During these fights I discovered that they weren't my real friends. I also found who my real friends were. I like this paper cause it shows the difference between friends, good friends, best friends, and true friends.
I think my worst work would be the one about drama. It just kinda dragged on and on. I sorta rambled a little. But I do like how it expresses my feelings about how ridiculous drama is. I think that it could have gotten to the point a lot faster more often. I slowly led up to it. I also think that I could have organized it more. It kinda skipped around from one subject to another, then to a different one, then back to the first.
When I was writing all my papers I thought about stuff that was going on in my life and stuff that happened in the past. With my drama paper I thought of something that annoyed me and I vented about it.With my friendship paper I thought of what I went through with my friends and attempted to explain it to others. With my memoir, it had just happened and it was fresh in my mind and I wanted to write about it. I wanted to remember every part of the trip because it was so much fun so I did my best to put in every detail I could.
A writing habit I have is that I write incomplete sentences occasionally. I also tend to write really long sentences that could easily be split into a bunch of different sentences. I sometimes ramble for a while about some unimportant topic which lead to a topic change. Sometimes I skip around on accident or get some details mixed up or put in the wrong order. I sometimes forget to put commas where they belong.
Even though I didn't know what it was until this year, I like to use snapshots. I think they give a lot more detail. They let the reader see deeper into the scene. It tells them what's happening, what the person in the story sees, hears, feels, tastes and all that. I think it helps to have a snapshot because then the reader understands better whats happening because it's more descriptive and detailed.
A problem I had while writing was not working on it a lot. When I got into writing it I got a lot done, but when I had to quit, I lost any ideas that I had for the next part of my story. I kinda procrastinated on writing the two choice papers.
When I was younger I loved to write short stories. As I got older I stopped writing because I had too much going on with school, friends, and sports. I think in the future I won't be as hesitant to write a paper. I'll probably write more short stories for fun in my free time. I might even write about something that is going on in my life. I like to vent by writing it out. If you vent to a person they ask all these questions and expect answers while you only want to rant about whatever is happening.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Best Piece Reflection~~ My Memoir
My goals for my memoir was to to be descriptive and as accurate as possible. I tried my best to remember day by day what had happened and to put them in that order. There were a few times when I could not remember what had happened and had to work it in someplace where it fit really well. I didn't put anything in there that did not actually happen. I didn't want to put something in that did not happen then get all confused with the truth and have to change everything.
To begin my memoir I thought of a time that I had fun and wanted to remember. When we were assigned to write a memoir I had just gotten back from Michigan and it was still fresh in my mind so I wrote about what all happened while we were in Michigan. When I first started my memoir I was going to start farther back to when we found out that my sister was pregnant. After I wrote a bit of it I decided that it was going to be a little too long so I started over. When I restarted I began when we found out that she was in labor.
I had trouble ending my memoir. I couldn't find the right sentence to sum it all up. I was talking with my mom and she said that Steph, Jared, and Owen were going to come to Iowa to visit over the weekend sometime in November. I was excited for them to come and to be able to see Owen again. I decided that them coming to Iowa would be a great ending sentence so I ended my memoir with “It should be fun to have the whole family together again for a weekend.”
A problem that I encountered was that I forgot what order some things happened. When I tried to fit it in somewhere it kept interfering with something else. Then if I tried a different spot, it interfered somewhere else.
To solve this problem I had to ask my mom to help me out. Since she was at the hospital most of the time, she couldn't help me much. I had to ask my dad most of the time. He's always claiming he has a really good memory, but even he couldn't remember some of the details. He remembered a few from the beach and a few at the hospital. I asked my sister and she was no help at all.
I chose this as my piece because it was the paper I put the most effort in. I think that it was really well written and had good punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. I like it because I think it reflects me a little, what I like to, what's important to me.I also think it's the best because I think that the other two weren't as good. In the other two I kinda rambled a little in this one I didn't ramble at all and was descriptive and detailed.
To begin my memoir I thought of a time that I had fun and wanted to remember. When we were assigned to write a memoir I had just gotten back from Michigan and it was still fresh in my mind so I wrote about what all happened while we were in Michigan. When I first started my memoir I was going to start farther back to when we found out that my sister was pregnant. After I wrote a bit of it I decided that it was going to be a little too long so I started over. When I restarted I began when we found out that she was in labor.
I had trouble ending my memoir. I couldn't find the right sentence to sum it all up. I was talking with my mom and she said that Steph, Jared, and Owen were going to come to Iowa to visit over the weekend sometime in November. I was excited for them to come and to be able to see Owen again. I decided that them coming to Iowa would be a great ending sentence so I ended my memoir with “It should be fun to have the whole family together again for a weekend.”
A problem that I encountered was that I forgot what order some things happened. When I tried to fit it in somewhere it kept interfering with something else. Then if I tried a different spot, it interfered somewhere else.
To solve this problem I had to ask my mom to help me out. Since she was at the hospital most of the time, she couldn't help me much. I had to ask my dad most of the time. He's always claiming he has a really good memory, but even he couldn't remember some of the details. He remembered a few from the beach and a few at the hospital. I asked my sister and she was no help at all.
I chose this as my piece because it was the paper I put the most effort in. I think that it was really well written and had good punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. I like it because I think it reflects me a little, what I like to, what's important to me.I also think it's the best because I think that the other two weren't as good. In the other two I kinda rambled a little in this one I didn't ramble at all and was descriptive and detailed.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Write Compositions With a Variety of Sentence Structures and Lengths
I put many different kinds of sentences into my memoir and my choice papers.
The next day, after we were all done eating breakfast, I got a picture message from my mom. Because we were in Michigan, I didn't get very a very good signal so I had to try multiple times to open the message. The fifth time I tried it worked. There was a picture of a baby boy crying and looking directly at the camera. Below the picture there was a message:“Owen Michael Riley, 8:07 am, September 7th, 9 lbs 5 oz. He was definitely a big baby. I texted her back and asked when we were allowed to come and see him. She said that because he had a fever when he was born he had to have tests taken so the only one who has held him was Steph before the nurses took him.
The next day, after we were all done eating breakfast, I got a picture message from my mom. Because we were in Michigan, I didn't get very a very good signal so I had to try multiple times to open the message. The fifth time I tried it worked. There was a picture of a baby boy crying and looking directly at the camera. Below the picture there was a message:“Owen Michael Riley, 8:07 am, September 7th, 9 lbs 5 oz. He was definitely a big baby. I texted her back and asked when we were allowed to come and see him. She said that because he had a fever when he was born he had to have tests taken so the only one who has held him was Steph before the nurses took him.
Demonstrate Correct Grammar and Sentence Structure
I put all commas an periods where they had to be, and i used correct grammar and punctuation and capitalization.
The next day, after we were all done eating breakfast, I got a picture message from my mom. Because we were in Michigan, I didn't get very a very good signal so I had to try multiple times to open the message. The fifth time I tried it worked. There was a picture of a baby boy crying and looking directly at the camera. Below the picture there was a message:“Owen Michael Riley, 8:07 am, September 7th, 9 lbs 5 oz. He was definitely a big baby. I texted her back and asked when we were allowed to come and see him. She said that because he had a fever when he was born he had to have tests taken so the only one who has held him was Steph before the nurses took him.
The next day, after we were all done eating breakfast, I got a picture message from my mom. Because we were in Michigan, I didn't get very a very good signal so I had to try multiple times to open the message. The fifth time I tried it worked. There was a picture of a baby boy crying and looking directly at the camera. Below the picture there was a message:“Owen Michael Riley, 8:07 am, September 7th, 9 lbs 5 oz. He was definitely a big baby. I texted her back and asked when we were allowed to come and see him. She said that because he had a fever when he was born he had to have tests taken so the only one who has held him was Steph before the nurses took him.
Use a Variety of Techniques Effectively to Provide Supportive Detail in Writing
When i wrote my papers i used different techniques. I used a few snapshot, a couple metaphors, and quite a few similes.
Jared led us to a little room where they had many newborn babies sleeping, all connected to large quantity of tubes. When we all lined up outside the large window Jared pointed Owen out to us. He was sleeping in the far left corner of the small circular room. He had his arms spread out wide like an eagle preparing to take flight. While we stand there Owen has a few of those little spaz attacks you get when your half asleep and think you falling but he quickly falls asleep again.
Jared led us to a little room where they had many newborn babies sleeping, all connected to large quantity of tubes. When we all lined up outside the large window Jared pointed Owen out to us. He was sleeping in the far left corner of the small circular room. He had his arms spread out wide like an eagle preparing to take flight. While we stand there Owen has a few of those little spaz attacks you get when your half asleep and think you falling but he quickly falls asleep again.
Write with Strong Organization and Coherence
When i wrote my memoir i kept it all in order and didn't skip around.
After that we went back to the apartment and got the directions to places to eat that my sister had printed off before she went to the hospital. We went and ate at KFC. None of us really liked the chicken, it was spicy and dry. We ate what we could then left. The rest of the night we got occasional texts and calls from my mom with updates on what was going on at the hospital. My dad, sister, and I all slept in the baby's room. My mom slept at the hospital.
After that we went back to the apartment and got the directions to places to eat that my sister had printed off before she went to the hospital. We went and ate at KFC. None of us really liked the chicken, it was spicy and dry. We ate what we could then left. The rest of the night we got occasional texts and calls from my mom with updates on what was going on at the hospital. My dad, sister, and I all slept in the baby's room. My mom slept at the hospital.
Use Strategies for Editing
Before i turned my choice paper in i re-read it two more times, had my mom, grandma, and a friend read it.
Before::
After that we went back to the apartment and got the directions to places to eat that my sister had prited off before she went to the hospital. We went and ate at KFC. None of us really liked the chickn, it was spicy and dry. We ate what we could then left. The rest of the night we got ocasional texts and calls from my mom with updates on what was going on at the hospital. My dad, sister, and I all slept in the baby's room. My mom slept at the hospital.
After::
After that we went back to the apartment and got the directions to places to eat that my sister had printed off before she went to the hospital. We went and ate at KFC. None of us really liked the chicken, it was spicy and dry. We ate what we could then left. The rest of the night we got occasional texts and calls from my mom with updates on what was going on at the hospital. My dad, sister, and I all slept in the baby's room. My mom slept at the hospital.
Before::
After that we went back to the apartment and got the directions to places to eat that my sister had prited off before she went to the hospital. We went and ate at KFC. None of us really liked the chickn, it was spicy and dry. We ate what we could then left. The rest of the night we got ocasional texts and calls from my mom with updates on what was going on at the hospital. My dad, sister, and I all slept in the baby's room. My mom slept at the hospital.
After::
After that we went back to the apartment and got the directions to places to eat that my sister had printed off before she went to the hospital. We went and ate at KFC. None of us really liked the chicken, it was spicy and dry. We ate what we could then left. The rest of the night we got occasional texts and calls from my mom with updates on what was going on at the hospital. My dad, sister, and I all slept in the baby's room. My mom slept at the hospital.
Use Strategies for Revising
Original: After that we drove down to the main street and walked around. We went to the chocolate shoppe where there was a bunch of different foods that were covered in chocolate. My sister got a pretzel covered in chocolate, my mom got some fudge balls, and I got a huge chunk of fudge.
Revised: After that we drove to the main street and parked a few blocks away from the Chocolate Shoppe. They had everything you could imagine covered in chocolate. My sister bought a pretzel covered in chocolate, my mom bought some fudge balls, and I got a huge chunk of fudge. Mt sister ate her pretzel quickly while my mom ate her fudge balls slowly sharing with my dad, sister, and I. I had a few bites of the fudge but it made me feel sick to my stomach so i threw it away after no one else wanted it.
Revised: After that we drove to the main street and parked a few blocks away from the Chocolate Shoppe. They had everything you could imagine covered in chocolate. My sister bought a pretzel covered in chocolate, my mom bought some fudge balls, and I got a huge chunk of fudge. Mt sister ate her pretzel quickly while my mom ate her fudge balls slowly sharing with my dad, sister, and I. I had a few bites of the fudge but it made me feel sick to my stomach so i threw it away after no one else wanted it.
Use Strategies for Drafting
I wrote my memoir completely through without much detail then went through it and added more detail and was more descriptive.
Before::
The next day after i had finished eating breakfast, i got a txt from my mom. It wouldn't open so i had to try a bunch of times. About the fifth time i tried it worked. There was a picture of a baby and below the picture it said "Owen Michael Riley". He was a big baby.
After::
The next day, after we were all done eating breakfast, I got a picture message from my mom. Because we were in Michigan, I didn't get very a very good signal so I had to try multiple times to open the message. The fifth time I tried it worked. There was a picture of a baby boy crying and looking directly at the camera. Below the picture there was a message:“Owen Michael Riley, 8:07 am, September 7th, 9 lbs 5 oz. He was definitely a big baby. I texted her back and asked when we were allowed to come and see him. She said that because he had a fever when he was born he had to have tests taken so the only one who has held him was Steph before the nurses took him.
Before::
The next day after i had finished eating breakfast, i got a txt from my mom. It wouldn't open so i had to try a bunch of times. About the fifth time i tried it worked. There was a picture of a baby and below the picture it said "Owen Michael Riley". He was a big baby.
After::
The next day, after we were all done eating breakfast, I got a picture message from my mom. Because we were in Michigan, I didn't get very a very good signal so I had to try multiple times to open the message. The fifth time I tried it worked. There was a picture of a baby boy crying and looking directly at the camera. Below the picture there was a message:“Owen Michael Riley, 8:07 am, September 7th, 9 lbs 5 oz. He was definitely a big baby. I texted her back and asked when we were allowed to come and see him. She said that because he had a fever when he was born he had to have tests taken so the only one who has held him was Steph before the nurses took him.
Use Strategies for Brainstorming
I thought of my friends and how a few of my friendships failed and how a few survived.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Friendship
"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." - Anais Nin. The quote by Anais Nin states that there are people in your life that bring the best or worst of you out. Some people may bring out a side of you that you never knew existed. Whenever you meet a new person, a new world, or personality, may be created. You can act like one thing with one person, and like like something else with another person. To help understand what friendship is, the dictionary states that friendship is “the emotions or conduct of friends or the state of being friends.” Friendship to me means that you have few or many people who you can confide anything to. You trust them with anything you say and you believe that they will always be there for you. To have a true friendship, you have to have trust, respect, and happiness.
In a friendship, it is important to have trust. Trust is the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. Trust is important because you need to believe your friends and not doubt what they tell you. If there is no trust in your friendship, more than likely you aren't very good friends. You need to know who your real friends are. If they don't trust you, then they aren't worth your time. If a friend asks you to hang out and you say no claiming that you have to spend time with your family, a true friend would believe you and not think that you were blowing them off for someone else.
Respect is important in a friendship. The dictionary definition for respect is a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements. Without respect your friendship would most likely dissolve into nothing. In life, you need to respect your friends and their decisions. What they choose is up to them, not you. You may not agree with their decision, but you have to respect it.
Happiness is needed in a good friendship. Happiness is feeling or showing pleasure or contentment. You need to be happy and enjoy spending time with friends or your whole friendship is pointless. In life when you hang out with your friends, you have to enjoy spending time with them. Make memories you'll always remember. Don't hang out with your friends if you're not willing to have fun. While you hanging out, if you're bored and not having fun, then you're ruining it for everyone else.
Trust, respect, and happiness are all essential to have a true friendship. You must be able to do all these things in order to have a good friendship. Without these things your friendship is most likely to fall apart. It is important to be happy in a friendship. If you're unhappy, the friendship really isn't worth your time. Stay happy, trust and respect your friends and have fun. Spend time with the people who trust and respect you, not those who continually lie, and judge your decisions.
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