Thursday, December 20, 2007

Assignment #12

1) Writing the play was harder than i thought it would be. I kept writing it like a short story, where the characters feelings were described instead of shown. And you had to explain everything that you imagined and how it would work on stage. Like the tornado, in my imagination could be literally IN the story, but on stage, that would be too hard to do, so it's offstage. Also, it was easier to be comedic in a play, because people's natural reactions are funnier than describing those reactions.

2) I might write about one of my experiences camping and coming together as a group, specifically in the Boundry Waters or Gooseberry Falls. Or maybe I'll write about synchro and how our team came together last year to dominate at state more, than any other team in our division from Edina has in seven years. Or I could be kind of funny and creative and write about a re-occurring dream i had in pre-school, although I'm not sure what the theme of that would be. Mostly I want to convey the message of community.

3) for the ten year old- Don't have any regrets. But make decisions within reason. Try not to get into drugs and alcohol, but like I said, don't have any regrets. If you try something, you don't have to do it again, and then you know what it's like without being a pothead or alchie. Try hard in school, but make time for fun. Get involved in sports and extra-curricualrs because that is where you make your true friends. Have fun, and make educated bad choices every once in awhile, it's for your own good. Overall, be balanced, not only in your actions but in your groups of friends as well, don't get tied up into one group, get out there and experience different things. Get a job, so you can realize that that's NOT what you wanna do for the rest of your life therefore making you more driven to go to college. That pretty much sums it up.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Assignment #11

1) I think a great piece of writing has a theme that is not obvious but is still there. This way, someone who just wants a good story gets it, and a more in-depth reader can analyze the story to pick out the theme. For example, in literature classes, I enjoy reading the books just because they have intersting plots, but I also enjoy looking deeper into the story to find what the meaning of everything is.

2) Those stories and works of writing last forever because they were innovative at the time. Be it innovative in their plot or theme, they were something that people from that time had never seen before. Or they could last forever because they are stories that people enjoy getting lost in. I could forsee maybe at some time, one of my stoires getting passed on beyond the time that I live, but not much longer than that. Only because it would be intersting to hear or funny or something like that, not neccessarily innovative.

3) If I were to have a long-lasting impact as a writer, I would want to make people laugh. There is too much sadness in the world today, and I believe that if you can make just one person smile or chuckle, you've done your part as an active member of society. Overall, everyone just really needs to buck up and put a smile on, which I know is hard to do some days, even most days, but to stay positive, we must be actively trying to stay positive.

Monday, December 3, 2007

Assignment #10

1) I see more hatred between people than ever before, I know I am young, and I don't know directly about the hatred in the past, but in everyday life, there is so much anger and disrespect. I listen to people's conversations, and so often you hear the words, "hate", "gay", "fag", "f***ing"...it's disappointing, and it's so hard to remain happy and content in a society filled with so much angst. In politics, in school, at work, in the media, I wish everyone could just cool down and try being peaceful for once.
I sound like a hippie, but it's so true.

2) A dynamic person that I know is my friend and counselor Jesse. He is insane. He is a commercial fisherman in the winter(as in crab fishing, like in the TV show "The Deadliest Catch") which is crazy in and of itself. In the fall and spring he lives in Hawaii where he does basically nothing but surf and have BBQ's on the beach with the locals. In the summer he is a church camp counselor where he follows no rules and jumps off of lots of cliffs with us. He is certainly dynamic.

3) I like the book, "Paddle Whispers" by Douglas Wood, it is about the BWCA and Quatico Superior, relaxing and amazing.