There is a Time and Place for Everything

Blogging and formal writing are two very different things to me. I approach them very differently as well.

Formal writing is like the stiff looking man who wears a suit all the time, who looks nice, but doesn't have much personality. He sits there wearing sunglasses (maybe he's a bodyguard) and doesn't move much but you get a basic idea of who he is just by looking at his regal stance. The writing in formal situations is restricted and voices are much more similar. It's harder to be unique and it is very structured most of the time. Of course, this doesn't mean that formal writing is always bad; there are lots of times when it can shine and stand out. It is a great way to persuade or get a point across effectively. If something is written very formally and intelligently then more people are bound to understand and agree with it. If it sounds more informal and opinionated then less people will resonate.

Blogging is so much different than what I just explained. For instance this blog post is not very formal at all and I am writing this using completely different technique. Blogging is like the weird hippie on the side of the street. They are full of expression and color. Their personality overflows just from their presence, and you can't miss their quirks and interests.

Personally, I enjoy blog writing more because it is more relaxed and showcases personalities much more the formal writing. They are both important but used for different things. They can be just as effective as any other type of writing, but everything has it's time and place. However, blogging, to me, conveys almost more information because you are getting to know your writer and who they really are. I think this is an important part of reading any type of text, unless of course it is purely factual.

Something is Wrong With Me

I think there is something seriously wrong with my sleep schedule or I am deathly sick. I have been sleeping so much during the day lately and I can't seem to get up. It's becoming a problem because all I want to do is lay there and neglect my studies but I can't.

I am running out of interesting topics to write about and this was on my mind, because there is, in fact, something wrong I swear. My eyes always hurt and I find the need to sleep top priority! The strange part is that I cannot sleep during the night so I sit in my bed till 6am wanting to fall asleep, but instead just laying there, still, with my racing thoughts. I thought staying up all night one night during the weekend would be a good idea because then I would be really tired come time to sleep the next night, but then I realized my will power is weak and I would just end up sleeping during the daytime, which would just dig me a deeper hole. I don't know what to think about what has been going on lately, but I assume it will end soon, or at least after christmas break (which is only about 2 weeks away for me!!!). Anyway, I am very behind because of this so I must go work on other things.

Simon Cowells voice bothers the shit out of me.

This was the strangest blog post sorry

I Don't Really Feel Like Reading Jonah Lehrer...

In Jonah Lehrer's New Yorker article, he uses more story like techniques than may be realized the first time reading.

One technique that I noticed was he organizes each of his points much like a story. They are each explained in detail, separately. He focuses on each of the different aspects and reasons specifically and thoroughly making sure to move into the next paragraph with grace and transitions.

Another thing that he did was tell a story within the article. When he described building 20 there was a lot of natural story telling. He had to give the background so the way in which he explained what happened was much like a novel or a short story. He told it like an event that had happened in the past and there was so much to tell so it seemed like I almost forgot about what he was writing about aside from the building 20 story. He set the stage for building 20 by describing what it was like and the atmosphere of the building in great detail. In a technical paper, these descriptions are often lost due to the scientific edge and preciseness of the content.

After rereading this article for the second time, I basically felt the same about it. Of course, it refreshed my memory as to what it was about and the specific studies done in order to prove his "point", however I still found it the same boring article I read during the summer. It's not that he is a bad writer, it's just that in order to write an organized paper, this article made it extremely difficult. It clearly took one position and was a little all over the place at times. The story telling aspects make it much more interesting to me, but over all this article was a snoozer to be honest.

Where Am I?

The past few days I've been having an identity crisis.

No I haven't, but it feels like it. Going home was weird, being home was weird, and surprise, coming back was also in fact WEIRD. I guess I adjust faster than I think because when it was time for me to be picked up and taken home a whopping 10 minutes away, I wasn't really feeling it. I was used to living at school and being surrounded by all the people in my hall and floor. When I reached home I was confused and it felt new. Of course, when my friends came home I got back into the swing of everything and started hanging out with them like usual. I felt as if I were taken back in time to the summer before. Then all of a sudden it was time to go back to school and I found myself wanting more time to be with my friends. When I returned to school it was strange once again. I had grown used to the atmosphere of being home, inside a house, with either my family or my friends families!

Now, back at school for one day only I feel as if I have been here for a while already! Knowing that I will venture back home in only 2 weeks blows my mind. I am shocked at how much I am changing environments, since I have been in the same one for the past 16 years.

Roth Looking Back

While reading Goodbye, Columbus I found Roth's voice to be strong and assertive. This seems like an odd voice for a narrator but to me he seemed to know the story he was telling very well. He knew it inside and outside. It was set near his hometown and he was the expert on Neil Klugman and Brenda Patimkin. This first impression made listening/reading these outside texts very interesting considering how he now feels about this novella.

I really enjoyed the interview with Philip Roth because his character shone through as genuine and honest. He wasn't conceited or too proud of all of his accomplishments, instead he was real and looked back on one of his greatest pieces of writing, Goodbye, Columbus, with silliness. He sees this novella as something written when he was very young and had not really found himself yet. He was still searching for a voice and this story is what came of this journey. He mentions that a line the interviewer  reads was "a bad line" he wrote when he was young. This blew my mind. I hadn't seen any line in the novella that I considered "bad" but when the author of the story calls his own work bad it makes it seem a little less valuable, but at the same time it added character to Roth because of the fact that he can admit this without embarrassment.

It is interesting to hear writers talk about how they have grown and changed since their first works. Also, Roth's confusion on his earlier writings was very intriguing to me. He barely remembered the plot line of Goodbye, Columbus and didn't have too much to say about analyzing it. It seems as if everyone who reads his work analyzes it much further than he ever had, which made me think quite a bit!

LET ME SLEEP

Sleep (zZzZz) has taken on a whole new meaning since I've come to college.

I want it all the time, and I find myself engaging in it without realizing quite often.

In high school I always found myself worrying and worrying about my lack of sleep before I had to wake up at 7am the next morning. This was a constant struggle between AP classes, sports, and clubs. Now, I actually find is much easier to find time to nap and sleep all my problems away :D. Of course, I go to bed much later now because my earliest class is 9am, but overall I tend to sleep a lot more during the day now, than I did before.

Although I can sleep more, I don't necessarily sleep as well. I find that during the day I sleep much better than the night. My only explanation can be that I am used to being awake during the night and this habit has caught up with my sleeping schedule. I try a tremendous amount to go to bed early but I can never seem to reach stage 4. It's strange because during the day I have the BEST naps. My dreams are great and I fall asleep extremely quickly. Whenever I try to replicate these naps when it is bed time, I can't. Instead I toss and turn and sit there wondering what is life because I am so frustrated I can't get to sleep. I actually turn to counting sheep a lot......when I'm feeling extra hopeless.

I sit there, angry I cannot fall asleep on demand.....and then I wake up and its morning.

Looking Into Mark's Mind

Mark Athitakis’ American Fiction Notes

is an interesting blog. He focuses on more what he thinks about what "reviews" really are or key wording. It's a much more general blog than one that just simply reviews books or stories. They are more his personal thoughts which makes it more blog like for me. Also his writing style is very sophisticated yet still very interesting to read which keeps me and other readers engaged. There is also a lot of use of quotes making him seem more trustable because he has sources and they relate well to the blog post content. These also work as good examples for the reader to work off of to aid the rest of the post. He uses videos as well to help add more to the blog as we did on ours (pictures,videos,etc.). Another tactic he uses is bolding. He bolds a lot of things in this blog and it helps a lit to emphasize what he really wants to get across. When I see the bold I am drawn to it and my eyes will read that word over maybe once or twice.

Another great thing I noticed is that his paragraphs are plenteous. Everything is split up and A LOT. There are new paragraphs starting all the time and it keeps things much more organized and easy to read, rather than one long ranting post about multiple things. It also helps to navigate around the blog posts if you are looking for one specific part that you remember reading. 

I think that there are a lot of great things happening in this blog, but if I had to add one, it would be to incorporate a little more humor or a little of something else to keep readers engaged. His writing style is already pretty engaging but just to make it even MORE interesting I would like to laugh or hear more into the casual insight of who Mark Athitakis is. Overall, the blog is a bit formal, but it brings readers some great information and interesting topics to think about.

Everything Stop.

I actually live for free time. 

Free time is one enormous part of my life that I work for and think about all the time in college. I am a fairly anxious person when it comes to schoolwork and other necessary chores of life I need to finish. I always seem to have something that I need to do, and I am always waiting for that moment when I can just relax and watch a movie. Of course these times do present themselves sometimes, but then I often spend 2 hours looking for what I should do in this free time rather than actually doing something worthwhile. It's like how I spend the length of the actual movie trying to figure out which one I should watch. I've tried to improve this though, and now I just force myself to watch he first one that looks interesting. To me, the feeling of having nothing to do and no obligations for a little bit is one of the best. If you can truly sit down and relax without a worry in the world then you can truly enjoy yourself. This is why society has confused me ever since I started high school. Of course you will always find some of this time here and there, but there are the kids who work so hard in school that they have little to no social life, and no stress relief it seems. I never understood why school always seemed to be designed to delete all free time that we have. Of course, not all courses and teachers are like this, but often times (in some of my classes now) students are assigned work that seems perfectly unnecessary. I think that we should only put time and effort into the things that will really help us succeed in the classroom and maybe even life.

Everything seems like a long chain of work to me. It's not that I am opposed to working hard, because I have done a lot of that in my life, but it just seems odd that you work hard in high school only to work harder in college, only to work harder as the CEO of a company/lawyer/doctor. WHEN DO WE EVER GET TO RELAX? Oh well, I hope that eventually everything will work out and that one day children will be spared the busy work that is assigned oh so much in high school.

But on another note, what I actually like to do in my free time is watch movies, listen to music, sleep, think, and play the piano. I usually watch movies, because I hope to one day somehow work in the film industry one way or another. I recently watched a movie called I am Love. It was beautifully made and Tilda Swinton is a wonderful person.

Well that's all for this very jumpy and off topic blog post!

Twitter's Stupid...Blah, Blah, Blah

Twitter is so interesting! It baffles me why anyone (including me) wants to sit around and post frivolous things about their lives on this website. It is actually very pointless, but there is a reason behind "tweeting".

Although this action rarely provides any crucial information, it seems important to us, since we know the people we are stalking on twitter (most of the time). Humans are curious creatures aka we enjoy to know what our friends - or even our not so much friends - are doing at all times. This inner curiosity comes out on twitter and Facebook and just about every other social networking site there is. When Sally posts "Going to breakfast with @dantheman can't wait to get pancakes!" we don't actually care that sally is going to ingest pancakes, but maybe we do care that @dantheman is our ex boyfriend and he is now hanging out with Sally, which is just not ok. All of these connections and associations are what make us interested. We like to see who's interacting with who, and whether they are doing anything cool. This also makes sense as to why those who use social networking sites are more prone to depression because when we see everyone twitpicing and instagramming photos of their crazy parties and get togethers you may feel a bit left out if you're the one sitting on the couch watching back to back seasons of How I Met Your Mother.

So next time you ask "why would you have a twitter? Those are so pointless." You are in fact right, they are pointless but you cannot say that you don't actually understand why people interact on social networking sites as Twitter. People like other people. They also like to know every insignificant action that they are currently engaged in as well.

Not only is it used for the follies of life, but for humor, which everyone should love!

Think Philip Roth

It's difficult to put thoughts together about writing something you didn't write. It seems so easy to get caught up in just thinking of what YOU personally think of the writing and not what the actual author was pondering. It's strange to think about what they had on their mind and what they were listening to, eating, drinking, smelling etc...you could go on and on. All of these things can influence the writing slightly no matter how minuscule they seem. Philip Roth has a reason for everything that he has written down on these pages and a meaning for most everything, and it is intriguing to sit here and try and figure out what he felt when he was putting that meaning together.

As I was rewriting this passage or page I tried to imagine that I was Philip Roth himself. This is really the only way I could go about it without feeling like I was just copying down words. This passage flows really well to me and as I was typing it out it felt very fluid and all of the description was easily in place and beautiful. Of course, this is because I was typing what was already written, I can imagine that the actual writing process required a lot of hesitation and rereading and rewriting. I tried to imagine Roth deciding to put the "we should go" part in italics and deciding what the true meaning of that phrase was supposed to convey. The dialogue at the end is very short and this makes a statement. Everything said is very to the point and clear and the whole novella so far seems to follow this pattern. This style is interesting for a novella since you have to really get to know the characters more than a short story. Despite this, I think Roth does a great job of explaining who they are not only through the snippy dialogue but also through actions and thoughts. 

Where is Home?

It has recently occurred to me how crucial it is to have an established home or place of belonging for most human beings.

Home is a word connected with things like security, safe place, and comfort. All of these things are important to living and to feel sane, we need them.

The reason I bring this up is because in the past few months I seemed to have been having what I might call a "homedentity crisis". Going to college and living in a small room is one thing, but that's not even what I am talking about in this instance. During my time at Michigan, my family decided to pack up and move a whopping 15 minutes away from my childhood home. This seems like no big deal (at least I thought so) but it is in fact...a huge deal. I live so close to campus, so going home is a simple task, but when I did visit my new home for the first time...I wasn't happy.

It was NOTHING like my old house, and I was uncomfortable, weirded out, and sad. I missed the high ceiling our living room used to have, the fireplace, and most of all the memories of coming home to my room every summer night. This is what really got me...my room. It wasn't so much the physical qualities that I missed, but mostly the associations I made with the good times I had in my old home. I know, I know, I know what you are thinking, just make new memories in your new home, right? Wrong. It isn't that easy right now since I live here in Ann Arbor and all memories being made are being tacked on to my dorm room. This may explain why I feel more at home in my little half of the room than my own bedroom at home.

Anyway, this thought just struck me and I really realized how important an idea of "home" is, no matter what it may be. I know that my situation will get better in the future as long as I an adapt and wait it out, but for now, I'll stick to my side of the room.

Election Day!

Just voted guys <3 Im so grown up :)))

I LOVE BARACK OBAMA

If mitt romney doesn't win this election I'm moving to canada/venezuela/belize

Barack and Michelle are soOoOo cute

If you were plugged in to social networking of some sort on election day this is most likely what you saw. "Adults", freshly turned 18, were all over the inter web on this memorable day, and they did not let you forget it. 

Everywhere I went I was bombarded with "vote Obama", "vote Romney", "vote Chuck Norris". I expected this but what got to me was the sudden interest in our countries election process and political system. I really did not understand why everyone suddenly decided that this one time they should participate in bashing their opposers without ever bothering to take the time to learn anything about politics in the first place. I understand the allure of being a part of something so patriotic and happening as the US presidential election, but lets leave the Facebook posts to friendly observations on your first voting experience. 

Now that my rant is over, I will say that election day was very interesting indeed. There was a lot going on, because everyone was so involved! I liked how busy it was and how we were all sitting around in different places, but essentially doing the same thing. As I sat watching the election happen I was excited to see what was in store. Of course we all have preference and that is very important, but in the end we should be able to accept what our country is or work to change it for the better. 

To Help You Get By...

“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” 
-Ernest Hemingway

"It should be noted that real experiment in fiction is original, hard-earned and cause for rejoicing. 
-Raymond Carver

















The inspiration a writer takes from a predecessor is usually accidental
- Joyce Carol Oates

Looking Back...That Was Probably a Bad Idea

"You regret what you fucking want"



Magnolia is very....all over the place, but in a good way. The part where the whole movie came together for me was the scene in which Earl Partridge's voiceover accompanies the various stories going about their normal activities. The voiceover is very real to me and seems honest and believable, which is a main reason why I enjoy the scene. Usually directors use music to make silent scenes more emotional, but here the lone voice is more powerful than any other type of sound. The words Earl says are powerful and full of emotion and they seem to let off the aura of the entire film. Regret. Regret and lies and cheating. These are the main themes that seem to stick out to me. He recounts how much he regrets what he has done and tries to reach out to those who are told to wrongly "never regret anything". The whole movie seems to revolve around remorse and regret for past events. His multiple uses of "What did I do" takes this whole idea and puts it into 3 simple words. As his voice envelopes all  of the stories he applies his own to all of them. His tone and words are simply heartbreaking and made me feel as if I personally knew the characters, therefore, increasing my apathy.

Though this movie is fast paced and jumpy, it has a sense of unity at this scene, and thats why it is so memorable. All of the interrelation between every characters story becomes one and they are unified by one mans words.

What it Takes to Be Happy

Happiness

If someone is asked what they want out of life, more than once the answer will be happiness. This concept of being happy and enjoying life is the obvious answer to the question, but what if this ultimate life prize that everyone is chasing is something we can synthesize ourself. I recently watched a ted talk about this type of "fake" happiness and it made me think....a lot. I had pondered this idea before: that we can make ourselves happy despite what is going on around/in our lives, but I had never thought of it  in the way this lecture presented it. I posted the lecture above but it is a little lengthy (also if you don't feel like being shouted/yelled at by the presenter...) so in short, the man giving the talking, Dan Gilbert, explains that synthetic happiness (happiness that we make ourselves feel) is just as pure and good as natural happiness (happiness from gaining something or someone you want). He says we have a psychological immune system that works to make ourselves happy no matter what situation presents itself. This made a lot of sense to me and linked back to my days of high school psych. In psych we learned that our body has levels that have to be met and these levels include happiness and sadness. We cannot be in either one of those extremes for too long (extremely happy or extremely sad) or else we will not be able to function. This is why it makes sense that this internal psychological immune system tries to help us adapt and be happy with what we have.

The entire concept of happiness is so odd to me. The divide between science and mystic is very unclear and I can't seem to figure it out. I can't help but wonder if happiness is just chemicals, or if there is more to it.

Dazed and Confused Left Me....Confused

I don't usually like to watch movies over and over again unless I feel or am told that there is something I am missing, but I happened to saunter into a room playing Dazed and Confused, so I figured why the hell not. This was the second time I had seen this film, and I can easily say that I enjoyed it immensely more than the first time.

The first time I watched this movie I was bored and uninterested. Essentially, when it was over I thought nothing of it and went on with my life. I didn't understand why it was so well known and why people had recommended it to me because it lacked a storyline, and the acting didn't stand out to me in any way at all. After I accidentally came across it a second time, I changed my mind completely. When I had a chance to see it again, I noticed the whole atmosphere of the film and how the 70s high school life was portrayed. This interested me quite a bit and boom Dazed and Confused was suddenly interesting. Of course this interest didn't just come out of nowhere. This time, I was in a basement with some of my friends who were laughing and actively watching the movie at the same time. It was a much more social experience and it helped me relate to what was going on in the movie more because it is a very social movie. In fact, the movie basically revolves around social interaction.

It is very interesting, the whole process of things growing on you. To me, it seems as if the surroundings and mindset are what makes this happen. These two things have more influence on people than one may realize mainly because they are everywhere and constantly changing. As mentioned in the prompt, my taste in music is constantly changing. I will not think anything of a particular song and then add some type of connotation or memory to it and all of a sudden, I cannot stop listening.

Pay attention to your surroundings, they manipulate you a great deal!

My Life's Not What it Used to Be

Change is a very strange concept. We know it's going to happen, yet we don't necessarily notice it happen. To me, it seems as if change hits like a tiny white golf ball right in the forehead. I often find myself asking "how did I end up here?". Of course I know my actual whereabouts and the specific events leading up to my current situation, but in that moment- when I am questioning myself in this way- every moment up until the present seems to fleet away. It seems as if we always find ourselves asking for change, but when it strikes we want nothing but to go back. Of course, this experience is different for everyone, but for the most part humans dislike drastic change.

Since I've come to Michigan, I have definitely changed, but in a very specific way. I would say that most of my defining character alterations happened during the summer before I came to college, but other parts of me have undergone metamorphosis since coming to school here.

First off, I have become so much more self sufficient and independent. My parents are close by, but I don't have them around to call me to dinner or to remind me to wash my sheets (my sheets don't get washed nearly as often....). These are the normal changes that most new college students face, but I have undergone more adapting than just doing my own laundry. College has made me realize what really lies ahead. I've always known that there was a whole life waiting for me, but now it seems much more real to me. I now fully understand (at least I think I do) that I will go on to meet new people, be in new places, and basically adopt a life much different than the one I live now. This epiphany makes sense since starting school at Michigan has almost been a pseudo new life start. I have been temporarily taken away from the routine and people I am used to and it has definitely been an interesting challenge. Hopefully this practice will help me prepare for one of the scariest things: real life.

Hey, Why Do You Like That Movie?

There are many things that make a compelling film. First off, they have to be interesting in general. This is a given because if the audience is not interested during their movie viewing experience they will not leave the theater with a smile, unless of course they're the pseudo intellectual type who claim to be "thoroughly intrigued and actively watching" films such as The Tree of Life aka 2 hours of colors and voiceover (however don't get me wrong the score was very nice to listen to).

Anyway, the important thing is exactly what makes the film interesting? Here are three examples...


American Beauty
The character development in this film is beyond words to me. Sometimes I think Kevin Spacey portrays a washed up middle aged man stuck in the middle of life, better than I portray my own self. Everything from the dialogue to the facial expressions are spot on in this movie. Not to mention, Annette Bening is the perfect neurotic unsatisfied housewife/realtor. Their combined spunk and apathy is one of the things that makes this quirky dark film interesting. I could watch Spacey as Lester Burnham for hours on end.

Persepolis
Visuals are very important as well when it comes to watching movies. Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis has some very creative and compelling visual scenes despite it being animated. The animation is different and unique compared to any other that I have seen. It isn't trying to replicate real people or settings as well, which makes it all the more unique. In other words, it embraced it's animation and did more with it than many other non animated films.

Donnie Darko
The combination of the score and the visuals create an overall atmosphere and emotion. To me emotion is one of the most important parts of a production. The type of emotion or lack there of is what makes it real for the audience. Every film should invoke some type of feeling or aura and Donnie Darko does exactly that. The eerie scenes and music make Donnie Darko extremely emotional. After watching, you aren't sure what to feel, but you definitely feel something.

KEVIN SPACEY IS A GOD <--(click this link)

"We've met before, but something tells me you're going to remember me this time"

Don't Lose Your Voice (Or You Won't Be Able to Talk!)

Orwell's essay conveys many ideas but one sticks out to me very clearly and that is the idea that the language we use is not as strong as it can be and we are holding back the true nature of writing by following guidelines or norms in society. He seems to believe that there is a lack of imagery and gracefulness in writing now, and that we should bring this back. Things are too vague and not beautiful anymore because we don't use this descriptive language. I agree, that figurative language and descriptors that roll off the tongue make good writing. Of course, there is always a limit but for the most part this style makes writing more compelling and adds to the flow.

I would say that most college students could learn to not worry as much about the strict and proper language that is so often used in essay writing. This idea of writing is restricting and constrains important character that should be revealed. One of my favorite things in writing is voice and character and sometimes in proper essay writing, this is lost.

Many of Orwell's points in this essay seem to connect such as the idea of losing precision and beauty without using figurative language and the loss of sincerity. This guideline applies quite a bit to the absence of character as well. If there is no personal spin on writing then it seems insincere, or as if it has been done before. Humans love to see original things; the most successful people are people who came up with something original, and this is what makes orwell's point valid.

Relationships

1. I thought of exploring the relationship between Skeetah and China vs Big Guy and the narrator. These two relationships are extremely different yet they share the same intense passion. Skeetah cares for his dogs quite a bit throughout the story, and it is easy to tell. His bond with the dogs (especially China) is very prevalent and obvious because of the great lengths he goes to to make them happy. Big Guy and the narrators relationship is built on a mutual trust and love as well, but they express is a little more subtly. Over all they both share love for the other companion but the way in which it is explained is much different.

2. A second idea I had was the idea I discussed in my last blog post. The calm tones that both Salvage the Bones and The End of Something use. These are used to describe the climax of the story in both cases. Of course STB has a much more chaotic climax, but regardless the style is similar. This tone highlights the actual more intense actions that are happening.

3. Relationships between lovers can be very complicated. Esch and Manny are a great example of an unhealthy relationship. I wouldn't even go as far as to call them lovers, due to the way that Manny treats her. In the short story "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities" the relationship between the parents to be is already withering before they even wed. These issues are less expressed than they are between Esch and Manny but the same idea is present in both relationships: They are not meant to be. They both have problems within their relationship that are unsolved and hurtful towards others.

The Calm in the Storm

Salvage the Bones isn't what I would call a "setting rich" novel. Though this is the case, there is still a lot of meaning associated with the settings that are discussed. The way that the hurricane is described by Esch is a very peculiar one. She describes it in an almost calming and cool way. This chaotic event does not seem like one that would be taken lightly. Esch and her family are in the midst of a crisis and she is explaining deathly and dangerous things in a cool and collected tone. This tone also seems to be the case in "The End of Something". This whole short story is written in a very nonchalant fashion. The words flow together in a somber way and though the story is not all that eventful, the tone is unusually calm and straightforward for what is going on between the girl and the boy. It seems as if using calmer and relaxed voice can intensify the danger happening around the characters. Too much emotion can ruin the moment of the story and make it seem almost cheesy or unbelievable. If the story is told in just the right way,  the emotion is controlled but used when needed. Of course robot speak would make for a very boring character or narrator, but sometimes there needs to be a lack of emotion. These two stories have extremely different plots, but one thing they do have in common, is that they both lead up to a crucial moment that the reader is constantly waiting for. It is the one moment that you are always anticipating to happen next. When it finally arrives you are eager to see how it is put together (i.e. how it was written) and often times it is with restraint of emotion.

I Will Never Be Famous...

"Full of it" is a very interesting piece indeed. Baxter basically explains writing on a more personal level that directly relates to his experiences as a writer. A lot of the points he touches on resonate very clearly to me. The main idea that I captured from this piece was that there are always going to be times when life seems meaningless, you're going nowhere, and it feels like an enormous black hole. In short, you feel stuck. He explains how these feelings of despair are commonplace in a writers life, due to constant rejection from publishing companies and critics etc. My apologies for being so optimistic and cheery, but there's more...


These "nights" (as he mentions in the story) are inevitable and will most likely find you at some point in your life.


Once you fall into a routine life, where you are busy and occupied these nights are not very prevalent, however once you find yourself out in the real world, alone, and trying to pursue your dreams: everything becomes real. At this time in my life, my early 20's seem far away and I have very high expectations for myself, much too high for my own good. Of course most of us want to accomplish something in this world, and of course this is not possible. This mentality is what causes the nights of loneliness and disparity in which we stay up all night listening to sad piano music wondering what could have been...

Conclusively, his advice (it seems like advice and a personal story at the same time to me) is very useful for anyone looking for a realistic approach to life as a writer or any profession like it. Baxter highlights his ability to take criticism well which I also believe is a crucial part of life. To improve, one must understand the pain that goes hand in hand with reward.

Yourself vs. Others

In day 7 of Salvage the Bones Manny makes his infamous appearance in the girls bathroom. He basically waltzes into the bathroom, finds Esch, and takes advantage of her without really thinking about anything else. Of course Manny is an example of a rude and careless character yet he does show some similarities to Big Guy from "The Most Girl Part of You". These two characters are very different yet they share the same quality of carelessness. Manny shows his careless traits when he urges Esch to go along with his reckless ideas and coerces her into having sex with him often; taking advantage of her affection for him. Big Guy is very careless as well, but in a very different way. He shows no concern for himself as he runs around doing dangerous and cavalier things, such as cracking his teeth or getting hit by a bus. They both have little regard for what they are doing but the reason for this behavior is very opposite for them. Manny's actions are never fully explained as he just comes off as a ruthless and irresponsible person. However, Big guy has his reasons for doing these harmful things. He has experienced immense loss in his life, and the careless things he does are only to himself, not to others. The main difference is that Manny can hurt others without a care but not himself, while Big Guy does not want to hurt others, but has little problem hurting himself.

The Revision Process: The Ups and the Downs

What do you like best about what happened in your revision?

My favorite part of revising is when I restructure a paragraph or even sentence, and when I read it over I understand it very clearly. There are just some sentences that I revise and when I go back and check my work, they sound beautiful. This is what motivates me to keep revising (often a tedious task for me) because my ultimate goal is to make the whole essay sound this appealing.

What was most frustrating during your revising?

Revising is generally frustrating to me most of the time when I am not writing about a topic I am particularly interested in; this goes for most people. I find it hard to read over a piece of writing that I don't find all that riveting over and over again. I often lose my place and forget what I was revising for, and end up just reading words with no meaning. In the end, I have to read my paper over again which just makes it even more arduous. I always get through it though, and I'm very glad I do because it is a very important part of the revising process.

What helped you most during your revision? What step was most useful?

I think the peer reviewing actually helps a lot. It is one thing to read over your paper yourself and give your own feedback to yourself, but it's crucial to get another opinion from your audience. Someone who can understand what the assignment is yet has a different perspective. It's beneficial because maybe they'll understand the prompt better than you and they can then explain what needs to be done in order to fulfill the criteria. They can also add a better creative spin to your writing. Multiple perspectives are important and can only improve your writing!