Scribblerature .

english 212 -- the end!

2009-12-13T17:54:00.002-05:00

What strategies will I employ to continue to write, now that this class is over...

I actually think this class has really helped me to become a better writer. I think now I'm more able to view writing as a craft that I need to perfect, whereas before I simply viewed it as one of my eccentricities (if that makes sense). I've learned how to focus my energies into a single piece so that I can actually produce something. Because of that, I feel more motivated to actually start projects because I've proven to myself that I can actually finish them.

As for the blog, I'm not sure the blog actually made any difference in my creative process, although I see how it could be helpful for other writers. For me, when I first have an idea, I like to write it down in pencil so that I can do whatever I want -- underline, circle, draw pictures, make diagrams etc. Typing really limits that element of brainstorming, so the blog wasn't really helpful in that sense. But it was helpful in the sense that I was forced to write cohesive plot outlines, which is something I might not have accomplished without the structure of typing.

All in all, I know that I've always always wanted to be a writer, and I really do hope that I'll be able to take that ambition somewhere beyond my own head.

my informal presentation!

2009-12-04T00:28:00.000-05:00

Dave Eggers

Examining the use of narrative voice in You Shall Know Our Velocity!

Who is Dave Eggers?

l A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

l McSweeney’s

l Where the Wild Things Are

l Away We Go

Plot Synopsis

l Two friends, Will and Hand, travel around the world in an attempt to give away $32,000

The Passage

You Shall Know Our Velocity! pg. 189

We had a beer in the hotel bar, called Timofey’s. The bartender was a young woman who looked at my face and gave me a commiserative pout. I accepted this and smiled. We were alone in the room except for a very old woman, white with hair pulled back into a ponytail, at a table overlooking the lobby, with a glass of something clear before her, her small hands cupped around it.

“We should sit down with her,” Hand said.

I knew he was right. But I didn’t know people of her age. She could hate us. She was easily seventy-five.

Hand was already halfway there. I followed. By the time I made it to her table, Hand was sitting, leg crossed, ankle on his knee. I don’t know what he’d used as an opening line. She held her hand to me. I shook its fingers, which were cold and the skin loose, a small leather bag full of delicate tools. She was French. We introduced ourselves; her last name (she gave us both) sounded like Ingres. Hand sat to her right and I across from her. She was a beautiful woman. Up close she looked younger, maybe sixty. Her nose was still aquiline, her eyes beaming. She sipped her drink through its tiny red straw.

A Unique Narrative Voice

l Eggers’ narrative technique: interspersing narrator’s actions with thoughts

– Reminds the reader that narrator is present

– Doesn’t bore us with narrator’s every thought

– Reveals the narrator’s perspective through actions; show and not tell

The Old Woman

l Subjective vs. Objective Reality

– Using narrators thoughts and actions to create a cohesive whole

l “…a small leather bag full of delicate tools.”

– Unusual metaphor

– Connects us to narrator’s sense of aesthetics

Hand’s Character

l Viewed through lens of narrator

l Narrator chooses specific words and actions that reveal personality

– “We should sit down with her.”

– Body language; the way he sits

Viewing the Scene as a Whole:
The Narrator’s Perspective

l “But I didn’t know people of her age. She could hate us. She was easily seventy-five”

– Subjective

– Viewed through the narrator’s lens: youthful and self-absorbed

l Three short sentences

– Eggers doesn’t overindulge in narrator’s thoughts

Why It’s Important

l Eggers uses an effective combination of thoughts and actions to establish a memorable narrative voice

l Narrative voice is indispensable

– Narrator acts as “tour guide” through story

– Tells us who we should sympathize with and how

– Distinguishes a story from a simple chain of events

a revised plot synopsis: project 3

2009-12-03T20:44:00.003-05:00

okay, let's be honest, project 3 is dominating my life. but in a good way!

last time i blogged about it, my ideas were still all hazy, and then the more i thought about it, they became clearer BUT i was having a hard time starting the story. but now i'm on a roll, and i'm using a technique that may or may not be a good idea... i'm writing it in reverse. granted, when the story is done, it will be in chronological order, but for the actual writing process i'm writing in scenes, starting at the end and moving backwards, then piecing it together and eventually i'll fill in the blanks. we'll see how this works.

so anyway, for the sake of organization, here's an improved outline of what the story is about:

1. it's a first person narrative, written from the perspective of noah, a grad student at lehigh university (which is in my hometown). he's thoughtful but reserved and a little socially awkward, and has a girlfriend emily who never actually factors into the action of the story, but we know that she's somewhat whimsical and oddly independent, to the point that noah feels emasculated (he may not consciously know this).

2. he meets another grad student named luke in the library on an afternoon in october. he is drawn to him because of his unusual combination of intellect and masculinity.

3. later, luke produces a flask and suggests they drink, since it's homecoming weekend and all the undergrads will be going crazy. he's lookin' for some chicks, basically.

4. they end up at a frat house, which becomes increasingly chaotic and terrifying as noah becomes intoxicated. luke charms the girls effortlessly, and eventually disappears with a pathetic, skinny girl who seems to young to even be there.

5. noah, feeling insecure, finds a small empty room (the frat's library), and he begins to feel sick. thoughts racing and losing consciousness, he curls up on the floor.

6. luke finds him, drags him up from the floor, and begins beating him. noah experiences a deafening range of emotions, and eventually, unable to fully fight back and completely dissatisfied with himself, he decides to "submit". a rape scene is VERY vaguely implied, but the reader and even noah himself (he's on the verge of passing out this whole time and eventually does) is unsure of what really happens.

7. he wakes in the morning, alone and watching the october sunlight streaming in, which is how the story began (talking about the strangeness of the light in october).

***the thing about the story, which i couldn't get across in this flat outline, is that my goal is to create tension that becomes increasingly sexual. you are unsure what luke is really up to, the turning point being when he takes out the flask, and then especially at the party when luke so easily exerts power over women, and noah feels strangely jealous of these girls. and so all these things will (hopefully) intensify the fight scene, and when it ends with ambiguity, the reader feels very sure that SOMETHING must've happened.

hopefully i can achieve this effect, or else the whole story fails, basically.

thoughts on group writing ETC . . .

2009-12-03T20:30:00.002-05:00

I can't necessarily say I loved the group writing project, but since I usually hate working in groups (key word: hate!), I think I'd call it a success. My group (Meg, Frank, and Ryan) got along surprisingly well, and I think all of us went into the project knowing and accepting that each of us would not get exactly what we wanted individually, but we were all dedicated to making the project work. We made sure to talk about our project a number of times after class, and emailed each other when we had to. For me, although I didn't get total control over the story (I might be a narcissist...), I did create a main character that was crazy enough that the other characters needed to work around/stay conscious of/plot against me. So ultimately I'd call the experience a satisfying one. It almost felt like playing some sort of online video game where you play against real people?? What is that called? I've never done that, but now I can vaguely see why people do it. Because that's almost what this project was like.

ms. julia rodriguez !

2009-11-29T23:40:00.001-05:00

well hello there.

and now ... presenting ... (drumroll, please) ... the blog of julia rodriguez, my classmate and friend.

http://jluolsita.livejournal.com

julia's blog (unlike mine, which is absurdly boring) is full of life. since i know julia personally, it's easy for me to see that her voice comes through in her writing. her voice is youthful and a little bit whimsical. and i think that even if i'd never known her, i would think the same about her writing. every entry has a picture of her in the top right corner, and her writing seems to match her facial expression (a half-grin/smile). Looking through her entries, I actually think her style would be good for journalism, maybe a magazine/some publication for teenagers, since the way she writes is conversational and easily accessible. she says she hasn't read much outside of the "teen fiction" section, which makes me sad, but maybe that's what will become her niche. and besides, that's coming from me... one of those odd cases who jumped immediately from grade-school newberry award stuff to like... bee season by mya goldberg (which was kind of emotionally scarring to read at the age of 13). ANYWAY... bravo, julia! keep up the good work.

informal presentation(s)

2009-11-15T16:57:00.002-05:00

Although I can't speak for every presentation (since not everyone has finished yet), after seeing about three presentations I was struck with a particular thought: how interesting it is that there is always someone out there who wants to read about something, something that might not interest me at all. Living in my own world as I do, I am so eager to assume that everyone has the same tastes as I do, and more importantly that everything I like is everything that is good and right and perfect. But of course I'm very very wrong.

For instance, the first presentation was on "Catcher in the Rye". I found that book to be really mediocre (even though I wanted to like it!), but there must be some reason that it's so famous. Another presentation on a book I'd never heard of, Three (?), was interesting to me because I know if I saw that book in a bookshop, I'd never even pick it up (not trying to be a snob here, but it's true!). I imagine it having some overdramatic book jacket that would immediately turn me off (think Dan Brown books here) and if by some strange twist of events I actually read the summary, I am positive that nothing would tempt me to buy it. This is not to say that the author or the story are "bad", I just know how incredibly picky I am, and maybe thats a bad thing. I guess the informal presentations are somewhat of a revelation for me; that everyone likes what they like and I'm a little bit mean.

FICTION PROJECT 3 ? ? ?

2009-11-08T22:48:00.002-05:00

I am SO conflicted about what to write about for the final project!! I still feel like I don't know how to make things HAPPEN in a story, or what things should even be happening.

However, these are my ideas:

1. I am interested in dealing with the idea of instincts... like if my character is to act solely on their instincts, what will they DO? more specifically, how does it feel to be violent? this is really interesting to me, BUT I would have to really talk to someone with a perspective on it, since I don't fully understand it myself.

2. I want to use my characters from fiction project 2 (the male narrator and his girlfriend emily). The third character is based on someone from my English class that I mentally refer to as "Intellectual Muttonchops". For the time being, let's call his character Luke.

3. The narrator (let's call him... Noah) meets Intellectual Muttonchops/Luke in the revolving doors at the entrance to the library, a brief encounter that only allows Noah to pick up on his physical attributes, which seem to stick with him. They are graduate students at Lehigh University. They see each other in the library by chance a few more times, and talk nonchalantly about their mutual professors/nothing important. Noah doesn't find Luke particularly interesting, but is drawn to his unusual combination of intellect and masculinity. One night when they are both studying, Luke suggests they get drunk and explore the campus. The campus, normally quiet, is thick with revelry (it's homecoming weekend). They drift into a frat house (the two intellectuals stick out). The imagery becomes increasingly unnerving (you know how being drunk is scary sometimes?). The two separate (Luke disappears with waif-like drunk girls) and Noah finds an empty room, presumably a study room, although sticky with beer. Luke discovers him there and immediately starts beating and punching him. When Noah gives in to instinct and begins to fight back, he feels alive. They collapse in pools of their own blood and pass out. the next morning, noah wakes up alone, frat guys vaguely concerned but mostly urging him to get out.

UNSURE WHERE TO GO FROM HERE? I want to intersperse scenes with Noah and Emily, mostly to show how Noah has been emasculated in his everyday life; he is subject to Emily's whimsical nature. With Luke, he is reminded of the concrete reality of physical sensation/violence. I can't decide if he should fight with Luke a second time... probably should. I think the climax should happen when Noah feels driven to combine his two separate lives... beating emily?

I HAVE NO IDEA HOW IT WILL END? I feel like someone dying is just way too melodramatic. maybe noah will have a reality check when he's trying to hit emily and she is in entire disbelief?

is this entire story even worth it? i feel like i could make the frat house stuff really intense, really capture the aesthetic. but i don't know how to turn it into a cohesive whole?

ugh!

visual narrative / / movie scene

2009-11-04T21:14:00.002-05:00

when thinking of a visual narrative that has really stuck with me, the first image that comes to mind is in the final scenes of "american beauty". after kevin spacey is shot in the kitchen, his daughter and her boyfriend enter the room. kevin spacey's head in lying in a pool of blood on the kitchen table, his cheek turned to the side. his face is reflected perfectly in the pool of blood. the daughter's boyfriend kneels down to the level of the kitchen table, and there is an incredible contrast between the cognizance of the living and the stillness of the dead. The mood of the scene conveys the finality of death, but also a sense of calmness and release. like the rest of the movie, this scene is perfectly arranged and orchestrated, and reflects an entire range of emotions in just a few short seconds.

so well done!

an exchange on the west quad

2009-10-28T22:19:00.002-04:00

"Look at this bug!"

"Dude, it's a praying mantis."

"I know. But it's straight chillin."

characterization / / the writing process

2009-10-28T21:38:00.002-04:00

I knew she would never finish that fucking book. Day and night, back arched like a cat over the desk in the spare room, typing and scrawling and howling at the moon. There was no way she could finish it, because it was inside her, viral and undeniable. The words were written all over her insides. I could feel the sharp edges of the t's and k's when we kissed. Her arms were the slender curve of a cursive l, her bellybutton an unassuming o. When she wrinkled her brow in frustration, I saw all the scribble marks that filled her notebooks. I loved that book the way I loved her, and I knew she'd never finish it.

One day she told me she was done. She skipped all through the house in the glow of a 5pm sunset. I'm done, I'm done, I'm done. She opened that bottle of Merlot from Chris and Katie's wedding, the one she took from behind the bar, and raved all about it, even though I know she hates Merlot and all red wine. She was crazy like a kitten for a few days, and kept grabbing my hands and shaking them in the air, purring, "I'm done! It's done!"

Then came the form letter, that tricky bit of shameless self-promotion, and I could see the cute facade crumbling. There she was behind the desk again, tugging at absent strands of hair, wondering what to say. "Should I hire an agent?" she'd say. I'd tell her it shouldn't be so hard, people write books and get them published all the time. Another melodramatic cry, and again I would turn the corner with my cup of coffee, searching for a newspaper or some other distraction.

UNBELIEVABLE

2009-10-15T23:57:00.002-04:00

First of all, I think this prompt is sort of difficult. It shouldn't be, but I can't think of much to say, and that probably means that I am entirely too willing to believe everything I read/see in a movie. Oh well.

But what does come to mind is the COMPLETE DOUBLE STANDARD in romantic comedies that I find SO unbelievable.

1) Knocked Up - Yes, Seth Rogen is a lovable goofball. But I don't care how drunk you are, Katherine Heigl... an extremely beautiful, intelligent woman like yourself would probably never take him home. It's perfectly reasonable that after getting to know him, she could fall in love with him, BUT if Katherine Heigl realistically met Seth Rogen at a club, I doubt the night would end the way it does. And if Seth Rogen were Jude Law and Katherine Heigl was ... oh wait, there aren't any unattractive female actresses in Hollywood! MY BAD.

2) Wedding Crashers - Vince Vaughn is yet another "Average Joe", and this time he doesn't even have a good heart like Seth Rogen, so why does he get to be with Isla Fisher? Where is "Average Jane"?

3) When Harry Met Sally - I LOVE this movie, but it doesn't stop Billy Crystal from looking a lot like Rob Schneider.

The list could go on, but why bother when it's the same concept every time? This combination of gorgeous girl/sloppy guy never seems convincing to me, yet audiences (and, ironically, myself included) can't get enough.

But then again that leads me to another question: Isn't this scenario plausible in the real world as well?

If the guy has enough money, it definitely does. Sad, but true.

fiction project numero due +++ plot synopsis

2009-10-12T20:43:00.003-04:00

Before I map out my story, I want to explain how this story will be different from my first fiction project, mostly because I want to tell myself what my goals are/try to tweak my style a little/improve my writing/try something new!

My second short story will also be inspired by a painting: "Ute" by Anders Zorn. This time the painting is simply an inspiration, and won't factor into the actual plot.

I'm still unsure whether I actually LIKED my first project or not. I'm not sure I did. I think it was borderline self-indulgent, and this time I'd like to strip my style down somewhat, while still maintaining a sense of dreamy lyricism.

Like my first project, this one will be third person limited omniscient, but this time not all of the main character's thoughts will be accessible to the reader (trying to build some tension!).

SYNOPSIS

The story consists a single scene and is divided into four parts that flow seamlessly into the other and are meant to indicate the locations of the two characters: The Rocks, The Water, The Dock, The Boat. It is summer in Sweden. Two women (cousins, lifelong friends), Hanna and Anna, are sunbathing on the island of Oddo in the early morning. They are sitting on flat, smooth rocks facing the water. To their right is a dock, to their left is a small rowboat tied loosely to a rock. Their families are still asleep in the summerhouse hidden in the trees behind them. We are privy to the thoughts of Anna. It's clear that Anna has done something wrong (revealed slowly throughout the story), but it's unclear what she has done, and she doesn't share it with Hanna. Instead they make small talk about their vacation while on the rocks. Contrasts between their bodies are made: Hanna is pregnant and luminous, Anna is dull and soft. Then, they wade into the water and share a few memories from childhood. Here, the contrasts between their personalities are made: Hanna is bold and fearless, yet calm and wise. Anna is observant, nervous, and unfulfilled. As the sun continues to rise and the air becomes unusually warm, they climb onto the dock and stretch out in the sun. Here, they remain silent, and Anna broods about the differences between her husband and children, and Hanna's husband and baby (flawed vs. perfect). Anna cannot decide who is the real source of her unhappiness: her husband or her children. Anna tells Hanna she must take the boat and go into town in the afternoon, and asks that Hanna prepare the guestroom for Anna's mother-in-law, who is coming to visit that night. In the final section, The Boat, we are no longer given Anna's thoughts, but instead an account of the final events. Anna takes the boat into town to buy a length of rope. When Hanna goes to clean up the guestroom, she finds a body beneath the sheets.

self analysis

2009-09-30T19:36:00.003-04:00

Here is the prompt:

What are your strengths as a writer? Weaknesses? How do you compare yourself to other writers you admire?

THIS IS DIFFICULT. Therefore I will write in a numbered format, for the sake of my sanity.

1) STRENGTHS

I think I have a pretty decent command of the language; I know how to pick the right words and arrange a sentence to an aesthetic effect. I have a keen sense of observation and can pick up on the real or imagined feelings of others fairly easily. I think that will allow me to write decent, maybe even intriguing characters.

2) weaknessessss

I think I'm struggling to find my "voice", but maybe I just haven't tried hard enough. Here's why it's frustrating: I've been keeping a consistent journal for about 7 years, and there are other journals/thing I wrote from before that, and whenever I go back and read these things, I always know that it's me. Very distinctively me. But for some reason it's much harder to get that "me" into a piece of fiction, and I end up with language that might be good, but it doesn't feel genuine enough. I felt that way about Fiction Project 1. I created the effect I wanted, but it didn't feel like it was MINE. Perhaps this makes sense, but it's very possible that it does not.

3) Comparing Myself to the Writers I Admire

This is SUCH an existential dilemma. I realized recently that 99% of the writers I admire are MEN. Not that there's anything wrong with men, BUT as a woman interested in writing I should probably start supporting my own sex more. All those years of idolizing Kurt Vonnegut, only to step back and realize he's kind of a misogynist. Same goes for Chuck Klosterman. How about every book I've ever loved? Do they have any intellectual female characters? NO. The only exceptions are Arundhati Roy and Virginia Wolfe. Oh yeah, and Junot Diaz and Gabriel Garcia Marquez respect women. But that's it. If I met Ernest Hemingway, I'd punch him in the face. Seriously though.

how it feels to rough draft workshop etc etc e t c ... . .

2009-09-23T15:09:00.003-04:00

Hi Stan,

I'm writing directly to you today! Here's what I thought about the rough draft workshop:

Basically, I've done many a rough draft workshop in my time, but this one was actually the most creative approach I've seen. I was slightly terrified when you first mentioned we had to read our piece out loud, but once I actually did it, I realized that reading my own work out loud not only allowed my group members to hear it, but gave me a new dimension to view my piece. Afterwards, I felt I had a better sense of how it flowed and what parts sounded a little awkward.

As with any rough draft workshop, sometimes it's hard to be honest with people, and likewise it's hard to know if everyone is being honest with me. I really wish I could find a truly neutral source (besides the teacher grading it) who could read my work and really tell me the truth. The things I write could be entirely out in left field and I would never know. But that aspect of doing a workshop is inevitable, and otherwise I thought it was a good activity. My only suggestion would be switching groups each time so that we don't become too comfortable/unwilling to be honest with our group members.

Also, thanks for letting us sit outside!

unreliable n a r r ator

2009-09-17T09:54:00.002-04:00

Italian 003 / Rainy Thursday / Say Hello to Your New Amico

I turn my desk to face him. The hollow scraping of desk against linoleum grinds at my insides. This will be fun.

"Ciao."

He flips through the textbook with thick, heavy thumbs. Certainly he will be able to respond to this. Ciao. The first freaking word we learn. Ciao! Hello!

"Uhhh..."

His jaw hangs, slack and sleepy. He smacks his lips, once, twice. Then, I see it, lodged between tongue and teeth. What is it? Trident? Orbit? Juicy Fruit? No, it can't be Juicy Fruit. That's my favorite. It must be Dentyne. I hate Dentyne.

"Ciao," he mumbles at last.

"Como ti chiami?"

What is your name? This is easy. Any fool could answer this one. I could say it in my sleep.

"Ahhh...hmmm..."

His voice is like smoke belching from an engine. His mouth is closed this time, but I know what's going on. He's passing the gum around. Right side. Left side. Chomp chomp. His lazy lips part, and SMACK. The gum has been cracked. I grip the edges of my desk. What happened to decency, to that little notion that chewing in somebody's face is rude? I bite my lip and wait for his dimwitted reply.

"Whoa, whoa. I'm totally in the wrong room. Shit."

He chuckles. I squirm. This is funny then?

"I gotta get to Spanish. Sorry 'bout this," he says, stumbling to his feet and slinging his backpack over one shoulder.

A few final chomps and a piercing crack of his gum, and he is gone.

Idiot.

THE END.

How I used "shifty voice" :

My narrator can't stand the sound or sight of someone chewing gum, and channels all of his/her hate onto this poor, innocent guy who ended up in the wrong classroom. The reader is led to believe that this guy is an "idiot", when really he is just clueless and likes to chew gum. Although I have to add that gum chewing is really really insanely annoying. However, I do like Juicy Fruit a lot.

unofficial tuesday musings

2009-09-15T11:09:00.002-04:00

Basically, I don't know how to intentionally write a "shifty voice" narrative, but I feel like saying something anyway, so here I am.

I am in love with this stanza from Wallace Stevens' "Six Significant Landscapes". I want to write a female character like this (but not in my first fiction project, because I have a different idea):

The night is of the color

Of a woman's arm:

Night, the female,

Obscure,

Fragrant and supple,

Conceals herself.

A pool shines,

Like a bracelet

Shaken in a dance.

Such poetry should be written about me. Obviously.

As for my next male character (but not for my first fiction project once again, because I have a really specific idea for that), I've always been inspired by these lines from Iron & Wine's "Each Coming Night":

Will you say to them when I'm gone away:

"I loved your son for his sturdy arms.

We both learned to cradle then live without."

Awww.

p l o t s y n o p s i s

2009-09-10T12:51:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure if this concept fits the prompt completely, so all this could easily be subject to change. Regardless, here are my ideas for Fiction Project Numero Uno:

The story takes place at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, at the Cezanne exhibit that was shown there in June 2009. There are two characters, a man and a woman. Both came to the exhibit by themselves. The story is told in the third person, but through the perspective of the woman, who is about 19-20 years old, young and pretty in an unusual sort of way. The man is older, maybe in his mid-forties, wearing an assortment of mismatched clothing, but somehow looks put together. They are standing side by side, gazing up at Cezanne's "The Large Bathers". After a few moments, the man sighs silently, and the girl becomes fascinated by him. She tries to imagine all his possible reasons for sighing. She struggles over what she will say to him, and considers dropping her pamphlet so that he will pick it up for her. She decides to do nothing. As she is leaving the exhibit, she is caught in a small crowd at the entrance to the gift shop. The man brushes against her, and she manages to say "Excuse me". He sighs.

characterization .

2009-09-10T12:30:00.004-04:00

Basically, creating a character is hard. I know myself so well, that it would be easy to give the character all of my own thoughts, make them mimic my movements and words. But that's not how writing works, so I've learned that I need to get creative (that's what creative writing is all about, I guess). I admit I still don't know everything (or much at all) about characterization yet, but I'm giving it my best effort through the group writing project, and hopefully I'll be successful.

I do know what good characterization looks like though. Virginia Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway" is probably the best example I can think of. Woolf somehow manages to delve into the minds of almost every character in the story, each distinct from the other, yet she writes each character as if she IS that person. Septimus and Clarissa are foils of each other, and yet Woolf seems to identify so intensely with both of them. Virginia Woolfe also killed herself by weighing her body down with rocks and walking out into a river. The best writers are generally pretty crazy. I like the water, but not THAT much.