Reading Response 7

       This week I worked on my literacy narrative, read "To Build a Fire" by Jack London, and continued Revelation, by Katie Klein. My log goes as such:


Literacy Narrative: 9/24- 20min. 9/27- 20min.
"To Build a Fire": 9/26- 45min. 9/27- 30min.
Revelation: 9/26- 10min. 9/29- 20min. 9/30- 20min.
Total: 165min.- Literacy Narrative finished, "To Build a Fire" 17pgs., Revelation- 46%-66% (kindle...)


          To discuss the plot of Revelation, I must discuss the entire trilogy, The Guardians. In the first book, there was a bit of exposition, introducing you to main character Genesis Green's personality and story, but it was written in through a fairly intense scene. In my opinion, this is the best way for an author to tell a story, especially in a novel. That type of introduction gives you the information you need, but still hooks you quickly.
          As always, next came the rising action. While there have been many tense scenes so far, keeping the story interesting and attention-griping, I still feel as if the balloon has yet to pop. Each book has had its own climax, but the story still seems far from over. I'm fairly certain that, even though I am more than three quarters of the way through the trilogy, the characters are still working their way through to the final battle, the last clash of good and evil, and revelation of Genesis's importance and larger role. It's pretty intense.
          I can feel the climax coming soon, but there are so many subplots and side-sotries that I can't yet predict the outcome. Being a sucker for fairytale endings, I want Genesis to prevail in the end, but I can't be sure of that "happily ever after" this time.

I Am a Writer

A canvas of paper,
A painting in ink.
Words spun from the imagination,
And drawn by the hand.

Nothing compares to the art of creation.
The creation of words, pulled from the heart.
Never be afraid,
 To say what you think.
Mean what you say,
Say what you mean.

I am a writer
Who loves to create.
Whose favorite canvas,
Is eight and a half
By eleven inches long.
Whose choice media,
Comes in blue and in black,
And spills from a fountain,
Or a rolling ball-point.

The rhythm of words,
The lilt of the tongue,
Are beautiful dancers,
To the beat of the right drum.
Be bold in your music,
and strong in your stroke,
The image is beautiful
To any ear that cares to look.

I am a writer

Who loves to create.

Whose favorite canvas,

Is eight and a half
By eleven inches long.

Whose choice media,

Comes in blue and in black,

And spills from a fountain,

Or a rolling ball-point.

Reading Response 6

          This week I worked on my literacy narrative and read Revelation, the last book of The Guardians trilogy. My log goes as such:

9/17- 20min. 9/18- 45min. 9/19- 1hr. 9/21-2hrs. Total: 4hrs 5min. 1%-46%

          On my literacy narrative, I've hit a bit of an issue. I don't know what to do now. I'm happy with what I have, but I don't know how much more I can revise without completely tearing it apart and rebuilding it (and I really don't want to do that because I think it's pretty much good where it is.) If we have another draft to do, other than the final, I may just be stuck.
         
          One suggestion in the writing group was to expand the ending more. I understand that my ending is somewhat abrupt, but I want to make it easy for the reader to connect the introduction, main body, and conclusion and understand my overarching point: that for one to write well, one must first read well. I almost want to avoid making my conclusion long and rigorous. It has power as it is.

Free Post 2

          Hey everyone! So this week I've spent a lot of time thinking about the car I want. A bright, electric blue Jeep Wrangler Sahara (by the way Aaron, I'm stealing yours at some point before I get my own...).  I know, it's great, isn't it? There is only one small kink in my plan: they don't, as of 2012, carry that color. Needless to say, I was heart-broken when I discovered that my dream car might not exist.  I was (and am) desperate to have this particular model, type, and color.
          I did my research. I found the name and address of the CEO of Jeep, did some digging as to the colors of the newest models, and slaved over the effort to uncover any information about 2014 Jeep models. A plan developed after I found no definitive insight as to the colors. I wrote a brief, careful letter to Mr. Mike Manley. It's going into the mailbox this weekend.
          Just in case you don't understand exactly what color I mean when I say I want "bright, electric blue," (and you haven't seen the desktop of my laptop), here's what I mean:

Reading Response 5

          This week I finished Vendetta, as well as quite a bit of AP World History reading. My log goes as such:

9/11- 30min. 9/12- 1hr. 9/15-2hrs. 9/16-1hr. Total: 270min. 43%-100% (kindle), pgs. 61-65, 181-187.

          Since I doubt that anyone really wants to hear about how exciting my AP World History reading was, as you all already know, I will make another response to Vendetta. I don't feel the need to write out any summary, because by last blog included a bit of that. I will simply say that I genuinely hate cliff hangers. I don't really care that there is another book in the series (which I intend to start as soon a I finish this blog.) They still frustrate me. Maybe that's why so many authors use them. They keep you turning pages, yearning for the closure that you'll have to wait until the next edition of the series to find.
          The next book of this series is Revelation. Hopefully my hunger for a happy ending will be satisfied. I know it's somewhat cheesy to want that ever predictable "happily ever after" kind of scenario, but I have yet to talk to anyone who likes it when a book ends in the tragic death of the main character or their love. It just doesn't work that way. If I'm going to read a novel, I want it to take my mind off of reality, not throw me into deep thought about the situation of the main character when one of their best friends dies in the last chapter of the book and it ends without wrapping it all up. I just don't enjoy that nearly as much.

Literacy Narrative

          I don't know about everyone else, but for me, the introduction is one of the most important pieces of any significant writing. I typically spend a lot of time forming a lead- tweaking, combining, reordering, and fine-tuning my "hook" until I am satisfied that its point is sharp enough. This one didn't take me terribly long to come up with, so I want to get some feedback on it before I do anything to change it. Here we go:

          “I think you could use any of these topics. You’re a good enough writer that you should be able to make something out of all of them.”

            “Okay. I think the football one would be the most interesting. Thanks Mrs. Milligan!”

            And so I wrote. Adding, removing, reordering, and twirling the words into Saturday Night in the South. I was, and am, so proud of that paper. Every trick, technique, turn of phrasing, and twist of tongue I knew was woven into not only the flow, but also the very essence of the article.

            That skill: to be able to spin an A paper (according not only to me, but to my teacher) out of almost any topic, is not just a God-given talent. Ability, of course, plays a part in the works of each and every author, but there are some points that simply must be learned. I learned from some of the best.

So what's the public opinion?

Reading Response 4

          This week I read and completed The Guardian by Katie Klein, and began Vendetta, its sequel. My log goes as such:

9/3- 2hrs 45min. 9/4- 40min. 9/5- 10min. 9/9- 1hr. Total: 275min. 1%-100%, 1%-43% (kindle again...)

          The Guardians series does not exactly carry the same plot as several of the other books I have read recently. While there is still the mortal/immortal, good guy/bad guy interaction, it does not take the form of an angelic apocalypse. Klein's novels include guardians, which are similar to the popular idea of guardian angels, though they themselves take offense at such a comparison. Main character Genesis Green meets and falls in love with her guardian, Seth. When Diabols (guardians-gone-bad) kill her friend Stu, Genesis swears to hunt and kill them, much to Seth's chagrin.
          Klein does some intriguing things in her writing. One characteristic I noticed quickly was her frequent use of fragments. While it is not something I would necessarily use in my own works to the degree she does, it certainly makes Klein's style interesting. Another enjoyable part of these novels was the depth of the characters. Twists and turns, scenes of anger, malice, love, and compassion lent vivid personalities to all of the important characters, especially Seth and Genesis. Such uniqueness paired with a nice, dramatic plot, make The Guardian, and from what I have read thus far, its successors, highly recommendable novels.

Comment Conversations

           I love these comments. It's great that we can give each other advice, show appreciation towards our classmates writing, and laugh about things together. So, here are a few responses:

• Big Bethy, Tre... really?
• Cameron: You're right that repetitive subjects can become boring, but personally I haven't reached that point.
• Katie: I'm glad I could recommend a new book to you. You'll love Struck.
• Joe: I'm not a big fan of researching just for the fun of it myself, especially if a new novel or the next edition of a series awaits me. I like the idea of losing myself in fiction, partaking in a little make-believe, but if information is more "your thing," go for it.

          As you can see, I had a hard time deciding who to respond to. One thing I must say a bit more about though, is Tre's comment. The nickname... well, I don't think I'm going to stop you now. After a year of insisting on it, it seems to be pretty much stuck in your head. Anyhow, no, I'm afraid we managed to eat all of the roast. It was absolutely wonderful (not to tease you or anything...) If you want to try it out yourself, the recipe was basically stated in my previous blog, Hurricane Hunger. Here it is again:

• 1 pork shoulder
• Cut the meat off the bone into large chunks.
• Liberally season the roasts with salt and pepper.
• Brown the meat in a skillet.
• Throw all the chunks into a roasting pan with an onion, chopped into pretty big pieces, 2 bottles of beer, a little bit of water, and stick it in the oven for about 6 hours. Talk about good.

          I hope I keep getting comments that can either make me laugh or think more about a subject. Honestly, I wasn't so sure about the whole idea of having an "English Blog," but its growing quickly on me. The interaction of the comments is definitely a great bonus.

Reading Response 3

          This week I A.) finished Rapture, and B.) read Angelfall by Susan Ee. Since I finished them both,  it is not necessary for me to say that I did a lot of reading. My log goes as such:

8/28- 4hrs 20min. 8/29- 3hrs 10min. 8/30- 4hrs 15min. 8/31- 3hrs 30min. Total: 15hrs 15min. Rapture- 26%-100%, Angelfall- 1%-100% (still on my kindle, no page numbers.)

          I've decided that I would do this blog on Angelfall, as not to bore you all with another entry on Rapture. Angels, Demons, and Mortals seem to have become a recurring theme in recently published Young Adult novels. I happen to enjoy such subjects because they lend themselves to dramatic and fast-paced stories, but I understand some people's dislike of the repetitive plots. Anyway, Angelfall is the story of a girl whose paralyzed sister is abducted by a fallen angel. Penryn, the main character, sets out with Raffe (Raphael), an archangel whose wings were hacked off by the same fallen angel. They travel north to San Francisco, in pursuit of Penryn's sister and an angelic doctor to repair Raffe's amputated appendages. The story progresses to a dramatic, if somewhat unsatisfactory (in my opinion), conclusion. Luckily for me, I just discovered that there is a series following this novel.
          I found as I was reading this book that I could not leave it for long. It was definitely a fast read, and an excellent way to pass the time during Hurricane Isaac. People almost always find themselves rooting for the hero or heroine's side to claim victory in the end, but as a reader, you do not always end up trying to climb out of the same holes of uncertainty. Which side is right? Where does my loyalty lie? How do I feel about my alliance with this character? It is only in becoming entirely absorbed in the story that we can feel the emotions of the characters so strongly. Ee does an excellent job of accomplishing this in Angelfall.