Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Blog #23: Reflective Prompts...the last blog (wow already?)

Reflective Prompts

1. What are your plans as a writer (how do you expect to use writing in your future)?
My plans as a writer are to simply continuing writing. I’ve always had a knack for creativity and story telling and so I won’t stop now. Writing will always be part of me whether it’s teaching or writing for my own pleasure. I do hope to write more non-fiction since I was exposed to it and enjoy it.

2. Describe any changes in your writing style.
There have been some changes in my writing style. Instead of just writing fiction stories, I have learned how to write nonfiction. I also started to write more reflections and thoughts rather than just a story.

3. Describe any changes in your writing process.
When it comes to writing, my main goal is to get my idea down on paper or word before I forget. Once I come up with an idea I just run with it. I like to write a rough draft and print it out. After I print it, I can reread it and make corrections and some suggestions. I like having my essays in my hands because I feel its more effective this way. It helps me see what parts are good and what parts need work. In terms of change I really don’t think there was a change; I mean I didn’t have a writing journal until this class. I just stare at the blinking cursor until an idea pops into my head. So a writing journal is something new and i plan to keep it handy in case i ever have the urge to write.

4. Describe any changes in your attitude toward/interest in/understanding of writing in general, and CNF in particular.
Writing in general can be tedious or fun. It really depends on the topic and what its for. For instance, writing a term paper can be extremely tedious especially if the topic is boring. However with this class we were really allowed to write about whatever we wanted as long as it fit the guidelines. I really liked that because I feel if given a choice, the effort and the result would be stronger. I still like writing and plan to continue writing whenever the free time comes around. Creative nonfiction was something I was never exposed to before. I was nervous in the beginning because I wasn’t sure if I could write non-fiction. Well guess what I actually can! I think its good to be exposed to different styles of writing. i never looked at objects in the way the class exposed me too. it gave me a whole new perspective. This class really got me excited about writing!

5. What have you learned about yourself as a writer?
As a writer I learned I can do more than I knew I could. As I mentioned before I didn’t think I could write nonfiction. Well it’s the end of the course and I wrote four nonfiction essays, go figure.

6. What features of your writing do you feel are most important for you to work on?
So I thought about this question for a bit because I wasn’t exactly sure. After looking at my long essays, I figured it out. I can be indecisiveness about my writing in terms of what parts aren’t necessary versus necessary. I tend to want to write everything out so the reader can understand and follow along. Sometimes it isn’t necessary and so I have to work on that. work on cutting out parts that arent neccessary and or irrevelent. Because I like to talk, my stories and such take more than a couple of pages.

Blog 22: Revised Draft # 3

Sent my revised essay as an email attachment =)

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Blog 21: Publication Venue Presentation

Handout

After much researching and browsing, I think I finally found a place of publication. Let me tell you all about it.


Essay: As of this moment I have two essays that are related to the theme of the next issue's magazine. I am torn between two of my essays, "The Shell Smashing Speech" and "Just Jump."


  • "The Shell Smashing Speech" is my essay that talks about how i overcame my fear of public speaking. it wasn't always easy for me to stand in front of a room and talk. I used to be a very very shy person, and now i can't keep quiet. the content of my essay involves three seperate stories of when i had to make a presentation. It goes from one of the horrible times to a presentation where it took guts and creativity to pull off.

  • "Just Jump" is the second essay that i have written. This one is about a time i wanted to jump off the diving boards. One of the diviving boards was higher than the other. Well the lower diving board was packed, and so i went over to the higher one. I climbed to the top, and well....you can probably guess what happened next.

Place of Publication: The place i chose to send one of my two essays is to a magazine called Slice Magazine. (http://www.slicemagazine.org/index.php) They are a Brooklyn based nonprofit magazine, who understand that it's not easy to have your voice heard. Well-known writers and emerging writers are encouraged.

A quote from their site...."We're looking for anyone with a fresh voice and a compelling story to share--basically any work that really knocks our socks off."


Reading that quote gave me hope and also made me excited because it seems like I have a shot. I always say at least try because if you don't try, how will you truly know the outcome? They seem friendly, easy-going, and welcoming.

Subject Matter: Each of their issues are dedicated to a special theme. In their first issue, the theme was New Beginnings. The theme of their second issue was Heroes. For their third issue, the theme was in translation. Submissions for their fourth issue has ended, and so they did not mention the theme. The theme for their fifth issue is Fear. Seeing how their theme is fear, i immeditaely thought "Hey my first two essays are about fears, Perfect!"


Voice: The voice of this magazine is easy-going, compelling, and fun. i feel my essay fits with the voice of the magazine because my essays have some humor to them even though they are serious.

Modes of Writing

Form: The form of the magazines is short stories, poetry, interviews, fiction, nonfiction, and novellas.

Length: This was the tricky part. There was no mention of length. Browsing their online site, i came across a question asked by someone whose piece was 8,750 words. they were told while it may be too long for their blog, they can send it to the magazine. Now my essays fall in between 2,000- 3,000 words, so i will stick to the magazine.

Politics: The political and cultural orientation of the venue is general. They welcome established writers as well as emergining writers.

Characterization of the niche

The audience of Slice Magazine are people from all over the world.

The purpose, according to Slice Magazine is, "We aim to spark a dialogue between emerging and established writers. In each issue, a specific cultural theme becomes the catalyst for short stories, articles, interviews, and poems from renowned writers and lesser known voices alike."

Submission dates: Submissions will be taken from February 1st to April 1st of 2009. They ask to wait two to three months for a reply. They also ask to include detailed contact information. There is no fee


Manuscript Form: Submissions are to be sent electronically, in the body of an email. Manuscripts that are sent as attachments will not be looked at.


My essay in terms of the publication venue

After i decided to go with Slice Magazine, I browsed through some pieces that already exist. However, in order to browse some articles I had to subscribe. I saw Blog at the top of the site and so i clicked on it. My curiosity led me their blog site which had actual stories. I included an exerpt from their blog site.

"Welcome to our “Slices of Life” blog. The concept is simple: we want to take the time to focus on the little things in life that we normally would let pass us by, but that are actually the details that make the world extraordinary. We’ll be posting entries every few days from folks across the globe describing something they observe that makes them pause and smile or ponder their surroundings. We hope these everyday observations allow you to see the world in a new way. Enjoy!"

Some of the blog essays that I came across were called "Moods of New York" "Beer Goggles" 'Passing " and more. I know im steering away from the magazine, but i couldnt find any articles on the magazine site. This blog site is affiliated with the magazine. My essay itself differentiates from the others. It is unique and it talks about something we are all familiar with, diving boards and swimming pools, mentioned in my second essay.


Monday, December 1, 2008

Blog # 20: Relationship To My Essays

When it came to writing these essays, I had a few obstacles to jump over. The first was writer's block. What am i going to write about? I have a good idea in mind but i need to get it on paper. Once i was able to get my thoughts down on paper, the next step was to make sure it was creative nonfiction. The creative part came naturally, however I was stuck on whether or not it was nonfiction. After a few tries, I finally understood the concept. All of my essays have something to do with me and my life. Some of the topics were good things, while others were not so much good things. They were a mixture of emotions. I find it good to write about different emotions because in a way it is like therapy and it also helps in terms of clearing your thoughts in mind. It was easy to recall these moments and write about them. I am proud and happy with the essays that I have written.
In terms of revising my essay, I am not one hundred percent sure of how I am going to revise it. I have to put my essay aside and come back to it at a different time, so i can look at it fresh. If I do that I will see it in a different way and maybe something will trigger, such as a new idea, or a way I can change this or that. One thing I can say about it, is that throughout the revising process, I learn more and more about my writing and writing in general.