Blog- Due Friday Feb. 18, 2011

Journaling Prompt - Creating lists can be a provocative way of assessing your creative internal thoughts and can spur insightful contemplation. When writing your lists, write what comes to mind, even if you feel it is a bit odd. List 15 things that change. List 15 things that do not change. (Hint don't stop at ten, challenge yourself; go on to 15.) Continue by using your lists for journal entry subjects, fiction or non-fiction writing.

(http://www.davidrm.com/thejournal/tjresources-exercises.php)

So, create the list (you can post that or not post that), then make a poem out of one of the items. Or more then one - whatever feels right. Remember when you write the list that it does not have to make "sense" - just write what feels right and what comes to mind first. Trust me. 

Things That Do Not Change: 

1. My Age

2. Those words you said that one day

3. The notes on the piano

4. The taste of mac and cheese 

5. The smell of an attic

6. The look of bird seed on snow

7. Feeling Desire 

8. Wind on your face

9. The graveyard

10. Sleeping

11. The rhythm of jumping rope

12. Electricity 

13. Wanting to change

14. Resistance 

15. The crunching sound the blade makes on the ice 

OK - I will pick numbers 13 and 2 for my poem. Here it is: 

i've spent my entire life on the look out

for regret. it lingers and has always lingered 

close behind me, brushing my heels with its teeth

about to sink deep into my veins. i wish i could feel it. 

like the rest of the world. i wish i were them, wishing they 

were somewhere else, wishing they were someone else. but 

i am happy and content with never being happy or content. let's 

go back to a time when we were eight in a yellow tube on

some playground somewhere and i was wondering what 

i did that was so horrible and you said "we shouldn't 

be friends for awhile." at that moment it became a 

yellow tube that was everywhere and no where

at once. would you take that moment back?

or would you keep it there like a thorn

deep in the confines of my mind 

to marinate until the one day

when i would need to say

"hey, remember that

one time in   the 

yellow tube?"

Blog Assignment - Friday February 4, 2011

Write a short story or poem. Same requirements as last week (length-wise and comment-wise).

Due by Monday at class time.

Write a poem or short story about taking a risk.

I'll post my example soon. I have been working on it all week and I am just not happy with it...

1st Assignment - English 12 and English 12 CP

Welcome to your first blog assignment!
Remember it is due Friday along with the comments (1 comment for 1st block, 2 comments for college prep third block)
To get an idea of your writing styles, I will assign a general creative writing assignment. You may write a poem or short story for this assignment.
English 12 1st block - your "mini story" should be 100-250 words or poem must be AT LEAST 12 lines (you do not have to do both!)
English 12 CP 3rd block - your "mini story" should be 250-500 words or poem must be AT LEAST 14 lines

Assignment: Write a story or poem inspired by a Margaret Atwood line, "We are learning how to make fire."

Sparks

We are learning how to make fire
(metaphorically, I mean).

We are learning how to ignite this town
with activism and kindle
something we know is there. Because we felt it
once and must still feel it.
We must
still feel it.
It is there, sparking.
We are here, reflecting all we have learned
on the dead, dried up leaves of our pasts
wanting the flames to encompass the sky until
the clouds are the color of mango juice.

We are learning to make fire.

Thursday, Jan. 6, 2010

For those of you who want extra credit you may:
1. go to http://www.freerice.com/ .... create a username and password and get 1 extra credit point for every 2000 grains of rice (not to exceed 3 extra credit points) - the points will be added wherever you need the points.
2. Post another poem on your blog for 1 extra credit point each (not to exceed 3 extra credit points)

For those of you who do not care for extra credit:
1. http://www.mysterygamecentral.com/games/CovertFront1Play.html

or

2. http://www.myadventuregame.com/

(if you beat either one of these games, I will give you 1 point).

You may accumulate up to a maximum of 8 extra credit points.

Blog - Optional

I felt like writing a poem today, so here it is. I won't make you all write blogs this week because you have so much due...but if you want to write one you can, and I will comment on it. 

Victoria Elementary School Playground - December 

1:15 PM - There are snow blotches on the ground 

where shadows are. I used to come here

on days which are indefinite days

to swing and sing and scream. 

I would wear the same converse sneakers I am wearing today,

which should be ironic, but it is mainly just

what it is. 

So I swing. And sing. And scream. 

It feels like 5 years ago which feels like right now

which feels indefinite. I'm stronger now,

and when I kick with my left foot against the mound of mulch,

I go so high the chains retract,

threatening to release me, but I stare straight up

at the sky until tears push me into the earth again. 

I realize if this were kindergarden, they would judge me

for having a wet butt from neglecting to wipe 

the snow from the swing seat. 

I realize if this were now, they would judge me 

for trying to be a kid again.

They wouldn't understand that there is no

such thing as "again." 

Blog Assignment - Due Friday December 3, 2010

Ugh. I cannot think of a prompt this week! I stole one from davidrm.com, though

Journaling Prompt - Creating lists can be a provocative way of assessing your creative internal thoughts and can spur insightful contemplation. When writing your lists, write what comes to mind, even if you feel it is a bit odd. List 15 things that change. List 15 things that do not change. (Hint don't stop at ten, challenge yourself; go on to 15.) Continue by using your lists for journal entry subjects, fiction or non-fiction writing.

(http://www.davidrm.com/thejournal/tjresources-exercises.php)

So, create the list (you can post that or not post that), then make a poem out of one of the items. Or more then one - whatever feels right. Remember when you write the list that it does not have to make "sense" - just write what feels right and what comes to mind first. Trust me. 

Things That Do Not Change: 

1. My Age

2. Those words you said that one day

3. The notes on the piano

4. The taste of mac and cheese 

5. The smell of an attic

6. The look of bird seed on snow

7. Feeling Desire 

8. Wind on your face

9. The graveyard

10. Sleeping

11. The rhythm of jumping rope

12. Electricity 

13. Wanting to change

14. Resistance 

15. The crunching sound the blade makes on the ice 

OK - I will pick numbers 13 and 2 for my poem. Here it is: 

i've spent my entire life on the look out

for regret. it lingers and has always lingered 

close behind me, brushing my heels with its teeth

about to sink deep into my veins. i wish i could feel it. 

like the rest of the world. i wish i were them, wishing they 

were somewhere else, wishing they were someone else. but 

i am happy and content with never being happy or content. let's 

go back to a time when we were eight in a yellow tube on

some playground somewhere and i was wondering what 

i did that was so horrible and you said "we shouldn't 

be friends for awhile." at that moment it became a 

yellow tube that was everywhere and no where

at once. would you take that moment back?

or would you keep it there like a thorn

deep in the confines of my mind 

to marinate until the one day

when i would need to say

"hey, remember that

one time in   the 

yellow tube?"

 

Extra Credit - +5 points to the grade of your choice (can be test grade, paper grade, etc)

Attend one of the events at this writing convention in Appomattox for extra credit! You will need to write a one page "review" of the event - what did you learn? What happened? Was it beneficial? Etc...

Event flier:

https://sites.google.com/a/args.us/writers/

Schedule:

https://sites.google.com/a/args.us/writers/home/schedule-of-events