What's Your Story? The Show Must Go On!

On Monday, February 1, I will be downtown at a reading meeting.  Sorry!  Your substitute - Kim Nye - is a friend of mine, and she will continue our "What's Your Story, Morning Glory" show and tell assignment.  I have given Ms. Nye a list of you who haven't presented yet, so you can present Monday.  Be sure to give her a copy of your object sheet after you've presented so that you can be given credit.  After all, the show must go on!

I have also entered in grades for your first writer's notebook pages, worth a total of 50 points, 10 point per one side of the page of writing.  We'll do the same thing this Friday, since we are now getting caught up with assignments.  You will turn in your next five pages this Friday, February 5th. I know I said five pages front and back, but we'll go with five pages one side per page!  I don't think anyone will complain about that.  If you've written extra, you are simply ahead on the next installment of pages!

We are continuing our study of objects of inspiration.  After presentations are over, you will be reading sample object essays and poems I have printed off.  Our next formal assignment is to write something like this in response to any object which inspires your writing.  It can be anything...something you chose for your presentation, an object from one of the museum sites I printed off, a picture you cut out for your notebook... an object someone else made you think of...whatever!

You may write in whatever genre you wish - narrative essay, free verse poem, dialogue, and so forth. The only requirements are that you write a minimum of 500 words. You may draft with the extra time after presentations today, work in your writer's notebook, or read quietly.  You should come to class Wednesday already knowing what object you will use as your inspiration.  We will do some free writing on Wednesday.  You should have a complete rough draft to bring to class on Friday.  We will be working on revision on Friday.  Your object paper will be posted on our blog by class time on Tuesday, February 9th!

Let It Snow!

Happy snow days, especially to you seniors!  We missed an opportunity to work in the computer lab Wednesday, so in an effort to catch up and give many of you time to finish and post your blogs, we have the laptops today, and of course, we have the desktops in the room, too.  Only fifteen blogs are linked to our blog roll so far, so if you do not see yours listed on our main page, be sure to leave your url in the comment box on my very first blog post on the main page.  Your blogs and your writer's notebooks are both due today!

For our writing focus for the next couple of weeks, we'll be looking at objects that inspire us, which include those images you cut out for some of your writer's notebook pages.  We'll share personal objects in our "What's Your Story, Morning Glory?" presentation assignment on Tuesday, January 26th.   Don't forget to bring five or six objects of your own which reflect who you are or where you're coming from.  We'll get to know each other better through this assignment.  We will also look at some interesting web sites featuring significant objects and the writing they inspire.  The Victoria and Albert Museum also has inspiring exhibits. 

Keep writing!  Keep reading!  Keep blogging!

Stealing Authentically

It's been a real pleasure getting to know you all these first few days.  I appreciate your patience as we've added newcomers to our class.  We have a great group, and I look forward to seeing all that you come up with throughout the semester.  To our newcomers, please be sure to do our day one assignment:  an informal letter to me.  Our second assignment is our "I Am" poem or the blogger's list of 101 Things About Me.  These were originally to be polished on Monday, but with no computers, the final copies are delayed 'till Friday.  Also, you'll be handing in your writer's notebook with five pages of free writing.  We'll spend some more time free writing Wednesday.

I wanted to gather my thoughts and give you a preview of some of the other ideas I'd like us to consider and be inspired by over the next 15 weeks, all in keeping with Jarmusch's idea that it's more than okay to use everything around you to get ideas, that it's not where you get the idea but where take it. 

I'm organizing in terms of "themes" (rather than genres) and have a variety of activities connected to each to get you started on pieces of your own making.  Here's what I'm thinking (perhaps in this order or with some adjustments)

Writing inspired by:

• Objects
• Color
• Art
• Dreams
• Books
• Music
• Food
• Childhood
• Photos
• Films
• Gifts



Leave me a comment here if you have an idea or something you'd like for us to study or try.

Thanks again for being such wonderful people to end the year with...

Make it yours

I'd hoped we could have created a blog on Monday, but with no laptop lab, we'll have to postpone.  We are in the library lab on Friday, and at that point we'll resume our efforts toward blogging!  

I'd like to try the project above in class this Wednesday to personalize your spiral writing journals. If you have magazines, comic books, posters, etc. you'd like to cut up, please bring them.  I have lots of magazines in the classroom you can use, too.  You may have your own pictures you'd like to use.

Writer's notebooks are due Friday.  Be sure to fill 5 pages in your journal to turn in each Friday we have class!

Twelve Curious Things About Me

*Some years ago while I was convalescing in a wheel chair with a broken wrist and ankle, my golden retriever had to have knee surgery.  (In case you're wondering, that's me in the middle!)

*I love to dress up my dogs in beautiful costumes...

*My childhood nickname was Barbie and my first boyfriend was Ken.

*I live in a menagerie with my dear dog friends Miles and Artie and my cat Simon.

*I am a better driver today than I used to be. I once sideswiped my sister's garage while trying to park her car, but when I backed up to get a better aim, I ran over the water meter!

*I don't like heights or snakes.

*I wish that it were stylish to be chubby.

*I love to hear books read aloud and I love to read aloud.  This summer I read David Copperfield aloud in its entirety.

*I have lived in my current home for almost 28 years, the longest I've lived anywhere.

*I don't travel as much as I'd like to anymore, but if I could, I'd spend the summers wandering the globe. (I'd have to travel like Liz Taylor used to with all of her pets loaded onto a beautiful ship!)

*I enjoy long walks, a cup of tea with a good book, and the company of family and friends.

*I understand why grandchildren are called GRANDchildren...because they are.  I have an eight year-old granddaughter Hailey and a four year-old grandson Porter, and they are the absolute BEST.

I Am..Ms. James

Me on the left and my older sister Margie and Freckles, our dog.

I am from Hoola Hoops and Hop Scotch,

     from chlorine and zinc oxide.

I am from bare feet that danced in puddles

     of summer rain, sizzling steam off

     scorched sidewalks.

I am from Barbie dolls and tea parties,

     from ten cent ice cream cones and long

     walks with Freckles.

I am from "Put your napkin in your lap"

     and "Get your elbows off the table."

I am from "Straighten up and fly right" and

    "Don’t come down until your homework’s            done."

I’m from rides to the Village on my bicycle,

      flute lessons and swimming meets.

I am from the hum of Mother’s sewing machine

       and matching Easter dresses.

I am from Jack and Harriett and Margie,

      from memories of voices I can still hear

      inside my head.

I am from Good Night, Sleep Tight

      and Don’t get out of bed!

  

But that was then.

I hardly remember those years when I was from
      the crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd, the smell of beer and hot dogs,
      traveling gypsies,
      coping with luck, good and bad
      of finding friends and leaving them behind,
      of years zipping by too fast.
     

 And later I came from the chaos of breakfast for three

My son-in-law Levi, my son Kevin, daughter Sara, Hailey, Porter

      on the way out the door,
      homework in boxes,
      ball games, music lessons, school parties,
      heartbreaks of skinned knees and broken         friendships,
      the joy of reading together and finding           adventure.
     

I am from leaving a past for a future            unknown.
       I am from no regrets, tough lessons 

       and gratitude for second chances,
       I am from the quiet of morning,
       eyes opening before an alarm,
       coffee bubbling, dripping, wafting from          the kitchen,
       the tap of computer keys,
       a time to write in peaceful silence.

I am from the warmth and comfort of family,

       deep friendships, a family tree with new branches, and
       trust and faith that all is well and
       I am enough                  
       and I have all I need.

May the Blogs Begin!

Blogs are an interactive, visual way to share our writing, and I'm excited for you to create your own. I am providing some written instructions on the handout, but I think you'll really just learn as you go. What I've set up here is a central class blog where I will post assignments and sometimes my own writing. You can usually check here for directions or what you need to get started, so please take the time to read the information I post. When you create your blogs, I will add each of them to a "blog roll" on the right hand side--from here you can hop on and see what everyone else is up to, and I'll be looking for you to make supportive and appropriate comments on your classmates' blogs beginning in the near future. This whole process of creating a blog might be a new one for most of you, and I appreciate your willingness to jump in and try something unfamiliar. You'll just have to spend a little time playing around with your layout, and I hope you feel free to add your own personal touches and make your page your own. You can start with the basic setup and let it evolve from there.

Some things to know/keep in mind:

• A post is a new entry you create from scratch with your own thoughts and ideas. A comment is an idea or thought you attach to someone else's post.
• While your blog is meant to be a place for you to express yourself and for others to communicate with you, we aren't using our blogs for socializing like facebook or texting. I hope you're kind and friendly to one another, but resist posting casual messages or silly small talk or really anything not related to our work together as a class. Later on, when you've moved on from Creative Writing, you may want to continue your blog and of course then you can do whatever you want with it!
• Since your blog is an "assignment" for a writing class, please attempt to use proper grammar and punctuation. You should not use text-speak or abbreviations or slang that you might use in texting or email. i do not want you to type in all lowercase like this. I DO NOT WANT YOU TO TYPE IN ALL UPPERCASE LIKE THIS. Use complete sentences and your best grasp on writing conventions. This is not to say we won't all make a few mistakes here and there, but we want it to appear that we were trying not to, not like we just haphazardly slapped some stuff down.

When you've created your own blog today, leave the url of it as a comment on this post. I'll link all of them to this page and this will be our home base. You can name your blog whatever you want, but I'll be listing them by your first and last name in the blog roll because it's much easier for me to keep track of that way.  

I do hope you enjoy this process...I'm here every step of the way so don't hesitate to ask me if you have questions or want some guidance.

Your first post will be the "I am..." Poem or your "101 Things about Me" you drafted last Tuesday. You should be able to copy and paste the text from the draft you saved. Try to add an image or two using the button that looks like a photo (next to the blue word Link) on the tool bar. 

Also, please leave a comment on my "I am..." post telling me something you found interesting or something we have in common.