Post a passage (probably no more than a paragraph or so) from a book that was memorable to you. Type the passage in word for word and add some of your own thoughts (250 words or more) before and/or after, explaining why this particular set of words caught your attention or has stayed in your memory.  Title this post Memorable Passage.  Include an image with this post, too.

It's really nice to write quite a bit about what you read, if nothing else just to remember, but often to reflect on words that strike you.

Books That Matter

Moving on...Books that mattered

We will be moving on to a new theme, but I'd like all the emails to China shared with me (along with your significant object) before you do anything else.  Our new theme revolves around reading like writers. 

For those of you who have already composed your email, polished your significant object piece, and shared them with me on one GoogleDoc (bjames@sps.org), you may select an independent reading book if you don't currently have one and use this time to read and also enjoy the link below.  

As we do some thinking about how what we read inspires or influences what we write, I thought it might be fun for you to check out a website I've seen that analyzes a bit of your own writing and tells you what published author your writing is similar to.

I tried it with one of my blog posts and evidently I write like Mark Twain. Interesting.  I also found this interesting tidbit which confirmed my suspicions that there wasn't much heft to this particular tool, but hey...

Go to I Write Like and try it yourself. 

You should also try the profspro quiz to see what author you are paired with.

Leave a comment on this post telling us your results (and what you think of them) when you do.  You might have to look up the author for more information if you don't recognize the name.  

For class on Thursday, please bring 3 books that matter to you in some way.  These could be books from childhood, books from school or classes, books that were read to you, books you've enjoyed recently.  Be prepared to briefly share your books with the class and tell us why they matter to you.  Thanks!

A Creative Exchange with Qingdao University

Our creative writing class has been invited to exchange writing with a writing class in China at Qingdao University.  It is a great opportunity to expand our audience as well as learn about another culture through our significant object responses we are sending via email Thursday, March 3rd.

The class we'll be exchanging with is a freshman class taught by an MSU exchange teacher, Kevin James. No, he's not the comedian; he's my son.  He has written a letter to you explaining some of the cultural differences as well as some guidelines to follow.  He and his students are grateful for this opportunity, and as he explains in his letter, this is a very challenging exercise for his students. Please read the letter and share any questions or comments you may have either in the comment box here or aloud in class.


Because your writing will serve as a model for Chinese students to follow, we will conference, revise and polish your significant object pieces on Tuesday, March 1st in preparation of sending your work via email to China.  By Thursday, your introductory letter will be finalized to send along with your significant object writing.

Xie xie!

Paint Chip Pieces

Please polish and post the paint chip inspired pieces (alliteration!) you came up with in your journal during class.  You may group them all in one post or do a separate post for each one.  Include an image for each piece.  Let me show you how to do this if you don't know--it's easy and important to add visual interest to your work.

You should have (in any order you choose):

• 3 haikus 
• an acrostic using a paint color name
• an 8+ line free verse poem that uses the 4 paint color names
• an 8+ line narrative poem using the paint name as a title or in a line

You may substitute other pieces inspired by color instead of one or two (no more) of the above poems.  

If you finish with this assignment, click around on the info at HGTV about the Psychology of Color, how different colors affect our moods.   There are various color quizzes out there you could try, too.  Or you could continue to customize your blog with gadgets (quotes, images, tools) on your sidebar, or update your profile.  You could also check out what your classmates are posting today and leave them the kind of friendly, specific, supportive comments we are going for.  Thanks!

Monday's class will devoted to full writing workshop. Knowing how hard it is to think or write when there are distractions - talking - we are going to have a silent workshop.  This ought to help all of us complete the writing pieces inspired by color, post that writing to your blog, read and comment to others, work on the writer's notebook, or read independently, so no comfy chair or carpet area where it's tempting to talk and text.  Let's see how it goes!  Happy blogging!

Our New Theme: Color!

Come prepared to embark on a new theme next week as we experiment with color and mood and how it relates to writing.  You will have time in class to write and post your work on color, but if you haven't posted your significant object, things will dog-pile on you!  The "object" post was due last week!  If you miss class, read the blog to keep up! Don't expect to be able to hand things in late or whenever you want to.  If you want full credit, post on time!

The full 10 pages of writer's notebook pages (3rd writer's notebook installment) will be collected next week on Friday, February 26th.  That is 10 one-sided pages or 5 pages, front and back.  Writer's notebook 1 and 2 have already been collected and added into your grades for a total of 50 points each, 100 points so far.  If you want full credit, hand it in on time! The theme posts are also worth 50 points each, with your "object" being the first theme post.  This really is easy and simple if you keep up.

 It's fun to write, and in this class and on this blog you have a chance to try new things, experiment with theme and genre, and write for yourself.  If you keep your writer's notebook with you, it's easy to pull it out when you have extra time during the day.  If you do that, you won't have a lot of work to do outside of class, and you can use your class time working on your theme post or your reading!  So dive in!  Get caught up!

Object Inspired Writing, Yours and Mine!

I have been tweaking this short piece about a baseball, and in looking it over, I realize it's not really about a baseball.  But then again, that's what sometimes happens in writing inspired by an object.  Sometimes that inspiration takes us to other places and other times.  That's what happened here.  I think I'll simply provide a link to my Google Doc for your reading, if you choose.  I have changed the title a million times (I exaggerate) and I'm not satisfied with the ending, so it may change as I sift through ideas...

Creative Writing Grade book! Read This!

I wrote the words "Grade book" in  the title of this post, hoping it would get your attention and you would read this!  This site is an important component of our class.  Read my weekly posts, please!

First, we still don't have ALL our class uploaded on our blog roll (hyperlinked list on the right side of our main page)!  I can help you, and so can your classmates.  Just ask! So, here are the "musts":

1. Make a blog, comment your address to my first blog post at the bottom of this page.
2. Post your 101 Things or your I Am poem or both.
3. Hand in your five full pages (front and back) in your spiral writer's notebook every Friday we meet, unless otherwise stated. (Only five                                       one-sided pages for the Jan. 22 and the Feb 5 dates)  This Friday the 5th is our second writer's notebook installment, for a total of 100 points so far!  

Our work consists of your ongoing personal writing in your writer's notebook as well as the formal projects we do as a class, inspired by themes I listed in my January 12th post.

• Rough draft of your "object inspired" writing (at least 500 words) is due Friday, Feb. 5th
• Final copy is to be posted by the end of class on Tuesday, Feb. 9th.
• Your object post should have the word "object" somewhere in your post title.
• Your object post should have an image or picture of your object.

Keep writing.  Listen in class.  Read these posts.  Hand in your writer's notebooks every Friday we meet.  Post your formal papers.  Comment meaningful words to classmates' blogs!

Your object-inspired rough draft is due today.  We will be working in the library lab uploading our drafts to our own personal blogs.  Once you have yours uploaded, today's focus will be to read and comment with meaningful, complimentary words to at least several other classmates' posts.  Include a greeting at the beginning of your comment (like "Hi, Taylor!) and a brief statement of encouragement at the end of your comment (like "Thanks for sharing this!" or "I look forward to seeing more of your work.")

Go beyond a short, generic comment and get specific. As in:  "You really got me with that twist at the end--I would have never guessed it was her sister stalking her all along.  Creepy!"  Or:  "Your use of dialogue was effective and pulled me into the story.  I never thought a conversation between a little boy and his baseball could sound so natural."  Don't cop out and put a rushed, generic comment like, "It was good" or "Nice job."   You can also leave a comment on their "I am...".