Free-writing in the Dark

     My dad  as been the storyteller in my family forever.  I always remember him telling stories around the fire at night after we had dinner.  The story e and my brother always assked him to tell was the one of the babies and the pirates.  This is about babies who give pirates urine when the pirates board their ship and ask for gold.  It would have my brother and I laughing hysterically.  My dad is a very good storyteller because he always gets into it.  Even when we would have big family gatherings with my cousins, uncles and grandparents, he would be the storytelller.
     This story has influenced me positively.  In my family, nothing is ever taken to seriously.  We joke and laugh all the time.  This story turns a scary and intense scene with [pirates and capturing a ship, into a funny and loveable tale.  My dad has always come up with or experienced things that seem crazy.  But, when he tells them, I almost always believe him.  A good storyteller must have a confidence and emotion when telling a story.  This makes for not only a powerful story but also one that is well remembered.  My dad has both of these which makes him a really good orater.

Electronic Space vs. Print

     Writing on an electronic space is more flexible and has less boundaries.  There are a plethora of ways to communicate ideas on the internet.  Blogs are a method where writers of all skills can publish and express their views.  With print, only a well-established writer can publish their thoughts for the world to see.  Print also puts boundaries on responding and interacting with a reader.  With the electronic space, responding from viewers is key to a successful and interesting blog or website.  Although it is true that many critics believe that the electronic space hinders writers to write more officially and seriously, the online space allows interaction between reader and writer.

Chapter 2 Response

     Bolter examines different writing methods and how they are inevitably the same.  He claims that no matter writing with a pen, computer or talking a writer attempts to "arrange verbal ideas in a space for later examination by a reader".  The reader may view an idea differently depending on where they view the material but, the writer still communicates this idea the same.  A reader's frame of mind is the real writing space.  It is the area in which the writer must focus on the most.  I agree with Bolter in his claim about writing technologies.  I believe the reader views an idea differently depending on the space.  But, the writer does not and should not view their work any different.

"Bad writing is all flesh, and dirty flesh at that: clogged with a build-up of clutter and crud, knick-knacks and fripperies encrusted on every surface, a kind of gluey scum gathering in the chinks"

     This sentence follows one that explains how good writing is "clean as a bleached bone".  I believe a sentence that is bad does not investigate, analyze or infer but it just observes.  When looking at a person, all you originally see is flesh.  After getting to know who they are and their personality, you see beyond their looks.  Good writing is similar, it must go deeper then just what is on the surface.  Bad writing stuffs the page with wordy, rambling sentences that does not specify or dissect.  

Sample Q

     Sample Q references Blair and Kress and examines both sides of visual and verbal arguments.  The writer uses specific words and gets to the point.  It is an effective paragraph if one were to argue both sides.  But, first off, the paragraph is too long.  It should be broken up into two parts (maybe a paragraph for Kress and one for Blair).  Also, it is not even indented which makes the writing look less professional.  This is important because I do not read the writing as seriously.  Sample Q does not take a strong stance on either side which hurts the writing.  Although it is necessary to state the positives and negatives of visual and verbal arguments, it would be much more effective if they took a strong position.  The sample is also not very personable.  It does not make specific references to the projects we saw in class.  It is a very general paragraph and it would have been a lot better had it been more specific and opinionated.

Writing Space Chapter 1 Response

     "Both as authors and as readers, we still regard books and journals as the place to locate our most prestigous texts".  This statement by Bolter holds much truth to it.  If we look back at the most famous texts, the Bible, the Koran and even the great novels today, they are all written on paper.  The internet is taking away these opportunities for writers and readers.  Although it makes writing more "flexible", it also is dangerous to literature. I agree with Bolter and his statement on printed text.  Bolter effectively conveys this message with understandable text as well as examples from other sources.  People are interested and impressed by the quick moving internet and how reading a document can be down without reading a print.
     Even though it may be dangerous for text to be mainly read on the internet, it is also useful.  Students are using methods to read online that are easier and more relatable to them.  Without these websites, students would find it boring to read most old documents.  The internet has an infinite amount of sources to draw from when studying a print.  Many opinions and alternate texts can be drawn about a specific print.  Bolter explains his views with past happenings.  These explanations make me agree with Bolter and his perspective on what is happening to text.

Problem in describing trees

     The poem begins by describing aspens turning and swaying in the wind of summer.  It is very specific in what actions are taking place.  The writer then reverses and takes a different path.  Hass explains that trees during summer are not at all like this.  They do not necessarily describe and paint a beautiful picture.  "It is good sometimes for poetry to disenchant us".  What is a poem that is not real?  Poems and stories receive more connection and understanding when they are more real and less stereotypical.  The last sentence is very general and allows the reader to trace their experiences and relate them to the poem.  With the visual created in the beginning of the poem, less leeway is given for the reader to create their own world.

Shelley Jackson: The Feminine

     In this section, Jackson examines the word "feminine" and how it applies to writing.  She explains bad writing is clutter, indirect and not to the point.  Good writing is just the opposite, as it is very concise and direct.  The perspective of good and bad writing has changed over time, just like the word feminine.  Literature has deleted these feminine attributions as it is being very effective and to the point.  Hypertext has taken a different point and added a quality to writing that is random and never exact, as it takes a reader off on a tangent.  This hypertext is not a female or male quality but in fact the original feminine definition that was originally used to described poor writing.

Shelley Jackson: Collage

     In this interesting section, Shelley analyzes writers abilities to write what they know.  She claims that writers construct sentences that contain more information then they intend.  That when someone writes a sentence, they understand fully only a portion of it.  This is very true because many works include assumptions or false information when trying to explain a point.  Shelley then explains how a person's most accomplished work in life is the information that they borrow.  In her last sentence Shelley says, "We might think of Lawrence Sterne, who, when accused of plagiarism, answered the charge with an argument that was itself a plagiarism".  She delves into the fact that our knowledge is based off others' information and previous discoveries.

Blue

 When I think of blue, sadness and loneliness comes to mind.  I compiled images of solemn and depressing images with blue tints as to capture the color with the idea.  The song is "The Color of Love" by Boyz II Men.  They sing about how love has different colors.  I see blue as love that is struggling and without hope.  I set up my presentation on powerpoint, each slide being a different picture.  I attempted to use one true media but I had to pay for anything longer then 30 seconds.

Sentences as Babies

     A sentence starts out like a child who has just been born.  So new and basic that you just tend to stare at it.  You watch this child grow older in front of your eyes.  There are times when you might not like your child and maybe wish he or she was never been born.  But, you grow to love this child until you set him or her off in the world to get judged by society.  A sentence is the same way, after much time fixing and revising it, there comes a time where you send it off to an audience.  The sentence and the child will always be yours, if you never let go of it and try and forget it, it will be useless to society.  Although maybe not being seen, there is a binding contract you share with your sentence and wherever it goes, its origin will always remain with you.

Text and Cell Phones

     Today's cell phone has less to do with phone features and more to do with the applications it brings with it.  Society runs tired of inventions that do not change.  The telephone was amazing when it came out but now it is nothing if it does not have text, email and a camera function to go with it.  In the work environment, less face-to-face meetings are being held and more messages are being distributed by means of text.  A phone that does not have a text function can be seen useless today because of societies switch from a personal communication to written communication