Writer Problems

1.  Not knowing when to stop editing something.  Because a piece can always go through more drafts.

 

2.  Running out of ink when you bring a pen somewhere.  Because it’s only when a writing implement isn’t nearby that a great idea comes to you.

 

3.  Not being able to find your go-to notebook filled with ideas.  Because it feels like a part of you is missing.

 

4.  When someone asks you to write about them.  Because you’ll probably insult them in some fashion or you just can’t write about people you know.

 

5.  Unsure if you should bring your laptop or your notebook or both.  Because sometimse it’s best to type something, and other times a piece is still in its scribble down words in a notebook phase, but sometimes you can’t tell, and lugging around both makes one’s bag heavy.

 

6.  Editing everything.  Because you become a grammar nazi and have penned edits on pamphlets, magazines, and other’s work.

 

7.  Can’t read without a pen in your hand.  Because that metaphor is just too good to pass up and the word “red” definitely has to lead to a theme and you didn’t know the definition of  petrichor.

 

8.  Choosing the main character’s name for a piece.  Because the name has to sound right, the meaning needs to encompass everything your character is, the spelling needs to look good on paper; and it’s practically the most crucial decision.

 

9.  About to fall asleep and THEN getting the best ideas.  Thusly sacrificing sleep.

 

10.  Writer’s block.  Because if we’re not writing, our life has no purpose.

A Memoir…Me?

I’m taking Nonfiction this quarter, and I absolutely love the class: my professor is engaging and funny, I’m learning a lot about writing and how to write well, and we’ve been reading plenty of inspirational and interesting excerpts and texts.  But, our first assignment seems quite daunting: writing a memoir.  Now, the difficult part is not the length, which is 3-4 pages.  No, no, the difficult part is choosing a topic: it can be about anything, but it has to be something that actually happened.

My question is this: what if nothing has happened in my life that is noteworthy of sharing with the class?  Many of my classmates are opening up, talking about their parent’s divorce or an abusive relationship.  Others are going to describe their fascinating lives: being stranded in a desert, an acid trip, getting revenge on someone.  I’m interested in reading everyone’s memoir but my own!

The difficult part is that the memoir has to have a point: what did you learn, is there tension, is there a climax and a solution or denouement?  I threw around a couple ideas, but after I started writing my drafts, I just kept thinking what is the point?  Why am I telling people about this aspect or time in my life if I can’t even say why.

The other reason this is difficult is because I’m being asked to write about myself.  There are plenty of days that I think my life is awesome or I think I have a wild story.  In this blog alone, I’ve documented many moments of my life, some mean a lot to me and some are positively insignificant.  But, the second someone asks a question about my life, I suddenly have no answers, and the second my professor assigned the memoir, I clammed up and feel there’s nothing to tell.

Maybe I’m bashful.  Maybe I secretly don’t want to open up.  Maybe I’m afraid of being judged.  Maybe I’m concerned that people will compare my experience to theirs.  Maybe I’m terrified of failing.  Or maybe, quite simply, there is nothing worthy to write.  Whatever the reason, it must be honest because it’s nonfiction.  Well, I’m being honest now.

English Books

In every English class I’ve ever taken; it’s always been a struggle getting through the required texts.  I don’t like being forced to read a book, and usually I found the books dull.  Frankenstein, for example, was my least favorite book I had to read during high school, and I cannot believe I wasted so much of my life struggling to stay interested in that book.  I always read every English book; I never simply read a Sparknotes summary or skimmed the pages and called it a day.  But, every once in a while, there was an English gem: a book we had to read in English that struck my interest, stood out, and actually engaged me.  They are few and far between, but those rare beautiful books I’d like to share because I’ve come across one in my current English class.

1.  The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald:  I read this book Junior year of high school, and Fitzgerald just amazed me.  The symbolism and eloquent language mesmerized me.  It was also an easy read and I enjoyed the plot of an old friend trying to win over the love of his life from her husband.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.  Third and Indiana by Steve Lopez: A marvelous freshman year of high school read, and not your typical high school book at that.  The book tackled the subject of drug dealers and gangs in the Badlands of Philadelphia.  This modern book fused art, love, and corruption into a magnificent story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.  Atonement by Ian Mcewan:  All I can say about this book is WOW.  The highly sophisticated style of writing lends itself to the elite environment and atmosphere that is present in the book.  The idea of atonement, truth, and reliability are strong themes, and the ending leaves you speechless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.  The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman: The psychological element of this short story, along with the strong symbolism, make this a must read.  The story is based on the rest cure that physician S. Weir Mitchell developed after the Civil War for women.  The mental deterioration of the narrator is effortless and anticipated yet incredibly fascinating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’d also like to give an honorable mention to The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kid and Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.  Getting through both those books was pretty easy, and I enjoyed how they were written.  They’ll remain on my shelf, but I probably won’t reread them like I will definitely do (and have already done in the case of The Yellow Wallpaper) for the books above.