Topics and Narrative

Degregory writes that one of the most important parts of writing about a topic is that you have to be at the scene.  It's not enough to just hear about it.  The other necessary condition is that you have to have access to the person's everyday life and have an insight.  I found the part about the transgendered girl eye opening because sometimes I'll focus on one topic for such a long time and realize I have nothing worth writing and I may give up.  For Degregory, it took ten months for her story to finally have a meaning but it seems that it was worth the time.

When reading the ten tips written by Kramer, I thought the most helpful tip was "pinpoint your subjects' emotional experience, not your own."  Most if not all of the writing that I've done has been based off of my own feelings toward the subject and I need to learn to think about not just my response but the character's response like Kramer said.  I also like the tip about using metaphors because sometimes metaphors can help put situations into perspective and can brighten up the piece.

Telling True Stories

One of the most important parts of the reading that I took away is that using a lot of quotes isn't always the best idea.  Overusing them will not interest the reader and it's best to use them sparingly.  In Susan Orlean's piece, "On Voice," she explains that she sometimes finds herself writing in the same voice as one of her characters.  It's important to keep your voice your voice and keep their voice their voice.  It can be very easy to mix the two without even noticing.

The Working Poor

I am excited to read The Working Poor by David Shipler because it is about something that is becoming more and more relevant every day. My understanding is that the book will inform readers what it's like for the poor people around the world that work hard and still struggle. Growing up as one of five, I know first hand how much of a struggle it really is for parents that work hard every day and still can't afford some of the things that children really need to success in life. I'm excited to read this book and hear about other people's perspectives.

Mrs. Kelly's Monster

While reading Mrs. Kelly's Monster by John Franklin, I was on my toes and really felt as if I was in the operating room with Dr. Ducker. I felt nervous with each "pop". One of the writing techniques that I thought worked really well and put things into perspective was the use of time. I found it to be very effective to see how long each step of the operation really took. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed at the end. I had really high hopes for Mrs. Kelly to defeat the monster taking over her brain but it was clear that Dr. Ducker did everything possible to help save her life. It was definitely an interesting profile to read because it showed Dr. Ducker's perspective as well as a little bit of Mrs. Kelly's.

Zepp's Last Stand

I enjoyed reading the story by Madeleine Blais because I was intrigued to find out what the outcome would be for the eighty-three year old veteran. I found myself rooting for him from the very beginning. The physical descriptions really helped me put the story into perspective as well as Zepp's attitude towards his past life events and the world. Instead of being angry or bitter about the dishonorable discharge back in 1919, Zepp focuses on making it right and proving it to himself that he deserved an honorable discharge. At times, I had a hard time reading the story because of how often Blais would switch back and forth between the present time and his past time at the Pentagon. I was a little let down at the end when all of the build up led to everyone agreeing except for one person.

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The three most interesting people that I know are my roommate's mother, my English teacher from high school, and a comedian that works at the Improv Asylum in Boston.

My roommate's mother, Lisa Wilder, is spunky and spiritual.  I find myself in awe every time she speaks because of the way she carries herself and sees the world.  I have no doubt in my mind that there is a story waiting to be told about her.

Andrea Clifford was my English teacher during my freshman and senior years.  She was always one of my favorites because of her nurturing personality and her wise lessons.  During class a few times, she mentioned how she was rebellious as a teenager but wouldn't say what she did because she didn't want to seem unprofessional.  Now that I'm in college, I'm hoping she'll be willing to share some of her crazy stories.

Matthew Griffin is a comedian at the Improv Asylum in Boston.  I have been two times and each time I thought I was going to get thrown out for laughing too loud.  In high school, I was awarded the superlative for funniest girl so I would love to have a conversation with someone that does what I love to do for a living.