Hello and welcome to my fifth blog post. This week we are Composing an Emotional Scene with Dialogue and Symbolism. My story takes place about 6 years ago at my grandmother's house where I lived at the time. Where a delusional conversation between me and my mother. Relating to Ernest Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants in the sense that it is heavy content. So with that said I'll add the readings for this week.
It was very late one night, in which to the best of my memory was around fall. My room in the house was in the basement and with the fall it added to the already cold that lurks in a basement. My room was set to the side with four walls we put up to make a “room”. I didn't have a door for the fact that the doorway was built entirely too big for any regular door. I hung beads for a door that added a sense of separation but still lacked full privacy. This night like any other night I had been playing xbox 360 call of duty. The way my room was setup was a couch facing out of the door so you could see people coming down or enter the room. I had lived in the basement at this point for years and I knew the distinct sounds of each step and where someone was on the steps while coming down. It was about 12:00 am and too the best of my knowledge my mother and grandmother had long been to bed. While playing I had a pair of headphones on talking to friends on xbox but these headphones only covered one ear. The light outside of my room was on but it still left the other half of the basement blacker than the void of space. Slowly I start hearing outside the delicate barrier a faint voice almost as if a ghost had been talking in tongue. My concern grows and i am a little scared to stand a go see what exactly I had been hearing. “Hold on guys I think I heard something weird outside of my room” Slowly stand and creep over to the edge of my door to give a peek thru the slivers of space between the beads. To my absolute disbelief my mother was sitting on the third to last step muttering into the dark side of the basement. “What the Hell are you doing?!? How the hell did you get down the steps so quietly?” “Blake, don’t be rude. I'm talking to these lovely ladies. They are doing a good job.” As she looks at me with a blank stare and then gestures an arm in the direction of the void as if I could see what she was. “Mom what the fuck are you talking about?! You're pointing to the dark side of the basement talking about some girls who aren’t even there!” She heard what I said but it didn't click. I could see the clear emotionless stare as if they are in a completely different reality and you can't even be perceived. She looks back and forth between the void and myself. “Go to bed you’re fucking sleep walking and doing a bunch of crazy shit.” “You know what Blake fuck you.” She then gets up and proceeds upstairs as I In disbelief try to wrap my head around the situation. I watch her walk up the stairs and I rush into my room for the pack of marlboro red regulars. I head up the stairs to the stillness of the house. I peak down the hallway leading to my mother and grandmother's room. I noticed both their doors were shut and my moms tv was on and I could hear faint noise confirming she had possibly gone to bed. As I creep outside the cold air rushes my hot skin as if aloe of sunburn. I put the cigarette in my mouth and inhaled deeply through my nose. The smell of a distant campfire gives me thoughts of things that could be, but sadly aren't. I Light my cigarette with a sigh not of relief but disbelief . Sadly this event was the result of Drinking as if to sanitize your insides for surgery and taking Ambien. Add a little hint of not sleeping. My Mom was essentially sleep walking. This is one event of many that make up life not all is bad and me and my mother have a somewhat decent relationship. I love her deeply for she is my mom.
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Hi all and welcome back to my blog page! Our fourth blog post is about the writing process and creating a descriptive scene with dialogue. The dialogue was to include three writers you may or may not know Don Murray, Mary Karr, and Anne Lamott who have a lot of knowledge in the writing process. If you'd like to read any of the material used to create these dialogues please follow the links below.
Teach Writing as a Process Not a Product (Don Murray) -- introduction is not required reading Against Vanity: In Praise of Revision (Mary Karr) Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life | pp. 28 -34 | Short Assignments & Shitty First Drafts (Anne Lamott) I had been driving for Uber tonight like I would have done any other night that I needed to make some money. Around the suburbs was kind of slow so i decided to head up to Philadelphia and try my luck up there. As the sun started to reach midday on this saturday a light breeze picked up but the sun's warmth kept it quite pleasant. As I turn onto the benjamin franklin parkway I get pingged for a ride picking people up at the philadelphia museum of art. As I pulled up, 3 people stood together 2 women and 1 man who appeared to be having a discussion so deep they hardly noticed me arrive. As they make eye contact and start walking to my car with great surprise I recognize these 3 people being Don Murray, Mary Karr, and Anne Lamott as they approach the conversation keeps on as they proceed into the car. While all proceeding into the car their discussion continued with Mary Karr saying “For me, the last 20 percent of a book’s improvement takes 95 percent of the effort—all in the editing. I can honestly say not one page I’ve ever published appears anywhere close to how it came out in first draft. A poem might take sixty versions. I am not much of a writer, but I am a stubborn little bulldog of a reviser.” after her statement was made then came the introductions. I spoke up with excitement knowing this ride is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I proceed with my name and a jumble of words explaining I knew of all 3 of them and that this ride could help me in my English composition class. Their faces lit up as if they couldn't wait to help so i circle back to the statement that lead when they entered by saying “I couldn't agree more with your statement Mary about editing while entering the car. I have a good habit of writing something and changing it many times before the final product is ready.” Right after Anne Lamott said “If you are a writer, or want to be a writer, this is how you spend your days--listening, observing, storing things away, making your isolation pay off. You take home all you've taken in, all that you've overheard, and you turn it into gold. (Or at least you try.)”. With more excitement I tell her “ I try and practice that as much as possible because everyday can hold so much of something new and different. Today has definitely turned to gold” as I give a smile and am returned with light laughter.I Look at Don and ask “ Is there anything you would like to add I could use any and all information you are willing to share.” With a smile he says “ A good deal of writing is censorship—keeping irrelevant thoughts out of the paper.”Many of the ideas that arise in our minds have little relation to the purpose of our writing, and the habit of following impromptu ideas may result in a jumble of pointless remarks.” I nod my head in acceptance of his kind words. “ I have a tendency to do this and have to be mindful of staying on track. Sometimes I doubt my own writing ” I say. “I don't think you have time to waste not writing because you are afraid you won't be good at it.” Anne Insisted. Almost not missing a beat right after in sequence Mary says “Every writer I know who’s worth a damn spends way more time losing than winning”. With the stop coming to an end at a coffee shop on 3rd street. The past exchange of words has left me kind of silent in thought. Taking in every word and really trying to apply it. When I feel a hand touch my shoulder and the car comes to a stop. “Instead of teaching finished writing, we should teach unfinished writing, and glory in its unfinished.” Don says as I meet his eyes in the rear view with a giant smile. I return the gesture and as the proceed out of the car I thank them for all the great advice and hope I apply it to the best of my abilities. For blog post Number 3 we were to read A Fable for the Living an interesting short story of life, death, and grief. With that reading we were to apply it to a letter to my Author-Self, a personified version of ourselves for writing. I found the reading pretty captivating and enjoyed it. I suggest giving it a read and it truly helped me with the letter. I hope you enjoy this little insight into my Author-Self and the revival of a writer.
Dear, Herald It's been sometime since i've acknowledged you, although then I didn't put a name to you. I never knew i could have this side of me a presence to put thought to paper under an alias of sorts. You are always there for the minor things letters, school work, and texts. Recently in life though i need you more than ever mainly for school but for more than that myself. Where in school you will help me succeed in many ways and that will carry on to life where you will be used more frequently than in the past. It's as if i have two people in me one whose face always sees the surface and one who is pushed under the current only to have brief moments to shine. Never had I known how much this side longed for the surface. But with everything written he has a new found purpose and with the surface comes new found glory. I am truly sorry I kept you pushed under for so long. I don't think i fully appreciated you or even thought highly enough of our work to keep up with writing. With this new found sense of self I will try and read as much as possible whether a news article or a full book. Write, write as much and as many different styles to get my feet wet in as many depths as possible. To share and be shared. To try and convey stories and knowledge to people of all age and origin with a purpose no matter what it may be. I hope we can stick to these things as we grow together as two identities in a shared space. Sincerely, Blake This is blog post number 2. This post will be about a few different types of models for a few different things. First we had a video on creating our weebly website which is up and running! The next 3 were readings to improve your success “is what I took from it”. They are all linked below if you'd like to read.
How to Create a Weebly Website (Video Tutorial) All Writing is Multimodal (Cheryl Ball and Colin Charlton) It's All C.R.A.P: Four Principles of Design (Think Around Corners)Assessing Multimodal Student Work (Kent State University) Why are we creating a website for our English Composition I course? We are creating a website for our english composition class to be able to upload our assignments into a community. The website allows our work to be viewed not only by the class but essentially the world. How do Ball and Charlton define "multimodal" writing? Multimodal writing is defined by ball and charlton as any writing that involves a combination of linguistic, Aural, Visual, gestural, and spatial to make meaning. Do you agree with Ball and Charlton when they claim "all writing is multimodal"? It is hard to deny that all writing is multimodal in the view presented by ball and charlton. As a website author who will create your own web page content in this course, how would you rank the importance of the five modes on a scale of 1-5? Please provide a brief rationale to support each mode ranking. Visual is a 5 , having a webpage is all about visual stimulation. The right amount and the right setup nothing else may be needed to have some intrigued. I think Spatial 5, goes hand in hand with a similar description catered more towards text. In my honest opinion linguistic, gestural, and aural are at best 2’s in the “web world”. Maybe that's my personal preference as a consumer. What does the C.R.A.P. acronym stand for? The acronym C.R.A.P stands for contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity. Its a basic model to help design development As a website author who will create your own web page content in this course, how would you rank the importance of the four C.R.A.P. principles of design on a scale of 1-5? Please provide a brief rationale to support each design principle ranking. I personally would give them all relatively the same. A 3 , I do believe these all to be important when building a more model based website. I would much rather see a person's more creativeness and honest approach to their website. What are the seven sample criteria Borton and Huot suggest writers use to assess a multimodal composition? They identify these to be purpose, audience, tone, organized, transitions, synthesizes, and detailed. Do the Borton-and-Huot criteria seem similar or different from the criteria we would use to assess a traditional print essay? Why or why not? They seem to be different. For many reasons but it seems to be for a more “modern age” way of teaching in my opinion. Things catered to modern technologies. This was our first assignment for English Composition 100. We were to complete The Proust Questionnaire which was a fun first assignment and icebreaker. The first time I did this was after a long day and it felt like work, so the next I started fresh and it felt a lot more honest. I hope you enjoy this glimpse into who I am.
__1.__What is your idea of perfect happiness? For me this comes in so many shapes and forms. The way my child looks at me for in the moment she looks at me it feels like all the wrong turns I've made seem so right to be in the exact moment I am in. Also the moment I laid eyes on my fiance for the first time. In that moment, time seemed to have stood still. __2.__What is your greatest fear? At this point in my life I feel I have a few but in its most simple form I don't want to end up being like my father. I've done well so far. __3.__What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? I have a better hold on it the older I've gotten but my short temper would be nice to do without. __4.__What is the trait you most deplore in others? A lack of empathy or a lack of understanding that everyone is different and comes from different backgrounds and allot of that plays a role in the way that person actually functions. __5.__Which living person do you most admire? Currently my grandmother Betty . she has opened her arms to everyone in our family and they have let her down. Even after my parents crumbled she was willing to take me and my sister in for as long as we needed and played the support role we desperately needed. She put so many good values in me that I didn't see when i was a kid but i am forever grateful for her love and guidance. __6.__What is your greatest extravagance? Recently we just bought our first brand new car which has been our biggest purchase. But on a personal level probably my wacom tablet for digital design. __7.__What is your current state of mind? Currently state of mind is clear but also sleepy. After our baby was born i feel i have a steady tired i cannot shake. __8.__What do you consider the most overrated virtue? Forgiveness. In the sense that I find a lot of the time people seek forgiveness instead of taking a look at the situation and learning from it owning up to it. They simply ask for forgiveness from people willing to overlook things instead of holding each other accountable and growing from it. __9.__On what occasion do you lie? Allot of times i lie to save people's feelings. . . I have a way about being brutally honest. Its good but people don't like it all the time and well who likes hearing the truth. So to save any sort of bad feelings i'll lie. Or not answer. __10.__What do you most dislike about your appearance? My weight has always been an issue for me. I hurt my back a few years ago and gained even more but since then ive lost 60 lbs. __11.__Which living person do you most despise? I don't truly despise anyone but the closest person would be my last boss. I could write a whole paper on why but simply he is a horrible person. __12.__What is the quality you most like in a man? I think the quality most liked in any man is being able to discuss emotions without fear of shame. And shame on other men who view this as some sort of weakness. __13.__What is the quality you most like in a woman? I think the self confidence is the best quality in a woman. That which isn't influenced by others And isn't afraid to be themselves. __14.__Which words or phrases do you most overuse? I use every curse word too much. And my fiance would say I use “for sure” allot. __15.__What or who is the greatest love of your life? I would have two at this moment my Fiance and daughter . For so many reasons these two have shown me unconditional love i never thought was possible. __16.__When and where were you happiest? I am happiest in life currently and of course with my family whether home or out. __17.__Which talent would you most like to have? I think i could most benefit from photo memory. __18.__If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? To be able to not get anxiety. __19.__What do you consider your greatest achievement? Working through trauma and being able to live a productive life. __20.__If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? A inside joke with my fiance but “star dust”. __21.__Where would you most like to live? As of current somewhere that feels away from the city but still close. Chadds ford area would be ideal. __22.__What is your most treasured possession? The love and connection I receive and have from my family. __23.__What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? What I can only describe as people who merely “exist”. No dreams or aspirations. No will to do better or want better for them or their families. __24.__What is your favorite occupation? Haven't found one that would be my favorite yet. __25.__What is your most marked characteristic? My honesty and straightforwardness. __26.__What do you most value in your friends? The ability to be honest and straightforward with me. __27.__Who are your favorite writers? Kentaro Miura and Chuck Palahniuk __28.__Who is your hero of fiction? Guts from Berserk __29.__Which historical figure do you most identify with? Not a clue. __30.__Who are your heroes in real life? My Grandmother . She truly a hero to me and my family. __31.__What are your favorite names? My last name Quay. I've it as a nickname for most of my life. __32.__What is it that you most dislike? Disloyalty and dishonestly. __33.__What is your greatest regret? Not realizing my potential sooner. __34.__How would you like to die? Peacefully and at ease knowing my life was fulfilling. __35.__What is your motto? It is what it is. Some people get it some people don't. Feel free to comment I will do my best to be responsive. |
Blake QuayBits of myself for the internet to indulge. ArchivesCategories |