The Future

What's next for me as a writer? I'm not quite sure yet. I have definitely learned a lot from this class and have become inspired to write, but there's still a long way to go. When I was younger, I used to love to write. I actually wanted to become a writer, but as I grew older, I became more busy and less interested in writing. Writing became a task, an obstruction, a nuisance as I was in high school, but now it actually seems like a good time. I hope to one day write something amazing that can be published and shared with the world.

Post Secret

I really enjoy reading these post secrets. I find it interesting to see what other people have to say but are hiding from those they love. I also enjoy reading Live Journal secrets, and have actually made a few secrets and submitted them to the site myself.

Some of the secrets are hilarious while others are depressing. Some are just down right terrifying while others are just boring. It's nice to find ones I can relate to. Occasionally I will look through them and save the ones I relate to and post them in journal or blog entries or sometimes on Myspace or Facebook just for other people to see. I especially love the ones that talk about appreciating life :)

Here is the link for LJ Secrets in case you're interested: http://community.livejournal.com/ljsecret/

Killing Yourself to Live

This was probably one of the most random books I have ever read. It had the ability to be boring and intriguing at the same time. Although the book was supposed to be about all the places he went to and what he experienced while there, I'm glad Chuck Klosterman mostly talked about his own life and the random things that happened while he was on the trip. If the book had only been about the people and the places, I would not have been able to read it, especially considering that I did not even know who half of the people were.

The strengths of the book was definitely the humorous way he talked. He could be talking about something serious but would make a joke out of it and that made the book more interesting to read.

It definitely could have been improved by not jumping around all the time. He would be in the middle of one story and then start telling another! I was confused about what was going on way too often. I also couldn't keep track of Lenore, Quincy and Diane. I still can't remember which one is which, I just know that he was obsessed with all of them.

Overall, I did kind of like the book. It is not one I would go advertise to everyone, because it's not exactly the type of book the people I know would enjoy reading. On the other hand, I would probably recommend it to a few select people. I know for sure that my dad wants to read it!

Favorite monster

Actually, here is my favorite monster... ;D

hahahaha

Halloween

My favorite monster is Sully from Monsters Inc. because he is cute and nice! Plus, he's not bad, and what's better than a good monster? I loved how sweet he was in the movie to Boo, the little girl. He is a monster because he is extremely strong and has horns. He also has the ability to be scary, but in the end, he chooses not to.

A few other monster I like are Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street and of course the Cookie Monster. Oh, wait... isn't he the fruit and vegetable monster now? LAME!

The Birthday

We all gathered around as family and friends. We had bought the biggest cake we could find in her favorite flavor: white with chocolate frosting. We sang happy birthday, slow and steady. Each and every one of us avoided another's glances as the song neared the end. “...happy birthday to you...” The song was over and no one clapped. The cake was ready but no one yearned for a piece. The awkward silence hovered as the wind shook our coats and blew our hair. Her mother began to cry. It was then, as I stared down at a new grave – her grave – that I realized how incredibly messed up this was.

I really don't know what inspired me to write this poem. It just kind of clicked in my head to do something about a birthday and then the surprising end of the birthday girl being dead came to me. I really didn't have any challenge in writing this but I could tell from when I read it in class that everyone was shocked and didn't know what to say. I wanted the story to have a shocking end but I didn't want to freak people out too bad! Maybe my challenge now is make it still surprising but less traumatizing.

May Swenson

I've decided to tell the world about the poet May Swenson through my blog. I had actually never heard of her before this class but found one of her poems through our last assignment. I enjoyed it because it was different, and after reading some of her other works as well, I see that she even has a creepy side. I like reading things with a twist or that are a little disturbing because that's not something you see everyday.

May Swenson was born in Utah in 1913 and enjoyed writing even as a young girl. Surprisingly, English was her second language as her parents were Swedish immigrants. She graduated from Utah State University in 1934 and worked numerous jobs while writing and publishing poetry. She has written many collections of poems and has received numerous awards including a Distinguished Service Gold Medal from Utah State University. She also served as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. She died in 1989, but four months before her death, Swenson said, "The best poetry has its roots in the subconscious to a great degree. Youth, naivety, reliance on instinct more than learning and method, a sense of freedom and play, even trust in randomness, is necessary to the making of a poem."

More information about the history of May Swenson can be found here:
http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/168
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poet.html?id=6702

The original poem I read was called Bleeding and can be found here: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=179699

Here is another creepy, yet great poem. This is actually an audio clip of May Swenson reading it:
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15945

Other interesting poems by May Swenson:
Motherhood
Women
Question


I think everyone should experience May Swenson's work because it is different. It feels almost depressing, but also enlightening. Her works have a realistic side to them and present true feelings, even if controversial. I appreciate her way of writing and what her topics are and I think others will too.

One of My Four Chosen Poems

AGH! It's so hard for me to pick just one because I really liked all four of my poems. One of the more touching and easier to read ones thought is The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. I feel like everyone can relate to it a little bit, because it's about being at a "fork in the road" and having to decide which way to go in life. Everyone has tough choices to make that can change their entire life, so I feel like this poem is really special. I also like that Robert Frost makes the point of taking the road less traveled by, or in other words, the harder, less popular way. Although it may be tough to take this way, it can pay off in the end. It's kind of like deciding whether or not to go to college. Do and be in debt for quite some time but end up getting a good job later on, OR don't go to college, don't take out loans for a "piece of paper" (aka diploma) and live off an okay job for the rest of your life. Going to school is hard, but in the end it pays off. ANYWAY, here's the poem:

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Also, if interested, here are the other poems I read and really found interesting:
Reasons by Thomas James
Bleeding by May Swenson
Being in Love by Chungmi Kim

My Updated Fairy Tale

The Wolf's Mouthwatering Adventure

It'd been days since I had eaten and I was beginning to get very hungry. There was no more food in the forest for a wolf like me so I set off into town to find a good meal. I spied on the animals living in the neighborhood, but none of them seemed right for me. Through eavesdropping on conversations, I had heard that there were three new pigs living in the area and that wasn't the only thing I knew about them. I decided that I would try to find them because only they could help my hunger.

I found one of the pigs at a straw house. He ran inside immediately upon seeing me. I yelled through the house “Come out! I want to speak to you!” By this time, I was so hungry that my mouth began watering in anticipation of food. The pig replied, “I'd rather stay where I am!” Because of his rude attitude and my hunger, I became frustrated. “I'll find a way to make you come out...” I said, right before I took in a deep breath and puffed out, exasperated. I could not believe it, but my breath had blown down the entire house! The next thing I knew, the pig was running away from me. “Come back!” I yelled, but he did not listen as he ran to a wooden house nearby.

I ran after him but he had made it inside. I tried the knob and discovered that he had locked me out. I then banged on the door. I could hear the pigs talking rapidly inside, obviously frightened. I knew they were most likely upset that I had blown the straw house down, so I tried to make them feel better by saying, “Open up! Open up! I only want to speak to you!” Again, this pig would not allow me into his home and would not come out. I became upset and angry. I decided that the only way these two pigs would listen to me was if I got them out, and to get them out, I would have to blow this house down as well. I took another deep breath and blew as hard as I could. The wooden house fell down almost as easily as the straw house and the pigs went running for it. “Come back!” I yelled as my stomach began to growl loudly, “Please!”

I chased after the pigs as they ran into a brick house. They reached the house much quicker than me, since I was becoming weak with hunger. I banged on the door, hoping they would let me in and I could get my meal. The pigs refused to open up so I tried to blow down the house. I blew once and nothing happened. I blew twice and nothing happened. Then on the third try, when the house did not even budge, I realized that no amount of blowing would get me into that house. I decided to climb down the chimney to get to the pigs.

As I climbed down the chimney, my feet started getting hotter and hotter. I thought this was odd but was so hungry that I kept going anyway. The sooner I got to the pigs, the sooner I could eat. I dropped to the bottom and realized that the pigs had set a fire in the chimney! My feet and tail were singed and I patted them to put the flames out. I realized how evil these three pigs were and ran out the door as fast as I could.

I was burned, starving, and offended. I could not believe that these pigs had refused to open their doors and then tried to set me on fire! After all, I was only going to ask them to serve me some of the vegetarian noodle soup I heard they were so good at making.

Interesting Photo

This is a picture that I actually took while driving through the Swiss Alps. I absolutely love this picture and although it is a tad foggy, I think it is beautiful. It shows the hills and the trees throughout the mountains and the houses sitting near the water. You can even tell by just looking at the houses that you're not in America because of how different they are. You can also see the road going through the hills which I think is really neat. This picture also reminds me of that Scary Car Commercial from YouTube, which kind of makes me laugh. Most of all, throughout the beauty of this photo, it brings back memories of a wonderful summer trip.

Rewriting a folktale

I decided to rewrite The Three Little Pigs from the wolf's perspective. If you need reminding of how that story goes, here's the link: http://www.ivyjoy.com/fables/threepigs.html

My version:

It'd been days since I had eaten and I was beginning to get very hungry. There was no more food in the forest for a wolf like me so I set off into town to find a good meal. There were many kinds of animals living in the neighborhood I searched but no one seemed right for me. I had heard that there were three new pigs living in the area and that wasn't the only thing I knew about them. I decided that I would try to find them because only they could help my hunger.

The first pig I found lived in a straw house. He ran away immediately upon seeing me. I yelled through the house “Come out! I want to speak to you!” By this time, I was so hungry that my mouth began watering in anticipation of food. The pig replied, “I'd rather stay where I am!” Because of his rude attitude and my hunger, I became angry. “I'll make you come out!” I said, right before I took in a deep breath and blew the pig's house down. I could not believe that the entire house had been blown down and that the pig was running towards a wooden house. “Come back!” I yelled, but he did not listen as his brother let him in and locked the door.

I ran to the wooden house next and banged on the door. I could hear the pigs talking rapidly inside, obviously frightened. I tried to make them feel better by saying, “Open up! Open up! I only want to speak to you!” Again, this pig would not allow me into his home and would not come out. I became upset and angry. I decided that the only way these two pigs would listen to me was if I blew this house down as well. I took another deep breath and blew as hard as I could. The wooden house fell down almost as easily as the straw house and the pigs went running for it.

They made it to a brick house which turned out to be owned by the third brother. I banged on the door, hoping they would let me in and I could get my meal. The pigs refused to open up so I tried to blow down the house. I blew once and nothing happened. I blew twice and nothing happened. Then on the third try, when the house did not even budge, I realized that no amount of blowing would get me into that house. I decided to climb down the chimney to get to the pigs.

As I climbed down the chimney, my feet started getting hotter and hotter. I thought this was odd but was so hungry that I kept going anyway. The sooner I got to the bottom, the sooner I could eat. I dropped to the bottom and realized that the pigs had set a fire in the chimney! My feet and tail were singed and I patted them to put the flames out. I realized how evil these three pigs were and ran out the door as fast as I could.

I was burned, starving, and offended. I could not believe that these pigs refused to open their doors and then tried to set me on fire! Afterall, I was only going to ask them to serve me some of the chicken noodle soup I heard they were so good at making.

First Post

I had to create this blog for my Creative Writing class. I'm starting to like this class a lot! We've done some pretty cool activities and writings. Now we have to change up a favorite folklore of ours. This weekend is definitely going to busy since I'll be working and I have so much homework to do!!!
Oh and by the way, I'm not really malicious ;)