Learning Stuff and Short Story Draft Final

Happy Thursday! 

Talk to me. This is a creative writing course, but we have to read. What do you want to read? What don't you want to read? We can collaborate, that's why this program is awesome. There will always be pieces of literature that you'll have to read, but that's unavoidable. However, the freedom we have here is that you can have a say in the stuff you learn. 

A note:
I'm sure you already know this, but the reading we do for class is just as important and required as the writing. As you've probably been told a thousand times, reading and writing are closely connected. Trust me, Mr. Craddock and I are certainly not the first people to say this. We're not telling you to sit and read hundreds of pages, nor are we giving you hellish assignments. 

When reading, remember a few things:

1) You don't have to read for hours straight. Start with little blocks of time, whatever keeps your attention. 5, 10, 15 minutes. Start there and add more time as you get better at paying attention. Or, if it works for you, read in tiny bursts. There isn't one way to read correctly. I can tell you there is a wrong way to read; not doing it. 

2) Reading isn't something that's limited to paper and books. It's 2014. You have access to iPads, iPods, iPhones, Kindles, Nooks, Audiobooks, and all sorts of other magical electronic devices. If flipping pages is what's stopping you, you have access to all sorts of different mediums. Can't find this stuff yourself? Ask us and we'll help you find what you need. 

3) You're not bored. Never say you're bored. We have the most information the world has ever had access to at our fingertips, waiting to be explored. Saying, "I'm bored." does this access a great disservice. The next time you think or say you're bored, take a sliver of time and read. 

Discuss:

"If you don't have time to read, you don't have time to write." 

Do you agree? Disagree? Tell me why. 

Hemingway and Procrastination

Welcome back! As you know from the previous blog post, you were to finish reading the collection of Hemingway's short stories in preparation for a test. Well, today's the day. I'm not a terrible person, so the beginning of 7th period will be dedicated to you gathering in your small groups to review the Hemingway short stories you've read over the past several classes. The last part of 7th period will be test time. In the case that some of you finish the test early, please revisit the drafts of your short stories and see if you can add, subtract, edit, tweak, read, or reconfigure anything about them.


8th Period:
Writing is something that seems so easy until you actually take a seat and try do it. We've all sat down to write something, whether it was required or not, and just stared at a blank screen. In writing this post alone I've visited Facebook, Sound Cloud, and Reddit several times before really telling myself that I need to get this done. Why do you think this is? Mr. Craddock came across a wonderful article called, "Why Writers Are the Worst Procrastinators..." It's an interesting perspective on why writers really do procrastinate so much. Take some time to read through the article, take a peep at the video below, too. All the while, try to keep in mind what it is that keeps you from writing. Maybe it's one thing, maybe it's 13,000 things, or maybe it's something you can't quite put your finger on, disguised as hours of mindless scrolling through a Twitter feed... 

For the remainder of 8th period you'll be writing:

1) We've been writing a short story with dialogue and flashbacks. Take one of your own personal reasons for procrastination and write a creative dialogue with it. Just you (the author) talking with whatever your procrastination method might be (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Cleaning, Music, etc.)! 

2) Continue working on your short stories from before. Try and polish them into something that can be a final draft, ready to be shared and/or stored in your portfolios! 

HOMEWORK: 

I'll be handing around a video release form. This is really a requirement for me, because I have to video-record myself teaching at some point throughout this student teaching segment. For the sake of legality and formality, this form has to be signed (or refused to be signed) by a parent/legal guardian. Either way, take a copy with you and BRING IT BACK next class, please. 

Cheers,

Mr. Ludwig