tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19976969551627401092024-03-07T20:10:53.285-08:00The Cliff Hangers"The Cliff Hangers" are a writing critique group. We use this site to blog about our writing adventures, share advice, and post various fun links for our readers...The Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-86604929853216275892012-01-31T13:37:00.000-08:002012-01-31T14:26:31.605-08:00How to start a StoryHey all,<br /><br />Here's a lesson that I typed up for the USU Creative Writing Club that I wanted to share with you guys, hopefully it's helpful.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">How to start a Story</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">What does a beginning need?</span> (Not necessarily in order.) <br />1.Set the scene: establish the setting. What’s familiar about it? What’s different? What are “the rules”?<br />2. Establish the conflict: in other words what drives the story/what is the story about?<br />3. Introduce the characters: show who our narrator(s) is/are. Who’s our main cast? Who are the secondary characters of note? What are they like? How does the conflict drive them or not? Most importantly: what makes them different?<br />Overall: you need to prove that your story is worth it. You need to make sure that your story stands apart from the others. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Please don’t start out with:</span> <br />1. DON’T start with the character waking up: it’s overdone and unoriginal and it puts the reader to sleep. (Rimshot.)<br />2. A character history: work the back-story into the story through subtext like how it should be. <br />3. Related to 2: no prologues. Like adverbs and Mary Sue’s kill them with fire!<br />4. A long time ago, once upon a time, this is based on a true story, legend tells of a...etc: especially don’t try to emulate classic novel openers that Dickens wrote, it’s weak and it shows that you aren’t very creative. <br /> <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">An additional note</span>: I think that “catchy” and “witty” first sentences are overrated and are more of a distraction and a time sink to the author than anything. If you are focusing on making an original, innovative, and creative story you don’t have to worry about the first sentence because every word will captivate and enthrall your reader. A good story is catchy enough. <br /><br />Thanks for reading, this year I'm going to be trying to update more often.<br /><br />Questions or comments? Let us know!<br /><br />-KatieThe Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-43697616734085088282011-09-26T21:01:00.000-07:002011-09-26T21:45:10.980-07:00My Reading TimelineHi,<br /><br />Pretend that it hasn't been so long since I posted anything and that this article is actually okay-ish. Are you pretending? Thanks, I appreciate that.<br /><br />For my YA lit (Young Adult Literature) class we had to write a paper about our personal reading histories. So here's mine. It's only a handful of remembrances since I only skimmed the surface but I like it (I'm biased...heh heh). I'll probably try to improve and expand on it later but I still thought it was worth posting if only because I learned so much from writing this and it also brought back some good memories. Our reading histories are important because reading plays such a big role in our society, especially to writers! If you don't have the time to read a wide variety of books...I don't think that you'd have the time or desire to write. So here it is:<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">My Reading Timeline</span><br /><br /> It all begins with our parents, doesn’t it? Some of my fondest childhood memories are of my parents reading to me before bed. My favorites from that early period were “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” and “Goodnight Gorilla”. I liked active stories were things happened and the imaginative element was high. <br /><br /> When I moved to Logan and started first grade and (finally!) began to learn the “secret” language of reading and writing. I remember that it was so awkward at first. You’d have to read aloud to your parents and I’d stumble across words like “canoe” in a book (I remember it was about whales) but eventually after a lot of practice and help from my parents, I became a proficient reader. The key was to find something that interested me...<br /><br /> I can’t actually remember reading much of what I checked out from my elementary school library in those early years, I remember thinking that their selection was limited. However, there was a picture book section, a fiction section, and a non-fiction section; surely I could find something worth reading in there! I checked out books about black and white horror movies, the paranormal, a Disney book about thought, the story of Archimedes, books about soccer, and I even attempted Sherlock Holmes. But I was still an early reader; I needed to find my niche to help develop my reading skills to the next level of chapter books.<br /><br /> Then like a flame, Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone appeared, or actually was read aloud to me in second grade. The mythology of old made new in J.K. Rowling’s series spoke to me and to a lot others as well. It helped me make the transition to the new world of chapter books much like the Hogwarts Express took Harry to his. I could now find plenty of books to keep me engaged (my parents might argue that there were too many) I was now a bibliophile for life.<br /><br /> Growing up with Harry Potter, Star Wars, and other Sci-Fi/Fantasy books helped get me through some of the more boring books my teachers chose as part of their curriculum. However, my tastes weren’t just limited to “the awesome”, my parents instilled in me an importance for meaningful books via bribe around fourth and fifth grade. They told me that if I read the entire Newberry list or equivalent books, I could go on a trip anywhere in the U.S. Two great things resulted from this challenge: first, I learned that these were profound books that may not have space battles or wizards but that they were still fun- just in a different way and second; I got to go to Disney World.<br /><br /> I think that the High School teachers design their reading lists to be as boring as possible. I can only remember reading two books in High school English classes that I actually liked: “Something wicked this way Comes” and “To Kill a Mockingbird”. That’s it, end of list. Thankfully I had Chris Stewarts’ “The Great and Terrible” series to keep me occupied. This is when I discovered mainstream LDS fiction, I have to admit I ignore the romances like the plague but I love just about everything else. <br /><br /> Senior year I didn’t really have any required reading. So I started “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” by Joseph Campbell to understand story and myth better (did I mention that I want to be a writer?) and the threshold YA book for me: “The Dark Divine” by Bree Despain. These two books are on my top five books list. They are great in different ways. “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” has helped me see how interconnected our stories are with our psyche and how we’ve always used these impulses to create stories old myths or new books alike. “The Dark Divine” helped me realize that the YA market wasn’t just comprised of pithy “Twilight” knockoff books about vampires, werewolves, demon hunters, and fallen angels. There are some high quality books out there; you just have to look in the right places.<br /><br /> Not much has changed since then, I’m still reading however there are more textbooks, writing instruction, and YA books thrown in now and I’m now on goodreads. (I love it! It does the math of how far you are in books for you!) I’m so grateful that I have the opportunity to be literate. I can’t imagine life without books or reading, I’d be miserable without them. I know that if we keep on reading and writing though, we can change the world.<br /><br />And that's it! Any comments, concerns, advice, or emotional outbursts? Leave them in the comments section! I love to read them.<br /><br />See you guys later!<br /><br />-KatieThe Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-69923544242321087312011-08-24T21:51:00.003-07:002012-04-16T19:48:39.879-07:00Inspiration can come from weird places...Hi,<br /><br />Pretend that it hasn't been an insanely long time since I blogged. Are you pretending? Good.<br /><br />Our minds are strange things. What comes up with even stranger things is our subconscious, specifically in the dream realm. What is more amazing to me is psychoanalysis; making sense of dreams. (I wish I were capable of that, I'll have to read up on it and/or take a class on it.) But I invite you to attempt to psychoanalyze me.<br /><br />I say that because I've recently hit an important milestone: I've had 20 dreams that were crazy and memorable enough to make it to my: "Weird Dream List". Here it is:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">"Weird Dream List":</span><br /><br />1. Star Trek Canyon<br />2. Dark and depressing “Singing in the rain”<br />3. Weird interview at Sports Academy<br />4. Four pronged trident<br />5. Three kids try to steal my car<br />6. I time-traveled to the D.C. of the early 1900’s<br />7. Greek Temple/ Hogwarts/ Logan High<br />8. I meet my sister and her classmates in Israel<br />9. Alternate ending to “New Moon” bonanza<br />10. I disrupt a class and the Teacher and all the students are angry at me<br />11. Two pairs of socks on with my shoes<br />12. The BYU “The Help/ Book of Mormon” play<br />13. Low Budget “Doctor Who” Episode Parodying the “Wizard of Oz”<br />14. Lindsey and I go to a college fair in Canada<br />15. The Harry Potter 7 part 2 movie involved water slides, submarines, and the tune to “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, all on top of a snowy vista<br />16. My Mom is given a baby sheep as a gift and we decide to keep it as a pet. We go to a gift shop to buy supplies for it<br />17. Three robins hatch fully-grown but one robin has a deformed arm and its mother abandons it so I decide to raise it<br />18. Giant Vikings replace the mountains and reenact “The Sword in the Stone” in the middle of a snowstorm and it scared me <br />19. I fly around a ballroom that has a painted three-dimensional sky in it. I get a bit cold from all the flying<br />20. Grave marker dogs that guard dead Spartan warriors come to life and I keep them. I also discover the grave of a young girl who wasn’t actually dead but in a coma and delegate her rescue<br /><br />Why show them to you? Roald Dahl advised prospective writers to keep a pen and paper by their bedside so they could write down as many of their dreams as they could, because maybe one of them could lead you to "THE IDEA". (And their kind of fun just to read back on.) Oh, and you're welcome to use any of these dreams for an idea, the funny thing about dreams like stories I think, is that two people can be looking at the same thing but they end up seeing two complete different things. <br /><br />So this was a little bit of a different article. Be sure to tell me if you liked it or not and if you want to psychoanalyze me go right ahead! ;)<br /><br />On another note, school starts back up again for me tomorrow so I might be updating even less than usual, but who knows?<br /><br />Thanks for your time!<br /><br />-KatieThe Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-77517952213763553372011-05-14T10:33:00.000-07:002011-05-14T11:05:06.114-07:00It's been awhile, but at least I've been tweeting!Hi!<br /><br />It's been awhile but I promise that we will update more this summer! I just thought that I'd leave you with something light but substantial. <br /><br />Here are my first 10 writing tips from twitter:<br /><br />Tip #1:Read and write a wide variety.<br />Tip #2: Avoid the passive voice.<br />Tip #3: Write down all of your plot bunnies. Even if nothing comes from it, it's good practice.<br />Tip #4: If you're too tired to keep writing, you probably need to sleep. <br />Tip #5: Build up your wealth of knowledge, because it will show in your writing.<br />Tip #6:Read and write everyday.<br />Tip #7: Never forget your deadlines!<br />Tip #8: Prepare for a lot of rejection. A LOT. <br />Tip #9: "Follow your bliss." - Joseph Campbell<br />Tip #10: You have to actually sit down and write eventually.<br /><br />And there you go! Also, have you guys seen my new twitter icon? It was drawn by a good friend and I think that she nailed it. When I get it scanned and colored I'll post the finished mascot here. (Do you guys get why we chose a goat? It's cause it's an animal that climbs on cliffs to go with our name. You probably already figured that out but oh well....)<br /><br />'Til next time!<br /><br />-KatieThe Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-9512754540521574392011-04-15T13:25:00.000-07:002011-04-15T13:42:24.847-07:00JK Website Entrance and...Twitter?Yo,<br /><br />So, we've decided that we have our hands full already with this blog and our twitter account that we can't invest the time it would take to make the website great and not just a rehash of what we already have...so we've deleted it. (Sorry if that dashes any of your hopes)<br /><br />But hey! We have created a twitter channel today!If you want to follow us search for "TheCliffhangers". I'm pretty excited about it.<br /><br />See you around,<br /><br />KatieThe Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-47275318745882002992011-04-12T13:36:00.000-07:002011-04-12T13:50:09.791-07:00So...it's been awhileHi!<br /><br />So we're just in the middle of planning an action/fight scene heavy Cliff Hanger meeting, (which is going to be awesome by the way) we're trying to have it before Lindsey heads up back to the uninhabited land up north called Idaho for college. While we've been sorting this out I thought that maybe we should do a check up of where we were at on our old list of activity ideas. Here it is! Bolded ones are completed (or missed).<br /><br />1. Behind the names<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. April Fools Day exchange</span> We kind of forgot about this one...April fools?<br />3. Character exchange<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4. Ski and write a-thon</span> I guess that the skiing season is over, maybe we can change it to another Spring/Summer/Fall activity.<br />5. Write or die<br />6. Story playlists<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">7. Story prompt a day</span> Lindsey and I did this when we were hanging out (it was a smaller meeting).<br />8. Board game stories<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">9. Ipod stories</span> Completed! I'm working on polishing up mine so I can sell it to a magazine as a short story. :)<br />10. Box Stories<br />11. Edit Twilight<br />12. Movie review <br /><br />We've done right by some and wrong by others as you can tell. We've done pretty good for starving freshmen/aspiring writers though in my humble opinion. One thing at a time!<br /><br />-KatieThe Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-73980923071330647442011-03-19T15:37:00.000-07:002011-03-22T08:56:27.569-07:00New WebsiteHey Y'all<br /><br />The Cliff Hangers finally created a website. It still in the work in progress stage but shortly it should have some awesome features. <br /><br />Heres the link:<br /><br />www.thecliffhangers.weebly.com<br /><br /><br />-Jori, Katie, Danny, and LindseyThe Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-80063390795265136382011-03-02T18:33:00.000-08:002011-03-02T18:42:21.441-08:00The Final Key to WritingThe Key to Writing –Part 3<br />By Lindsey with Katie<br /> Hello,<br /> I am picking up where Katie left off in “The 3 Keys to Writing Series”. The first two keys according to her were writing and revision. The final key is editing. In her previous article she stressed that rewriting and revision were different from editing. She described rewriting and revision focusing on flow and editing more being focused on the grammar and correctness of your writing. For me however, they are one in the same. I do both at once so it’s hard for me to differentiate one from the other. So, here is how I would suggest how to edit your work.<br /><br /> The thesis is the most important part of any paper. It’s where you declare the purpose and reason of your paper. I would also argue that a thesis plays an important part in creative writing. It doesn’t have to look like a thesis statement that you would find in a persuasive essay but if your story doesn’t have a clear purpose or idea that you’re trying to convey then why write it? As you’re editing making sure your main idea and/or purpose is identifiable.<br /><br /> Beginning and endings are equally important as well. You could have the best story on planet with interesting characters and an amazing plot but if you have a sub-par introduction, no one will read further than the first page or so. Write an introduction that catches the reader. Avoid focusing on something that the reader could care less about. (EX: A character waking up and going through their morning routine, the weather, eating etc.) Show us something different. Once you have nailed the introduction don’t neglect the conclusion. The worst kind of endings are those that feel contrived or tacked on with unresolved tensions and loose ends hanging all over the place.<br /><br /> Make sure your writing has a consistent tone and voice. An author always needs to have their audience in mind; you don’t want to alienate them by confusing them. Also, never come off as condescending to your audience or assume superiority over them. They will leave you. The voices of your narrator and other characters need to fit their personalities.<br /><br /> Grammar is important. English is a very complicated language, and for me it is hard to remember all the correct rules. Luckily, we are better off than writers of the past, we have spell-check, dictionary.com, thesaurus’s etc. This also means that we are held to a higher standard of writing. Today, we have no excuse for a misspelled word and these tools also can help you with correcting your grammar. Another great way to correct grammar is through peer editing and writing groups. Be open to new ideas. Another perspective can help you catch the mistakes that you didn’t find. <br /><br /> Editing is the longest and most frustrating process of writing. As humans we are always striving for perfection. Though we will most always find fault somewhere in our writing, the editing process will bring our writing closer to that unattainable perfection. <br /> <br /><br />- LindseyThe Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-25451748292095698232011-02-24T13:06:00.000-08:002011-02-24T13:09:51.107-08:00My Fake Future Wedding AlbumHi!<br /><br /> So some people wanted me to post the tracks that I used for my fake future wedding album (NO, I am not getting married- I did it for fun.) and for me to explain why I chose those songs I did and them in the order of songs I did. (Please note that I tried to source them as best as I could.)<br /><br /> My Future Wedding Album Part 1: (The reason there are two parts is because a blank CD only lets you upload 18 songs and my playlist had 22 songs and I didn’t want to shorten the list and compromise the selection just to get it to fit it...so I split the playlist into two segments that would each fit on a CD.)<br />1. “Silly Love Songs” Paul McCartney. Wingspan: Hits [Disc 1] – So I used this one to start the mix because it sort of justifies a silly love song compilation and it also sets a good encompassing mood over the album.<br />2. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) [Remastered]” Eurythmics. Eurythmics: Ultimate Collection –Ha ha, this is where our album really begins...I was kind of going for “BOOM! This is the real world; it’s going to be had to find “the one”, there’s a lot of people out there and not all of them are good. (And I love the beat...)<br />3. “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) Journey. Journey: Greatest Hits –This is such a great song, I’m glad I’m starting to like 80’s songs now. I was trying to go for, “even though finding “the one” will be hard, true love will find you.” (Well, if you do your part.)<br />4. “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) Mamma Mia! Film Cast. Mamma Mia! –Sometimes, you just want a guy preferably “the one” to come and save you from the figurative darkness of the dating world. Let’s face it; there are a lot of losers out there. <br />5. “Sweetest Thing” U2. The Best Of 1980-1990 –I added this because I think we forget that love is “the sweetest thing” in our rush to find “the one”. <br />6. “Take A Chance On Me” Mamma Mia! Film Cast. Mamma Mia! –So, there’s this guy you really like and you want to be more than friends with...and now you are waiting for him to ask you out. So, you start dropping hints. <br />7. “You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) [Mono]” The Beatles. Past Masters, Vol. 2 [2009 Stereo Remaster] – You’ve been dropping hints the size of anvils on him waiting for him to ask you out...and he just doesn’t get it. This is the song for all of those people who want to scream “ASK ME OUT FOR GOODNESS SAKES!” at the top of their lungs.<br />8. “The Bird And The Worm” Owl City. Ocean Eyes –This is just a cute song about a couple slowly making the transition from friends to boyfriend/girlfriend and still remaining the best of friends.<br />9. “I Want To Hold Your Hand” The Beatles. Past Masters, Vol. 1 [2009 Stereo Remaster] -Why wouldn’t this song be on here? It’s about a couple making it official and it’s from the Beatlemania era! <br />10. “On The Wing” Owl City. Ocean Eyes –Uh oh! The “L” word is entering the equation and it’s both thrilling and troublesome...are they both invested?<br />11. Never Knew I Needed” Ne-Yo. The Princess And The Frog – Sometimes it takes you by surprise that falling in love- surrendering yourself to another person was just what you needed. It completes you.<br /><br /> My Future Wedding Album Part 2:<br />1. “Something” The Beatles. Abbey Road – This is just a beautiful song about someone realizing how in love they are. I think that it’s one of the greatest love songs ever.<br />2. “Meteor Shower” Owl City. Ocean Eyes – This song is short but incredibly sweet. Love is something that gives you something more than you could ever gain on your own.<br />3. “Lay All Your Love On Me” Mamma Mia! Film Cast. Mamma Mia! – Love is great but it can make you crazy. The bad kind of crazy that can lead to possessiveness and other similar things. The key is to learn how to be in love but not crazy. Yep, it’s that simple.<br />4. “All I Want is You” U2. Rattle and Hum – People make a lot of crazy promises and get fancy gifts for the object of their affection when all they really need is their love.<br />5. “No More Lonely Nights” Paul McCartney. Wingspan: Hits [Disc 1] – People fight. If your love is really worth it, you’ll make it through together.<br />6. “Where The Streets Have No Name” U2. The Best Of 1980-1990 – Some things are beyond our control, but we can find peace and something that will last forever with those we love.<br />7. “You and me and One Spotlight” Yellowcard. Paper Walls – This is just the best song you could slow dance to EVER.<br />8. “My Love” Paul McCartney & Wings. Wingspan: Hits [Disc 1] – This song is about a couple that has complete faith in each other and devotion to each other.<br />9. “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)” Muse. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Deluxe Version] – This is a beautiful song that overarches the entire album, it was difficult to get there, but their love will last forever.<br />10. “Love Story Meets Love Story (Taylor Swift Remix)” Jon Schmidt. Bonus Tracks – And here’s a nice (if cliché) outro that’s the perfect “happy ending” song that concludes the album...<br />11. “ The Song That Goes Like This” Spamalot (Original Broadway Cast). Spamalot – Except it isn’t actually over yet! I had to throw this in because of its sheer ridiculousness; it pokes fun at about every love song in existence. I don’t want my album to come off too self important, it’s just a fake future wedding album, not the opera. ☺<br /><br /> Thanks for reading!<br /><br /> -KatieThe Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-7314851183963031782011-02-18T12:15:00.000-08:002011-02-24T13:05:55.096-08:00My Entry for USU's Bad Poetry ContestHey,<br /><br />So if you want to write good poetry- don't do what I did. :)<br /><br />Here it is:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">"What is Love"</span><br /><br />Love is like liking someone a lot<br /><br />Uh, it's like, uh, dot dot dot...<br /><br />I need to get more things to rhyme...<br /><br />Should've put in more time<br /><br />Polar Bears.<br /><br />The End.<br /><br />Sorry if I offended your good tastes!<br /><br />See you!<br /><br />-Katie<br /><br />P.S. I probably should've posted this on Valentines...my bad!The Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-88447795660101407902011-01-21T10:39:00.000-08:002011-01-21T10:58:13.589-08:00The USU Creative Writing ClubHey,<br /><br />So recently I finally found out where and when USU's elusive Creative Writing Club took place. Yesterday, I attended for my second time and I brought Lindsey with me who had never gone before. The members are doing some cool things! <br /><br />They start out with a prompt where everyone free-writes for about ten minutes to get the mind going. Then after that is either a lesson and a critique or a full time critique. (They switch off every week.) The atmosphere there is very friendly but professional. I've met some cool people that are a lot of fun but we get a lot of work done as well. (Sometimes there's even treats!)<br /><br />I had a lot of fun and I encourage my fellow Cliff Hangers and friends to come to one of the meetings sometime in the future. They take place on Thursdays at 7 pm in the Business Building in room 116.<br /><br />Oh, and before I go here's the address to their site: "http://sites.google.com/site/usucreativewritingclub/<br />". (Sorry, I wasn't able to link it for some reason...so you'll just have to copy and paste! Heh, heh...)They have all sorts of cool prompts, lessons and other information on there. Check it out!<br /><br />See you later!<br /><br />-KatieThe Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-85910583657321606212011-01-12T18:06:00.000-08:002011-01-12T18:18:21.596-08:00Our ideas for 2011Hey y'all!<br /><br />Here are some of our ideas for activities this year:<br /><br /><br />1. Behind the names<br />2. April Fools Day exchange<br />3. Character exchange<br />4. Ski and write a-thon<br />5. Write or die<br />6. Story playlists<br />7. Story prompt a day<br />8. Board game stories<br />9. Ipod stories<br />10. Box Stories<br />11. Edit Twilight<br />12. Movie review <br /><br />-LindseyThe Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-25895216602395417992010-12-28T19:28:00.000-08:002010-12-28T20:23:30.686-08:00What I learned in English 1010Hey, <br /><br />So I know it's been awhile...I'm sorry about that. But, I'm back now and I have a new article and I promise you that there are a lot of things in store for next year.<br /><br />So, for my English final I was assigned to write a paper reflecting on what I'd learned in the class. This was my first shot at "modeling behavior". Modeling Behavior according to my Professor for the course is when "you do what you are trying to get others to do or understand. I think it turned out okay and I'm pretty proud of it. It might seem similar to other articles on this blog and therefore repetitive; but isn't that what writing is all about? Writing is hard work, you may not know where you are going- but that's where the "primary answers a.k.a. the fundamentals come into play. They help you get to where you need to be. So, here it is ...<br /><br />(Please note that when I wrote this I was writing it in the present tense during finals)<br /><br />Reflections Paper<br /><br /> What did I learn and what will I take away and put into use in future classes?<br /> <br /> Writing is hard, but I love it. Never leave an assignment ‘til the last minute. “Writing is an act of faith.”- Jack Heffron. Bad writing sure does get the job done! Go through every tangent you think of and write it down, flesh it out, read it over, go to the Writing Center, and edit it…then you can turn it in! (Bonus points if it’s early!)<br /> <br /> I hate sourcing things. I really, really, hate sourcing things. Sometimes I have problems doing reports. Research can be hard for me, I source other people’s stuff, but it seems like all I do is compile a bunch of people’s quotes. I need to make my reports uniquely my own.<br /> <br /> And I’ve learned that it’s so much easier and more fun to type when you have a laptop.<br /><br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Now I will personally demonstrate what I’ve learned in this class by turning the “bad writing” above into a cohesive paper...<br /></span><br /> What have I learned in English 1010 that I can put to use in future classes? I’ve learned that writing is a creative process. There is a beginning and an end; it doesn’t all come at once. Jack Heffron once said, “Writing is an act of faith”; which is completely true. Writing is a completely isolated journey where your task is to transform a tiny germ of an idea into a fully formed extension of your very being. Writing is hard, but it can be fulfilling as well; it isn’t impossible to write a good paper, you just have to write it down. <br /><br /> When you start out your prose will seem...bad. Don’t worry, that actually means you are starting out the right way. If you let go of your inhibitions and follow your every thought wherever it takes you and explore, you’ll end up with more original material than you knew you could create. Then, after you flesh them out later, it will begin to stand-alone. What you have to do next is to refine it.<br /><br /> The first thing I do when I begin to edit is read the paper from start to finish; most of the minor errors will jump out at me from my monitor. (Though it has been proven that this phenomenon can also occur on lined paper.) Then I’ll go onto fix the grammatically correct prose. How do you fix grammatically correct prose? Add more detail where you find it lacking and take away the embellishments that are unneeded, and then your grammatically correct prose will be articulate and cohesive. <br /><br /> If you are having a hard time with any stage of the writing process, feel free to get a second opinion. As long as they know what they are talking about, it doesn’t matter who you ask. One resource on campus that exists solely to help students with writing is the Writing Center. They won’t write your paper for you, but they’ll show you the way to your objective- be it brainstorming or the final stages of editing. I can’t accredit them enough.<br /><br /> There you have it, that’s what I’ve learned through taking this course. I still have a long way to go however; I have a really hard time writing reports. Which is a big problem since college is full of them. I’ll need to gather my sources faster, so I can fully process them and use them in my reports. I don’t want to compile a report of other people’s articles and comment on their views; I want to write a report where the articles support my ideas. If I improve in that regard I think they’d be more enjoyable to do, and I’d get better at doing them. I’ll have to work hard to get there but also remember what I’ve learned so far: write it down and then make it better.<br /><br />And that's it! I know it's three days to late to say it, but Merry Christmas! One thing I'm glad I'm not to late to say however is Happy New Year. 2011 is going to be great guys!<br /><br />See you later,<br /><br />KatieThe Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-48188941218671592562010-12-04T19:44:00.000-08:002010-12-05T11:49:44.541-08:00This is Danny's book. If you're interested....buy it.<a href="http://www.lulu.com/commerce/index.php?fBuyContent=9631659"><img src="http://static.lulu.com/images/services/buy_now_buttons/us/blue.gif?20101130125319" border="0" alt="Support independent publishing: Buy this book on Lulu."></a>The Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-46521527291816843442010-10-25T21:36:00.000-07:002010-10-25T22:33:50.932-07:00The Key to writing (Entry 2 of 3)This took a long time (much longer than I thought) but after many false starts,I have found out what the second key of writing was; rewriting. I know that I'd already stated this in entry 1 but honestly, I was having a huge problem differentiating rewriting and editing, and figuring out if one came before the other in the writing process. But I finally found a reaffirmation of what I'd already thought, heh heh.<br /><br />What makes rewriting and editing different? Because they are two closely entwined steps in the writing process! You may disagree with me about which one comes first, (that's what the comment bar is for at the bottom of the article, to give me feedback...<span style="font-style:italic;">Please!</span>) but I think that this might just be up to personal preference! Rewriting is looking at the entire paper and to see if it "flows". Editing entails looking much more closely at every sentence and fixing it up with the precision of a Surgeon. <br /><br />How do you go about determining the vitality of the flow of your paper? I think that the goal is for every thought to seem connected, logical, and coherent. If you need to rearrange paragraphs and sentences or delete whole passages from your paper to do that, go right ahead like a Lumberjack wielding dual chainsaws trying to down a pine tree! Do whatever you need to do to create the exact flow you want. It's okay to leave the spelling mistakes and grammatical errors in for now, you'll be taking care of them soon enough. You just have to make sure that the ideas and emotions that you're trying to convey through this "diamond in the rough" will shine after being cut and polished.<br /><br />I guess you could say that I lumped rewriting and revision into the same "key", but I consider them to pretty much to be the same thing anyways...The end result makes the paper better in the end doesn't it? Who cares about those darned technicalities? Sorry again for taking so long for putting this out, (or even just plain updating the blog...) but I needed time to think this one over. After all, I should be learning too!<br /><br />-KatieThe Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-54897365589265647192010-09-30T19:30:00.000-07:002010-09-30T20:04:37.239-07:00My Vanity AssignmentHey y'all!<br /><br />So recently in English 1110 we were given an assignment to write a personal essay. So, I decided to do it on how writing has impacted my life, just so I could post the final draft as a blog post ha ha. So here it is(with only a couple of minor changes):<br /><br />"How I discovered writing again"<br /> <br /> When I was in the second grade, our student teacher read “Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone” to my class and I was transfixed. Even back then I knew how well written and original it was. That Christmas, Nana (My Grandmother) gave me a biography about the author: J.K. Rowling. Rowling brought herself out of rock bottom, by becoming a successful writer. As I kept reading, I learned how much depth and research she put into her work. She was a master because she truly loved the craft. It’s no wonder she came so far. She became my idol, I wanted to write stories and get them published one day. If she could come so far, so could I. Little did I know that through my imitation of J.K. Rowling that I would become pretty good at (and come to love) forming a creative extension of myself through writing. (Thanks to a lot of practice.)<br /> Throughout the rest of grade school, I always looked forward to English. I could put my classmates’ writing to shame since creative thinking came naturally to me. In my spare time I always was coming up with story ideas, reading, and writing. When Middle School came around, I submitted a short story to the Writers and Artists Fest in both the 6th and 7th grades. I was accepted both years. I got to miss a day of school and get my work critiqued by actual writers! I felt that I was well on my way to becoming the next J.K. Rowling.<br /> Then 8th grade came along to take me off my cloud. That year, English seemed like a History class with three times the course work. I faltered in it because it wasn’t a place where creativity was encouraged. I wrote less and less on my own, and began to give into self-doubt; my dream felt far away, more like a fantasy. I think I gave up on it sometime between 8th and 9th grade. I still liked English enough, but I stopped writing entirely. <br /> When I started getting actual writing assignments (ones that asked for more than the standard mass produced answer.) again in 10th grade, I decided to give it one more go. As I started writing again, I was a bit rusty. But it all started coming back to me. I poured my heart into writing about helping a friend collect bugs for a project in the 7th grade. I was so proud of it, the old Katie who wanted to be like J.K. Rowling was back! I turned it in seeing stars. When it was returned to me however, there was a red C+ at the top of the paper next to my name. If I ever had a dream, it died that day.<br /> When it came time to schedule my senior year, I had a slight dilemma. I needed to choose an English course. I’d always imagined taking A.P. English my senior year, but since I believed I wasn’t cut out for that stuff anymore I had narrowed down to three other classes: English 1010, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, and Creative Writing. I chose the latter two since they sounded like fun. It might seem like I took the easy road- maybe I did, but I’m glad I took it. That’s what I needed then, a teacher with a Masters in creative writing (he taught both of those classes), and a place to learn and in some cases relearn the foundations of creative writing. If I didn’t take those classes, I might have never ended up writing again. (Which is frightening, but true.) I was having fun again, and I realized that I was still a pretty good writer. I read voraciously again, started checking out writing advice websites, and I even started a writing critique group (and this blog!) with three of my friends. Somewhere in the middle of all of that, my dream came back to me from the great beyond.<br /> Even after graduation and starting college, I’m still unfazed. I know it will be hard, but I’m seriously considering Majoring in Creative Writing and becoming a freelance writer. I’m preparing myself vigorously for the challenge, because to me, writing is worth it; it keeps me going. I have too much to discover and to share to quit now. The real world can be tough, but so am I. I’m going to give writing the best shot I can become like J.K. Rowling.<br /><br />And there it is! Any questions or comments? Post a comment here or on our wall, or send us an email at: cliffhanger.hangout@gmail.com.<br /><br />-KatieThe Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-49178710196141400402010-09-22T18:53:00.000-07:002010-09-22T19:42:04.015-07:00InspirationJohn Bytheway in his book <span style="font-style:italic;">How to be Totally Miserable</span> describes a place called the Imagi-Nation. The Imagi-Nation is the place where people go to imagine their wildest dreams. (<span style="font-style:italic;">Really?</span>) I have a very vivid imagination. I have alway had one. When I was lonely or bored I would often tell my self stories to occupy myself.
<br />My trips to the Imagi-Nation usually is the birth place of my stories. My daily experiences contributes to this process, such as books, music, movies, and life experiences. Lately, one particular song has been inspiring me. This is very unusual for me. I hated the activity in school when I had to write a story about a song.
<br />The title of the song is <span style="font-style:italic;">Fantasia on a Theme By Thomas Tallis</span>. The composer of this work is Ralph Vaughn Williams. His most recognizable work is <span style="font-style:italic;">Five Varients of Dives and Lazarus</span>, more commonly known by <span style="font-style:italic;">If You Could Hie to Kolob.</span> <span style="font-style:italic;">Fantasia on Theme By Thomas Tallis</span>, in my opinion, has a story like quality. I could easily label the basic parts of a story within it.
<br /><a href="<object style="background-image:url(http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/5y7nJL1hpUU/hqdefault.jpg)" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5y7nJL1hpUU?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5y7nJL1hpUU?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="425" height="344" allowScriptAccess="never" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>"></a>
<br />Well enough talking about how wonderful this piece of music is. You can check it out. The You Tube version of the song is good, but I personally feel it is not the best version of the song. My personal favorite performance of the song can be found on iTunes. It is the one with Barry Wordsworth and The New Queens Orchestra.
<br />-Lindsey
<br />The Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-70463256774508454272010-09-15T21:19:00.000-07:002010-09-26T10:42:04.721-07:00My "Magna Carta"Hey y'all,<br /><br />Yeah, I know it's been awhile...sorry about that. But does beginning a new chapter in our lives at college count as an excuse for the blogging silence? No? Fine.<br /><br />Here's something I made awhile ago that I just wanted to share; it's my "Magna Carta" of what I love and hate in story telling. What I love is what I aspire to, and the things I hate are what I want to avoid like the plague...Check it out!<br /><br />What I love in Stories:<br />-GOOD first person narration<br />-I adore J.K. Rowling's usage of the limited third person point of view<br />-Smart plots<br />-Good and compelling villains<br />-Research (While there are things I admire about Dan Brown, I have to admit some of his research is rather...fabricated)<br />-Substance<br />-Nice dialogue<br />-Well rounded characters<br />-Good and appropriate romance<br />-Interesting covers (But don't judge a book by its cover 'Kay?)<br /><br />Things I hate in Stories:<br /> -Boring first person narration (or any boring narration for that matter)<br />-Dumb formula based plots where I say, "Well, I saw that one coming..." A LOT<br />-Cliched two-dimensional characters<br />-Glaring research flaws or grammatical errors<br />-The lack of any positive messages<br />-Gratuitous inappropriateness or swearing/crude language<br />-Cheap ripoff covers<br />-When I think, "Why am I reading this?"<br />-Purple prose (Some prose is needed to establish setting and character traits but, less is more. Try to show us, don't tell us)<br /><br />Well, there you go! I'll try to update as soon as I can! <br /><br />-KatieThe Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-86307747936126179172010-08-26T20:05:00.000-07:002010-08-26T20:17:58.873-07:00Our Fabulous New ScheduleAfter having a few meetings, we noticed that we weren't being as productive as we could be. So we have discussed and came up with this new and improved schedule. Here it is:<br /><br />1.Snack and socializing time<br />2. Book Reviews/ current media discussion<br />3. Share writings<br />4. Writing prompts<br />5. Discuss blog<br /><br />And our assignment will be to fill out a page with thoughts, ideas, or outlines, and etc. <br /><br />- JoriThe Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-35916670838433785842010-08-11T21:02:00.000-07:002010-08-25T11:10:28.144-07:00The Dreaded Persuasive EssayIt's that time of year again, Back to School!(Stop your booing. You know you love school.) Writing a essay is an essential skill. The essay in the persuasive variety causes dread in the hearts many young pupils everywhere. Yet, teachers seem to assign this type of essay often. With some simple tips you can learn to write a well-written persuasive essay too. <br /><a href="http://www.studygs.net/wrtstr4.htm"> Study Guide and Strategies Website</a> will help you write a well-written persuasive essay.<br /><br />-LindseyThe Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-13401117641570906772010-08-11T14:14:00.000-07:002010-08-28T19:47:03.690-07:00What does this characters name mean? Part 1Hey,<br />So recently my cousins and I were trying to search for the meaning of a certain name and we stumbled across this <a href="http://www.name-meanings.com/">awesome site</a>. When we couldn't stop searching for name meanings of people we knew, we decided to look at the names of some fictional characters from various works. I'll start out with something we should all be very familiar with:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">"The Harry Potter series"</span><br />*Harry comes from the name "Harold", which is a male Scandinavian name which means "Army Ruler". And who was it again who led the fight against Voldemort again?<br />*Ron's full name is "Ronald" which is an English name for males which stands for "Advisor to the King". Ron is Harry's best friend, even if some of his advice is iffy. <br />*Hermione is a Greek name for females that means "Earthy". Not too much significance in her name, but it sounds like a name a really smart person would have.<br />*Draco is a Italian males name that mean "Dragon". Umm, yeah.<br />*Lily means "Blossoming Flower" in Latin and it's a girls name. There are a lot of flower based names in this series, Lily, Petunia, Pansy, and probably a couple more.<br />*James is supposedly a unisex name derived from Hebrew. It means "Supplanter".<br />*Sirius was a Greek name for males that meant "Sparkling and scorching". Sirius is also the name of a star that was heavily associated with dogs in Ancient times.<br /><br />I could go on and on looking at all the names in "The Harry Potter series" because J.K. Rowling put so much thought into her characters names. If you want me to look up a particular name from "Harry Potter", just leave me a comment and I'll check it out for you.<br /><br />Also, I'm going to write some more installments on name origins as evidenced by the "Part 1" thing-a-ma-jig placed in the title. I'm thinking about doing an article on "Twilight", "The Hunger Games series", "The Dark Divine series", and "Pride and Prejudice". If you have any suggestions for any other books or series, comment and tell me the name and what work it is from. I'd love to hear from you and help you out.<br /><br />-Katie<br /><br />P.S. I am working on "The Key to writing part 2 and 3" as dedicatedly as possible in the midst of getting ready for college. I'll still update this blog, but when I have free time to write extra non-school related things. ;)The Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-55097347390783081052010-08-10T10:56:00.000-07:002010-08-10T11:06:30.838-07:00"The Creativity Crisis"<a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html">This</a> is the best article I've seen in awhile about how and why creativity is going down, AND how to prevent it.<br /><br />-KatieThe Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-1046642076958958802010-08-06T19:20:00.000-07:002010-08-06T21:15:49.334-07:00The key to writing (Entry 1 of 3)Here after much ado, The first key of writing according to Katie:<br /><br />The first great secret to writing is funnily enough, writing. Probably because of the simplicity of this truth however, most people will just disregard it...and get nothing done.<br /><br />When writing it's important to remember that your rough draft is only that; a rough draft. By all means, write for quantity and follow your mind through every tangent it thinks up. This is true creativity. A great rule to remember about writing: less is less; and more is more. Always. This is true because when you find yourself in the editing stage you'll discover that editing a blank piece of paper is practically an impossible task when compared to patching up a not-quite-perfect literary composition.<br /><br />-Katie<br /><br />P.S. The next two entries will deal with rewriting and editing, so stay tuned!The Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-83483225239344101352010-08-04T10:30:00.000-07:002010-08-04T10:37:39.841-07:00Schedule for Monday's MeetingTwo points of clarification:<br />1. We are not the view. (Even though our schedule looks like a telecast for the view.)<br />2. Our group pronounces schedule the British way because it sounds so much cooler.<br /><br />Schedule:<br />1. Book reviews, current media discussion, and what inspires us roundtable discussion. (About 10-15 minutes)<br />2. Share Writing: Detailed critiques of team members work. (About 30-45 minutes.)<br />3. Writing contests, 4 rounds of contests that last 5 minutes each. (20 minutes.)<br />4. Lesson of the week. (10-30 minutes.)<br /><br />-LindseyThe Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1997696955162740109.post-23366724932095933282010-08-02T14:19:00.000-07:002010-08-02T14:33:12.144-07:00Our mission should we choose to accept it...Well, since Danny was unable to attend our last meeting because he was sick we decided to make it short but but stimulating. So we (Lindsey, Jori, and me) decided to start off by talking about what inspires us and what kind of stories we like to create, (More on that in a future article...ha ha) what books we've read and how we liked them, and then we started our first GROUP CHALLENGE.<br /><br />It's not that hard of a challenge except it might be hard to find the time to actually type it... Here it is: 200 to 500 words of original content of any genre and point of view the team member chooses. It *IS* our first one though so, hopefully we'll all have something nice and semi polished before the next time we meet up. (Oh, and don't worry; we filled Danny in so he won't fall behind;)) <br /><br />-Katie<br /><br />P.S. "The key to writing" will be up on this site soon, so don't think that I forgot ha ha! It's shaping up nicely. Until next time then!The Cliff Hangershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03385214759616684842noreply@blogger.com0