For this blog post, I read What is Creative Nonfiction? (Lee Gutkind), Making Scenes in Memoir (Lee Martin) and My Name is Margaret (Maya Angelou). After reading these articles, I wrote a narrative scene describing a rush filled hour of getting to a babysitting job.
It’s currently 5:50 p.m. on Saturday as I’m shoving my last few bites of pasta down my throat. I quickly rush to the kitchen, run water in my dish, and kiss my family goodbye. It’s now 5:56 and I speed off in my car. I’m driving out of the development and I look in my dashboard and I have less than a quarter tank of gas. Now, I am stressing even more as I am sitting in the New Jersey gas station parking lot waiting to be served. Time seemed to be running away. I have to be in Lower Merion to babysit at 7:00 p.m. as those words replay in my head. I begin to speed on the ramp as my bag and belongings slide across my backseat. The bridge approaches as I thank the toll man and carry on with crossing the bridge. Once I arrive to my house, I sprint in the back door and run up my stairs to shove some clothes in my bag and quickly exit my house soon after. I put on The Weeknd to soothe me on this stressful drive have ahead of me. I then start heading towards the blue route as I catch all red lights. Only when I am late everyone is driving slow and I catch every. single. red. light. The directions on my phone are taking me a different way then it normally takes me so I was hoping it was a faster route. I’m on the blue route going 65-70mph, hoping no cops are around. I start to enter the neighborhood-like roads as the trees swarm the road on either side. I look down on my phone as it says I will arrive at 7:00 p.m. on the dot. I feel the nerves exiting my body slowly but surely as I begin to enter the vibe of my music. I travel down the winding, pothole filled roads as I approach the house. I grab my backpack out of my car and walk in the front door as my little cousin, Zoe, runs at me with open arms yelling, “TT!”
1 Comment
For this blog assignment, I read the following readings listed below.
I walked into Panera Bread to get lunch after my 11:05 a.m. class. I brought my laptop in so that I could work on my assignments. I ordered my mac and cheese and brought it to the high stool seating area where others were sitting. I began to eat and opened my laptop to work on my paper for english class. The screen stared back at me. I just couldn’t get it started. There were 2 women and a male sitting besides me and I introduced myself to them. They introduced themselves as Maria Popova, Don Murray, and Anne Lamott: 3 professional writers. I had explained to them how terrible I am at writing papers. They all responded one thing, “Did you follow the steps of the Writing Process?” I sat there confused. “Well, how do you get your papers started? I can never think of an idea and I tend to keep pushing back my writing until it’s a day before it is due and I have to rush.” Maria responds, “Just sitting down and really trying is enough to get it started.” {1} Anne agreed with Maria and said, “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere. Start by getting something--anything-- down on paper.” {2} Maria and Anne starting having a side conversation as Don chimed in, “You don’t learn a process by talking about it, but by doing it.” {3} “I guess that's the hardest part; just making myself sit down and start to write. When is it a good time to write?” I asked. Maria replied, “When I am working on a book or a story, I write every morning as soon after first light possible. There is no one to disturb you…” {4} “I have class in the morning so I think I would be most productive doing it right after class rather than waiting until night to start,” I added. “Could you guys explain to me a little more about your writing process?” Anne replied, “ First, I try to breathe, because I am either sitting there panting like a lapdog or I’m unintentionally making slow asthmatic death rattles. I just sit there for a minute, breathing slowly, quietly.” {5} Maria laughed as if she related to Anne and said, “I need an hour alone before dinner, with a drink, to go over what I have done that day. So I spend this hour taking things out and putting other things in.” {6} Anne added again, “The first draft is a child’s draft, where you let it pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is ever going to see it and you can shape it later.” {7} She rambled on for a couple more minutes and then, something caught my ears. She said, “Some of the best advice I have ever heard is that you don’t have to see where you’re going… you just have to see two or three feet ahead of you.” {8} I sat there and took in their personal experiences with writing, along with thanking them, and responded, “I am always afraid of what my teacher might think of my writing. Whether it is good enough or not.” Don replied, “Well, I am a teacher and I have learned many ways to understand the student’s paper.” He paused and said, “We have to respect the student, not for the paper we call literature by giving it a grade, but for the search for truth in which he is engaged.” {9} I have always said, “Instead of teaching finished writing, we should teach unfinished writing and glory in its unfinishedness.” {10} Maria jumped in, “Don, I love that! But, we have to get going now. I hope all of our advice has helped and I wish you all the best with you english paper!” I shook all of their hands and couldn’t stop thanking them repeatedly. They walked out the doors of Panera and I opened my laptop, as the cursor blinked, ready for me to type. {1} Quote by William Gibson excerpted from The Daily Writing Routines of Great Writers (Maria Popova) {2} Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (Anne Lamott) {3} Teach Writing as a Process not a Product (Don Murray) {4} Quote by Ernest Hemingway excerpted from The Daily Writing Routines of Great Writers (Maria Popova) {5} Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (Anne Lamott) {6} Quote by Joan Didion excerpted from The Daily Writing Routines of Great Writers (Maria Popova) {7} Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (Anne Lamott) {8} Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (Anne Lamott) {9} Teach Writing as a Process not a Product (Don Murray) {10} Teach Writing as a Process not a Product (Don Murray) In this blog post, I provide answers to The Proust Questionnaire. The answers I provided will give you a little information about me.
The Proust Questionnaire __1.__What is your idea of perfect happiness? My ideal happiness is to be surrounded by friends and family. __2.__What is your greatest fear? My greatest fear is being abducted. I hate walking in my house at night thinking someone could kidnap me before I enter my house. __3.__What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? I hate how indecisive I am. __4.__What is the trait you most deplore in others? People who are cocky. __5.__Which living person do you most admire? I most inspire my grandmother who I call “Mimi”. I live with her and she is an empowering person who always thinks of others before herself. __6.__What is your greatest extravagance? Probably clothes. My dad and Mimi give me money for pretty much everything else. __7.__What is your current state of mind? Everything will be fine. __8.__What do you consider the most overrated virtue? __9.__On what occasion do you lie? I would lie if someone was very proud of something but I didn’t necessarily like it and therefore I would comment on it positively. Also if I didn't want to get in trouble. __10.__What do you most dislike about your appearance? In my appearance, I dislike my forehead. You will never see me wear my hair in a ponytail unless I am running somewhere. __11.__Which living person do you most despise? I don’t really despise anyone. __12.__What is the quality you most like in a man? In a man, I like when they are funny but it couldn’t hurt if they were tall also. __13.__What is the quality you most like in a woman? When they are funny. __14.__Which words or phrases do you most overuse? I say “OMG” and “like” way too often. I’ve also been trying to stop calling people “dude”. __15.__What or who is the greatest love of your life? I can’t stand to go over a week without seeing my niece, Harper, who is 2 years old. She lives in New Jersey with my mom and I visit every weekend because I always feel like I’m missing out on her growing up. __16.__When and where were you happiest? I was happiest summer after junior year of high school. Overall, with my friends, we partied and ate great food with no worries of school for those couple months. __17.__Which talent would you most like to have? I would love to be able to draw and paint. I love looking at others artwork but I am a terrible artist. __18.__If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? I would try to stop procrastinating. __19.__What do you consider your greatest achievement? My greatest achievement is receiving an A in science my senior year oh high school. I've always disliked science and earning an A boosted my confidence. __20.__If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be? I would come back as a butterfly. They are easy-going and care free. __21.__Where would you most like to live? I would love to stay in Media. I love the town and how close we are to Philly. __22.__What is your most treasured possession? Probably my phone. I can’t go anywhere without it or I feel lost. __23.__What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? Losing a loved one. __24.__What is your favorite occupation? Being an aunt and spoiling my nieces. __25.__What is your most marked characteristic? I am very easygoing. I just go with the flow. __26.__What do you most value in your friends? I value their honesty and how funny they are. They will always be here for me no matter what. __27.__Who are your favorite writers? I’ve never read any Nicholas Sparks books but I love the movies based on his books. __28.__Who is your hero of fiction? __29.__Which historical figure do you most identify with? __30.__Who are your heroes in real life? My mimi and my mom are my heroes. They are my best friends and I couldn’t live without their support. __31.__What are your favorite names? I love the girl name “Lily” and for a boy I like “Brayden”. __32.__What is it that you most dislike? I hate it when people chew obnoxiously. __33.__What is your greatest regret? My greatest regret is not going to my mom’s house for over a year. __34.__How would you like to die? Peacefully in my bed of natural causes. __35.__What is your motto? When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. |
Taylor DannakerI will use this blog to write about moments in my life where I hope you can understand me a little more. Archives
December 2018
Categories
All
|