Blog on William Stafford - Writing the Australian Crawl

 I was a bit hesitant when I first began reading Writing the Australian Crawl by William Stafford. This immediate hesitation began after watching his documentary in class. He didn't seem like an author I would find very interesting due to his lack of enthusiasm. However, I was pleasantly surprised after reading the first few assigned chapters. Although Stafford wasn't the most exciting person to watch on screen, he is an incredible poet with plenty of advice and knowledge to share. In my opinion, Stafford does an incredible job of writing in such a way that is easy to understand for anyone who chooses to pick up his work. He speaks, writes, and teaches simply. Knowing Stafford was a well-known poet, I was nervous he was going to have (for lack of a better word) “stuck-up”, or arrogant attitude. This was definitely not the case. Stafford came across as a very humble and kind man; his love for writing shines through each and every page.  A Way of Writing was one of my favorite readings in Writing the Australian Crawl. In this chapter, Stafford thoroughly explains his own personal writing process, while also expressing his own weaknesses. He briefly discusses the concept of “receptivity”; this is the first step to his writing process. Stafford will grab a pen and paper, sit by his window, and simply open his mind and wait for any thought to come. Not any specific or “intelligent” thought, just any inspirational idea that pops into his mind. 

“Along with initial receptivity, then, there is another readiness: I must be willing to fail. If I am to keep on writing, I cannot bother to insist on high standards. I must get into action and not let anything stop me, or even slow me much. By "standards" I do not mean "correctness" spelling, punctuation, and so on.”

I also love how Stafford explains his thoughts on “skills” when writing.  The idea that our creative writing and use of imagination is not solely based on skill is great. It shows that our unique creativeness comes from within ourselves, not the amount of experience or education we've received.

“They talk about "skills" in writing. Without denying that I do have experience, wide reading, automatic orthodoxies and maneuvers of various kinds, I still must insist that I am often baffled about what "skill" has to do with the precious little area of confusion when I do not know what I am going to say and then I find out what I am going to say. That precious interval I am unable to bridge by skill. What can I witness about it? It remains mysterious, just as all of us must feel puzzled about how we are so inventive…”

Blog on reading from Dreams and Inward Journeys

I would like to write this post on Hunger by Anne Lemott. This reading definitely made the largest impact on me in our assigned text Dreams and Inward Journeys. Anne Lemott did an awesome job in capturing me attention from the very start by beginning with the blunt statement "This is the story of how, at the age of thirty-three, I learned to feed myself". Immediately you begin to wonder: what could she be talking about? How could a thirty-three year old just be learning how to feed herself? Shouldn’t she have learned this years ago? And before you know it, BAM! Anne Lemott has you exactly where she wants you.

After reading the story a bit further, you soon realize she is discussing the topic of her dangerous, life threatening struggle with an eating disorder. In my opinion, she made an excellent decision to write this story in first person. Her very blunt and to-the-point style of writing makes it incredibly easy to follow and understand. I also found her light-hearted, dry sense of humor worked as an awesome asset in explaining this very tragic time in her life. For example, when she talks about finally becoming sober—“I felt that when I got sober, God had saved me from drowning, but now I was going to get kicked to death on the beach. It’s so much hipper to be a drunk than a bulimic. Drunks are like bikers or wrestlers; bulimics are baton twirlers, gymnasts.” This was also one of my favorite quotes from this story. In just a few sentences, she was able to express how scared and lost she was, while making you giggle all at the same time.

Furthermore, Anne’s writing does a great job in placing you in her shoes. Maybe you’ve never experienced any trouble with an eating disorder, or maybe you have, or maybe you’re even going through this difficult time as you’re reading this. No matter which applies, Hunger is an educational and/or therapeutic read. She effectively brings you along on the bumpy road to her recovery, and ends the story with her inspirational decision to love herself, and “live”.

Blog on quotation - Anne Lemott

“It is finally so wonderful to have learned to eat, to taste and love what slips down my throat, padding me, filling me up, that I’m not uncomfortable calling it a small miracle. A friend who does not believe in God says, “Maybe not a miracle, but a little improvement,” but to that I say, Listen! You must not have heard me right: I couldn’t feed myself! So thanks for your input, but I know where I was, and I know where I am now, and you just can’t get here from there….So it was either a miracle…or maybe it was more of a gift….But whatever it was, learning to eat was about learning to live – and deciding to live; and it is one of the most radical things I’ve ever done.”

–Anne Lamott

  

 This quote stated by Anne Lammot is absolutely my personal favorite from all of the assigned readings throughout this semester.  In my opinion, it was an awesome end to her story Hunger, which was based on her lifelong struggles with her body image, dieting, and bulimia. Because she writes this story (her story) in first person, it makes it so much more impactful on it's readers. She immediately grabs your attention and takes you along for her road to recovery. Anne does an incredible job in explaining an eating disorders darkest hours, consequences, and daily struggles in recovering. 

In my opinion, you must read the entire story to appreciate the quote fully. You must take a walk in her shoes to understand just how far she has come. Also, to understand why she firmly believes her recovery is "a miracle", and not just "an improvement". I love how Anne describes her new-found love in actually enjoying her food; she makes it clear she's learned to appreciate what she put in her body. And what good this food does for her, not only mentally, but physically as well.

Last, but not least, the end of the quote is a perfect ending: "..But whatever it was, learning to eat was about learning to live – and deciding to live; and it is one of the most radical things I’ve ever done.”

Open blog - Café au Lait Green Monster

So, if any of you guys are like me, you definitely love your coffee. It’s an absolute necessity in my morning routine and without it I feel completely off. Although, after a few months of stopping at the local Starbucks every morning, I began to realize just how much money was going into my caffeine habit. I then began to search online for homemade iced coffee recipes that would save me around twenty dollars a week, and could possibly be a bit healthier. After a few trial and error runs, I came upon this delicious recipe for the “Café au Lait Green Monster”. I was so excited when I stumbled upon this website: Full Measure of Happiness. It is written by a young lady who shares delicious and healthy recipes for almost anything you can think of. I automatically clicked on the green monster with coffee; of course, but later returned to try a few of her other recipes. However, I enjoy the coffee drink so much, and would love to share it with you all. And maybe coffee isn’t your cup of tea? No worries! I will provide some different delicious green monster smoothies for you all to take a look at! Such as, my second favorite: the banana bread green smoothie :-)

Cafe au Lait Green Monster

• 1 C coffee, chilled if possible (if hot, like mine was, compensate with some extra ice cubes!)
• 2 large handfuls baby spinach (this may not be as Starbucks-tasting with other greens)
• 3-4 ice cubes (I used more once I realized how warm mine was going to be, made with hot coffee)
• 1 really ripe banana, frozen
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/3 C milk

 So, hopefully I haven't lost all of you non-coffee drinkers quite yet! As I promised before, I will now provide you with the recipe to my second favorite green monster smoothie:


Banana Bread Green Monster

• 1 ripe banana, frozen (peel before freezing!)
• 1 C milk
• 2 handfuls spinach leaves (I use fresh)
• 1/4 C walnuts
• 1/4 C oats
• sprinkle of cinnamon

Open Blog - The Outsiders (film)

Good morning, guys! I'm excited to write an open blog on one of my favorite movies-- The Outsiders. I discussed the novel written by S.E Hinton in a previous blog, and thought it'd be a nice follow up to discuss the movie.

The Outsiders was originally a novel written by S.E. Hinton that was published in 1967. It later on became a film that released in 1983 starring many different well-known actors of today. Such as: Matt Dillon, Tom Cruise, and Emilio Estevez. This film took place in the mid 1960’s in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is a story about two rival gangs at the time called the Greasers and the Socs. Young Ponyboy and Johnny are two members of the greasers who find themselves in trouble and having to flee town after a dangerous late night fight with the drunken Socs. After letting the town cool off the boys talk to their friend Dally and decide they are ready to turn themselves into the police. However, on the way back home they find themselves faced with saving young children from a church that was accidently set on fire. Dally and Ponyboy were able to make it out of the fire but Johnny was not so lucky. While back in town when story of the young three heroes was spreading, Johnny had been dying in the hospital and only had a few more days to live. Once Dally found out about his young friends death, he left the hospital and got shot down by the police for robbing a gas station. The movie concludes with Ponyboy finding a letter from his friend Johnny, telling him to “stay gold”, and reassuring him that saving the children from the burning church was worth it. In my opinion, these pieces of work are timeless. I definitely recommend reading the novel first, then watching the movie. As I said before, tissues are a must have!

 

Descpriptive Blog

I remember being bombarded with the smell of the ocean water as soon as I stepped out of my car. The light breeze danced along my skin and throughout my hair. I could hear the sound of the waves screaming my name. The moment I had been waiting for all summer had arrived, and I could hardly contain my excitement. I grabbed my boyfriend’s hand, threw off my shoes, and ran to the beach. The ocean was beautiful and stretched out as far as I could see. The sand tickled my toes and guarded my feet from the cool breeze. We stopped right before the water and remained quiet. The sound of the waves crashing took away the need for words.  My skin, hair, and heart were soaking it all in. The weight and worries of Phoenix seemed to be instantly lifted off my shoulders. I suddenly felt revitalized as the water touched my feet. It was so perfect: the overcast clouds, the beautiful view, and Nick standing by my side. In that moment, I was sincerely head over heels content. And this was the most amazing, yet terrifying feeling I had ever felt.  

Blog on Revision

I found this quote of Ernest Hemingway's while browsing the internet a few days ago-- it's so perfect! It also reminded me of the revising we all learned this semester in Kimberly's class. I believe it's so important to begin this process with no boundaries; you should always allow yourself the space to jump freely into your writing. I also believe it's extremely important to choose your topics wisely. For example, pick something in which you feel passionately about, then let yourself run free. Whether you use a pencil or a keyboard, just start writing! While you're doing this, you could also enjoy a nice alcoholic beverage(s).  OR you could  let your mood, emotions, and imagination take the lead. Become intoxicated, or "drunk" in your own creative thoughts and ideas. After this step you may be feeling a bit exhausted; now it's time to step away from your masterpiece for a while. Wait a few hours-- or days.

Now it's time to come back and begin the revision process. You should always return to your writing with an open mind (sober), be nice to yourself! Read your piece aloud a few times; this process will help you catch a lot of the grammar/punctuation mistakes you missed the first time. Revise, revise, revise. Next, in our case, we were all lucky enough to continue this revision process in workshop. In my opinion, this is where our greatest learning opportunity took place. We were able to gain so much experience and skills from our classmates as well as share our own. I am very grateful Kimberley required this step. As nerve-racking as it was for me, I've gained so much knowledge and confidence this semester about revising my writing.