Who Doesn't Love a Little Rhetoric?

But why can't we start every single persuasive essay with a rhetorical question, Mrs. Rau?  Because - Hasn't everyone dreamed about going to Mars? is not a rhetorical question!!  I can honestly say that no, I have never dreamed about going to Mars. I was under the assumption that rhetorical questions were supposed to have an obvious answer and no wiggle room.  (We won't even talk about the generalization in that question - an entirely different blog post)  More to come on this later - when I have had time to calm myself and dislodge the pen jammed into my eye socket.  This is what happens when kids write - BEWARE!!

The Writing Life - Maria Arana

It was interesting to read the opinions of these famous writers.  Mary Higgins Clark was by far the author that I most identified with regarding her thoughts about writing. 

"The godmother who might have blessed me with a singing voice did not show up; the goddess of dance was nowhere in sight; the chef-to-the-angels was otherwise engaged.  Only one made the journey to my cradle, and she whispered, "You will be a storyteller."

I thought that this quote was interesting and really fits with my own belief that not everyone is meant to be a writer.  You can teach form and vocabulary, but when it comes to great storytelling, there has to be some bit of talent bestowed on a person.  Some people are born with two left feet - they won't be famous dancers; likewise, some people are born without silver tongues. 

Rare Book Room Experience...

I always knew that I loved books - the way they smell and how they feel beneath your fingertips.  There is something to be said about holding a book that is quite possibly worth more than your entire life's wages.  I am still beside myself that I got the opportunity to hold and caress the boards of a first edition Chaucer from 1542.  As if that wasn't enough to, as a classmate said, have a "nerd-gasm", then 1 of the 5 remaining Shakespeare Folios is thrust into my lap.  Multiple Nerd-gasms!!  :)

What an amazing experience.  I have already told all of the book lovers at my school about this amazing experience and am going to try to arrange a tour and presentation for all of us.  It is one of those things that you can talk about but never really capture the actual amazement until you have seen it for yourself.   

Susan Hubbard Interview Questions...More on Prose later

1. Do you have a routine when it comes to writing? Ex: write a little bit everyday, times of day, specific places, etc?


2. What piece of advice do you wish someone would have told you before you decided to become a writer?

3. I grew up in Homosassa Springs and was pulled into the story through that connection. How did you decide on the locations for The Society of S?

4. What advice would you give an amateur writer struggling with developing character driven stories?

5. What enticed you to write about vampires?

6. How do you feel about the emergence of the electronic book world via Nook, Kindle, etc.? Do you think it has it been helpful or harmful to book sales?

7. Who would you consider your greatest influence? Why?

8. Have you ever had writer’s block? What did you do about it?

9. What books have you read in that past few months?

10. Was Ari based on anyone in particular?

11. Even though The Season of Risks was just released, is there an additional book in the works for ‘The Ethical Vampire Series’?

12. Are you currently working on anything else?

13. You have a workshop in Ireland planned for 2011; what type of writing exercises and/or topics do you focus on during the workshop?

It was hard to limit it to only 13 questions.  We have already conducted the interview so I am now working on putting together the paper.  Not really sure if I want to do a q&a style paper or actually write it out with personal commentary.  We shall see. 

SCORE!!!

I was able to get in touch with Susan Hubbard and she is going to let me interview her!!  Sweet!  Check out her website at:

www.susanhubbard.com
www.theseasonofrisks.com

This is so exciting - now I just have to come up with questions!!  YAY!!

Francine Prose: Narration, Character, Dialogue...

The concept of writing a story as "stories within the story" is one with which I can identify.  The battle of determining what voice your character is going to have and whether or not the story will be told in first or third person can sometimes boil down to personal preference.  What I am finding out more and more on my writing journey is that a writer must pick the narration style that best suits the delivery of the message within a work.  First person come more naturally to me, but when I start one story in the mind of a three year old it doesn't really work.  So, do I switch to third and then shift to first when my character comes of age?  What Prose and pretty much every other book about writing will tell you is that you can do pretty much anything you want.  That's the beauty of writing - freedom.

We also learned about interviewing strategies fir our author interview paper.  I was very excited to learn that my undergraduate professor, Susan Hubbard, has agreed to let me interview her.  I am currently putting together the questions and can't wait to see what she has to say.  She is an extremely gifted writer and has the ability to create character driven stories versus plot driven stories.   I am really looking forward to the interview. 

What a bad Friday!

This is entirely unrelated to the class, but it's been a not-so-good day.  I made a boy cry this afternoon.  He was goofing off in the hall and I have warned him several times to stop.  I caught him today and finally gave him silent lunch - for a middle schooler a death sentence would seem like a bargain in this case.  I went over to him and explained why he was there and that I was disappointed in his behavior and the tears started welling.  I feel TERRIBLE.  Even though he deserved it - I don't like to see little boys cry.  :o(