We watched three intro videos, two from Animoto and one from an apple program. All three were great. We'll watch a few each class.
I collected today's poem. Thank you. They are wonderful.
We did a writing exercise using prompts from Patrick Lane and then we edited out any "expected" bits, i.e.
dancing a waltz or bird flies etc. We don't want our readers to be able to predict the next line.
I read the Patrick Lane poem so we could see how professional poets constantly surprise us but they do so in such a way that when we read their description we feel as if that is exactly the way birds fly or the way a boy dances or how a girl feels about herself.
Next, we read a number of descriptive pieces and we all tried describing the colour red by
looking back in our journals for random phrases and sticking them to the phrase red, like the . . .
by plucking out phrases randomly and plonking them down where we need to surprise ourselves, we invent language that is fresh and convincing.
That's what we want to do this week--write convincingly with new eyes.
Of course, when you create a first draft, let it all out, the cliches, the commercialized language, the phrases you've been saying for years but as you practice you will notice your writing change, as you gain more experience reading poetry and other literary works. You can't help it. Your ear will have changed.
Homework: Open your secret envelope and do whatever it tells you to do. (Place scary laugh here).
Bring it all to class on Friday. Also, finish the poem that you started in the language lab and bring that to share with a partner.
It was a great class. We missed you, Isabella.
