Wr 12: New story due Friday, Jan 18 . . . Enjoy!

Stories can come from anywhere--a word, a line, a memory, a Flip Dictionary, a National Geographic photograph. Keep your imagination fed by writing with several sources on your desk. A book of poetry, chocolate, art books, architecture books, magazines, literary magazines, your poetry manuscript . . . .
Listen to a Ted Talk or let your mind drift over interesting videos ---the guy who danced his way around the world or the guys who photographed a couch in front of international monuments such as the Taj Mahal or The Eiffel Tower. Use your imagination as a focal point this time around. I mentioned Bill Stenson's story about the divorce where the husband builds himself a house in the tree across the street and watches his marriage dissolve, his wife and her lover come and go . . . it sounds preposterous in real life but in fiction, with the right declarative details, you can make it work.
Google: Ted Talk, Jill Taylor to listen to an incredible story about a neuroanatomy scientist who has a stroke and is able to watch herself have a stroke as she knows what is going on . . . and the epiphanies she draws from that experience. 


Start with a line

The first thing you need to know about Jo is . . . . (We did this one in class today and I threw out the following words: bumper cars, beret Jocelyn's dad, fortune cookie, garage band, robin's egg, leprechaun, Atticus Finch, and then we finished with Really, the only thing you need to know about Jo is . . .
Use Jo or Joe.

The thing about cancer is . . .

The thing about living here is . . .

The thing about taxidermy is . . . .

And then you are off. Once I get the first image in a line, I've got a motif. Once I have a motif, I have resonance and with resonance I have character and with character, I have action.

We spoke about trying a space montage approach for this story. Shrinking or eliminating time. Think of films such as Love Actually, The Red Violin, Valentine's Day, Orozco's story, "Orientation". You remove the necessity of plot and replace it with intensity in description and action.

Stories to read for space montage ideas: Frankie's, Whitney's, Courtney's, Jesse's, Christina's, Terra's,  Shan's, or Gill's. 

English 10: Romeo and Juliet: your brain on Shakespeare

If you were absent today, visit the Learning Commons to sign our a copy of the play and make notes or get notes on all of the following terms/ideas:

Review:
blank verse
iambic pentameter
quatrain
couplet
irrational
rational
How to cite quotations from a play.
Shakespearean sonnet elements
Purpose of each act
juxtaposition of love and hatred in the play
We'll be writing essays on love/hatred comparisons.

 Why / how / when does he juxtapose love and hatred throughout the play?

I read aloud an article about the similarities in the brain's circuitry regarding love and hate. Fascinating. Why do we read Shakespeare? He knew about the brain's circuitry 400 years before this scientific discovery was made.

Similarities between love and hate

Reading Shakespeare:
Reading Shakespeare has a dramatic effect on the brain

This is your brain on Shakespeare:
How To Think Like Shakespeare

Writing 12: Micheal Chabon novel, Wonder Boys

We finished watching the film. I collected the new fiction reports and the number of post-it notes. If you haven't started your third collection of stories, yet, do pick one up from the library or ask me for a suggestion. Ask your peers for suggestions as well.

Today we wrote a short piece using two Chabon lines:

Opening: Sometimes people just really need to be rescued.
End line: He probably calls everybody Vernon.

English 11E: Poetry

We finished the poems in the package. Be sure to get the notes you missed.
We did a TICK chart and thesis for the Gillan poem, page 1. Finish the chart/thesis tonight.

We'll be writing a compare/contrast composition on the two poems' attitudes toward education during tomorrow's class as part of our exam prep.

Re-read the poems in the package. Which style do you prefer? Why?
We'll be using these poems (and more) to write our own poems.

Deadline for the next poetry contest is Jan. 15th.

English 11E: Poetry Unit Has Begun

If you were absent today, be sure to collect the poetry package from me and to get the notes from today's class from a friend. I collected the USSR Dec. forms today.

Wr 12: The Wonder Boys Micheal Chabon

Yes, it's true. It's true. A movie. Who knew writing could be this much fun?
Tonight: Complete your 2nd Fiction Report. I'm really looking forward to reading them. Due Wed. Jan. 9

English 10: December USSR forms due

We have almost finished watching the Romeo and Juliet film. Be ready to learn!
Also, set a USSR goal for January. How many books can you read?