Blog 07

I am attempting, and badly at that, to figure out this week’s readings. What was I too learn, what small grain of truth was to explode within my mind giving me the realization and understanding of what the readings presented. Simply put I have nothing. Both readings were interesting, short, and thankfully missing the ever boring work of Smith. However, I seem to be missing something, or if not missing, overlooking a variable that I had not previously considered. Being that my workload is immense I can not afford to re-read assignments over and over so twice has to suffice and as such all I can add to any discussion, either physical or verbal is as follows. Also there was a mention of a handout in the schedule listings a “Macrorie, Handout” however I cannot seem to find it.

While Spendel’s 9 Rights reading was interesting, highly so I found it to be simple repetition of what has been drilled into my mind for years. I was nice to see that the old “write what you know” idea was expanded and clarified as to show that it means that to write as an authority a person needs to do research. This opens up many doors I know classmates of mine in high school found bared because they assumed that “write what you know” meant that a person should only write what they readily knew and that everything outside of their readily available knowledge was evil and taboo. While I was happy that this was said I have a feeling that to this day it is something not taught in classrooms, and while I can see the reason why (time constraints, teachers not wanting to be bothered giving their students true guidance and just offering nothing but silly platitudes, etc) this is a subject that needs to be fully understood, and more so in the field of creative writing were students can stumble far easier than in more formalized composition and research writing.

The reading that I found to be far more interesting this time around came out of the WTL, and involved the writing workshop and how it affected the learning disabled. Unfortunately I wish Swoger would have given more information on her actual day to day practices and life in the classroom. While it was nice to follow along with Scott’s improvement and journey into the world of writing I felt it would have been much more helpful to actually get an idea of the inner workings of Swoger class. Since I could not step through her open door and share the experience of that particular workshop I feel as if I missed something vital in its workings and how to attempt to emulate it in a future classroom.

I-Search ... Easily identifiable with the late 1970s. Anyway, this sounds interesting, and I have had the unfortunate pleasure of doing this my first year in college. Unfortunate I say because the things I find interesting are not exactly as easily available as a fire station. There is also the small problem as what I would like to talk about is often received the wrong way. The last thing I need is someone thinking I'm making a threat when all I'm talking about is my love of firearms. Question (yes I know it won't be answered, I've given up on that) is the interviewing process a requirement? I ask this because something are impossible to get interviews for.

Blog Number Six

Tom Ramano's story of his daughter Mariana and her development of a story, and how the story developed her as a writer was heartwarming, but I didn't find much to the piece beyond the retelling of a story and an emphasis on the way success in writing, even if the success is personal, helps a person to blossom as a writer.

In Smith's piece on how we become writers through learning he makes man interesting points. I like that he quickly hits upon the fact that, in a good writer, "their ability is a matter of selecting conventions rather than applying rules." (177) I appreciate that, because most of my favorite authors were best known for defying conventions and taking prose somewhere new that the rules had previously forbidden. I also like that he states "learning is a natural as breathing" (179) and that it's applying what we learn both formally and intuitively that gives us tools for good writing. Overall, this piece was very effective, and had many strong points as to what motivates us to learn and how that links to language and then writing.

I like that Spandel addresses issues of voice. I've seen a lot of writers struggle with the issue. However, she seems to address the matter by asking the reader to identify voice and by stressing the importance of voice, which I find less valuable. She makes some points I found cheesy such as "voice is power", where I would much rather she expand on the matters of perspective and how that lends to the writing, which is very briefly mentioned. The biggest mistake she made, as I see it, is using Stephen King as an example for someone who experiments with voice. It was a quote from his book On Writing, which made me realize why I was never quite fond of his work. To try and end positively, she was smart to point out that you need to listen for the rythm of voice, especially with dialog, in order to make it seem natural.

Blog 6

To read or not to read. That's often the question a reader goes into a book, essay, etc. with. But I think if nothing else, the readings this week have stressed that this should be the question writers go into writing a piece with. As Spandel points out, indifference that states "I'm sure I don't care" is something that leaves a piece with little voice, and leaves no motivation for readers to read it.
Developing a voice isn't always the easiest thing to do, and I often have trouble with this myself. Taking or borrowing another author's voice is something I often try to. Spandel does a nice job of explaining the need to think through exactly what students are reading, and the importance of the voice within and how this can influence a search for voice.
My favorite part of the readings this week were a combination of Bill Lane's excerpt and the inclusion of Bill Walsh's wit into Spandel's chapter. Lane's use of a foreign voice, even as connections eventually were made into his own life, show the ways that writers can get voice out...even if it is not inherently their "own."
And with Walsh, well, I've always hated the impersonal qualities of some writing assignments and truly wish that teachers would end the whole "No I or You" trend in writing. This writer believes that one should write in whatever way one deems best to accustom to you.

So what?

While I agree with the authors of this week's reading that all writers need to find their own voice, when I got done with the reading and found myself asking "So what?" This is probably a point I have made before, either in my blogs or in class, but I believe we all have the foundation of "what" we should be teaching but not all of us have the "how." A majority of what we read is teaming with educational philosophy but I want to see some concrete examples. I may not use the examples that the authors provide but a model would be nice, something I could adapt to the classroom when I become a teacher. Or even something I could throw out completely but that would spark a "how." But is something would be nice. Add an extra paragraph after "this is what I believe about" that says "and this is one way I do it." I once had a professor who was recounting the experiences of her son as a first-year history teacher. He was struggling to create lesson plans and she told him not to worry about reinventing the wheel. We can borrow from each other, learn from each others successes and failures. I believe that is what the authors of texts should be doing, sharing practical knowledge. I know textbooks like that have to be out there.

another voice for Blog 6,

Mr. Smith was right on alot of points today: the brain must keep learning, keep working through problems. I think that people are happier when they are working through tough problems than vegging in front of the TV. I liked Smith's thoughts on engagement. From Vygotsy et. al. I see that learning is a contract, a give and take between learner & teacher. Standing in front of a class and lecturing for an hour might work in college but not in middle school, there is no engaging the students, so no learning is taking place.
Ramano's tale was wonderful. I loved how the story--a fiction based on shared experience--became part of the family canon. It illustrates how truth takes a backseat to reflecting a universality in writing. I would guess that over the years the daughter's story comes to be accepted as truth by the family.
Ms. Spandel, can I call you Vicki? I feel that I have gotten to know you through your writing.
Her discussion of voice was great yet how to develop this trait remains somewhat elusive. I thought back to a workshop education students attended on how to put together the writing portfolio. Two examples were handed out as examples--one as a negative example and one as positive. They were anonymous--no names, and yet reading through the positive example it became immediately apparent that this was the work of one of our former class mates. Almost all of us that knew this person picked up on the authorship. The voice was that strong--you could hear the author speaking the words as you read. The other example? Bland. who knows who wrote it or cares? the person had done nothing to make it rise beyond the average.

Blog 6

"Voice not only drives the writing; it is, beyond the simple sharing of information, the very reason for writing" (9R, 128). Totally. Voice is really what distinguishes one writer from another and also what makes a piece of writing worth reading. When I read, I want finish feeling like I know the people who put those particular words on that particular paper, or at least like I've met them. It should feel like an interaction. It should feel like someone is speaking directly to me, not some sort of hypothetical reader. Not all readers will enjoy all writers, but they should still be able to make that decision one way or the other after reading their writing. Take Smith, for example. I can usually appreciate his points, but I'm definitely not a fan of his writing style, his voice. At least that says something about his writing, though. It would be much worse not to have any reaction at all. I totally cracked up trying to imagine FDR doing the Seinfeld bit, but it also made me think. When I read the three examples the first time, I wasn't immediately sure who those voices belonged to, but after I had three names to match them up to, I could figure it out because for the last two, I knew what their actual speaking voices sounded like, so I could hear them saying those words in my head. It made me wonder how much of a writer's voice comes from knowing what that writer's actual speaking voice sounds like, or what it would sound like reading those words. I'm not sure my own writing would sound exactly the way I intended it to if someone other than me read it out loud, unless that person knows me and knows how I would read it. I think if a writer's voice is strong, a reader should be able to come pretty close, but can it really be exact? Does it really need to be?

Blog 6

Voice is an interesting thing to consider when it comes to reading and writing. Especially in the context of how do you teach someone else how to use their voice? In my own writing experiences, I constantly revise my sentences as i write them until it comes out the way i would want it to if i was speaking out loud. then i do the same thing to paragraphs, then entire sections, and ultimately the whole piece. I think that reading your work out loud is a great way to revise and refine everything that you wish to communicate to your reader because you want your writing to speak for itself. The only way this can happen is if there is a consistent unity of style throughout the piece. This is how i define my own voice. I write so that when someone is reading, they hear me even if they don't know me; almost as if what i had written was transcribed from something that i said. (Is that proper use of a semicolon?) This is why i don't think that anything is too personal to write about. I really liked the article in WTL about the wooden pony and I'd like to pose this question to the class for discussion. Why is personal experience able to be related to on a universal scale? and why are universal themes and expressions harder to pin down to your own personal experience?

Blog # 6

Since I have not posted regarding the readings from WW because I just got my book (finally), my post this week will focus primarily on "Learning to be a Writer". We do learn to write by writing. I've seen it too many times to say otherwise. Smith actually reiterates our class discussion when he states "No writer has ever claimed to have learned as a result of the grammar lessons given at school."(177) How true.

Last Semester, I took Dr. Cheri Ross' class in Linguistics. I found myself struggling to re-learn what apparently I had already learned as a young child in elementary school. I did learn it, right? Because for the life of me, I couldn't remember having learned much of it, especially "diagrams", prespositional phrases and such. I am a good writer, not great, but I apparently have at least a slight handle on the conventions in writing or I would'nt have been an "A" student for the past seven years.

I've considered the possibility of subconscious learning and the fact that maybe I've just repressed the grammar aspects of writing, but it makes little sense to me that I don't remember any of it. My current knowledge of grammar is thus: Nouns, verbs and adjectives--even after having attended Dr. Ross' classes. How then, is it possible for me to write at all, let alone the wonderful, well-written stories and papers I produced over the years? I can't imagine having been this effective without at least possessing the foundations of a subconscious grasp of grammar and it's usages.

However, as I look back on my years as a student, I remember writing--a lot. It was one of my favorite past times (besides reading novels). Yes, I understand Smith's point that "what we read does not inevitably rub off onto us as writers." (178). However, I do think that both of these ideas can be combined to explain how we learn to write. Think about it: for those of us that read, we are subconsciously picking up vocabulary and grammar usage. Smith suggest just this in his statement mentioned later in the reading:

"Have you had the experience of casually reading a book or newspaper when suddenly your attention is seized by the way a word is spelled, perhaps a name you have heard mentioned on the radio or television but never seen written before? You may have read beyond the text but you go back because you know there was something that caught your attention." (188) Thanks Mr.Smith, you've proven my point, or maybe I'm simply agreeing with you. I believe we do learn to write by reading. But I know without a doubt that it can't be accomplished effectively without writing as well. I believe it should be a combination of both in order to enhance the student's ultimate potential.

I also have to say I agree with him on the complications of learning to write. It is amazing that the human mind is able to comprehend the language process and the ability to express it through the written word. I feel just like the author; I find myself wondering how I learned all this--how anyone learns all of this, which is why we need to hire psychologists and psychiatrists to try and make sense of it. As a result, I have noticed I've gained compassion in trying to teach writing; I have more patience now than I did years ago. Common errors and frequent mistakes are welcome, because I understand that this process is extremely difficult; not that it has to be, as the author indicates. To me, it just is, when I approach the cognitive aspects of learning to write. We just do it and we just learn. I've given up trying to decipher (literally) how we can do it--no matter which way we learn it or what kind of teachers we have in life. "What really is learning?" (Smith, 186). Who knows?I accept the human-as-sponge theory and consider the learning process of writing a miracle from God. Period. It's easier that way, so I can busy myself writing...

Blog 6 or Voices! I hear voices!

Digression. Okay, Miami Vice flashback. Russ Ballard's song "Voices" is playing as Crockett and Tubbs are taking their Cigarette offshore racing boat out to the Bahamas in pursuit of bad guy du jour. They are moving full tilt and the camera pans away showing a little boat in a big ocean, the soundtrack blaring, fade to commercial, and we're out! End of digression.



I too was moved by the Romano piece. At first my mind conjured up Ray Romano but then it was quickly dispelled by the piece. What a perfect example of voice. I found myself captivated by the tale and pulled into his family. I don't know what else he writes but I would love to read more.


My brain and body are still playing catch-up, off-kilter today.

Spandel's writing was as usual, interesting. She makes a lot of good points but it is the practice of these things that will be the important part. I don't know if I will be putting any of it into practice but can imagine the struggle to use creativity and emphasize the individual within my perception of current academics. If everyone is teaching for the test, then who gives a crap about voice. I couldn't live w/o it in my work or the reading of others but if we are still talking about this stuff as what should be done and we are 40 years on? As the Joker said in the first Batman movie, "This town needs an enema!"

Smith, I fell behind in reading, but got through some and agree with my brain not liking to be bored. I can't just sit. I have a problem with meditation. I would like to do it more for its therapeutic qualities but can't seem to find time for the things I need to do let alone the things I desire to do. I also got to the part of babies inventing language to learn the language. My 1.5 y/o niece has an amazing vocabulary and even playacts the conversations, but the language is none we understand. She, though, seems perfectly content in the language of her world.

Voice

Strangely, I don’t feel like I have much to say about these readings. I agree that voice is an important part of writing and an author needs to understand her voice. I further agree that this is yet another aspect of writing that gets swept under the rug of the educational system. I would even go so far as to say that lack of understanding of this concept can be blamed for most of the negative feelings some folks have towards writing.
I think it was Spandel who attempted to question whether voice can be taught. The best explanation I read of voice is that in some ways it is an extension of personality. For the most part this idea best articulates my thoughts on the subject. Somewhere along the line I heard that “behavior can be changed but personality cannot”. Basically, those are my exact thoughts on this concept. I think that a person’s natural voice can not be altered too much without the threat of removing that voice. However, I do think that a person can be trained in the best ways to present her voice which may slightly alter the way that the voice comes across in writing.
Unfortunately, nothing really grabbed else really me this time that I desire to expand upon. I found Smith to be the same as always and the Romano article was interesting but not particularly noteworthy .

Imitation is the best form of flattery...

I think Spandel hit the nail right on the head with this week's readings, going into the complexities that make up voice. She goes into what it is, what teachers should focus on and how to encourage it. But the part that really hit home for me was in the separate essay at the end of the chapter, where Barry Lane explains what it was like to write in the voice of someone who was the complete opposite of himself. I feel a lot of my own writing is like that, my mind slotting into someone else's with a click and writing about situations I've never been a part of in my own life. For students, I think it could be a good way for them to begin finding their own voice. To experience something through the eyes of someone else and then gradually shift that into writing about things that have happened in their own lives. It goes along with the concept of imitation as well. Let the student choose an author to try and imitate and then go from there. It could be an interesting experiment, at the least.

Also in the Spandel reading, I was amused by her description of voice. Whether it's "dressed to the nines or lounging in sweats (131)", it's still recognizable. It's something I've noticed in our blogs as the semester goes on. As I read through each week, I can hear each of you reading your words out loud. I've kept an online blog since 2000/2001, and throughout all that time, I've never actually been able to "hear" the writer.

The Tom Romano essay was great- to see how his daughter pulled together experiences to come up with a story that affected so many people. I really enjoyed it. As well as the Smith chapter. He says "learning to write begins with seeing [yourself] as a writer (180)." Maybe that's the key after all. Get people to see themselves as writers and maybe, just maybe, they'll start writing and enjoying writing.

Yearn to Learn

Throughout this class we have asked questions about the teachings of writing, and can we teach students to become great writers? Smith on beginning pages of Chapter 12 touches on what I believed to be a universal belief… that writers do not write as a result of their lessons at school but rather from their “exposure” to writing through regularly reading and a knowledge and appreciation of writers and their craft. But then he pulls back the reins a little and says he warns that it is not a deliberate act, but more of one that occurs without us knowing it in a more subtle manner through our learning. And of course understanding learning is as equally mystifying as understanding how to write well. I identify with the learning of language of infants and vice versa, since I have a two and a four year old which are just discovering their way to use language effectively. They are incredibly creative at times in their approach to justify their actions, but also know how to act naive like they didn’t know something, when as adults we know otherwise. I agree with Smith that children learn language through its uses. It just makes more sense that kids would learn more effectively as they are doing something then be taught and then expected to apply the knowledge. Sometimes I think my writing over the past few years hasn’t been too overwhelming because I am so preoccupied reading children’s books and watching Nickelodeon and Playhouse Disney that I haven’t exposed or allowed myself to read for pleasure in quite sometime. I am not complaining or suggesting I would compromise my children’s development for my own creativity. I think I will pay even more attention to observing their inventiveness and try to learn from them as they attempt to find their way through language and life.

I inadvertently blogged about Spandel’s Chap.9 on voice last week, so please refer to blog 5 if you are seeking my astute insight on that chapter, which I doubt.

As usual, I enjoyed another lesson from the contributing writers of WTL. In the assigned chapter Tom Romano’s daughter writes a touching version of how she envisioned her grandparents arrival to the American through Ellis Island. His daughter, Mariana, may not have cared too much when she heard her family telling the stories of the immigration, but years later she was able to recount them while combining her effective, creative adaptations. It was so unexpected for the father to hear this special, intimate family tale through the written word of his daughter. This not just a lesson of the power of writing but also what can be produced when one combines memory and creativity.

Blog 6

In Family Stories and the Fictional Dream, I was incredibly moved by Tom Romano’s story involving his daughter’s paper about her grandfather’s journey to America. I became extremely emotional when reading about how he and his daughter were able to connect over one of her school assignments. Thinking back to middle and high school, I can still remember that some of my favorite assignments involved my researching the history of my family. I can clearly recall sitting with my late grandmother while she discussed such girlhood memories as watching horse-drawn wagons deliver blocks of ice to her front porch or taking special Sunday streetcar rides to Willow Grove Park. Having the opportunity to talk with my grandmother about these things and to then follow-up by writing about her experiences allowed me to feel connected to her on a much deeper level. Now that she has passed away, these writings remain behind as a permanent record of some of our best times together. In my opinion, assignments like these are great ways to get students invested in their writing.

In Writing and the Writer, Smith discusses the importance of engagement when considering how children learn. He talks about the “learning hooks” that help to engage you in a demonstration and prepare you to grasp the information that is about to be presented. In the new Learning Focused Schools program being implemented in our area, teachers are expected to have some sort of activating strategy or “hook” before each lesson they present. When I have witnessed these hooks being used, I can tell that students are already more intrigued about what they are about to learn. On the other hand, teachers who simply stand in front of the room and begin lecturing miss the opportunity to truly engage their students. If we as teachers do not engage our students before we begin to teach, we cannot expect them to see any significance in what we are teaching them. The result will be that students will most likely zone out for the entire lesson.

I found Vicki Spandel’s chapter on finding your own voice to be extremely helpful in terms of guiding my own students when I begin teaching writing. I especially loved the story in which a student wrote to express his annoyance with the phrase “writing from the heart” in which he ultimately accomplished the purpose of the phrase by writing what he was truly feeling. I loved the idea of having students try on the voices of famous writers that they enjoy reading. I think this is a great activity to consider how voice affects different genres of storytelling (comedy, horror, drama, etc.) and can also help students to ultimately find their own voices. I would also add that I think the activity we did in class of “show me don’t tell me” is another great way to help students see the importance of voice and to help them find their own voices.

I have to say that I was so excited to come across the example from Frog and Toad used as a demonstration of how to create characters using voice. A few years ago, while performing for the summer at a professional theatre in Vermont, I had the wonderful privilege of playing Toad in A Year With Frog and Toad (the Broadway musical based on Arnold Lobel’s books). During the rehearsal process, we had the opportunity to travel to several schools and perform for elementary school students (this was in June right before the end of school). Before one performance, I learned from a teacher that all of the students in the school had read all of the books for class and that some teachers were using them to discuss with students the differences between Frog and Toad that were evident from the dialogue. Elementary school students were learning voice and didn’t even know it! Our cast had the incredible experience of being able to bring those characters to life and to demonstrate to students how the voices in the books influenced our character choices as actors.

One final note: I loved the story at the end of this chapter in which Barry Lane confessed publishing several newspaper articles as a female writer. Too funny!!!

Blog 6

Like many others, I too enjoyed all the readings this week. I liked Smith's discussion of baby talk and how babies develop language and thought it was a useful analogy in relation to writing. One of my favorite parts of the chapter was when Smith was talking about motivation. He said motivation, as a factor for learning, is largely an educational red herring- a convenient way of allocating fault. I took this statement to mean that in allocating fault to a 'lack of motivation' teachers are really moving the blame off of themselves for not being good teachers. I can buy this. I think motivation does factor in, if only slightly, and I'm not sure we can totally disregard it, but I do think it is used as a red herring far too often.

I really liked Spandel's chapter on voice. Personally, I still have a hard time completely understanding what voice is. I think that's because I am searching for a concrete and conclusive definition when there is no such thing. Spandel's chapter did help me in further understanding what voice is, and although I can not specifically verbalize it, I atleast have a better comprehension of voice. I guess this is why teaching voice is so difficult. It's such an abstract thing to begin with. When Spandel asks the question 'why encourage voice' it got me thinking. Who are we as human beings without our voices? It is what distinguishes us from others and allows us to express our thoughts and ideas. It is part of who we are. Relating this to the idea of voice in writing helped me to understand it and why it is important to recognize and encourage voice.

I liked Romano's piece in WTL. To me, this story that his daughter wrote achieved what I believe makes writing valuable. It elicited an emotional response, a connection, a feeling that moved the reader. In my opinion that's what makes good writing and certainly makes for enjoyable and engaging reading. Thanks for having us read this essay!

Invitation

By the way, i wanted too invite you all to my class "complaint blog" its' @ http://forkeye.blogspot.com/ nolw how do I give you all author status? email me at rnbergeron@gmail.com

I Hear Voices

As usual, Spandel had a lot of really great things to say. I think her book is probably my favorite for this class. It was a timely reading for me. As we went over our drafts in class on Monday, I was conscious that my writing did not sound like me. Without knowing what the readings were about this week, I intuitively knew that my piece needed a better rhythm and a stronger sense of me.
I think though that instructors often suppress voice. I think we have all heard that we should not use personal pronouns when writing. Bill Walsh’s illustration, of the absurdity of this is hilarious, and I am glad Spandel addressed it. Only professional writers seem allowed to get away with this. In some classes I have even been given essays and journal articles that have strong personal voice and they are hailed by the instructors as being wonderfully written but when it came time for students to write similar essays or papers, personal voice (especially the use of personal pronouns) was expressly forbidden.
As a former Psychology/ Human Development student, I found Smith’s discussion of the infant’s invention of language fascinating. I think the section on engagement was particularly helpful to his idea of learning not how to write, but to be a writer.
I think the Romano piece was included in this weeks reading because it illustrated the power of voice. I am almost certain that a traditional research paper, no matter how factual, no matter how accurate, no mater how well written, would not have had the same effect as his daughter’s fictional piece did.

The (yes, that was the title 4 blog 2 as well)

OK, Erin, stop throwing me off. I'm supposed to be the one who defends Smith after you tear into him, but we both enjoyed him this time.

And away we go...

If, as Smith claims, " Sensitivity is the absence of expectation that learning will not take place" then the quest, the point, the high duty, not just as teachers, but as members of the learning human community is to decondition this expectation. I truly want to believe this asnd by way of example, I am trying to type this with my clumsy, habituauted hands aand fingers in the home position for to;uch typing. You see, I never learned to tou;ch type,and have bought into the cliche about "old doga nd new tricks." But, if I want to recondition myself to the idea that learning is the natural stste of the brain, I need to patiently practice this belief, not just argue theoretically.

What, you might ask, does this have to do with writing? I do not intend to teach primary writers or even secondaery ed. The students whch I wish to work with will already have preset habits and beliefs about what they can do and cannot learn. I'm attempting (frustration, wrist pain, flagrant typographical errors, and all) to make a personal and concrete example of what the possibilities are.

It sure as hell ain't easy, but I'm betting it will be wo;rth it.

Blog 6

I thought that the readings about voice were really good. I know a lot of people do not enjoy the Spandel book, but I really do. What she says about a professional writers voice being recognizable is so true. Sometimes when I read a quote I will say "that has to be a Hunter S. Thompson" or whoever, and when I looked at who wrote it I was correct.

What are the things that I thought odd was a quote in the book, "It is a common misconception that voice is an afterthought, like salad dressing on the side." I would not think that that was common. Maybe it's a common misconception for people that don't write often, I don't know.

I understand what Spandel is saying when she says that students will imitate writers that they enjoy. I know from personal experience. I was in a phase of writing like Stephen King for a while, then I was using the phrase "for good or ill," a pet phrase of HST.

I'm a little conflicted with one of the things that Spandel said. She said that we have to be careful of the books that we use to model voice, and that we have to love those books or reading them will be a chore. I get that, but what if there's a book that you just hate but has a good voice. For example, I hate the book The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. While I hate it, I think it would be really good book to incorporate into a middle school class because it does have a really good voice and does not have the normal "dead white guy" author.

I have to say that in the beginning of Chapter 12 of the Smith book I was really enjoying it, and that's uncommon. I really liked his quote, "nothing in the world is self evident; nothing announces itself. Everything we know about the world we must have learned." It always irritates me when people say, "that's common knowledge"; there is no such thing as common knowledge until we actually learn the thing that is supposed to be common knowledge. Later on in the chapter, the Smith that I'm used to appears, with his philosophizing and his dense paragraphs.

Blog 6

More people in the profession of teaching English need to read Romano’s piece in the WTL. Why, you ask? Simple and easy, fiction, truth, lies and fancy are all part of the process of writing. Not the “formal” process that is championed across the ranks of the intellectual elite, but the true process of writing, the ability for a writer to weave many disparate genres, subjects, and ideas into one weaving piece. Research, myth, truths and half truths are all part of the reality of writing, without it…well without it writing would be nothing more than math, and math by its nature is evil. On a side note I wish I could trace my family back even as near as immigration.

Indifference Spandel says is “the most insidious enemy to writing. Indifference says to a reader, ‘This is a dull topic about which I have not one shred of curiosity’” (132). If this is the case I wonder why many teachers and professors continue to assign boring, dried out topics that have been beaten like the proverbial “dead horse?” True this might sound mean, rude even, but then again I too have bee taught to “write from the heart” and boy what a folly that was on the fool who hammered that into my cynical skull. Spendal however has a point in her chapter on voice, it is an important aspect of writing, it is power and the use of it or in some cases the disuse of it can prove the most effective part of the paper to be written. A subject can be bland as hell, like for instance the color orange, but if the writer some how through the grace of whatever writing deity he or she prays to manages to show general enthusiasm in the writing the boring subject at least becomes interesting enough for the writer to make it through awake … Smith could learn from this. I will also go as far to as agree that voice is not something that can be taught, but it can be influenced, and the question is should the influencing source be controlled? Personally I think not, I would hate to allow the likes of Charlotte Bronte (who for some strange reason is loved in the literature world) to influence the writing voices of my students, after all I wish to be awake after reading their papers.

“Even when we pass our time in apparently trivial occupations, watching a mundane television program or reading a pulp novel … (Smith 179). Once again the dark wraith of intellectual elitism makes its presence known, however, that is a topic I have already discussed in an earlier post, and is the major subject (although it may be cut due to issues of fear) in a upcoming paper so I will not once again “rant” about this. I will say though that the continued presence of this wraith in our “enlightened” community that has supposedly stepped out of the dark ages of the early 20^th century disgusts me. Going on … Everything we do is a part of learning from taking a shower (where some of the best ideas, connections and epiphanies occur) to reading through a pulp novel only to find buried within it a universal truth. What’s more talking, listening, reading and writing (everything from a shopping list to a master’s thesis) all contribute to both the learning process and the writing process. At least that’s what I got out of Smith this time, and I could be wrong … My body is so full of caffeine on a normal basis that even a 40 oz. dark roast coffee with 6 shots of espresso and two crushed up no-doz pills instead of sugar can keep me awake and a tired me equals a me who is so out of it the sound of the word “muffin” makes me laugh.

“Reading, just reading for the sheer joy of it, is among the least valued but most worthwhile kinds of professional development” (Spendel 141). If only time permitted such luxury.

Blog 6

I found this week's readings to be for the most part, quite entertaining yet educational. Spandel discusses voice and that seemed to be the apparent theme for the week. I loved it when she said that "it is a common misconception that voice is an afterthought, like salad dress on the side" (Spandel 131). I actually laughed out loud, but this is very true. I don't believe that voice is necessary an afterthought. I think it is something you find as you start to write. When writing a paper, I start off kind of slow thinking about what I really want to write about and before I know it, I'm flying threw the paper and make it to the finish line before I ever realized it happened. My voice took over the paper flowing one thought to the next.

When teaching my students about voice, Spandel also has an interesting comparison. "Is there anything - spelling, fractions, penmanship, calculus, physics, drawing, driving, tumbling, football, keyboarding, music - about which we can honestly say, 'We all have equal talent and will all learn this equally well'? So then, why not coach each writer to the highest level he or she can attain?" (Spandel 133). To summarize what she is saying is that every student is different and my job is to pull out each and every individual voice from my students. An easy way for us to do this is through commenting. "Our verbal and written comments, expressions, and reactions provide more encouragement than we know. They help young writers feel sure of their footsteps on their way to finding a voice that is theirs alone" (Spandel 134). Not that I am a big fan of the Smith book, but I actually felt like I could relate to him as he as well is in agreement with Spandel, "It might be thought that the reason we learn in some situations but not in others must be related to motivation; engagement takes place when we want to learn and does not occur when motivation is lacking" (Smith 190).

Although agreeing with what most of what Spandel says, there is this one part that I keep on coming back to and I'm not sure if I necessarily agree with it. It's been gnawing at me ever since I read it. She states, "we must encourage students to make their writings move, too. They need to abandon excessive adjectives and adverbs, and call on lean verbs to carry the weight" (Spandel 136). I'm just really not sure if I agree with that. I don't feel that simplicity is always the answer. If I'm describing a murder scene, do I want to simply say it was a bloody mess, or do I want to go into the details that describes that actual scene to the reader. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet.

Blog 5 (The Repost)

Sorry for the late post everyone. I thought I published my blog 5 but I guess I didn't. I am a whiz at computers, however, sometimes even the best mess up. ;-)

Going off of Smith's writing; I can personally say that I have not had to deal with writing blocks for awhile. I learned from my Freshman English teacher that to be a serious writer or to even learn how to write is to commit to it. Just like any skill, John Grisham didn't wake up one morning and write "The Firm", he honed his writing skills by....... Writing.

I commit myself to writing and avoid writers block by...... Writing. I write 1000 words a day, 7 days a week 365 days a year. Sometimes I write 800, sometimes I write 2000 words. I let my writing and my mind take me wherever it wants. I never revise my daily writing. This has helped me work out my writers block and also helped me in other ways. While this maybe impractical for most people, you can adjust that to your schedule and more appropriately to your students level. In any case, it helps get out the awkwardness of writing. If you are constantly writing, it does not become a "task" when you sit down and write a college paper. It becomes natural.

I also don't worry myself with rough drafts. I write everything down my first time. Even the bad writing that is bound to come through. Then I go back and tweak my writing to how I like it. Sometimes the writing that you think in your mind is horrible, actually will support your idea in a paper and just needs reworded.