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| Writing and Revision Source: OUClassAnnouncements |
Monday, October 12, 2015
Week 7 Review
For this weeks review I decided to write about the fun and exploration post which can be found here. The title of the post is called Writing and Revision, so it immediately caught my attention. This year I'm really trying to put more effort, work, and dedication into my writing, even if it's just for myself, so I'm also interested in reading anything that may have to do with writing or helpful tips. The post included this picture of a quote:
I remember when I was younger I used to think that having to turn in a rough draft of a paper, essay, project, story, etc. to the teacher before the final draft was pointless (boy was I wrong). I always wanted to just jump in, turn in the final draft, and be done with it. But I definitely now know how extremely, extremely important it is to revise your work. In order to become a better writer you really need to go over your writing multiple times and look for mistakes. Doing this repeatedly truly helps your writing be the best it can be. I think it's one of the most important steps in the writing process. I'm glad I realized this sooner rather than later!
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Reflections: Looking Forward
In this past first half of the semester, I got to read a lot of cool, exciting, and interesting stories. I'm really excited to get to read more for the second half. It's awesome to think of all the possibilities of types of stories that I'll have the opportunity to read. It also gets me excited thinking about what stories I'll read that will capture my attention or make me want to spin it in my own way and make it a part of my portfolio.
Speaking of my portfolio, I'm already ready to see the final product (I know, I know, I still have some weeks to go)! Honestly, I'm the type of person that will read over my writings over and over when I finish it, just to see how I put it together and if I liked the end product. I still, to this day, will go back and read random essays for class, or writing I did when I was bored, from years ago. I just really enjoy looking at how far I've come in my writing (even if some of my old writing makes me cringe). It's a learning experience and it's definitely necessary.
As mentioned, I'm ecstatic to get to meet even more new people in the weeks to come. I've gotten to meet so many cool people thus far and it'll be great to be introduced to more. Also, not only am I ready to see the finished product of my portfolio, but also of my fellow classmates projects, too. I've seen so many great starts to storybooks and portfolios and it'll be nice to see how they end up by the time they're finished.
Speaking of my portfolio, I'm already ready to see the final product (I know, I know, I still have some weeks to go)! Honestly, I'm the type of person that will read over my writings over and over when I finish it, just to see how I put it together and if I liked the end product. I still, to this day, will go back and read random essays for class, or writing I did when I was bored, from years ago. I just really enjoy looking at how far I've come in my writing (even if some of my old writing makes me cringe). It's a learning experience and it's definitely necessary.
As mentioned, I'm ecstatic to get to meet even more new people in the weeks to come. I've gotten to meet so many cool people thus far and it'll be great to be introduced to more. Also, not only am I ready to see the finished product of my portfolio, but also of my fellow classmates projects, too. I've seen so many great starts to storybooks and portfolios and it'll be nice to see how they end up by the time they're finished.
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| "Motivational Quote" Source: Flickr |
Reflections: Looking Back
I would have to say my favorite writings that I did were my most recent ones called "Love Lost, Love Found," and "The Letter." The more I write, the more I believe I improve and I was pretty satisfied with those two stories. Of course, there's always room to improve even more on those stories but I feel that I at least have a good start. I'm enjoying my portfolio project so far. I love being able to see it grow and having the chance to revise my stories multiple times so that it can be better than before. I'm happy with the theme I chose and I really like getting to write multiple love stories just in different ways. I've seen so many (and I mean a lot) of great storybooks and portfolios so far this year. It's amazing seeing how talented and creative my fellow classmates are! I'm definitely looking forward to seeing their projects develop and reading their stories as well.
I enjoy having the class fully online. I like online classes personally. I think it's good to switch it up a bit rather than the normal class setting. Regardless of it not being physically on campus, I, for sure, feel like I'm getting to know my classmates. It's nice having the blog comments each week because I'm able to get to know different people every week. The commenting, in general, is nice because faces, names, and blogs, become more familiar.
My schedule changes around a bit because I'm still juggling different things due at different times for all of my other classes. There's not much homework in my other classes, but there's a lot of studying for tests and quizzes that are either scattered or very close to each other. However, I usually try to get a couple of days ahead. If I'm unexpectedly really busy, I usually do this class on a day to day basis. If I know I'm going to be busy studying for a test(s) during a certain week, then I try to get the majority of the upcoming week done during the weekend. Then, I'll finish the rest the next weekend, and start the next week as well (that felt really confusing to type, and I bet it sounds that way too).
When I work on this class 80% of the time it's in the school library, Bizzell. The other 20% of time, I work at in my apartment. I feel that these are the best places for me to do my work because it's usually really quiet which helps me to relax, clear my thoughts, and think better.
I enjoy having the class fully online. I like online classes personally. I think it's good to switch it up a bit rather than the normal class setting. Regardless of it not being physically on campus, I, for sure, feel like I'm getting to know my classmates. It's nice having the blog comments each week because I'm able to get to know different people every week. The commenting, in general, is nice because faces, names, and blogs, become more familiar.
My schedule changes around a bit because I'm still juggling different things due at different times for all of my other classes. There's not much homework in my other classes, but there's a lot of studying for tests and quizzes that are either scattered or very close to each other. However, I usually try to get a couple of days ahead. If I'm unexpectedly really busy, I usually do this class on a day to day basis. If I know I'm going to be busy studying for a test(s) during a certain week, then I try to get the majority of the upcoming week done during the weekend. Then, I'll finish the rest the next weekend, and start the next week as well (that felt really confusing to type, and I bet it sounds that way too).
When I work on this class 80% of the time it's in the school library, Bizzell. The other 20% of time, I work at in my apartment. I feel that these are the best places for me to do my work because it's usually really quiet which helps me to relax, clear my thoughts, and think better.
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| "Bizzell Memorial Library" Source: Wikimedia Commons |
Friday, October 9, 2015
Reading Plan
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Storytelling for Week 7: Love Lost, Love Found
I remember the day we fell in love. Everything felt different that day. The sky seemed bluer, the grass greener, and I, happier. Ky was the first man I ever really fell in love with. I had some boyfriends from the past, but that's where I intended to keep them-in the past. With Ky, all I saw was a future-a bright, beautiful, shining future. Every time we walked through the village together, hand in hand, I could feel people staring at us. Whether it be from happiness, envy, jealousy, or even disappointment, we didn't pay them any mind.
We were so young.
Our youth flowed through us and we took advantage of it, making the most of every day. We didn't care that people thought we were too young to feel what we felt. We loved each other and that's all that mattered. Besides, when you know, you know. Even if we were just seventeen years old, we knew we were soul mates destined to find each other and live the way were living right then and there. How are other people supposed to tell you when you should fall in love? How do they know your circumstances? How do they know your feelings? It doesn't make any sense if you ask me.
We were so young.
The day he told me he loved me was the best day of my life. Those three words jolted through me like electricity and made me feel so alive. I had been waiting such a long time to tell him I felt the same way and now I had the perfect chance. It didn't take me but five seconds to tell him I loved him too. We were so happy. Except when we weren't.
When I told him I was pregnant, he changed. He didn't seem like the man who had just told me he loved me a few short weeks ago. The longer he just stared at me, the more he became distant to me. I already felt our love and happiness slipping from between us. I fought until I had no energy left in me. And the day the energy left me, so did he.
I was so young.
I didn't have anyone to turn to. My parents made it clear that I couldn't keep the babies. There were three of them growing inside me. There was no way I would be able to support them on my own. I didn't know who or where to turn to. I had never been so scared in my life. When I gave birth to my three sons, so healthy and so strong, I knew I had no choice but to give them up. They deserved a better life than mine. They just deserved better. I left them at a stranger's doorstep praying hard that they would give my boys a good home.
And they did. The fate that brought us back together will always have me forever grateful. I remember walking through the village, alone, heading towards the market to pick up a few things. While there, I overheard an older lady smiling widely and talking about her triplet sons. Although having triplets was uncommon in our area, I still felt as though there was a small chance the woman was chatting about my babies. Something inside pushed me towards her to ask, though.
When I found out I was right, joy and sadness rushed through me. My boys adoptive mother and I talked for hours. I'm glad we conversed for so long because it gave me time to work up the courage to see them, as she offered. It had been over twenty years.
Now, today, I look to all of my three sons and not only see his face, but also the determination, compassion, and humor, of my past love. I also feel the hurt and pain but still each day I see them, a little part of that pain is eased. My heart grows, and the missing parts are now filled.
They are so grown.
Author's Note: In this week's storytelling I decided to retell the story of "The Three Brothers" from the Stories from Congo unit. In the original story, it starts off by telling how the mother of three boys didn't want them and decided to leave them in the grass one day. The three babies looked for food on their own and eventually grew up to be strong and eventually built themselves houses and found themselves wives. Then, one day, the father of the three boys found them and told the mother. The boys thought she was an intruder and planned to kill her, but the river-spirit (who helped them to grow), told them that she was their mother and to take care of her instead since she was old at this point. Even though this story was short I really liked it and had an idea of how I wanted to tell it. The way I changed it up is that I tweaked small things here and there and decided to give the mother more of a voice. It tells of how she was young, in love, and how she eventually became pregnant. With every story there's usually more than one side so I wanted to tell the mother's side.
Bibliography: "The Three Brothers" by Richard Edward Dennett, from Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort (1898).
Web Source: Mythology and Folklore Untextbook
We were so young.
Our youth flowed through us and we took advantage of it, making the most of every day. We didn't care that people thought we were too young to feel what we felt. We loved each other and that's all that mattered. Besides, when you know, you know. Even if we were just seventeen years old, we knew we were soul mates destined to find each other and live the way were living right then and there. How are other people supposed to tell you when you should fall in love? How do they know your circumstances? How do they know your feelings? It doesn't make any sense if you ask me.
We were so young.
The day he told me he loved me was the best day of my life. Those three words jolted through me like electricity and made me feel so alive. I had been waiting such a long time to tell him I felt the same way and now I had the perfect chance. It didn't take me but five seconds to tell him I loved him too. We were so happy. Except when we weren't.
When I told him I was pregnant, he changed. He didn't seem like the man who had just told me he loved me a few short weeks ago. The longer he just stared at me, the more he became distant to me. I already felt our love and happiness slipping from between us. I fought until I had no energy left in me. And the day the energy left me, so did he.
I was so young.
I didn't have anyone to turn to. My parents made it clear that I couldn't keep the babies. There were three of them growing inside me. There was no way I would be able to support them on my own. I didn't know who or where to turn to. I had never been so scared in my life. When I gave birth to my three sons, so healthy and so strong, I knew I had no choice but to give them up. They deserved a better life than mine. They just deserved better. I left them at a stranger's doorstep praying hard that they would give my boys a good home.
And they did. The fate that brought us back together will always have me forever grateful. I remember walking through the village, alone, heading towards the market to pick up a few things. While there, I overheard an older lady smiling widely and talking about her triplet sons. Although having triplets was uncommon in our area, I still felt as though there was a small chance the woman was chatting about my babies. Something inside pushed me towards her to ask, though.
When I found out I was right, joy and sadness rushed through me. My boys adoptive mother and I talked for hours. I'm glad we conversed for so long because it gave me time to work up the courage to see them, as she offered. It had been over twenty years.
Now, today, I look to all of my three sons and not only see his face, but also the determination, compassion, and humor, of my past love. I also feel the hurt and pain but still each day I see them, a little part of that pain is eased. My heart grows, and the missing parts are now filled.
They are so grown.
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| "Village; photo by Dennett" Source: MythFolklore Untextbook |
Bibliography: "The Three Brothers" by Richard Edward Dennett, from Notes on the Folklore of the Fjort (1898).
Web Source: Mythology and Folklore Untextbook
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Reading Diary B: Stories from Congo
The link to this reading unit can be found here.
The Antelope and the Leopard
The Antelope and the Leopard
- Interesting how a dog jumped out from the nut
- Animals, talking theme
- Plot progresses quickly once the dog jumps out.
- Kind of weird how the leopard immediately took orders from the dog turned damsel because she was so beautiful; then, by demand he killed all of his wives. This may be a part I change up a bit
- Quick "love"
- I had a feeling damsel was actually the antelope.
- Also interesting how the ending relates to reasons we don't often think about. "And this is why the leopard now always kills the antelope when he meets one"
The Turtle and The Man
- Right off the bat, it's different but cool how the story sets up a relationship between a man and a turtle.
- Can both communicate to each other
- Diets - antelope
- Turtle seems to be the "bad guy." selfish, sneaky, mischievous
- Turn of events when the leopard was able to play the turtle's game
- Intriguing how the man came in at the very end. I was wondering where he went and thought the story would mainly be about both of them but it was mostly just about the turtle.
- I could retell it, having the man be more apart of the story line
- Although short, I really liked this story
- Story of a mother giving up her three children and later reuniting with them
- Instead of anything terrible, they took her in and cared for her
- I think if I were to retell this story I would definitely either add more of a background story with the mother being the main character, or add more of a story for the three brothers. Possibly more about their lives growing up and then more dialogue when finding their father and mother, too.
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| "Village, photo by Dennett" Source: MythFolkloreUntextbook |
Monday, October 5, 2015
Famous Last Words for Week 6
My reading for this week came from the African unit, West Africa. I really enjoyed reading this unit as it had a lot of interesting stories. I actually decided to read another unit from the African unit for Week 7 as well. I like how the stories are told. The writing style is cool and I enjoy reading through each story to get to the ending and see what the moral of the story is. It's nice to be able to relate that to the entire story and see how it connects and what specific things led to it. The story I retold was based off of the story calling "Anansi and Nothing." This would probably be where my best writing for the week came from. I decided to switch up my writing style for this story and write it in a form of letter. However, the reader doesn't know it's a letter until they get to the very ending where not only that is revealed, but so is the identity of the speaker. I've never really wrote a story in this way so I was interested to see how it would turn out and I think I'm content with it (so far).
The past week nothing too crazy went on. Just the regular school and classes. I had a couple of quizzes here and there but thankfully there wasn't any tests. But, on the other hand, I'm excited that this upcoming week is a short one due to OU/Texas. I think that extra day off is much needed. I'm trying to make sure I try to use that day to my advantage and set a goal to get ahead, but honestly I might just sleep the whole day away. We'll see! It doesn't hurt to have goals though, right?
The past week nothing too crazy went on. Just the regular school and classes. I had a couple of quizzes here and there but thankfully there wasn't any tests. But, on the other hand, I'm excited that this upcoming week is a short one due to OU/Texas. I think that extra day off is much needed. I'm trying to make sure I try to use that day to my advantage and set a goal to get ahead, but honestly I might just sleep the whole day away. We'll see! It doesn't hurt to have goals though, right?
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| "2008 Oklahoma Sooners football team" Source: Wikipedia |
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