Thank you for taking the time to consider author Maya Angelou's ideas about how dreams play into the writing process. Please do a new post to your blog with your answers to 4-6 of the questions on the yellow handout I gave you. Your post should be a decent length (400-500 words) if you've provided thoughtful answers. Also include an image (of Maya, of something connected to dreaming or an aspect of one of your answers) on this post.If you're interested in learning more about Maya Angelou, her interesting life and her beloved works, you can start at her official website. I bought this t-shirt showcasing her autobiography (one of my favorite books) I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings from a little store downtown next to Maria's called 5# Apparel. Most of the proceeds the store nets are donated to charities around the world. You can also find the t-shirt and others featuring classic, challenged books (ones that have been put on banned books lists at one time or another) at Out of Print. Click the "Shop" link to get to the t-shirts--the site donates a book to Books for Africa for every purchase made. I'd like to do some thinking this week about books that have made a difference to us as people and as writers, and I wonder if you've read any of the classics featured on their other shirts...
Continue to customize your blog layout with gadgets in the right column, maybe a new background or header. Click on the Edit Profile link on your Dashboard and fill in the information about yourself. You can also have a look at your classmates' pages. If you're inclined to comment, be sure to be positive and supportive and write in the best English you can. Please don't be lazy and write in all lowercase with no punctuation, and don't leave only meaningless "what's up/i heart you" type comments. We'll talk more about giving feedback on our posts in the near future.
I love that several of you mentioned you "dream" of becoming professional writers. Leave a comment here telling us why you'd like/not like to be a professional writer and/or what kind of writing you see yourself doing. Stephenie Meyer said on Oprah that she always heard that was an unrealistic, financially hopeless goal, but I hope that no matter what anyone says, if that's your dream, you go for it. Seems like you'd regret not trying more than you'd regret taking a shot at it...
For class Thursday: Please bring at least 3 books that matter or have mattered to you. These can be books from your childhood, books you've read recently, books that matter because you love them, books that matter because they taught you something or changed your mind, books that made you want to read...We will each briefly share the books with the class.
For class Friday: Be ready to turn in your journal for a mid-quarter check. You should have at least 20 full pages. Make sure the pages are filled completely to count (partial pages can be combined to make a full page--I'll consider that when I look through your notebook).
I've always loved writing and I cannot imagine my future without writing somehow involved. My biggest dream in middle school was to publish a book and get interviewed by Oprah. Now that I'm older, I no longer say that I want to be a full time author when I grow up, but I know that I do want to continue writing. Who knows? Maybe someday I will publish a book? But writing is something that I do out of enjoyment, and I worry that if I ever did become solely a "professional author" I wouldn't enjoy writing as much as I do now.
ReplyDeleteHey Mrs. Fraser, if you see this, i wrote almost 700 words for just one question is that okay??? I didn't realize i wrote that much until I finished.
ReplyDeleteYes, ma'am! : )
DeleteI would love to become a professional writer, but I don't think I could do only that... I lack the dedication it takes to actually finish writing something, so I doubt I could just completley lean on writing.
ReplyDeleteI see myself doing something with writing in the future. I love it and I hope I'm decent at it. It's one thing I have always loved doing and never got sick of. I do a lot on my own time and hope to one day publish. That's a farfetched dream, but it's truly something I could enjoy doing for the rest of my life.
ReplyDelete