CYOA Response--"Wonder Town"

In this piece it really helped to have YouTube at a mouse click away. Once I heard the first note of “Into the Groove” I understood what Frere-Jones meant by saying the’ bright, square notes’ and comparing that to ‘a world of easy round numbers’. One song speaks of simpler times while Sonic Youth’s is invariably different—Frere-Jones conveys this fact well in her writing but, like I said, I would not have the full effect without experiencing it. I think that’s no reason not to write it though—I definitely appreciate pieces about music, they can make you realize those connections that you might not have without the writing to accompany the song.

While reading, I felt that in a small way I got to be on the insider side of the band and I think that means that Frere-Jones has a good narrative here because I didn’t know anything about Sonic Youth before reading this. The piece shows the bands development and significance while also showing how they’ve stayed true to their vision. I think the narrative is very cohesive and informative.

CYOA Response--"Shooting an Elephant"

I believe that he shot the elephant. His essay was published almost a decade after his experiences in Burma took place and it is clear that he has had some time and space to arrange his thoughts since then—like he says, “[he] was young and ill-educated” and had no one to share his thoughts with. I would surmise that many of Orwell’s allusions connecting threads did not necessarily ‘happen’ when the event was happening. I think his story is well done with it far enough in the past that he could see it more clearly than he probably saw it then.

It’s so interesting how he negotiates being a part of the things he hates, namely, imperialism. When he is describing the scene of the elephant ‘must’ he says the people near it had no definite information. “That is invariably the case in the East”. In these words it is clear that at times, Orwell succumbs to the imperial idea that the West holds the key to the right way of doing things.

The quote that really got to me was, “When the white man turns tyrant it is his own freedom that he destroys.” I’m wondering if he really thought that then, in that moment, or if it came to him afterwards.

CYOA Response--"Emergence"

The major question in Radiolab's "Emergence" is spelled out at then end of the podcast--What is consciousness? I've wondering this myself a time or two, but I never knew that it was an actual field that has recently 'emerged' :) It's a riveting subject and I was also intrigued by the nature of the podcast. 

I'm not familiar with podcasts, I've really only ever listened to a handful of NPR audio clips so for me Radiolab was a little disorienting at first. All the different sounds and effects brought the narrative to life but it was also an odd experience to be moved around so much, so vividly, in a piece that is not visual. 

I felt that the piece addressed smaller questions that led up to the big question and that were all interrelated. Emergence compares fireflies, to cities, to ants, to bees, and to neurons in the brain. When the pod-casters were talking about randomness coming together it made me think of my acting rehearsals when we work in a big group. One person will start something and it's infectious and everyone catches on eventually--there's group energy--that invisible that guides us to the same work.

Some of their transitions were more subtle than others. I appreciated the 'different' way the pod-cast went about narrating--it was refreshing and I think I'll definitely listen to more in the future. Thanks Elaine and Emily!

Choose Your Own Assignment Response--"Jacob's Ladder"

The article, ‘Jacob’s Ladder’, from the Atlantic opened up a window for me to see a small piece of South African politics that I have until today been utterly unaware of. In this respect, it engages and informs me, however, I find it hard to respond to because it is so in depth and detailed about things I am not familiar with. In addition I found the description of Zuma on page one to be quite powerful as well as the transition to his home.

It’s interesting that Douglas Foster writes about Zuma’s life narrative as he is in fact writing a portion of it—does that make sense? It’s on page three, he points out that “periodic recklessness, reined in by the collective leadership of the ANC, has traced the narrative of Zuma’s life”. I wondered while I read how much of the author’s information comes from Zuma himself and what other sources were used. I felt that I was bogged down in details that took me away from where the story would end up—maybe I just wasn’t focused enough or maybe I would have to be more attached to politics to really feel a connection to the piece but I really had trouble connecting. The ending, though, was very powerful.

Foster seems to have a connection anyway. Most of his writing sounded like he knew Zuma very well. What other people’s thoughts? Did anyone else feel this way?

Questions--"Writing for Story"

What does Franklin mean when he says “stories are nothing”? (xviii) How can he say that?

Are Franklin's ideas just as relevant today as they were when he wrote them nearly ten years ago or have there been developments since then?

Will every good story fit into the structural outline that Franklin gives or do some good stories require something else?

Reading Response--"Writing for Story"

Thus far in writing for story I have been inspired. After reading Jon Franklin’s Preface, I felt more knowledgeable about the craft of narrative. His advice is strikingly simple and straightforward. However he surprised me and held my interest by writing, “If your first story doesn’t turn out well, don’t fix it. Throw it away. […] Stories are nothing. The process is everything (xviii).” I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant by this—are stories nothing because they are all really just the same story about the human condition? Are stories replaceable, interchangeable? I would really like to know more about this particular statement.

My favorite aspect of the book is that it is so personal to both the reader and the writer. It’s not a dry how to book but a high stakes challenge to be the best writer you can be—if that’s what you’re into. A part that stood out to me, for what I struggle with when I write, is when Franklin talks about making sure your conflict matches your resolution. I really thought his outlining chapter was incredibly helpful too. I mean, I haven’t put his tools into practice yet but I think they really help me with my re-write!

Dream Catch Me: Writing Process

I had meant to find a different topic to write about for this piece. I'm always wanting to write about love and journeys and drama and yet, not wanting to. All those stories are so personal and delicate; and in my head everything is swirling and I can't pin it down.

This particular story, though it took place this past November is still so close to me--temporally, emotionally, even physically. It hurts sometimes to be home from abroad. It hurts because I fell in love. I fell in love with the country and the man I've written about.

Despite my attempts to push this narrative from my mind, the urge to write it overcame my efforts to push these thoughts back down. Me and my thoughts made a deal though, I would write about my dilemma (to apply for another Australian visa or to go home) instead of writing my love story for Modern Love. So here it is. I know there are pieces that are lacking and it probably ends too soon but I think it's a start to something decent. After completing my first draft I realized that I did not fully explained why the dilemma was so hard and what the factors were--I will tackle this in round two!

Thanks for reading ~ : )