9/19/2016 0 Comments Hiraeth Project Discussionblog #3
The term for hiraeth means a homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, a home to which never was, nostalgia, the yearning, and the grief for the lost places of your past. I have never heard of this word until recently. When I first heard the word hiraeth I had no idea what it meant. Now that I’m familiar with it now I can relate so much to it. There’s many ways you can describe hiraeth. It can mean something that you experienced that you can never return to. For example, a first kiss or the first time you got to drive a car. It could also mean something that you never got to experience but you wish you had. For example, I never got to experience going away for college unlike a lot of my friends who did. Sometimes I think of how my life would be so much different if had gone away. I relate the most with the term hiraeth when I’m reminiscing with my friends about all our crazy experiences we shared together. We always say how much we wish we could go back to the time when we had no responsibilities and lived carefree. Now that were “grown up” there’s no way we’d get away with half the shit that we did back then. There are many moments like this one that Id like to write about for my hiraeth assignment. Our assignment is to talk about a place that I yearn to go back to that I once considered to be home. I have a few Ideas that pop into my head the most. For example, my grandmothers old house that I spent a lot of time at when I was younger. Another place I once considered home was my old cheerleading gym where I spent the most time at growing up. I was probably there more then my actual home. I loved the people I got to see there everyday. I considered them my second family. If I could go back to anytime time in my life it would be that part of my life and I wouldn’t have changed a thing about it.
0 Comments
9/19/2016 4 Comments My hiraethBlog #4
There are many moments in my life that I yearn to go back in time to. I wish I could go back in time and reminisce on all of them. One moment, would be at my Grandmothers old house that I used to go to all the time with my family and cousins. We always had so much fun together. One of my favorite memories from there was on Easter. She would throw huge Easter egg hunts. All the us younger cousins would have to wait downstairs while the adults hide the eggs. All of us kids couldn’t control our excitement as we waited. We would always try to sneak a peek through the window. As soon as they were done, my grandmother would give us each a colored basket with our names on it and let us loose. We would run wild through the field to find the most eggs as we possibly could. Although everyone’s real mission was to find the coveted golden egg where there was always a 20$ bill and had the most candy hidden inside. At the end of hunt we would all go back downstairs and open ours eggs and see what we got. And then the trading would begin. “I’ll give you 3 yellow starbursts for your reeses cup.” It was moments like this that I wish I could go back in time and relive. My cousins and I are much older now and don’t see each other as often as we did back then. We used to be so excited to see each other when we were younger. It’s so much different now. We all our busy with our own lives and barley speak. Although I yearn to go back to my grandmother’s old house, it wouldn’t be the same as it once was. 9/6/2016 0 Comments My Writing ProcessBlog Post #2 The “Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on writing and life” By Anne Lamott written in 1994, was about the writing process of a writer. The article walks about how writers’ gets side tracked during their writing and how to cope with it. She also talks about how shitty drafts are crucial to the writing process. Lastly, she explains the benefits of having someone else read those shitty drafts you write and giving you important feedback.
Anne Lamott explains how even she gets sides tracks from writing. For a moment she lets her mind wander. She starts to think about learning how to do her makeup better, who she needs to call back, even thinks about someone whose been annoying her lately. Which makes me feel like I’m not alone when it comes to procrastinating. All of these thoughts she has about her everyday life comes rushing into her mind. She explains how she gets back on track by breathing slowly and calmly. Its easy to get sidetracked by your thoughts when your dreading writing a long piece of writing. Anne explains how thinking of a one inch picture frame. Only write down only as much as you can fit on that one picture frame. Write that one paragraph that describes the main character from the first time we meet her when she walks through the front door, rather than the expression on her face when she first sees the blind dog sitting behind the wheel of her car. Only what you see through that one-inch picture frame. My favorite saying from the passage is “bird by bird” which means take it one step at a time. I find comfort in this because being a student I know the feeling of being overwhelmed with projects and essays due and this saying with help me get through it all, bird by bird. Another example of how she explains the writers’ process is having shitty first drafts. This is a vital step to the process because this is how a writer will come up with and great 2nd draft and an even better 3rd draft. She explains that even though its not your best work, you might be able find a few beautiful lines inside them that are your own raw thoughts that you might not have wrote if you were thinking too much about the writing. A shitty draft gives you the freedom to jot down what’s floating inside your mind and putting it to paper without thinking too much about it. The beauty about your first shitty drafts is that no one else will see it besides you. This will help you sort through the good and bad parts of the writing and come up with an even better second draft. Lastly, Anne talks about the importance of having someone else read your drafts. She tells her students to consider finding someone who would not mind reading them and marking them up with useful suggestions. A family member or a good friend is always a good option just as long as they are giving you good honest critiques instead of trying to avoid hurting your feelings. They can help you look at different outlooks of the writings your doing. For example, she says that they’re probably a number of ways to tell your story right, and someone else may be able to tell you whether you’ve found one of these ways. Also, having someone read your draft can make you feel more secure and connected that you’re on the right path. Anne also explains how criticism is very hard to take sometimes but at the same time its better to hear it from your loved ones rather than an agent or an editor. Anne labott has given me lots of help for my own future writing process. I have learned that everybody gets side tracked and procrastinates. She has taught me how to deal with it better by taking it bird by bird; one step at a time. I’ve also learned that shitty drafts are indeed very important. I’ll eventually turn that shitty drafted into a beautiful piece of work. Lastly, Anne Labott has taught me that asking for help with my writing can help me feel me confident about my writing and take the criticism. 9/6/2016 1 Comment Why I WriteBlog #1
In the article “Why I Write” by Joan Didion she explains that she writes because she wants her readers to in vision exactly what she sees and feels that’s inside her mind. She wants you to be able to feel a certain way through out the image. Like, her fears or how she feels about a certain character. She does this by the words she uses. She explains that grammar is its infinite power. The way you can rearrange words and sentences to make the reader feel a different way. If you ask me why I write I would tell you that I don’t. I really only write because I have to. The only time you’ll catch me writing is for school related purposes or texting. Many say they write to express their feelings on paper and to release them from their minds like Joan Didion does. I think the reason why its hard for me to do that is because I usually have so much racing through my mind that’s its hard for me to organize those thoughts, jot them on a piece of paper and form grammatically correct sentences. It’s much easier for me to call up, or text a friend and have a conversation and vent that way. Although I wish I were someone who could write because I think it is a great way to express yourself. I also think that I should write because I tend to forget everything important. Writing could be a great way for me to remember things. I wish I could keep a journal so I can document important events throughout my life. Then I could go back and reflect how I was feeling that day and reminisce. Although I don’t write outside of the classroom I think it’s very important to do so. Writing is a freedom to say and feel however you want. |