I will be posting writing terms every other week from the book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creative Writing" (2nd edition) by Laurie E. Rozakis.
1. ballad- a story told in song form. Ballads often tell stories about adventure and love.
2. biography- a true story about a person's life written by another person.
3. blank verse- unrhymed poetry, usually written in iambic pentameter. Many poets write in blank verse because it captures the natural rhythm of speech.
4. catalog technique- a poetic list.
5. character- a person or animal in a story. Main characters have important roles in a literary work; minor characters have smaller roles.
6. characterization- the act of telling readers about characters. Sometimes, writers tell about characters directly. Other times, writers let readers reach their own decisions by showing the comments, thoughts, and actions of the other characters.
7. chronological order- arranging the events of a story in order in time from first to last.
8. climax- the highest point in the action. During the climax, the conflict is resolved and the end of the story becomes clear. The climax is also called the turning point.
9. collaboration- cooperation with two or more people in the writing of a script or other work.
10. conclusion- the end of an article, play, poem, or book.
11. conflict- a struggle or fight. Conflict makes a story interesting because readers want to discover the outcome. A) external conflict- characters struggle against a force outside themselves. B) internal conflict- characters battle a force within themselves. Stories often contain both external and internal conflicts.
12. connotation- a word's emotional overtones.
13. couplet- two related lines of poetry, which often rhyme.
14. creative writing- a kind of writing that uses language in imaginative and bold ways.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
So Much to be Thankful For
Piece I wrote for a song writing contest in the summer of 2008. This was inspired by Ahmed Bukhatir's "Forgive Me."
For the people who don't take the time to think how much they have to be thankful for. A reminder for others as well as myself.
Look at you sitting there on your couch staring at your flat screen TV,
Dressed from head to toe with clothes priced high enough to clothe the poor,
You live in style yet so much more you desire not even thinking about me (unfortunate ones),
You see, while you sit there you don’t think that you have so much to be thankful for.
You eat till you’re full, you even throw away food,
This can be given to charity to feed the poor,
But still you’re in a tempered mood,
You see, while you sit there you don’t think that you have so much to be thankful for.
You live in a beautiful house with four walls and a roof to cover your head,
You raise buildings to the sky where the money can be used to shelter the poor,
You’re living in peace and comfort, but still you are not satisfied while sleeping in bed,
You see, while you sit there you don’t think that you have so much to be thankful for.
You enjoy holidays and vacations with loving family and friends,
While the ones living through deaths are living like the poor,
Yet complaining you are bored not thinking when lives will end,
You see, while you sit there you don’t think that you have so much to be thankful for.
You have a body with five working senses and everything intact,
Which can be used to help the less fortunate who are looked at as the poor,
Just to fit in with the crowd you want to change your looks and act,
You see, while you sit there you don’t think that you have so much to be thankful for.
You were born with everything you need to help you be the best in this life and the hereafter,
Fortunate it was you who was given a chance and whose soul didn’t soar,
While you’re here, help those who need it the most for them to join in your laughter,
You see, while you sit there you don’t think that you have so much to be thankful for.
For the people who don't take the time to think how much they have to be thankful for. A reminder for others as well as myself.
Look at you sitting there on your couch staring at your flat screen TV,
Dressed from head to toe with clothes priced high enough to clothe the poor,
You live in style yet so much more you desire not even thinking about me (unfortunate ones),
You see, while you sit there you don’t think that you have so much to be thankful for.
You eat till you’re full, you even throw away food,
This can be given to charity to feed the poor,
But still you’re in a tempered mood,
You see, while you sit there you don’t think that you have so much to be thankful for.
You live in a beautiful house with four walls and a roof to cover your head,
You raise buildings to the sky where the money can be used to shelter the poor,
You’re living in peace and comfort, but still you are not satisfied while sleeping in bed,
You see, while you sit there you don’t think that you have so much to be thankful for.
You enjoy holidays and vacations with loving family and friends,
While the ones living through deaths are living like the poor,
Yet complaining you are bored not thinking when lives will end,
You see, while you sit there you don’t think that you have so much to be thankful for.
You have a body with five working senses and everything intact,
Which can be used to help the less fortunate who are looked at as the poor,
Just to fit in with the crowd you want to change your looks and act,
You see, while you sit there you don’t think that you have so much to be thankful for.
You were born with everything you need to help you be the best in this life and the hereafter,
Fortunate it was you who was given a chance and whose soul didn’t soar,
While you’re here, help those who need it the most for them to join in your laughter,
You see, while you sit there you don’t think that you have so much to be thankful for.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
A Words
I will be posting writing terms every other week from the book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Creative Writing" (2nd edition) by Laurie E. Rozakis.
1. act- One of the main divisions in a play. Acts may be further divided into scenes.
2. active voice- In the active voice, the subject performs the action named by the verb.
3. adaptation- A script based on another work, such as a book or article.
4. agent- A person, who tries to sell a writer's work, place the writer in the right job, and guide the writer's career.
5. alliteration- The repetition of initial consonant sounds in several words in a sentence or line of poetry. Use alliteration to create musical effects, link related ideas, stress certain words, or mimic specific sounds.
6. allusion- A reference to a well-known place, event, person, work of art, or other work of literature.
7. anecdote- A brief story that gets the reader's interest and sheds light on a min idea and theme.
8. antagonist- The force or person in conflict with the main charter in a work of literature. An antagonist can be another character, a force of nature, society, or something within the character.
9. article- A short work of nonfiction.
10. author's purpose- The author's goal is writing a selection. Common purposes include to entertain, instruct, persuade, or describe. A selection may have more than one author's purpose, but often one purpose is the most important.
11. autobiography- A person's story of his or her own life. An autobiography is nonfiction and describes key events from the person's life.
1. act- One of the main divisions in a play. Acts may be further divided into scenes.
2. active voice- In the active voice, the subject performs the action named by the verb.
3. adaptation- A script based on another work, such as a book or article.
4. agent- A person, who tries to sell a writer's work, place the writer in the right job, and guide the writer's career.
5. alliteration- The repetition of initial consonant sounds in several words in a sentence or line of poetry. Use alliteration to create musical effects, link related ideas, stress certain words, or mimic specific sounds.
6. allusion- A reference to a well-known place, event, person, work of art, or other work of literature.
7. anecdote- A brief story that gets the reader's interest and sheds light on a min idea and theme.
8. antagonist- The force or person in conflict with the main charter in a work of literature. An antagonist can be another character, a force of nature, society, or something within the character.
9. article- A short work of nonfiction.
10. author's purpose- The author's goal is writing a selection. Common purposes include to entertain, instruct, persuade, or describe. A selection may have more than one author's purpose, but often one purpose is the most important.
11. autobiography- A person's story of his or her own life. An autobiography is nonfiction and describes key events from the person's life.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
The Purple Blurble
This is a short story in Dr. Seuss style that I wrote for a contest when I was in the 8th grade. (I won 1st place in the short story category for this piece!)
The Purple Blurble was a cute little creature
But I know it would be the least favorite of your teacher
With its cute fuzzy ears upon its cute fuzzy head
Its eyes would turn from blue to red
But this fuzzy little creature did not stay for long
It knew something had gone terribly wrong
No one really knew what happened to it or what it did
One day the townspeople found out it had disappeared or worst, hid.
No one really cared that it had just gone
Except for one kid, Billy Bean Bon
So later on, on the very same day
Billy decided to go, even if it meant far, far away
To discover the truth, the real, real truth
That happened in the town of Bungeeooth.
It took him two days, one night and six hours
But he didn’t give up, not with his powers
Onward he went to a house that read "The Purple Blurble"
“I wonder what happened,” Billy said with a burple
But suddenly, out jumped a gruesome little creature with no teeth
He opened his mouth and out came the hideous smell of old, soggy feet.
Billy stepped back and said with a frown
“Please don’t hurt me; I’m new to this town”
“Why have you come, you outsider from town, and why do you have that horrified frown?”
“I am Billy and I have come here to discover
The heartbreaking and sorrowful things I have always wondered
You see, I love creatures no matter how they look
They may be real or imaginary from a book
I was sad when I heard the sorrowful story about the Blurble
That had once lived in this town, they said it was purple.”
“Why Billy, you are right and I am glad to say
I thought no one would bother to care up till this very day
The Blurbles had disappeared, but that was long ago
But I will be kind enough to tell you the story if you really want to know.”
“The Purple Blurbles lived with their family and friends
When all of a sudden their lives came to a woeful end
A colony of Sneezles had invaded their town
With their silky fur coats of white and brown.
The Sneezles took all their belongings and chopped down the trees
Took them home, it wasn’t funny you see
They tore down the Blurbles homes, took all of their food
This all left the Blurbles in a very bad mood
The Sneezles took everything the Blurbles once cared for
The Blurbles couldn’t take the destruction anymore
They couldn’t just leave, as they had no place to go
So they decided to stay, but ended up having a big row
That led to the deaths, the same of their kind
And that is how the Blurbles ended up dying, there are no more left to find.”
“I’m sorry this all happened, but is there someway I can help?”
“You can spread the story from the north of Ashphen to the south of Welp
Let them all know what really happened and teach them a lesson
That they’ll never forget, my dear boy Nelson”
“It’s Billy, not Nelson, and I’ll try with all my might
Even if it takes me days and nights.
Well thank you for all the help and letting me understand
The importance of all living beings, they each have a role to play like in a marching band
We should assist all of God’s creations instead of breaking them apart
I thank you again from deep within my heart.”
The Purple Blurble was a cute little creature
But I know it would be the least favorite of your teacher
With its cute fuzzy ears upon its cute fuzzy head
Its eyes would turn from blue to red
But this fuzzy little creature did not stay for long
It knew something had gone terribly wrong
No one really knew what happened to it or what it did
One day the townspeople found out it had disappeared or worst, hid.
No one really cared that it had just gone
Except for one kid, Billy Bean Bon
So later on, on the very same day
Billy decided to go, even if it meant far, far away
To discover the truth, the real, real truth
That happened in the town of Bungeeooth.
It took him two days, one night and six hours
But he didn’t give up, not with his powers
Onward he went to a house that read "The Purple Blurble"
“I wonder what happened,” Billy said with a burple
But suddenly, out jumped a gruesome little creature with no teeth
He opened his mouth and out came the hideous smell of old, soggy feet.
Billy stepped back and said with a frown
“Please don’t hurt me; I’m new to this town”
“Why have you come, you outsider from town, and why do you have that horrified frown?”
“I am Billy and I have come here to discover
The heartbreaking and sorrowful things I have always wondered
You see, I love creatures no matter how they look
They may be real or imaginary from a book
I was sad when I heard the sorrowful story about the Blurble
That had once lived in this town, they said it was purple.”
“Why Billy, you are right and I am glad to say
I thought no one would bother to care up till this very day
The Blurbles had disappeared, but that was long ago
But I will be kind enough to tell you the story if you really want to know.”
“The Purple Blurbles lived with their family and friends
When all of a sudden their lives came to a woeful end
A colony of Sneezles had invaded their town
With their silky fur coats of white and brown.
The Sneezles took all their belongings and chopped down the trees
Took them home, it wasn’t funny you see
They tore down the Blurbles homes, took all of their food
This all left the Blurbles in a very bad mood
The Sneezles took everything the Blurbles once cared for
The Blurbles couldn’t take the destruction anymore
They couldn’t just leave, as they had no place to go
So they decided to stay, but ended up having a big row
That led to the deaths, the same of their kind
And that is how the Blurbles ended up dying, there are no more left to find.”
“I’m sorry this all happened, but is there someway I can help?”
“You can spread the story from the north of Ashphen to the south of Welp
Let them all know what really happened and teach them a lesson
That they’ll never forget, my dear boy Nelson”
“It’s Billy, not Nelson, and I’ll try with all my might
Even if it takes me days and nights.
Well thank you for all the help and letting me understand
The importance of all living beings, they each have a role to play like in a marching band
We should assist all of God’s creations instead of breaking them apart
I thank you again from deep within my heart.”
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