Creative writing post #9

I'm kind of stuck on what to write about today, because I've annoyed myself with how much baseball I've written about. So lets try something different...

The NBA playoffs are going on right now.

The Pistons have advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Celtics and Cavaliers will play game six soon (Celtics lead series 3-2). The Celtics haven't won a road playoff game yet this year, but I think tonight will be different (they will win 104-98). The Pistons and Celtics will then meet in the Eastern Conference Finals. This will be a very close series. I predict that the Celtics will win in 7 games, and their home court advantage will play a big part in that series. The Celtics may be at a slight disadvantage, because the Pistons have been so successful in the playoffs lately, but they can pull through and win.

The Hornets and Spurs are tied in their series, 3-3. The Lakers are ahead of the Jazz in their series, 3-2. The winners of these series will face each other in the Western Conference Finals, and I think those winners will be the Jazz and the Spurs. I don't see the Jazz losing at home, and I think that they have a better balance of players that will prove they are better than the Lakers, even in Los Angeles. Nobody would bet against the Spurs, even on the road, because of their recent history (they've made the Western Conference Finals each of the last four years). Chris Paul, of the Hornets, may be the best point guard in basketball, but the Hornets aren't experienced enough in my opinion.

The Spurs will beat the Jazz in the Western Conference Finals, and advance to the NBA Finals. As much as everyone hates that idea, I can't see anything else happening. They are so experienced and have such a good coach that anything less than another apperance in the NBA Finals would be a disappointment.

This leaves us with the Spurs playing the Celtics in the NBA Finals. This could possibly be the most boring series in the history of the NBA, because both teams play such great defense. A few 89-88 games wouldn't be a surprise. Even though the Spurs have been so great in the playoffs recently, I don't think they match up well against the Celtics. Tony Parker will outplay Rajon Rondo, but that could be the only favorable matchup for the Spurs. Kevin Garnett has a slight edge over Tim Duncan in my opinion (and I've watched KG for many years). Paul Pierce and Ray Allen will be effective, although Bruce Bowen could shut whichever one he guards down. It looks like the Celtics just have too many weapons, but the Spurs still do have a chance. I'll say the series will go 7 games and the Celtics will win.

Creative writing post #8

3.

Darth Vader is one fictional character that is recognized by almost everybody. The combination of his mask, his voice, his intimidating stature, and the horrible things he did all make him fascinating. I believe that nobody nowadays could think of another character that brought the same fear to viewers that Vader did when his music started to play. The moment that brought the fascination surrounding Vader over the top was when it was revealed that he was Luke Skywalker's father. This unexpected news topped off the already memorable personality and physical features of Darth Vader and he will always be remembered by movie fanatics.

Another character that will be remembered by viewers for a very long time is Cookie Monster, from Sesame Street. Cookie Monster has a great personality and can be easily satisfied. What more can you want from a character? All it takes to make him happy is a cookie. If everybody could be made happy by having one thing, this world would be such a greater place. The thing that concerns me about everybody getting one thing that they wanted is that people would try too hard and go too far for their desires. This brings me to my next point: Cookie Monster always plays by the rules. He just uses words and never physically fights for what he wants, which is why he is actually an important role model for young kids.

4.

A certain fictional character that I think is very important to society is Jim, from The Office. Jim never seems to worry about anything and always finds a way to have fun during his boring days at work. Although he does make fun of other people in his office, it is because he wants to make others feel at ease. His sense of humor is kind of contagious, and I have found myself joking around and pulling small pranks on people since I started watching the show. Watching episodes of The Office puts me in a better mood than I was in before I watched them, and the person who seems to have the most fun on the show is Jim, which is why I think he has an impact on society.

Creative writing post #7

Part 1: Why in Childhood?

Stories are so important to childhood because they actually can shape the experiences of children. Children can be shaped so easily at a young age that anything they take in has a high probability of having an effect on their life. When kids hear these stories, they take the morals and apply them to their lives without knowing it. When I was young, I read a book called Regina's Big Mistake. It was about a girl who drew something badly, but then fixed it and made everyone in her class think she was a great artist. From then on, I didn't worry about things too much in school because they could always be fixed.

Part 2: Why later in life?

Older people (high school and beyond) read stories because they can also have great themes and/or morals. It also is a way to relax for them and take their mind off of some of the stress they could be dealing with in their real lives. I think that any story can make older think about different situations and possibilities in life. When I read The Da Vinci Code for an outside reading project my sophomore year, I started thinking about all of the possibilities that there were about the meaning of historic artifacts. The book didn't really change what I thought about these things, it just brought up different views.

Part 3: Why in our nation?

I think that stories are so important in our nation because they connect people to each other without physically bringing them together. If a book is on the NY Times bestseller list, tons of people will go buy it and all of those people will have something in common. They fit into our national identity so well because they are so different, just like our population is so diverse. Many discussions are brought up due to books as well. For example, The Kite Runner really made people think about the horrible events going on around the world. The author of the book appeared on the morning news to discuss his book and talk about some of the content. Stories allow the readers and writers to take the same look on issues with many different viewpoints for once, instead of everybody thinking that they are right.

Part 4: Your stories...

There are a couple stories that stand out from my childhood. Green Eggs and Ham and basically any other book by Dr. Seuss stood out because they flowed so well, and flowing really catches the attention of younger children because they enjoy things that are pleasing to their ears. I directly connect my parents to these stories because they were the ones that always read them to me. Another story I remember is one that my youth supervisor at Kids' Club at Cornelia told us about monsters. I thought those monster would find me and hunt me down, so that one stayed solidly engraved in my memory.

Part 5: Characteristics of a well-told story...

1. Background info of the main characters that reveals why they are the way they are.
2. An interesting setting. Nobody wants to read a story about someone who sat at their house.
3. Interesting characters. I can see normal people in school any day, so I need a more interesting set of people to keep my attention.
4. Fluidity. I don't want to read a story that jumps around from place to place and is confusing.
5. Conflict. Conflict is what keeps everyone's interest in a story. Who will keep reading on if nothing ever presents itself as a challenge for a character?
6. Climax. If a story didn't have one defining moment, I would feel like I wasted by time reading it.
7. THEME/MORAL. I feel that for a story to be worthwhile, it needs to teach me something important that I don't already know.

Creative writing post #6

Baseball... Every season turns out differently. Going into the year many teams are overlooked, but can turn out to be playoff contenders. The opposite can also happen, where a favorite to win the World Series ends up having a losing record. The 2008 season is already looking like it is going to be exciting with close races in most divisions, but you never know what will happen. Here are my predictions:



AL East

1. Boston Red Sox-The World Series champs haven't lost anybody important so far in the offseason, except for Curt Schilling (due to a shoulder injury). Jacoby Ellsbury will be taking over the starting job in centerfield after proving himself towards the end of the 2007 season. Dustin Pedroia, the AL Rookie of the Year in 2007, has locked up the second base position and will probably only get better. Their pitching is amazing. They have the right combination of veteran leadership and young talent on the mound to earn them a first place in the division.

2. New York Yankees-Another year, another strong roster. Their lineup looks as good as usual, especially with second baseman Robinson Cano hitting the prime of his career. Pitching could be an issue for them, as it has been recently. Some of their starters are too old, some are too young, and none of them have been consistent (except for Chien Ming-Wang). Second place looks like a lock.

3. Toronto Blue Jays-The Blue Jays are the most unfortunate team in baseball-they are stuck in the same division as two of the best teams in the entire league and never have enough to overtake either the Red Sox or the Yankees. Their hitters are always solid, but not as good as Boston or New York. Their pitching looks pretty good, but A.J. Burnett always seems to get hurt and Shawn Marcum and Dustin McGowan haven't proven themselves yet as major league starters. Closer B.J. Ryan is coming back from Tommy John surgery and will give the bullpen some help, but it won't be enough to finish 1st or 2nd.

4. Tampa Bay Rays-The Rays have another young team, full of potential, but will only succeed if each player reaches their potential early in the season. Getting rid of Delmon Young really hurts their lineup, and getting Jason Bartlett in return is only a downgrade at the shortstop position. Their pitching is shaky. They do have two solid starting pitchers, but their bullpen is flat out bad. The Rays are inexperienced and inconsistent and that is why they will land at 4th place in their division.

5. Baltimore Orioles-The Orioles don't really deserve to be talked about. They will be very, very bad.

Creative writing post #5

Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?

Or fester like a sore--
And then run?

Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

source: http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/langston_hughes/poems/16947

2. I chose this poem because it uses a lot of good similes and comparisons and makes a good point. It talks about what happens if you do not go out and chase your dreams in a way that makes you never want to let another dream go ever again. I also know that a lot of people think Langston Hughes is a great poet which is another reason I chose this poem.

3. The title connects very well to the poem. A deferred dream is what this entire poem is about. The first line is, "What happens to a dream deferred?" The whole poem is the answer to that question in the mind of Langston Hughes.

4. Langston Hughes uses many poetic devices in this poem. Almost every line is a simile, and I would say the best one is when Hughes says, "Does it dry up, Like a raisin in the sun?" This really paints a very clear and interesting image in my mind. A raisin in the sun is really a gross image and none of us want our dreams to turn out like that. I think Hughes is saying that when you ignore a dream, it is no longer the same as it is when you come back to it. Another poetic device is alliteration. Hughes says, "Or crust and sugar over--like a syrupy sweet?" The "s" sound is repeated and really makes the poem flow well. It draws attention to that line because of the flow and I found that I remembered that line more than the others.

5. The tone, to me, seems slightly sad but I think it also gives readers a sense of urgency to achieve their dreams. Hughes is very successful in creating this tone due to the fact that he uses distinct images like a raisin in the sun or a festering sore. These images are often associated with sadness or pain, so it was a good idea to use them to prove his point.

Creative writing post #4

I don't really consider myself a great writer, however, I do occasionally like to write. I guess the things I like to write about most now would be sports or plays. I really didn't mind working on the play assignment that we did in class. It allowed me to come up with new ideas and make a plot flow together, and I wasn't restricted to the typical format of Intro, Body, Conclusion that I have to use so often. When I write about sports, it is basically through texting people about baseball or football games on TV. I don't know if that is really writing, but I think it's pretty fun. Most of the things I read about are sports related, too. I read a lot of articles on Yahoo! about baseball, football, and basketball, but that is about it. I am sad to say that outside of school, I don't read or write basically anything other than texting or sports articles.

Short play about things that bug me (whiney people, people that walk slow or stand still in the middle of hallways, homework):

Catie (standing in the middle of a hallway, talking to her friend Liz): Oh my gosh, I can't believe that I have to study for a stupid psychology test.

Liz (agreeing): Yeah. Studying is such a waste of time, how does psychology even affect us?

Catie: I don't know, I personally don't think that we will ever have to use any information from that class in our lives. Who even uses their brain?

Liz: That's soooo true. Do you wanna just drop it and take a study hall? I hear that Mrs. Benson is a really cool teacher.

Catie: Definitely.

People start bunching up around the two girls and become frustrated, especially a boy named Andrew

Andrew: Move it, we don't have all day to get to class! Some of us actually want to learn.

Catie: Sorry, but there's no point in going to school. We already know everything.

Andrew: Whatever.

Creative writing post #3

1. Writing a play was better than I thought it would be. The dialogue between characters seemed to flow really easily and the plot kind of unfolded on its own as the play continued. One thing that I wish play format wouldn't limit is the amount of action that can be included. Driving through the woods in a golf cart was very difficult to desribe in my play and I wish I would have thought of other methods of transportation before I started writing. One thing I like about writing plays is that it's easy to describe the characters and setting. You don't have to find a way to make fit them into the story, but instead you can just describe everything exactly like it is (just start a new paragraph with italics...). Writing this play was very easy and straightforward and it was funny hearing some of them in class ("Hello my beautifuls").

2. If I could give any piece of advice to a 10-year-old kid, I would tell them that it is good to have a lot of friends and people you can trust, but you have to be able to do things by yourself sometimes. I have had some experiences working in groups where all of the other members have left me to do the work by myself. A few times, these have been people that I thought were hard workers and I believed would do their share. Now that I have seen these types of things happen, I feel more comfortbale working by myself. Another thing I would be sure to tell them is that you have to choose the people that you associate yourself with carefully. If you are seen around people that are thought of poorly, people will probably assume flase things about you. I know this because I think I pre-judge people occasionally (which I try not to do) and don't give them the chance they deserve.

3. I think that what makes plays great is how they are initially viewed by society. If a literary work makes a good first impression, the people who think it is good will pass on stories about it to other generations. This can continue for hundreds 0f years because we live in a world where tradition is appreciated. I don't know if I could write anything that would last 200 years. I think that people might not understand my sense of humor and at first dislike the literature. Without a good first impression, a literary work is almost done for. People will forget it and it will not be passed on to others.