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- Reading responses must be AT LEAST 250 words.
- Include your full name at the end of your comments. Unnamed comments will be deleted.
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- Reading responses are due by midnight on the night PRIOR to our discussion of the required reading.
In chapter twelve “What’s This Story Really About”, I think the chapter was pretty helpful. Sometimes I go off writing about things I am not really passionate about. I usually stop and think to myself and ask myself why you even writing about this and what are you even talking about. In the book they mention that you need to write about things that matter maybe like things that are relate able to what’s going on in the present situations. One thing I am extremely passionate about is crimes and forensics, and I know when I write about it will know what I am talking about. Many people might not relate to my passion in crimes but many will. I feel like you need to write about what you know so you can make it feel real for the reader. I really enjoyed the examples that were given in the chapter. It’s pretty awesome how they make simple things into something so much bigger with the use of details. I can see now how important details can be in our work.
ReplyDeleteIn “My Date with Satan”, it was really interesting to me. At first I was so confused to what was going on. After Richter started to give all the details on what they were wearing I started to understand what was going on. I actually really liked this story. It was different than what I normally read, but it really caught my attention. I actually read the entire story without getting that sense of boredom I usually get when I genres I don’t relate to. The fact that this story still has things that can relate with readers. The online dating made it real for me. I liked how I didn’t know exactly where the story was going it a little mysterious. I really liked the characters in this story and the one of the little sister with autism. The end of the story shocked me but it was really good. I love to read mysterious books. Overall it was a really good reading and love the details. It really made the story come to life.
Lizette Garcia
Stories can be seen on multiple levels, there’s a duality within them. In which there is the superficial level we see on a first read and then undermining levels that we extract from multiple reads. Then comes the issue of, if we do not enjoy what we are reading, then the probability of us finding it dull is fairly high. This is sort of the case with me when the majority of courses assign you to read works that may not be favorable to you. Now, I can see the significance of story in the implementation of themes, but while reading, I will be cruising on an artificial level and not really care to pick up the various aspects of the work. As a matter of fact, I’ll just read since I am required to and then take what I need from it, in order to pass an assignment or the course itself. A couple of pages within the chapter and I noticed that there were three steps to the writing process. I believe I fall under this category since I feel that I am only obligated to write if I am emotionally “triggered” by a certain entity. This may be a bad practice in itself since I am not on a consistent writing basis, however my pen is like a hollow shell and when it fills up then I can vent onto a page. Furthermore, it seems to be easier to write when they is a sense of emotional tension in your pen strokes since you feel a type of way about the subject matter.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the story at hand, usually I’m not a fan of stories that implement any type of online messenger. Why? I’m not entirely sure myself, maybe because I don’t really converse with others online. Anyway, that doesn’t take anything away from the story. Now, from the title to the first encounters between the protagonist and Satan, it occurred to me that they talked online and then had their first real date. So, that could be the artificial plot of the story. Now, in regards to theme, it is open to discussion. Furthermore, the formal features were done very well in regards to imagery and especially dialogue. I also felt the ending scene in with Satan and the protagonist was especially memorable since this is a common event that happens with those who speak to each other online and then actually meet.
Patricio Hernandez (P.J.)
Chapter 12’s “What’s This Story Really About?” taught me the difference between a theme and the messages that a story sends. I used to think that the theme was the message, but this chapter helped me learn that a theme is too abstract, and stories can possess more messages than themes. From this chapter, I found that the five senses are best used to make your writing about something, and powerful emotions can enhance it even further. In my own writing, I tend to think “Alright, what message do I want to send with this piece” but I realize now that even when working at sending messages, it can still be too abstract. The best stories possess several messages, and have deep root meanings within them that are tied to what we feel or experience.
ReplyDeleteAfter finishing the story, I was left mouth-open thinking, both – what(TF) did I just read, and what was this story really about. While reading, I figured Satan wasn’t really as bad as a guy he set himself up to be, or the man Pipi expected. Though a little snappy, Satan was compassionate, as he constantly gave Pipi gifts, and the piano scene gave me a little insight to his softer side. I guess what I took from this story really being about is expectations and the cliché “don’t judge a book by its cover”. Another meaning could be the message parents send to their kids to be wary of online predators. Overall, I didn’t like nor dislike the story, the twists at the end were unexpected and changed my view of Pipi completely.
Jesus Pena
What’s the crux of a story? Why is it that we are writing a particular piece, and what purpose does it serve? I believe LaPlante wants us to ask these questions about any piece we write so that we can understand the emotional response we are trying to convey to the reader. LaPlante says that should be the core of every story told, and that any piece that holds its weight is one to be experienced, not summarized. She says one way to do this is to render the emotion through the five sense; there must be believability within the story. She uses the word transference to describe this technique (based off Freudian concepts); a technique in which we should ascribe meaning with “things of the world” – going back to the idea of using the five senses. If it sounds like I’m regurgitating what LaPlante says, rather than giving my own response to it, that’s because I am. I feel like these are concepts and ideas I need to repeat over to have a better grasp of them. The use of the five sense to convey meaning in my story is something I feel like I need to do more often. So the more I drill it into my head, the better I can use it.
ReplyDeleteI’m kinda iffy on “My Date with Satan”. I didn’t hate but it definitely wasn’t my favorite story we’ve read all semester. There can be all sorts of ways this story can be interpreted (and that’s what LaPlante wants from stories, sure), and I can see why she picked it for the text.
Chano Martinez
I liked the chapter, made me realize some stuff about my own writing. For example, I have a bad habit of writing off on rabbit trails with in my plots. I start going towards one direction or theme, but I get distracted within my work and end up far away from where I want to be. Furthermore, I tend to end up writing things without purpose. I start writing something and get really fired up about it, but then my opinion of a point changes and I lose the fire to write about it. Yet, I keep writing anyway and the story evolves into something I would never even want to publish. I need to get a hold of my writing as it has gotten a hold of me and is running me dry. I need to also be consistent in my writings, I have another habit of getting stuck in my work and taking long stretches of breaks between writing sessions. I need to just force myself to write every day or I may never be able to finish any of my projects.
ReplyDeleteAs for the story we had to read. I liked it, but I did not like the instant messaging content within the story. It was too unusual in comparison to the stories I usually weird, it was too out there. I do not even understand fully, I will have to reread it before Thursday for the discussion. But overall, I liked the story.
Isaac J McCoy
Chapter 12
ReplyDeleteFor Chapter 12, it is all about what the story is really about. I really like the quote of Flannery O'Conner that LaPlante used saying, " ...but for the fiction writer himself the whole story is the meaning, beacause it is an experience, not an abstraction." A story in fiction isn't always the basic learning model of introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and conclusion; it is much more than that. LaPlante mentions all of the other chapters about character, details, and plot to have true meaning in a story. She also describes ways in finding a story, whether it be from real life experiences, or over heard a conversation. I was on the rocks over the whole emotions not being linked to an object. In some deep writing like Norwegian Wood, I related to each persons emotions of sadness. They weren't necessarily embodied in an object or idea. Then again, it gives it a form of uniqueness when done so. We see emotions in a new light.
My Date with Satan
I wasn't sure how to feel about the story. I'm new to Facebook messenger and WhatsApp, so it took me a while to realize it had some instant messaging formats. As for the story Chapter aside, there was a lot of great decryption with the playtex bra to hello kitty and when they are about the get it on. There was even a little nice, "God, I can't believe this is happening," which was funny to me. Now talking more about it, I kind of like it more. Pippi some what made Satan look like a softie, but it was different. He seemed more submissive than dominant which was a different take.
Chapter 12
ReplyDeleteFor Chapter 12, it is all about what the story is really about. I really like the quote of Flannery O'Conner that LaPlante used saying, " ...but for the fiction writer himself the whole story is the meaning, beacause it is an experience, not an abstraction." A story in fiction isn't always the basic learning model of introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and conclusion; it is much more than that. LaPlante mentions all of the other chapters about character, details, and plot to have true meaning in a story. She also describes ways in finding a story, whether it be from real life experiences, or over heard a conversation. I was on the rocks over the whole emotions not being linked to an object. In some deep writing like Norwegian Wood, I related to each persons emotions of sadness. They weren't necessarily embodied in an object or idea. Then again, it gives it a form of uniqueness when done so. We see emotions in a new light.
My Date with Satan
I wasn't sure how to feel about the story. I'm new to Facebook messenger and WhatsApp, so it took me a while to realize it had some instant messaging formats. As for the story Chapter aside, there was a lot of great decryption with the playtex bra to hello kitty and when they are about the get it on. There was even a little nice, "God, I can't believe this is happening," which was funny to me. Now talking more about it, I kind of like it more. Pippi some what made Satan look like a softie, but it was different. He seemed more submissive than dominant which was a different take.
Kassandra Salas
I usually start with discussing the textbook first, but in this week, I must, I really must start with the short story which I completely loved. I feel like this just became my new favorite short story. I’m not sure what completely made me feel very attracted to the story, it was so adequately and weirdly put together while it being so realistic and so awkwardly and creepily adorable. Maybe it was hello kitty, maybe the aggressiveness LaPlante speaks about, maybe the imagery used, I don’t quite reason why, but I just really enjoyed this piece from all the previous ones. Anyhow, switching to the textbook, it was pretty confusing in some areas such as LaPlante saying we can’t attach an emotion to an abstraction or an intellectual idea. What. Can we really not? Why is she so aggressive also by asking the writer to be aggressive? Anyhow, there were also some areas which I liked, and I think writers benefit from them, the three things we should do in page 398 starting with emotion, the remaining active and using the five senses. I feel like I can remember that. Also, I think these things we should do are quite important, as they do help the story a lot in one way or another. Then there’s another important thing LaPlante mentions about wanting emotions to be linked to objects and events we chose and the part of “we are made of dust” and putting them together. It’s quite hard to imagine this.
ReplyDeleteLizbet Cantu
Chapter twelve is about using real emotions to make a situation believable. One of my faults when writing is that I don’t put any emotion in my characters. This chapter was about the importance of using emotion and senses to tell a story. I liked how LePlante mentioned that even events that did happen sometimes weren’t believable to the reader because of the lack of emotion and senses. LePlante of course warns that putting too much emotion might have an adverse effect on your writing and muddle the point you are trying to convey. My favorite part was that LePlante makes it a point that these emotions have to come from you and that they must remain throughout your writing and even afterwards. This way the reader will be able to read and understand the emotions you put behind your words. My least favorite part of this chapter was the “we are dust” metaphor. I don’t think the author managed to convey her meaning of the inclusion of this phrase or didn’t explain it well enough. It only added confusion to what she was talking about afterwards. “My Date with Satan” was one of the most interesting stories we have read so far. I initially took it as a literal title, and consisted of someone dating the devil himself. Instead we got a much deeper story, one that speaks about the many taboos of our society. My favorite part was when Satan had to play and sing the piano to calm his autistic sister, pulling him out of the persona that he had been using up to that point. I wasn’t a fan of the ending, feeling like it left too much things out in the open unanswered.
ReplyDeleteFlavio Hernandez
Honestly, reading this chapter felt like déjà vu. I swear Chapter 12 is basically the same information from the previous chapter ‘Details, Details”. It’s not a bad thing because I love reading what I already know so I can understand it better than before. What I particularly want to talk about is the transformation aspect of the chapter. It’s really interesting yet something I never really thought about. The quote, “Emotions need to be attached to things of this word” (400), is really amazing. It makes me thing of my own writing because I used to write so abstractly but as soon as I began using the senses and trying to be concrete, there is a major difference. I love the quote that follows it, “Innocuous things– until we’ve imbued them with the power of our imagination” (400), is even more moving. LaPlante shows examples of those quotes and it’s just so amazing. I can’t even express how much I loved reading them. Lastly, I love the quote, “Be very aggressive. Pushy. Occupy. Writing is an aggressive business” (401), because it truly is. Just look at the workshop sessions. Different readers want different things than the authors! I feel like that quote is to help writers that want to write about a certain thing. Really great quotes in this chapter so overall, it was a great read.
ReplyDeleteNow the short story, oh my god, I don’t even know where to begin. First of all, I love love LOVE strange stories. When I began reading this story, all my theories about what its about were quickly shut down, and once I reached the ending, I definitely did NOT expect what happens at the end. It was just so shocking and unexpected. I can see what LaPlante writes about the plot twists and how to make them believable. I think this chapter is a really good example of what LaPlante writes about. “Be very aggressive” and in the story the author provides so much detail to so many objects. It’s a crazy short story that is really memorable.
Emily D'Gyves
Chapter twelve was short and concise. It makes us, as writers, question what are we really writing about. I think that this chapter really ties what LaPlante has been wanting us to learn through this book. I saw it as a summary, and as a chance to reflect. My favorite parts of this chapter were where "But It's the truth," and "Transference: Borrowing from Freud. I thought that these two section were what stood out and the new terms we can implement. The first exercise uses transference, and I really want to try it out.
ReplyDeleteThe story, to say the least, was interesting. I enjoyed most parts of it, some I did not, but that is just a personal preference. At the begging I took it as a literal date with Satan, but once the author included the part of the chat room, I figured that Satan was just his online persona. I don't think I quite grasped the ending, does she take the little girl with her? It was an incredibly well written short story. The line, "I was wearing eyeliner. He was wearing eyeliner too," made me laugh out loud and reminded me of 2009 Daniela, it was just to hilarious for me. This story all in all was funny to me, up until the last part, it just made me go back in time to when chat rooms, guy-liner, and being mysterious was cool.
-Daniela Hernández
This week’s story was so surprising…I wasn’t expecting to be reading about Sanrio stores and BDSM, so I have to say it was my favorite reading thus far. The way I interpreted the ending was that the narrator, whose persona is a little girl, sees this actual little girl who has no emotions—similar to the narrator (or how the narrator strives to be?). She’s sick of the emotions that men heap on her and she’s sick of always having to leave these men with empty hands, so she takes the little girl with her. The little girl will have no emotional expectations or demands of the narrator. I mean, read literally it’s odd and maybe not a satisfying ending, but if you read it having immersed yourself in the narrator’s psyche, it’s a totally satisfactory ending. I haven’t yet ripped tape off of men while dressed as Pippi Longstocking and then get upset when they fall in love with me, but the story is written so well that I’m still able to relate and understand completely as if I were reading my own diary. It’s not just a story about BDSM and meeting guys in chat rooms, it is about the emotional expectations people project onto one another, how exhausting it can be to meet those demands, and the narrator’s acting out against those demands. The subtext is subtle, and that’s what makes the emotional tone of the story stick with you and affect you long after reading it.
ReplyDelete-Nicole Hawke
I basically suck at writing and chapter 12 pointed it out. I understand that for a story to have meaning, it must carry some sort of message. A man goes to war and comes back a hero is a good story. A better story man who wanted to avoid draft fails and must endure hells of war. Theme is an important issue and I’ve thought this chapter didn’t mentioned it as much. When Laplante goes into the significance of detail, we as writers must capture that moment. The moment, as I like to call it, is when we go into detail in an event or scene. When the readers ask him/herself, “why is this important?” We must deliver. I want to say I got a whole bunch of ideas from this chapter but I didn’t enjoy this chapter all too much I felt it was a redundant piece of a previous chapter we had already gone over. Basically, what Laplante was going over I already knew that.
ReplyDeleteMy Date with Satan, had to be the weirdest stories I had ever read. I feel like this story and the chapter didn’t go together. I like the story, it kept my attention but I hated the dude Satan. Satan had this terrible dialogue that I realize now was meant to show how extravagant he was. I liked the chick. When Laplante points out that its our jobs as writers to make our readers feel, what they possibly don’t want to feel, is exactly what this story did. The narrator was such a badass and true. You sympathize for her and find her fascinating. I have a bitter sweet relationship story with this story.
Mathew Betancourt