The best way to become a better writer is to practice, and what most English classes force you to do is exactly that. This past English 220 class was a definite experiment and struggle for me, but now that the semester has come to end I can look back and see a fair amount of progress. With working mainly online, the class was really different, and in many respects really hard as part of me constantly refuses to succumb into a completely digital world. Blogging never seemed to be a real serious form of writing until this class, and now I have a completely different outlook on internet communications, and how so much of our writing is accessible through the world wide web for anyone to see. At this point I am able to notice where I stand with my writing, where I want to go, how to get there, and know that with the effort I put in and the all the knowledge I have gathered I deserve for a good grade.
When asking myself where I am now in regards to my writing, I find a necessity to look back and compare the way I wrote then to currently. During this process, the information learned and incorporated becomes much more obvious, and by this reflection I am able to see how this class has changed my writing and how I have progressed as a student in general. I’ve always felt that my writing was decent enough, got the intended points across, and did whatever it was my writing was meant to do. This class, like all classes I’ve taken in the past, has given me more tips and ideas about how to get to a place where my writing did more and was much more effective in terms of style, structure, and applying the right tone of voice and information to the given audience.
I’ve always been fairly aware that I’m writing a piece of work for someone but never really thought about what I needed to do to tailor my work so that it directly applied to whoever I want to read my writing. Now, I ask myself questions, such as “who is going to read this,” “what do I want them to get out of this,” and “what information is necessary or not.” An example of this attention that I placed on my writing can be seen on my “Global Warming Symposium” article, which I determined my audience to be every person that contributes to global warming, specifically the UNM student body. Once I defined the audience, I realized that my goal was to raise awareness about the global warming symposium held and the predictions made by scientists of the consequences we will suffer if no changes are made. To accomplish theses goals I included information about the symposium and described and explained some of the most important and terrifying predictions made, then elaborated on why we should care and where to find more information. By going though all these questions and figuring out as much about my audience and goals as I possibly can, my writing becomes much more efficient and effective to create more of an impact.
When considering what exactly I have learned over the semester a few things jump right into my mind. One of the first things that really caught my attention in this class was the process of Kai Zen. When the word was first written on the board I thought I had a fairly decent understanding on what the term meant, but in reality I really didn’t have much of an idea at all. The term means the process of becoming good through continuous small improvements, and like I said, English classes serve for this exact reason. By continuously practicing, learning from our mistakes, and gradually incorporating gained knowledge into our writing it continues to improve into a better product. Though we all may feel our writing is decent and at a point where no more improvement can be made, progression is always a possibility, just not as rapid as in the beginning. One of the things that I’ve been trying to incorporate more into my writing with the Kai Zen process is focusing my writing more towards a specific audience with specific goal.
Looking back in my writing I also have noticed another improvement that I’ve discovered through this class. Two major steps in the writing process that I always seemed to skip over were prewriting and drafting. Most of the time spent in my writing process was in drafting, and more so it was actually spent sitting and staring at my computer screen with a complete loss of what to write. Now I’ve found the advantages of spending more time in the prewriting stage as it helps set up what drafting does, and therefore makes it go by much more smoothly and quickly. Instead of spending four hours writing a four or five page paper, if I spend a fair amount of time coming up with and organizing ideas, writing these ideas into coherent and fairly complete sentences goes by much quickly and efficiently. Then afterwards I spend time going through the paper making any necessary changes, bettering my writing as a whole. So instead of spending a fair amount of time trying to gather and apply ideas into my work at once, I spend much more time prewriting before drafting, then better the writing afterwards, therefore creating a much more effective piece of work than by simply doing everything in the drafting stage.
After I’ve seen some positive changes occur, I now also know where it is that I want to go. I recently received a response in my film history class that had a comment at the end saying, “you have answered the question systematically and well.” Although I was given an A on the paper, this comment pretty much meant that it was boring. So my next major goal when it comes to my writing is to become a much more interesting writer. I want to draw more readers in, compel them in some manner, and entertain them while I get my points across so that reading what I have to say is interesting instead of a complete bore. That way people may actually seek my reading as a form of entertainment and enlightenment, and therefore give me more of a reason to write than just for my own amusement.
With much self-criticism and pondering I have come up with a few ideas as how I become a more entertaining writer that I someday wish to be. As I read books and articles written by my favorite authors I’ve become more aware of why it is that I really like them. As I read I want to make more of a point in looking at the language they use, the structures which guide the audience through the work, the information given and the information held back, and any aspect of their style that influences the way readers perceive and react to the writing. For example, one of my favorite writers is the recently deceased Kurt Vonnegut, who constantly changes the narrator and audience’s relationship with each other. I’ve always really enjoyed how Vonnegut switches this relationship around, creating a very eccentric and interesting writing style. It’s not that I want to steal styles from other writers, but I know that by examining other writers and how they affect their audience I can learn how to affect my audience with my writing.
In order to learn about other writers, one major step I need to take is to begin reading more often. During school I find that I devote so much time to articles and textbooks confined to my class itinerary, and much less time reading from authors that really capture my attention and inspire me to write my own work. By giving myself the chance to discover new authors and styles, I can therefore give myself more of a chance to discover what I can do with my writing.
Personality is what makes any piece of writing fun to read, and I know this is something that I need to incorporate more. Acting as if I’m possibly speaking to one of my friends instead of simply stating ideas and the facts to support them is something that I can do in order to make my writing more enjoyable. This process seems like something that I’ll just have to get more in the habit of doing than by simply doing it. By making a continual effort to write things in an interesting way, eventually I hope to become accustomed to adding myself into my writing, instead of a bland, disconnected sort of work.
At the end of this entire process, with all the knowledge and skills that I have obtained through the course of this class and semester, I deserve an A in this class. My first and most important reason as to why I should be given this grade is because I have progressed as a writer. One of the problems that I had the most with coming into this class was my writing process, specifically the process I go through in prewriting. I’ve learned how to mindmap and gather my ideas in a more logical fashion, which therefore making the entire drafting process much easier and quicker, not to mention much less stressful. Along with this process I’ve learned how to problem solve with correcting writing problems, such as simple grammar mistakes and passive/active tenses, which lets me focus more on the content of my papers. Another important step in this process that I learned with my writing style was how to better revise my work. Sadly, I usually skipped this step of my writing, because the drafting process took so long and frustrated me so much to the point that I didn’t even want to read over my work. Now that I’ve figured out how to actually draft more efficiently, I do have the time and energy to go back, revise, and improve my work.
With the small improvements that I have made, I’m now ready and able to tackle bigger issues with my writing, and in theory become an even stronger writer. I hope to someday write work that people look forward to read, and may even seek out what I have to say. With all the work that I have included in the portfolio, I hope that my progress can be noted as the class endured, and that my progression and work leaves others as content as it has left me.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Bad Habit Journal and Follow Up
Instead of referring to my digital journal, I carried around a little notebook in my bag that I found easier to keep up with. I saw real progress with trying to make more use of my time, and in the end I really did see a difference in getting rid of my bad habit. It’s pretty awesome!
Day 1
I already know what I need to do today. I have to finish the quizzes for psychology before noon, since that’s when they are due, and then head to class. Seeing as it’s Wednesday, I don’t have work and the day feels free. But I know that I need to take this time while I have it and get as much work done so that I’m not up till 2 in the morning on Thursday. So the plan for the day is go to psychology, get lunch with my friend, go to the gym, then skidaddle home and do the reading for film history, look over my notes for anthropology, do my English homework, and anything else which pops up. I’m sure there will be plenty. Then hopefully I won’t have to stress about everything and go out with my friends tomorrow night. Most of my friends aren’t in college and work at restaurants, which means they never have anything to do and can stay out all night and sleep in until three. They make me hate life sometimes.
Day 2
I just got out of Anthropology and have two hours until work. I didn’t finish my homework, which I expected, so I’m doing it now. Usually I’d go home and make a sandwich, but I need to go on a diet anyway. I have to finish my online quizzes for psychology, since they prepare me for the weekly in-class quizzes, so hopefully I’ll get these done and go out with my friends. And if I don’t finish I have a little buffer time before they go out that I can devote to these silly quizzes.
Day 3
I went out with my friends and didn’t get home till late, so waking up was a little hard to do. I didn’t feel as ready for the in-class quiz, but one quiz doesn’t hurt. Not until I start telling myself that after every quiz. I left class and went to work, which was stressful and the show didn’t go smoothly. So when I got home I didn’t feel very motivated to work on everything that I should. Working on my habit isn’t going so well today. But maybe I need to let myself relax every once in a while.
Day 4
I got up and went to work until 3. I usually spend the entire afternoon lounging around when I know I have things to do, but I can’t bring myself to do it today. I promise I will make things up tomorrow.
Day 5
I got up and went to work until 3 again. Sundays are the days that I usually try to get things done, but usually only end up with a closet of clean clothes. Today I made myself catch up with as much work as possible. That way my week will go smoother and less stressful. I got a lot done in the end. I feel pretty good about it.
Day 6
I hate Mondays. After getting everything done I just realized how much more I have to do. I forgot to look up and see when my next Psychology test was, and panicked when I thought it was today. Thank goodness it was not. I didn’t have work this afternoon, and decided to stay on campus and not waste gas and time, and I spent the entire afternoon in the computer lab. I got a lot of stuff done. That way I can do something fun tonight after my night class. Yay.
Day 7
I just got out of English, and I feel like some progress is being made. I’m making a conscious effort to not waste time by driving back and forth from my house to school/work, and that seems to be helping me to focus. I have a little bit of time in between English and film history, so I’m trying to get some more work done. Then maybe I can go to the gym tonight or watch a movie.
Day 8
I got a paper back last night that bummed me out, so I didn’t do anything fun. I don’t really feel that fun right now either, so I’m going to just get my mind off of it by moving on and working on other classes. So now I’ll at least do better in other areas.
Day 9
I actually feel caught up in Anthropology for the first time ever. Now I’m doing my psychology quizzes before work. Now I can go out as usual with my friends and not worry about not being caught up.
Day 10
I did better on my psychology exam than usual. That is exciting. The film festival is starting this weekend which is exciting as well. This weekend will be pretty crazy. I have to go to work soon, and I don’t think that I have much homework. I may not find out until Sunday night. Maybe I’ll look things over tonight to prepare. We’ll see.
Day 11
I went to work at 10 then straight to the festival until 10. Then my teacher took us out and bought us drinks. Someone managed to give my drink to someone else. And that was where my day ended. Not much else was fitted into my class, but I think I prepared myself enough because I wasn’t stressed out.
Day 12
Today was the same as yesterday. Work from 10 to 3, and film festival from 3 to 9. I got home and looked my agenda over. Not as bad as I feared. A little work to do but nothing that is due tomorrow. I’ll get as much done tonight so I can hang out tomorrow.
Day 13
After psychology and lunch, I realized that I got a little less done than I had hoped so I’m doing it in the computer lab right now. I wish I had been doing my homework here all along. Then I have class, then I’m going to bed. That way I’ll have more energy tomorrow.
Day 14
Classes feel like they’re winding down and that I have a lot of work to do. But I think I can handle it a lot better than usual. As per usual I’m in the computer lab and I’m working on psychology. This class takes up so much more time than anything else. Then I have class and I do believe I’m going to go home and sleep some more. It’s that time of year where I’m always tired.
Day 15
I actually got a ton of stuff done yesterday. I know that I have a few things to do, but today is a mental health day. I’m going to go get lunch with my friend and maybe play my guitar and piano. Maybe if I get bored I’ll do some homework. We’ll see.
Day 16
Class, computer lab, work. I feel like my days are packed full, but I’ve been getting a lot of stuff done. I feel less guilty going out with my friends lately.
Day 17
I got up early and finished studying for my psychology test which I think I did pretty well on. I went straight to work. All my friends ditched me so I’m studying for my film history test on Tuesday. Maybe I’ll do better on that test for once.
Day 18
I had work all day, and went to the gym afterwards. Finals are coming up soon but I’m honestly not stressed out about it. I’ve been getting a lot done during the week. So today I’m going to hang out.
Day 19
Work is tiring. I have a fair amount of homework to do tonight, and I feel motivated because I cleaned my house a lot. This week seems easy
Day 20
I had psychology, then stayed in the computer lab and worked on homework. My class consisted of a party at a classmate’s house. It was like being at someone’s party except your teacher is there drinking beer with you. Out of context. After that I didn’t have anything to do since I had it all done and hung out with my friends.
Day 21
I finished studying in between classes and I did well on my test. Classes are going easier than usual and I’m having lots more fun and actually have been finding the time to workout. I’m also saving on gas and not eating as much because I’m bored. Sweet.
Day 1
I already know what I need to do today. I have to finish the quizzes for psychology before noon, since that’s when they are due, and then head to class. Seeing as it’s Wednesday, I don’t have work and the day feels free. But I know that I need to take this time while I have it and get as much work done so that I’m not up till 2 in the morning on Thursday. So the plan for the day is go to psychology, get lunch with my friend, go to the gym, then skidaddle home and do the reading for film history, look over my notes for anthropology, do my English homework, and anything else which pops up. I’m sure there will be plenty. Then hopefully I won’t have to stress about everything and go out with my friends tomorrow night. Most of my friends aren’t in college and work at restaurants, which means they never have anything to do and can stay out all night and sleep in until three. They make me hate life sometimes.
Day 2
I just got out of Anthropology and have two hours until work. I didn’t finish my homework, which I expected, so I’m doing it now. Usually I’d go home and make a sandwich, but I need to go on a diet anyway. I have to finish my online quizzes for psychology, since they prepare me for the weekly in-class quizzes, so hopefully I’ll get these done and go out with my friends. And if I don’t finish I have a little buffer time before they go out that I can devote to these silly quizzes.
Day 3
I went out with my friends and didn’t get home till late, so waking up was a little hard to do. I didn’t feel as ready for the in-class quiz, but one quiz doesn’t hurt. Not until I start telling myself that after every quiz. I left class and went to work, which was stressful and the show didn’t go smoothly. So when I got home I didn’t feel very motivated to work on everything that I should. Working on my habit isn’t going so well today. But maybe I need to let myself relax every once in a while.
Day 4
I got up and went to work until 3. I usually spend the entire afternoon lounging around when I know I have things to do, but I can’t bring myself to do it today. I promise I will make things up tomorrow.
Day 5
I got up and went to work until 3 again. Sundays are the days that I usually try to get things done, but usually only end up with a closet of clean clothes. Today I made myself catch up with as much work as possible. That way my week will go smoother and less stressful. I got a lot done in the end. I feel pretty good about it.
Day 6
I hate Mondays. After getting everything done I just realized how much more I have to do. I forgot to look up and see when my next Psychology test was, and panicked when I thought it was today. Thank goodness it was not. I didn’t have work this afternoon, and decided to stay on campus and not waste gas and time, and I spent the entire afternoon in the computer lab. I got a lot of stuff done. That way I can do something fun tonight after my night class. Yay.
Day 7
I just got out of English, and I feel like some progress is being made. I’m making a conscious effort to not waste time by driving back and forth from my house to school/work, and that seems to be helping me to focus. I have a little bit of time in between English and film history, so I’m trying to get some more work done. Then maybe I can go to the gym tonight or watch a movie.
Day 8
I got a paper back last night that bummed me out, so I didn’t do anything fun. I don’t really feel that fun right now either, so I’m going to just get my mind off of it by moving on and working on other classes. So now I’ll at least do better in other areas.
Day 9
I actually feel caught up in Anthropology for the first time ever. Now I’m doing my psychology quizzes before work. Now I can go out as usual with my friends and not worry about not being caught up.
Day 10
I did better on my psychology exam than usual. That is exciting. The film festival is starting this weekend which is exciting as well. This weekend will be pretty crazy. I have to go to work soon, and I don’t think that I have much homework. I may not find out until Sunday night. Maybe I’ll look things over tonight to prepare. We’ll see.
Day 11
I went to work at 10 then straight to the festival until 10. Then my teacher took us out and bought us drinks. Someone managed to give my drink to someone else. And that was where my day ended. Not much else was fitted into my class, but I think I prepared myself enough because I wasn’t stressed out.
Day 12
Today was the same as yesterday. Work from 10 to 3, and film festival from 3 to 9. I got home and looked my agenda over. Not as bad as I feared. A little work to do but nothing that is due tomorrow. I’ll get as much done tonight so I can hang out tomorrow.
Day 13
After psychology and lunch, I realized that I got a little less done than I had hoped so I’m doing it in the computer lab right now. I wish I had been doing my homework here all along. Then I have class, then I’m going to bed. That way I’ll have more energy tomorrow.
Day 14
Classes feel like they’re winding down and that I have a lot of work to do. But I think I can handle it a lot better than usual. As per usual I’m in the computer lab and I’m working on psychology. This class takes up so much more time than anything else. Then I have class and I do believe I’m going to go home and sleep some more. It’s that time of year where I’m always tired.
Day 15
I actually got a ton of stuff done yesterday. I know that I have a few things to do, but today is a mental health day. I’m going to go get lunch with my friend and maybe play my guitar and piano. Maybe if I get bored I’ll do some homework. We’ll see.
Day 16
Class, computer lab, work. I feel like my days are packed full, but I’ve been getting a lot of stuff done. I feel less guilty going out with my friends lately.
Day 17
I got up early and finished studying for my psychology test which I think I did pretty well on. I went straight to work. All my friends ditched me so I’m studying for my film history test on Tuesday. Maybe I’ll do better on that test for once.
Day 18
I had work all day, and went to the gym afterwards. Finals are coming up soon but I’m honestly not stressed out about it. I’ve been getting a lot done during the week. So today I’m going to hang out.
Day 19
Work is tiring. I have a fair amount of homework to do tonight, and I feel motivated because I cleaned my house a lot. This week seems easy
Day 20
I had psychology, then stayed in the computer lab and worked on homework. My class consisted of a party at a classmate’s house. It was like being at someone’s party except your teacher is there drinking beer with you. Out of context. After that I didn’t have anything to do since I had it all done and hung out with my friends.
Day 21
I finished studying in between classes and I did well on my test. Classes are going easier than usual and I’m having lots more fun and actually have been finding the time to workout. I’m also saving on gas and not eating as much because I’m bored. Sweet.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
My General Writing Process
My general writing process consists mainly of four main steps: prewriting, drafting, revision, and publishing. For the most part all these processes stay mainly the same no matter what it is that I’m writing. As I continue learning more about writing processes and actually applying them to the way I write, I continue using what I find really helps me in the long run and to keep using those steps until they become an almost unconscious habit in my writing.
When it comes to prewriting, I begin with sitting down with a blank sheet of paper in front of me, and beginning the whole brainstorming process. With ideas building in my mind, I jot down as much as I can in the form single words, phrases, and sometimes even sentences. Anything that can help me remember everything that I may possibly want to use later in the drafting process I usually hope to get down somewhere since I tend to forget everything. After I scribble down everything, I begin to sort through the information, building some sort of structure to which I may be able to piece together a coherent piece of work. I usually try my best to take a break during this process to think about what information is necessary or not, so that I have the best information to use when drafting.
If I’ve spent enough time in the prewriting stage, drafting usually comes pretty easy. Unfortunately for me, I do have major problems with writers’ blocks, and I tend to find myself getting stuck from time to time. Instead of trying to force myself to write, I allow myself to take a breather and collect my thoughts. Returning to drafting with a refreshed mindset always allows me to write more efficiently and effectively, and I tend to stress much less over being stuck.
The step that I’ve always been so tempted to skip was revision. While drafting I feel that I go back, check what it is I’m writing, and make changes as I go so much to the point where I feel that by the time I finish I’ve already revised so much of my work. This is definitely not the case. While I may feel finished, if I print the paper out, take some time away from it, and look at it five seconds right before I have to hand it into my instructor I will notice tons of mistakes everywhere. This is why I now make more of a point to take some time away from the paper, revise, and repeat this revision step one or more times on my own. If the paper is really important, then I go and seek others’ revision abilities to improve the work even more so. After going through this process I finish once I reach the point where I feel that the writing is the best that it could possibly be. Usually, after spending even more time away, I go back and find more mistakes or parts where I can make even more changes, showing that I’m constantly learning and changing the way that I write.
Publishing is an interesting step as it’s not as recognizable as the previous three. Initially I wanted to say that I rarely publish my work, but when I thought about this process I realize that I publish constantly. I turn in a few papers at school a week, I publish blogs, I send emails to my friends, so on and so forth, all of which are forms of publishing. I always check and make sure that the correct information is going to the correct audience in a proper manner so that my writing does what it is that I want it to do.
As I’ve grown older, taken more writing classes, and incorporated writing in my life more often I’ve changed the way that I’ve written. I’ve learned different ways to work through each process, accepting steps that help me into my routine, while through out the steps that seem pointless. I learn from my mistakes in hopes of bettering my work, continually changing the way I think about writing and changing the quality of my work.
When it comes to prewriting, I begin with sitting down with a blank sheet of paper in front of me, and beginning the whole brainstorming process. With ideas building in my mind, I jot down as much as I can in the form single words, phrases, and sometimes even sentences. Anything that can help me remember everything that I may possibly want to use later in the drafting process I usually hope to get down somewhere since I tend to forget everything. After I scribble down everything, I begin to sort through the information, building some sort of structure to which I may be able to piece together a coherent piece of work. I usually try my best to take a break during this process to think about what information is necessary or not, so that I have the best information to use when drafting.
If I’ve spent enough time in the prewriting stage, drafting usually comes pretty easy. Unfortunately for me, I do have major problems with writers’ blocks, and I tend to find myself getting stuck from time to time. Instead of trying to force myself to write, I allow myself to take a breather and collect my thoughts. Returning to drafting with a refreshed mindset always allows me to write more efficiently and effectively, and I tend to stress much less over being stuck.
The step that I’ve always been so tempted to skip was revision. While drafting I feel that I go back, check what it is I’m writing, and make changes as I go so much to the point where I feel that by the time I finish I’ve already revised so much of my work. This is definitely not the case. While I may feel finished, if I print the paper out, take some time away from it, and look at it five seconds right before I have to hand it into my instructor I will notice tons of mistakes everywhere. This is why I now make more of a point to take some time away from the paper, revise, and repeat this revision step one or more times on my own. If the paper is really important, then I go and seek others’ revision abilities to improve the work even more so. After going through this process I finish once I reach the point where I feel that the writing is the best that it could possibly be. Usually, after spending even more time away, I go back and find more mistakes or parts where I can make even more changes, showing that I’m constantly learning and changing the way that I write.
Publishing is an interesting step as it’s not as recognizable as the previous three. Initially I wanted to say that I rarely publish my work, but when I thought about this process I realize that I publish constantly. I turn in a few papers at school a week, I publish blogs, I send emails to my friends, so on and so forth, all of which are forms of publishing. I always check and make sure that the correct information is going to the correct audience in a proper manner so that my writing does what it is that I want it to do.
As I’ve grown older, taken more writing classes, and incorporated writing in my life more often I’ve changed the way that I’ve written. I’ve learned different ways to work through each process, accepting steps that help me into my routine, while through out the steps that seem pointless. I learn from my mistakes in hopes of bettering my work, continually changing the way I think about writing and changing the quality of my work.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Global Warming Symposium
An impending doomsday was outlined by the global warming report issued by international scientists during a meeting in Brussels, Belgium on April 6th. Due to the buildup of greenhouse gases caused by human activity, severe environmental and political consequences have been scientifically predicted to occur as soon as 2015.
If temperatures rise a mere 3.6 degrees above our current average temperatures, a third of our planet’s species will become extinct. Predictions determine arid environments to dry further while other areas to flood, creating dramatic shifts in the environmental balances, ultimately destroying habitats and causing the demise of these affected creatures.
Human tolls will be suffered alongside of the innocent environment and the beings inside, as “hunger, thirst, floods, and disease” will bring mass suffering, especially to already poor people. Droughts will wipe out major food crops that feed millions of people, leaving a great void in the food sources supplying places such as Africa and Asia. Melting glaciers will cause shorelines to increase, swallowing up low-lying cities and putting millions out of their homes.
Denial remains to be the easiest way to cope with the apocalyptic future that scientists predict. Many politicians, scientists, and citizens continue to ignore the dangers of our changing environment, and the faults that the human race has in our world’s destruction. Even after this crucial symposium held to raise awareness and share information, these important issues are still generally ignored by mass media, as people prefer to lose themselves in less meaningful news.
We must all become aware of the damages we inflict upon our planet and the consequences we will suffer if no changes are made. Hhtp://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/scientists-issue-global-warming-report/20070406074309990001 is a great article on the international meeting held and the points made by the committee, and other articles on the statements made by scientists on global warming are easily available, and crucial for our awareness.
Goals: To raise awareness about the Global Warming symposium held and the predictions made my scientists.
Audience: Every human being.
How these goals are met: I included information about the symposium and described and explained some of the predictions made. I elaborated on why we should all care and where to find more information, urging readers to continue raising awareness.
If temperatures rise a mere 3.6 degrees above our current average temperatures, a third of our planet’s species will become extinct. Predictions determine arid environments to dry further while other areas to flood, creating dramatic shifts in the environmental balances, ultimately destroying habitats and causing the demise of these affected creatures.
Human tolls will be suffered alongside of the innocent environment and the beings inside, as “hunger, thirst, floods, and disease” will bring mass suffering, especially to already poor people. Droughts will wipe out major food crops that feed millions of people, leaving a great void in the food sources supplying places such as Africa and Asia. Melting glaciers will cause shorelines to increase, swallowing up low-lying cities and putting millions out of their homes.
Denial remains to be the easiest way to cope with the apocalyptic future that scientists predict. Many politicians, scientists, and citizens continue to ignore the dangers of our changing environment, and the faults that the human race has in our world’s destruction. Even after this crucial symposium held to raise awareness and share information, these important issues are still generally ignored by mass media, as people prefer to lose themselves in less meaningful news.
We must all become aware of the damages we inflict upon our planet and the consequences we will suffer if no changes are made. Hhtp://news.aol.com/topnews/articles/_a/scientists-issue-global-warming-report/20070406074309990001 is a great article on the international meeting held and the points made by the committee, and other articles on the statements made by scientists on global warming are easily available, and crucial for our awareness.
Goals: To raise awareness about the Global Warming symposium held and the predictions made my scientists.
Audience: Every human being.
How these goals are met: I included information about the symposium and described and explained some of the predictions made. I elaborated on why we should all care and where to find more information, urging readers to continue raising awareness.
Quick Trips
Do you ever feel like you need to get out of the city, but don’t have much time or money? There are so many places just a few hours away from town that make for a great weekend getaway. One of the closest places to escape from the city is Santa Fe. Just a quick thirty-minute drive north, Santa Fe is filled with art galleries, great shopping, and great food. Http://www.seesantafe.org/ is a great website filled with information on places to see and eat. More long-term trips taking place farther away from the city limits can prove to be very refreshing. Places such as Carlsbad Caverns and White Sands are a couple of the hot spots in New Mexico that make for easy and fun trips. For more information on these stops check out http://www.nps.gov/whsa/ and www.nps.gov/cave/.
So grab some friends, hop in your car, and go someplace new! There is so much to experience outside of the city, and everyone always needs a break from the stresses of school and work.
Goals: Create ideas of places to travel to for students who desire to escape the city.
Audience: UNM and other college students that enjoy to travel, my English 220 class, and Professor Brandon.
How these goals are met: Giving examples of places of interest to travel to, why one would want to go there, and provide links to give more information.
So grab some friends, hop in your car, and go someplace new! There is so much to experience outside of the city, and everyone always needs a break from the stresses of school and work.
Goals: Create ideas of places to travel to for students who desire to escape the city.
Audience: UNM and other college students that enjoy to travel, my English 220 class, and Professor Brandon.
How these goals are met: Giving examples of places of interest to travel to, why one would want to go there, and provide links to give more information.
Foreign Exchange
One of the best opportunities that the University of New Mexico offers is the chance to study abroad. Schools all over the world participate with UNM’s foreign exchange program and offer courses for every interest. Breaking out of one’s own comfort zone to spend time with different people is a great way to learn from their culture, ideas, and opinions, which is important to any career. What better way to experience this than the study abroad program in which tuition remains the same as what UNM asks, and many scholarships and grants are available for all the other living costs. The best way to find out more information about the program, the participating schools, and any questions is to check out the Study Abroad website at http://www.unm.edu/~studyabd/.
Goals: To create interest in the study abroad program at UNM
Audience: UNM students who desire to travel and spend time studying in foreign lands, my classmates in ENG 220, and Professor Brandon.
How these goals are met: Giving brief information on the program, reasons as to why people may want to enroll, and providing a link on finding more information.
Goals: To create interest in the study abroad program at UNM
Audience: UNM students who desire to travel and spend time studying in foreign lands, my classmates in ENG 220, and Professor Brandon.
How these goals are met: Giving brief information on the program, reasons as to why people may want to enroll, and providing a link on finding more information.
Bad Habit - Time Management
One of my greatest downfalls is that of my lacking ability in time management. It’s not that I completely put things off or dislike doing certain tasks, it’s just that my time never seems to be planned right so that I end up scrambling to get homework and even fun activities done.
My schedule consists of a full class workload, two jobs, many film projects, scattered music projects, and my pitiful social life that usually takes place during the four activities previously mentioned. This schedule resembles that of many modern college students, all of which seem to handle this multitasking lifestyle better than I. When taking a step back to understand why I struggle so much, I can lay much of the blame on my inability to plan my time efficiently. Much of my day is spent traveling back and forth from my home, work, and school, killing time while waiting for class or work, or sitting around due to my sheer exhaustion from failing to even plan a decent amount of sleep into my life.
The changes that I can make to throw away this bad habit are fairly easily said, but much harder to actually do. It is all a matter of forcing myself to be more efficient with what little time I have in a day, to cut down on distractions and excuses that keep me from my accomplishments, and to organize my day better so that I spend less time wasting it, and to instead get things done so that I can not only get more rest, but so I can also have some fun.
My schedule consists of a full class workload, two jobs, many film projects, scattered music projects, and my pitiful social life that usually takes place during the four activities previously mentioned. This schedule resembles that of many modern college students, all of which seem to handle this multitasking lifestyle better than I. When taking a step back to understand why I struggle so much, I can lay much of the blame on my inability to plan my time efficiently. Much of my day is spent traveling back and forth from my home, work, and school, killing time while waiting for class or work, or sitting around due to my sheer exhaustion from failing to even plan a decent amount of sleep into my life.
The changes that I can make to throw away this bad habit are fairly easily said, but much harder to actually do. It is all a matter of forcing myself to be more efficient with what little time I have in a day, to cut down on distractions and excuses that keep me from my accomplishments, and to organize my day better so that I spend less time wasting it, and to instead get things done so that I can not only get more rest, but so I can also have some fun.
Kurt Vonnegut
A few days ago I was saddened to hear that one of my favorite authors, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., died at the age of 84 in Manhattan. Known as one of the greatest American novelists of the 20th century, his works were made of black comedy, satire, and science fiction, describing issues and anxieties of the post World War II era.
The first book I had ever read by him was Slaughterhouse-Five, and influenced me so much that I even went as far as naming one of my first bands after his fictitious aliens: the Tralfmadorians. He had a certain genius to his words in general, that left me hypnotized and fascinated. Knowing that Kurt Vonnegut is no longer around to create works that both make me laugh all the while astounding and inspiring me, has created a great void in my life.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes to give a taste of the intellect mixed with humor that defined Vonnegut and the world he spoke about:
“Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.”
“Those who believe in telekinetics, raise my hand.”
“One of the few good things about modern times: If you die horribly on television, you will not have died in vain. You will have entertained us.”
“Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. Al they do is show you’ve been to college.” A Man Without a Country
“All time is all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is. Take it moment by moment, and you will find that we are all, as I’ve said before, bugs in amber.” Slaughterhouse Five
“How nice – to feel nothing, and still get full credit for being alive.” Slaughterhouse Five
To learn more about Vonnegut, check out his official page: www.vonnegut.com.
Goals: To pay respect to the late Kurt Vonnegut and inspire other people to read his works.
Audience: People who enjoy Vonnegut's works, people who may like his works, my English 220 class, Professor Brandon, myself.
How these goals are met: By giving a brief summary of who he is/was so people understand who he was is important for people to care. It is important for people to know the impact that he made on the literary world with his novels, essays, and his words in general. I included information of the impact he left on me and used some of my favorite quotes to give a taste of his writing style and humor.
The first book I had ever read by him was Slaughterhouse-Five, and influenced me so much that I even went as far as naming one of my first bands after his fictitious aliens: the Tralfmadorians. He had a certain genius to his words in general, that left me hypnotized and fascinated. Knowing that Kurt Vonnegut is no longer around to create works that both make me laugh all the while astounding and inspiring me, has created a great void in my life.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes to give a taste of the intellect mixed with humor that defined Vonnegut and the world he spoke about:
“Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.”
“Those who believe in telekinetics, raise my hand.”
“One of the few good things about modern times: If you die horribly on television, you will not have died in vain. You will have entertained us.”
“Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. Al they do is show you’ve been to college.” A Man Without a Country
“All time is all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is. Take it moment by moment, and you will find that we are all, as I’ve said before, bugs in amber.” Slaughterhouse Five
“How nice – to feel nothing, and still get full credit for being alive.” Slaughterhouse Five
To learn more about Vonnegut, check out his official page: www.vonnegut.com.
Goals: To pay respect to the late Kurt Vonnegut and inspire other people to read his works.
Audience: People who enjoy Vonnegut's works, people who may like his works, my English 220 class, Professor Brandon, myself.
How these goals are met: By giving a brief summary of who he is/was so people understand who he was is important for people to care. It is important for people to know the impact that he made on the literary world with his novels, essays, and his words in general. I included information of the impact he left on me and used some of my favorite quotes to give a taste of his writing style and humor.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Alternative Transportation
The University of New Mexico is mainly a commuter campus in which a large amount of students live off campus and travel fair distances to get to class. This issue raises concerns for many people, mainly concerns having to do with the money it takes to fuel up cars and the impact of our traffic upon the environment. Fortunately many forms of alternative transportation exist that can help both financial and environmental issues, many of which are easy options.
Many of you may be asking, “Why should I be concerned?” Once gasoline and diesel fuels are burned through automobile use, the engines emit many pollutants. Three of the most harmful are nitrogen oxides, which make up 7.2% of the gases leading to global warming, carbon monoxide, which impairs human health, and carbon dioxide, which also is considered a greenhouse gas, leading to the depletion of the ozone. The combination of all these airborne pollutants has been creating serious problems for our environment as our use of fossil fuels increases and the toxins build up in our atmosphere. During the past few years, awareness for this problem has increased and scientists have been working to create solutions to repair the damage done as well as ways to diminish further destruction.
Now to begin with how to help, one of the easiest, cheapest, and simplest ways to solve these problems isn’t scientific at all. Using a bicycle to get to class and work is one of the best ways to cut down on gasoline use, and since bicycles are fairly inexpensive and require no gas at all, this mode of transportation is extremely cost effect and great for the environment. Since most UNM students live only a few miles from campus and their jobs, a quick bike ride is ideal for so many reasons.
If distance presents a problem, other options can eliminate this problem. Public transportation cuts down on exhaust my limiting the amount of exhaust dispersed into the air. Metros and buses are fairly inexpensive and quick, and are great for longer distanced commuters who need to cut down on automobile expenditures. Unfortunately in Albuquerque, not much public transportation is available outside of the bus system and the Rail Runner Express. Many big cities include both underground and above ground metros that quickly transport people across town, and are very effective with helping the environment. The ABQ RIDE is the bus transportation service available in Albuquerque, with the annual pass costing $132 for students. The Rail Runner is a new addition to Albuquerque’s public transportation, covering distance from downtown Bernalillo to Belen. Depending on how far the distance between stops is, an annual pass costs $175 to $325 annually. For more information on ABQ RIDE, check out http://www.cabq.gov/transit/, and for more information on the Rail Runner go to http://www.nmrailrunner.com/news.asp.
If one has the desire to invest more money into a form of transportation that overtime saves money and helps the environment tremendously, many hybrid cars are available. These cars are fuel-efficient, have lower operating costs, emit less CO2, improve air quality, and consume less oil all around, making them great for environmentally concerned citizens. Although so many benefits are available with these cars, oil companies continue to do their best to maintain their monopoly by limiting the amount of production of these cars, making these prices comparably higher than that of regular cars. Therefore, this option is not exactly ideal for college students. If money is accessible to invest in such a car, it is a great way to both save on gas and to help the environment.
Though many options exist to help save money or the environment, it isn’t always easy to perfectly adhere to using alternative forms of transportation. I myself live 20 miles away from both work and school, making both a bike and a bus ride not worth its while, but I’m still aware of my expenditures. I try my best to limit my across town trips to one a day, spending whatever time gaps I have doing homework or visiting friends instead of driving back, wasting my time and gas, all the while hurting the environment further. If at all possible, I also try to carpool with friends, seeing as I live close to so many and our schedules are so similar. While my wallet and my schedule may not allow for many forms of transportation that can help the environment or cut down on my gas budget, I’m still aware of what I can do to help.
Goals: The goal of this article is to raise awareness of the financial and environmental costs of UNM being a commuter campus and to give options of alternatives.
Audience: The audience of this blog is for UNM students that need to commute to class and work. This audience is primarily on a budget aware of gas costs and also the interested on impact of automobiles and ways to solve these problems.
How these goals are met: I meet these goals by describing the need of alternate modes of transportation due to UNM being a commuter campus, and to provide options for alternatives.
Many of you may be asking, “Why should I be concerned?” Once gasoline and diesel fuels are burned through automobile use, the engines emit many pollutants. Three of the most harmful are nitrogen oxides, which make up 7.2% of the gases leading to global warming, carbon monoxide, which impairs human health, and carbon dioxide, which also is considered a greenhouse gas, leading to the depletion of the ozone. The combination of all these airborne pollutants has been creating serious problems for our environment as our use of fossil fuels increases and the toxins build up in our atmosphere. During the past few years, awareness for this problem has increased and scientists have been working to create solutions to repair the damage done as well as ways to diminish further destruction.
Now to begin with how to help, one of the easiest, cheapest, and simplest ways to solve these problems isn’t scientific at all. Using a bicycle to get to class and work is one of the best ways to cut down on gasoline use, and since bicycles are fairly inexpensive and require no gas at all, this mode of transportation is extremely cost effect and great for the environment. Since most UNM students live only a few miles from campus and their jobs, a quick bike ride is ideal for so many reasons.
If distance presents a problem, other options can eliminate this problem. Public transportation cuts down on exhaust my limiting the amount of exhaust dispersed into the air. Metros and buses are fairly inexpensive and quick, and are great for longer distanced commuters who need to cut down on automobile expenditures. Unfortunately in Albuquerque, not much public transportation is available outside of the bus system and the Rail Runner Express. Many big cities include both underground and above ground metros that quickly transport people across town, and are very effective with helping the environment. The ABQ RIDE is the bus transportation service available in Albuquerque, with the annual pass costing $132 for students. The Rail Runner is a new addition to Albuquerque’s public transportation, covering distance from downtown Bernalillo to Belen. Depending on how far the distance between stops is, an annual pass costs $175 to $325 annually. For more information on ABQ RIDE, check out http://www.cabq.gov/transit/, and for more information on the Rail Runner go to http://www.nmrailrunner.com/news.asp.
If one has the desire to invest more money into a form of transportation that overtime saves money and helps the environment tremendously, many hybrid cars are available. These cars are fuel-efficient, have lower operating costs, emit less CO2, improve air quality, and consume less oil all around, making them great for environmentally concerned citizens. Although so many benefits are available with these cars, oil companies continue to do their best to maintain their monopoly by limiting the amount of production of these cars, making these prices comparably higher than that of regular cars. Therefore, this option is not exactly ideal for college students. If money is accessible to invest in such a car, it is a great way to both save on gas and to help the environment.
Though many options exist to help save money or the environment, it isn’t always easy to perfectly adhere to using alternative forms of transportation. I myself live 20 miles away from both work and school, making both a bike and a bus ride not worth its while, but I’m still aware of my expenditures. I try my best to limit my across town trips to one a day, spending whatever time gaps I have doing homework or visiting friends instead of driving back, wasting my time and gas, all the while hurting the environment further. If at all possible, I also try to carpool with friends, seeing as I live close to so many and our schedules are so similar. While my wallet and my schedule may not allow for many forms of transportation that can help the environment or cut down on my gas budget, I’m still aware of what I can do to help.
Goals: The goal of this article is to raise awareness of the financial and environmental costs of UNM being a commuter campus and to give options of alternatives.
Audience: The audience of this blog is for UNM students that need to commute to class and work. This audience is primarily on a budget aware of gas costs and also the interested on impact of automobiles and ways to solve these problems.
How these goals are met: I meet these goals by describing the need of alternate modes of transportation due to UNM being a commuter campus, and to provide options for alternatives.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Passive and Active Voice
The use of active and passive voice is a tricky area for even the best writers, as rules lack clarity and do not necessarily need to be followed. While active voice takes preference over passive for many reasons, moments still exist where passive voice works better. One of the best ways to begin mastering the two voices is to gain a complete understanding of how each voice works, how they affect the audience’s understanding of the information presented, and where they best fit.
With the active voice the subject performs the action expressed in the verb. For example “the dog bit the boy,” “Jake will research his topic,” “smelling roses reminds me of my grandmother.” By the subject of the sentence performing the action expressed in the verb, sentences are clearer and more direct, cutting out confusion and boredom for readers.
Passive voice, on the other hand, occurs when the subject receives the action expressed in the verb, and the subject is acted upon. Examples of this are “the boy was bitten by the dog,” “Jake will be researching his topic,” and “smelling roses has been reminding me of my grandmother.” Overuse of this sentence structure creates awkward sentences and can lead to confusion of subjects and action, and eventually cause the audience to lose interest in what the writing says.
While the active voice is recommended, there are moments to which passive voice can actually work to a writer’s advantage. This tense allows personal pronouns and names to be omitted, distracting the attention of the reader away from the subject. Therefore fingers are not pointed, and who or whatever that carries out the action becomes unimportant.
Although exceptions can be made for passive voice, it is still important to watch out for the overuse of this complicating tense and strive to use the more straightforward active voice. A great way to edit through a piece of writing to diminish unnecessary passive verbs is to search for any “to be” words. These include “is,” “was,” “were,” “could be,” “will be,” among many others combined with a past participle. Once you find a sentence involving the past tense, switch the structure around and see if the active voice fits. More likely than not it will, but if it doesn’t fit then the passive voice is needed to convey whatever message the writer intends.
Goals: The goal of this piece is to demonstrate the difference between passive and active voice, to describe the best uses of both, and to give advice on how to edit these tenses.
Audience: The audience is that of the class and that of anyone who has trouble keeping their tenses straight and are interested in working on their problem. This definitely includes myself, as I know I need to work on this, and researching the topic is one of the best ways to learn.
Accomplishing goals: I'm accomplishing these goals by describing each tense and giving examples of what each means and how they are constructed. I then explain when it is best to use each, and give examples on how to edit and look for mistakes with passive and active voice.
With the active voice the subject performs the action expressed in the verb. For example “the dog bit the boy,” “Jake will research his topic,” “smelling roses reminds me of my grandmother.” By the subject of the sentence performing the action expressed in the verb, sentences are clearer and more direct, cutting out confusion and boredom for readers.
Passive voice, on the other hand, occurs when the subject receives the action expressed in the verb, and the subject is acted upon. Examples of this are “the boy was bitten by the dog,” “Jake will be researching his topic,” and “smelling roses has been reminding me of my grandmother.” Overuse of this sentence structure creates awkward sentences and can lead to confusion of subjects and action, and eventually cause the audience to lose interest in what the writing says.
While the active voice is recommended, there are moments to which passive voice can actually work to a writer’s advantage. This tense allows personal pronouns and names to be omitted, distracting the attention of the reader away from the subject. Therefore fingers are not pointed, and who or whatever that carries out the action becomes unimportant.
Although exceptions can be made for passive voice, it is still important to watch out for the overuse of this complicating tense and strive to use the more straightforward active voice. A great way to edit through a piece of writing to diminish unnecessary passive verbs is to search for any “to be” words. These include “is,” “was,” “were,” “could be,” “will be,” among many others combined with a past participle. Once you find a sentence involving the past tense, switch the structure around and see if the active voice fits. More likely than not it will, but if it doesn’t fit then the passive voice is needed to convey whatever message the writer intends.
Goals: The goal of this piece is to demonstrate the difference between passive and active voice, to describe the best uses of both, and to give advice on how to edit these tenses.
Audience: The audience is that of the class and that of anyone who has trouble keeping their tenses straight and are interested in working on their problem. This definitely includes myself, as I know I need to work on this, and researching the topic is one of the best ways to learn.
Accomplishing goals: I'm accomplishing these goals by describing each tense and giving examples of what each means and how they are constructed. I then explain when it is best to use each, and give examples on how to edit and look for mistakes with passive and active voice.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Screenwriting, much like every writing process, begins with the basics of brainstorming, working from there into a complete and final form known as the script. The process to getting the finished product does differ from writer to writer, but a standard form of a professional screenplay is mandatory in order to be noticed by producers and directors.
The major foundation of all writing begins with brainstorming. Coming up with major ideas and working your way down to the littlest details is necessary to form the building blocks which your story develops from. Brainstorming itself is crucial, but so many different ways of idea forming exists, some working better than others, depending on what works best for the writer. Since screenwriting is visually packed, one of the best ways to begin brainstorming is to sketch scenes out, then to transfer the visual into worded information that later can be used in the writing process. Listing ideas, idea mapping, and free writing scenes and dialogue are all different ways to gather possible information, and it is best to work with whatever provides the best foundation to begin the script on.
The next step to take is to make a detailed outline of events and information that works as a timeline and map for your story. Whether the story is of a traditional narrative structure or not, there is always a sequence of events that occurs in a specific order for a reason. This outline, if done in depth and in detail, will make writing the script easy.
Getting the correct format of a professional screenplay down is what gets tricky. The only way to get your script read is by following some general rules. One of the easiest ways to conform to these rules is by using screenwriting software, one of the best being Final Draft, which lets you format and write your scripts intuitively and with little hassle.
While putting a script together many technical aspects need to kept in mind. For starters, scripts are typed in Courier 12 for timing purposes. When written in this font, each page roughly equates to one minute on screen time, and producers are able to gain an idea of how long the film will be. When written out the script should being to look something like this:
FADE IN:
INT. SUBURBAN HOUSE
A young Evey sits on her father's lap, combing her Barbie's
hair.
EVEY (V.O.)
I was born near the end of the
millennium, the year 1997. My
father used to say that people were
so afraid that the world was going
to end that they were willing it to
happen.
Her father sits beside her mother on the living room couch,
watching the news. From the look on their faces, the news is
bad.
EVEY (V.O.)
I don't remember much of the
century's turn. I don't remember
the market crash or the plague or
any of the Trafalgar riots.
There are scene headings, or sluglines, which tell where the scene takes place (interior or exterior), the name of the location, and the time of day. This sets the scene and gives much information to production. Character names are all caps and center with dialogue below, and seldom include with any stage and acting direction. Little dialogue should be written, and most of the screenplay should pay attention and describe what is occurring within the scene. Remember everything taking place in a screenplay, whether it is a flash-back or flash-forward, it occurs NOW.. Make sure active voice is used instead of passive voice. Once these rules are mastered the focus shifts to the story.
Interesting stories are hard to find, but some hints can create a very interesting story. Fir of all, for a story to work there needs to be something at stake. It can be something personal or something more widespread, but it must grow more powerful as the story unfolds. Every story needs lots of conflict. The end goal can’t be too within reach, and something must hold the protagonist back from the final desire. A hook, or high concept, is what makes a script and film different and interesting for an audience, making them want to see your film instead of any other. Keeping a suspenseful plot that constantly moves forward and keeping scenes short is important for our MTV generation, because we are used to extremely fast paced media and flashing imagery. Divide the story into acts much like a play, with three different parts to complete the structure. Act I and III should be about the same with act II twice as long as one. This will bring a narrative balance to the script which audiences are accustomed to seeing.
Although these formats are standard, the actual writing processes and their contents differ wildly from writer to writer. Stories that stray off the beaten path can either be ignored by general audiences or cause shock waves through the film community depending on the strength of the script and final film. One of the best websites to help find more technical information is www.screenwriting.info, and many different sources can be used to find more information about writing scripts, but reading too many how-to’s endangers the creative mind. We each work differently and that’s the magic of storytelling, otherwise stories and films would all tragically be the same.
Goals: The goal of this piece is to give great advice on how to write a screenplay, with both technical and contextual tips
Audience: My audience consists of the given english 220 class, instructor included, anyone interested in films and improving screenwriting skills, and myself as I myself would like to improve my screenplays.
Accomplishing Goals: I'm accomplishing these goals by giving descriptive advice on writing screenplays and including technical advice, as well as tips for better narratives. The inclusion of actual contemporary scripts is also important to include, as it sets a proper model to follow. Screenplay guidelines do constantly change, and it is important to keep rules up to date by reading articles explaining current trends.
The major foundation of all writing begins with brainstorming. Coming up with major ideas and working your way down to the littlest details is necessary to form the building blocks which your story develops from. Brainstorming itself is crucial, but so many different ways of idea forming exists, some working better than others, depending on what works best for the writer. Since screenwriting is visually packed, one of the best ways to begin brainstorming is to sketch scenes out, then to transfer the visual into worded information that later can be used in the writing process. Listing ideas, idea mapping, and free writing scenes and dialogue are all different ways to gather possible information, and it is best to work with whatever provides the best foundation to begin the script on.
The next step to take is to make a detailed outline of events and information that works as a timeline and map for your story. Whether the story is of a traditional narrative structure or not, there is always a sequence of events that occurs in a specific order for a reason. This outline, if done in depth and in detail, will make writing the script easy.
Getting the correct format of a professional screenplay down is what gets tricky. The only way to get your script read is by following some general rules. One of the easiest ways to conform to these rules is by using screenwriting software, one of the best being Final Draft, which lets you format and write your scripts intuitively and with little hassle.
While putting a script together many technical aspects need to kept in mind. For starters, scripts are typed in Courier 12 for timing purposes. When written in this font, each page roughly equates to one minute on screen time, and producers are able to gain an idea of how long the film will be. When written out the script should being to look something like this:
FADE IN:
INT. SUBURBAN HOUSE
A young Evey sits on her father's lap, combing her Barbie's
hair.
EVEY (V.O.)
I was born near the end of the
millennium, the year 1997. My
father used to say that people were
so afraid that the world was going
to end that they were willing it to
happen.
Her father sits beside her mother on the living room couch,
watching the news. From the look on their faces, the news is
bad.
EVEY (V.O.)
I don't remember much of the
century's turn. I don't remember
the market crash or the plague or
any of the Trafalgar riots.
There are scene headings, or sluglines, which tell where the scene takes place (interior or exterior), the name of the location, and the time of day. This sets the scene and gives much information to production. Character names are all caps and center with dialogue below, and seldom include with any stage and acting direction. Little dialogue should be written, and most of the screenplay should pay attention and describe what is occurring within the scene. Remember everything taking place in a screenplay, whether it is a flash-back or flash-forward, it occurs NOW.. Make sure active voice is used instead of passive voice. Once these rules are mastered the focus shifts to the story.
Interesting stories are hard to find, but some hints can create a very interesting story. Fir of all, for a story to work there needs to be something at stake. It can be something personal or something more widespread, but it must grow more powerful as the story unfolds. Every story needs lots of conflict. The end goal can’t be too within reach, and something must hold the protagonist back from the final desire. A hook, or high concept, is what makes a script and film different and interesting for an audience, making them want to see your film instead of any other. Keeping a suspenseful plot that constantly moves forward and keeping scenes short is important for our MTV generation, because we are used to extremely fast paced media and flashing imagery. Divide the story into acts much like a play, with three different parts to complete the structure. Act I and III should be about the same with act II twice as long as one. This will bring a narrative balance to the script which audiences are accustomed to seeing.
Although these formats are standard, the actual writing processes and their contents differ wildly from writer to writer. Stories that stray off the beaten path can either be ignored by general audiences or cause shock waves through the film community depending on the strength of the script and final film. One of the best websites to help find more technical information is www.screenwriting.info, and many different sources can be used to find more information about writing scripts, but reading too many how-to’s endangers the creative mind. We each work differently and that’s the magic of storytelling, otherwise stories and films would all tragically be the same.
Goals: The goal of this piece is to give great advice on how to write a screenplay, with both technical and contextual tips
Audience: My audience consists of the given english 220 class, instructor included, anyone interested in films and improving screenwriting skills, and myself as I myself would like to improve my screenplays.
Accomplishing Goals: I'm accomplishing these goals by giving descriptive advice on writing screenplays and including technical advice, as well as tips for better narratives. The inclusion of actual contemporary scripts is also important to include, as it sets a proper model to follow. Screenplay guidelines do constantly change, and it is important to keep rules up to date by reading articles explaining current trends.
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