My Writing Spot - Writing Practice 2

Below lies the description of my imaginary writing spot. Where I go in order to write within my head.

It is by the ocean. Wind blowing, salt in the air. Sun shinning, sitting on a patio, staring out towards the horizon. Under an umbrella, sand being blown onto me, exfoliating my skin. Smell of someone barbequing. Sounds of seagulls and children laughing. Hearing the waves crash into the beach. Water by my side. Wearing shorts, T-shirt and flip-flops. Laying on a beach chair with a towel underneath me. Smelling bug spray and sunblock on me.

Writing Practice 1- Transcribed

I am going to try to write in this at least once a day. I may or may not post my writing... as the original writing is in a spiral notebook. I am going to write whatever is on my mind. I will never edit or cross out thought in my writing practices. Why should I? Most, if not all, will never be published or seen by any other eyes but my own. Maybe I'll write just about my day, or maybe I'll write about a daydream I had, or maybe even write down something about one of the many characters I have in my head. I have my own writing style. I do not care for anyone to critique of these writing assignments. I solely write this to WRITE. I will probably underline, italicize, and even capitalize my words, for I am writing with my own annunciation. I will write during one of my commutes, either before or after work. If I do not take the bus to work, I will write during my lunch hour. I ill not let my hand go idle. I may switch between paper and a word document. Maybe I'll transcribe this (which I did) to my computer at a later date. I will try to write for at least a page. There is always, at least one thing on my mind. It may be about an article in the news or about a book that I am reading. Sounds like a plan, yes? I wish myself in this endeavor ... I am sure going to need it. This, in the and, I hope, will make me a better writer in every essence of the word. I want to become a good writer. I want to be able to write every day of my life. I want to chronicle my own life... even if no one every cares to read it. I am doing this for ME, no one else.

Need to Write

I need to just take the time and write. I shouldn't let a lack of topic slow me down, should I? Since I last posted, I have read about 7 books. All of them were good; six of them I requested as Christmas gifts from my loved ones for my Kindle. These books seem to have some similar themes to one another.

They were all part of a four book series. The first series was the Song of The Lioness by Tamora Pierce. I have borrowed and read the series multiple times from the public library. I am just happy that I own them now : ) The books are:

1)Alanna

2)In the Hand of the Goddess

3)The Woman Who Rides Like a Man

4) Lioness Rampant

The other series that I now can say that I have just finished reading is the Wicked Series by Gregory MaGuire. I hadn't read the last two books, A Lion Among Men and Out of Oz until the last few weeks. What an amazing series! I didn't expect what actually happened to even occur.

Ahh... Massage

I just absolutely love pampering myself with a massage. It makes me feel rejuvenated and ready for anything. I had one scheduled just the other day for today, because I did something funny with my neck when I woke up earlier in the week. I am a member of Massage Envy; it's really nice for the price and the massage therapists. I usually get either a deep tissue or a sports massage.

Just one of those days

I am having one of those days, where nothing can go right at all... What do you do to get out of the funk?

A word of the year?

Is there really a word of the year? Yes, there is. Merriam-Webster chose “pragmatic” to be the 2011 word of the year. Merriam-Webster started choosing the word of the year back in 2003. It is now left up of the public to vote on.

Definition of pragmatic – practical, antonym idealistic

The first word of the year (2003) was democracy

The 2004 word of the year was blog.

The 2005 word of the year was integrity.

The 2006 word of the year was truthiness, which was created by Comedy Central’s own Stephen Colbert.

The 2007 word of the year was woot.

The 2008 word of the year was bailout.

The 2009 word of the year was admonish.

Last year’s word of the year was austerity.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/15/2547167/merriam-websters-words-of-the.html

http://wtop.com/?nid=209&sid=2670686

Book Review: Paradise by Joan Elizabeth Goodman

Here is a book review I wrote for a children's lit class in 2007.  The review was on the Barnes and Noble site until recently:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/paradise-joan-elizabeth-goodman/1102478402 

 Marguerite De La Rocque gets to go on a trip of a lifetime, and for a young woman in 1536, this is huge. One of the first women to colonize the Canadian Wilderness, she is chosen by her uncle, Jean-Francois de La Rocque, the Sieur de Roberval, whom the French King appointed as lieutenant general of the expedition. She persuades her love, Pierre, to join the crew of the ship, hoping for a chance they could run away together. A relationship between these two is taboo, since she is a Protestant and he a Catholic. Her uncle finds out about this relationship because the minister of the ship sees the two making love once they come into the New World. Marguerite and her female servant are kicked off the ship and left on an island, with only some provisions. The crew throws Pierre into the ocean and shoots at him, but miraculously, he survives and swims to the island to be with his love. They try living on the island, but the only survivors are Marguerite and the daughter whom Pierre has fathered. This novel of creative nonfiction is based on the true story of Frenchwoman Marguerite De La Rocque. This interesting story may prompt more curiosity in the colonizing of the Americas—especially because the story is told from the French perspective of the New World, and not the English one with which most U.S. students are most familiar. Goodman's writing is understandable although she uses some French words; she also includes an intriguing afterword that details what historians know about the true story of Marguerite.