6-6:10pm: Intro, Narrating the day, checking in… how are you doing, what have you been doing…?
6:10-6:30: Talk to us about your drafts, post excerpts below and questions for your colleagues. ASK US QUESTIONS.
6:30-6:50: What is the opinion you developed, and what do you want readers of your writing on your author(s) to learn and appreciate?
6:50-7pm: Closing remarks and thoughts before submitting final draft next week.
7-7:07pm: Break
7:07-7:30pm: Writing your own story. Where do you start?
7:30-7:45pm: Let’s start with the people in your story. What do they teach you, have they taught you?
7:45-7:55: How will you start? Not so much where… but HOW and with WHOM?
7:55-8pm: Close
HW: Final Draft of paper…. AND, start writing your story, a story from your life.
#professormikey 
Lately life has been the same old thing as per usual. While im still severely restricted in the places i can go (being a smoker means im pretty much scared to leave my front door) I’ve still found myself keeping busy and eating tons of yummy food now that my family is spending so much time home cooking. Even in quarantine ive been able to enjoy a good plate of biscuits and gravy which really makes everything okay.
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in regards to the Lawson paper, ive been working on my rough draft, and while ive gotten a good handle on my thoughts and opinions regarding my topic, ive just been having trouble expanding and adding more ideas. Ive been developing the opinion that “Lawson is a storyteller” and to me, this opinion has been interesting to develop, as i put alot of thought into what constitutes when someone is just writing and when someone is telling a story. In the end, i just want the reader of my opinion to reflect upon how and why people write as i think that is where the biggest difference between just writing and telling a story comes into play.
When writing my own story, i feel as if it would be fitting to start from the beginning. from the moment of birth to the present time, everyones lives are filled to the brim with characters, experiences and stories to share. In my own case though, the most interesting stories dont come until later in life, around the surreal time of being a teenager.
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A whole life snapshot over 5 pages? Maybe focus on one or two moments? What do you think, colleagues?
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That’s cool you have been focusing so much on the storyteller aspect in your writing. I feel like that will come in handy today with us having to write our own stories. I like your idea to start from the very beginning. I think that could make for a really well rounded story. I was thinking of going more of sporadic stories that ultimately give you the big picture of who I am. I was thinking that would allow me to start off with my strongest story or something like that to rope the reader in. I like that we can collaborate a bit and learn about how other people interpret the assignment.
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Agreed!! Story telling is what gives the narration an elevation and connective quality!!
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Maybe it would be good to focus on a story from your teenage years, as writing a whole life in 5 pages might be tricky. 😉
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Agreed!!!
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I hear ya, as I’m sure most of us do. How is this, and this new way of life affecting your writing?
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Well today I have been doing pretty well. I didn’t sleep much last night so I’m living off of earl grey. I’ve just been working on school work for the most part. I have been doing some stuff for my anxiety and it is working wonders for my focus. I didn’t realize that a lot of my procrastination is actually anxiety and not just ADHD based. I’m staying at my girlfriend’s place in Napa and we have gone on a few walks around the vineyard today which has been lovely. I’ve enjoyed having a sort of laid back chill day. How is everybody else doing?
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RIZZ!!!!! Hope the walks are helping, and that the writing is benefiting from your new practices…
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I think taking the time to walk and clear my mind is dramatically helping my writing. It seems to be flowing a bit more freely
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I’m hoping this shows up as my name! If not it’s Stephanie Neeley. This past week I’ve been more productive. I started getting my self back on to a normal sleep schedule and now I only drink on the weekends. Going to some grocery stores have been hard on me as i’ve started having problems with my asthma. I don’t want my doctor’s office to tell me to come in cause I think that’s too much expose for me with my asthma. I get worried to go to sleep at night some nights. My roommate and I deep clean everything 3-4 times a week. Outside of that I’ve been felling good and keeping up on my at home workouts. I have read thing about people slowly opening up the economy in some states. I don’t think that will be the case here from what I have read. I am a little nervous that unemployment can take a month to get. I can cover my bills for May but food will have to work it’s self out. I’m now focusing on my goals more need to re-do my list. One thing is to re-do my room. Right now it’s ideas only no money spending. But when things improve i’ll have an idea in mind.
Glad to see how others are doing right now too.
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One day at a time…
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getting the sleep schedule in check has been one of the more difficult parts of quarantine
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Agreed..
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I can’t imagine how challenging it must be with bad asthma. I’m so sorry you are going through that. Have you applied for food stamps? I know it won’t help this month, but it might be helpful afterwards. Best of luck to you!
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Thank you for your kindness, Rizzie.
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I know also that food banks are helping people with food. Or at least they were? Might not be a bad thing to check out?
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There definitely a lot of compassion going around as well as resources from organizations all over the county and country. I hope that one of these opportunities comes your way.
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Thank you for this kindness, Leon.. cheers.
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Hi Stephanie,
Feel free to shoot me a reply if you’re in Sonoma County would like someone to bring by some food for this month. I’d be happy to help you out if I can. I used to suffer from pretty bad allergies and I understand your concerns about exposing yourself.
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Hi colleagues! I’m doing ok. Pretty much the same as it has been, although today was the first day of working from home without a kiddo to homeschool at the same time, and it is so much easier!! 🙂 I’d like to say I practiced more self care, but it’s difficult. I had a really frustrating day, tech and remote connectivity issues, and I actually literally roared. It scared the cats, but I felt better afterwards. Lol…
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Lol my frustrating day was on Friday. Today was pretty good. 🙂
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Good to hear, Theresa!! 🙂
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Hey everyone! The days have just been the same. Have been trying to go outside for a little bit to get some fresh air. Not much else going on.
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Day to day has been the most challenging. Constantly wondering when this lockdown will be over and we can all go back to our normal lives. Work has been a lot busier now that people are becoming more and more stir crazy at home and decide that going to any place that is open is their only choice for going out. The lack of workers and the mass amounts of customers definitely make 8 hour shifts feel like 16 hours. I try to take my dog and boyfriend for a walk everyday, my dog loves it and it helps me and my boyfriend get some fresh air.
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CHITOWN!!!!! Glad to see you’re doing what you can!!!
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Hi there everyone! I have been doing pretty good, & staying busy as much as possible. I have done a lot of home projects and have been painting much more than usual. I have been cooking a bunch too, although going to the grocery store is one of my least favorite activities. I need another paragraph or two for my draft. I’m writing solely on Sedaris and could use a little more time on my essay. There is a lot to write about, but getting it on to paper is proving to be harder than I had thought. Typically words flow pretty easily for me, but I think this is taking a little longer due to organization and structure. He bounces around in time throughout the essays and so I am trying to keep my essay at least somewhat logical. Does anyone else struggle to stick to only one topic regarding Sedaris? He is so full and scattered and fascinating, I feel like I keep wandering away from my specific topic.
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Hate going shopping now as well. Just focus on one idea for paper… strength in singularity!!!
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I also found that a struggle. I did mine only on Sedaris and it is a pain to organize his stories/ find a specific story.
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There is so much to write about, but I still struggle to put it on paper! I totally understand your struggle Ava, but I bet your paper is going to be very well done, and very interesting to read! I can imagine how difficult it is to express Sedaris’s very unique style. Good luck!
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Hey everyone, lately I’ve been doing well. I’ve been riding my bike a lot and logging many miles. Today I went on a very nice ride with a friend of mine and we ran into some people from school I hadn’t seen in over a month! I’ve mainly been doing the riding and working on my other classes as AP tests are closing in, so I got to be ready for those. Overall though I’m doing pretty well.
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Good to hear!!
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Same here. I’ve been riding a bit and find it helps clear my head.
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Sometimes a full or cluttered head is where the changing ideas reside!!!!
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I think writing our life story would be interesting. Never done so before about after reading our last 3 books I think it will be interesting to do. I feel great about my draft. Got to the top of the 5th page. i’m happy with time time I out into it which was 8 hours to complete it, spending that amount of time makes me feel confident in my writing. I did a page a day then review. I found breaking it down this way kept me focused. Plus I was able to go back into the book deeper which helped me a lot. I had two concepts so i made sure I broke them up evenally. What were your approaches to the paper? – Stephanie Neeley
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You don’t have to write your WHOLE life story…. just something from your life…
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In terms of my essay, something that I noticed that comes up repeatedly is “the reader”. I did not use “I” which is great, but I have a difficult time not expressing the third person? Does that make sense?
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Of course!!! And for your page tonight, kind friend…. ‘I’ is not bad, it’s just and oversimplification of self!! Try other methods… I can help you with this.
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I would appreciate that so much!!
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Let’s talk …
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totally makes sense!! using “the reader” or “one/oneself” can be super useful and much more formal 🙂
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Hey guys. I had to wear a nice shirt today to record a speech for a position on my youth group’s executive board. I wondered when the next time I’d have to do that would be. This past week is when time has started to fall apart. I don’t know how to keep the days separate. When there’s nothing to do, days go so fast! March was so slow, and April’s almost over. Very interesting comparison. Definitely missing the organic discussion in class 😦
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Me too…
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Pasha,
I am DEFINITELY missing the organic discussion. I miss physically GOING to class. It always made me feel pumped up.
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Miss ALL you guys. Even you, Pasha… HAHA
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C’mon Mikey you can’t gas me up like that! Haha
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Love you buddy, just playin… cheers. Tell us more about your work..
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I hope your speech went well Pasha. You know it’s a big deal when you pull out the nice shirt. Last Friday I could not believe that the week had already gone by. I honestly thought it was Tuesday. It is really bizarre how fast the days are going by.
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Hi friends,
I was doing just alright last week so I’m putting effort into making this week a little better. I discovered a yellowjacket in my shower at 11pm the other night, and have been on a quest to figure out how they are getting into my house. Today has been a mix of homework, feeding my horse and jumping up from my desk to continue my investigation of the yellowjacket situation.
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“Yellow Jacket In My Shower at 11pm”.. good title for a story, or song. 🙂
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Hi colleagues! It’s been a gratifying few days. I made cookies and played my violin for my neighbors yesterday. Today, I focused on homework and talked with my friends. Life is going well, although online school and the screen time has been taking a toll on my eyes 😦 Can’t wait for the parks to open
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Yeah…. Stay focused!!
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Hey everyone! i have been cruising on autopilot for the past week, and pretty much alternating between work, homework, and exercise. The days seem kind of dull and they go by fast, but i am not complaining. I actually kind of like it, since it gives me no time think and if i am not thinking, then i cannot convince myself to procrastinate.
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Thanks guys! I found out I can’t get food stamps since I don’t work 20 hours cause of the new law. I’ll definitely look into resources. Stephanie Neeley
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Hi! Today has been a good day. Got up at 9 this morning which is an improvement because lately I have been the CEO of sleeping in so I started the day off with that little victory. Moved forward to making a healthy breakfast then got in a good workout to officially kick start my day and made myself a protein smoothie post workout. Ended up buckling down on homework for my two other classes and got ahead for my assignments. Then took a break to do another workout but this time with my softball team over zoom so that made my day to see them again, considering it feels like MONTHS have gone by since I’ve last seen them. And now here I am, telling you about how my day went! Hope you all had a good day as well, and if not, tomorrow is a new day 🙂
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The CEO of sleeping.. ha ha..
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Hello all! These last few days have been mildly annoying. I am getting ready to move and have been packing, sorting, and throwing away various items. In an effort to support local businesses (and an excuse to not cook) I have been more frequently ordering food from restaurants around Rohnert Park and Cotati.
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Where have you been ordering from? I recommend Han Bul if you like/ want to try Korean!
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Hello my creative companions,
Life has been quite a rollercoaster since the last meeting. It is mostly akin to the rollercoaster at the fair that is targeted towards small children. In other words absolutely nothing has happened, and I am bored out of my mind. I have been quite productive though, despite the lack of excitement. I have started and completed 3 TV shows that have been recommended to me, and to say the least I am feeling quite proud of myself. I have also been writing some music and myself keeping substantially active, but again that is nothing compared to the concerning amount of tv that I have watched. I have also come to terms with the fact that I will not be returning to real life school until August. In 4 months. Hope everybody else is also doing well.
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Jeez 4 months I still have not come to terms with that
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Yeah it’s pretty much only the beginning of the break…
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Wiatte,
Rest is good and writing music is a great little escape! You should start a livestream sometime 🙂 Glad to hear you are hanging in there.
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Me as well…
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Ava,
Thank you I will be live streaming at 10pm sharp. Be there.
Love, Wiatte
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I want a link!!!
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Can’t wait!!! Send Mikey a link!
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🙂
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Hi everyone! I’ve been pretty good, although days seem to blur together since it’s the same routine. I just got back from a little walk around my neighborhood and it feels so nice to be outside on a day like this.
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Hey Diana!!! Yeah, definitely a blurring effect in all this…
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Today has been a rather difficult day for me. I’ve been quarantined with my boyfriend and family for the past month now but he has just found a job that will require him to be around people. This is difficult for me because I can’t be around him and be around my family anymore so I’m going to have to choose. This has been keeping my mind well occupied most of the day and sitting down to do homework was a bit of trouble. I already know that I will just have to wait to see him after all of this COVID-19 stuff goes away but considering that there probably wont be a vacation for up to 18 months it’s difficult to really know when that might be. So for now I’m trying to keep my head up and plan ways to comunícate over the internet but it’s still a bit hard for me to process. Other than that I’ve been getting out of the house and going on walks when I can but the wether has been a bit more chilly than I would prefer. Just continuing with our new normal.
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Stay strong, Jess…
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Vaccination… not vacation…
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No problem…
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For my paper I decided to tie in the reality of life right now… covid 19. So I talked about how the experience of reading this book during these times allowed for a mental escape of sorts and helped show the reader how to view negative situations in a more positive and comedic light.
” Imagine the apocalypse. You’re probably envisioning a world where there is a huge natural disaster, the next ice age, or technology has ceased working and we have had to revert back to being hunter and gatherer folk. That’s how I always envisioned it anyways… but I am here to tell you it actually looks like the human population is staying in pjs all day, becoming alcoholics and washing their hands every 5 minutes. There is a highly deadly and contagious (by that I mean that it is both highly deadly and highly contagious) virus spreading all over the planet and all that can be done is social isolation, drinking copious amounts of wine and practicing personal hygiene. Most people are out of work, and the sense of impending doom is nigh. There are some things that remind us this is an actual apocalypse though. Everyone is going to the grocery store wearing heavy-duty masks and gloves as the bare minimum. It feels surreal and like something out of a science fiction film. The world is in a state of disaster. The body count is piling up and they are digging mass graves in New York. Humans are surrounded by devastation and are craving an escape. Said escape has come in a few forms: memes, Netflix, and humorous novels. David Sedaris in Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls and Jenny Lawson in Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) are both amazing at providing a mental escape and changing the reader’s perspective on life by explaining how their upbringing changed their point of view, writing in non traditional styles, and being extremely relatable to the reader. “
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In the past few days I have seen a decline in my motivation. I’m not sure if the repetitive nature of the quarantine has me in the dumps or what but I feel off. My day was spent going over my writings for this class which have been more difficult than usual. I’ve also been messing around with an assignment for my sculpture class in which I have to make something with a large quantity of the same objects. I’ve gotten stuck in the sunk cost fallacy as I have spent nearly $7 on hundreds of paper clips and am struggling to make anything but won’t switch to a different object. I went on a walk to clear my head and soak up some sun, hoping that this would improve my mood. regardless, tomorrow is a new day and I just want to go to sleep and try to start over.
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Chris!! Welcome man!!! Love the attitude and momentum here!!
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Hello everyone,
I’m doing pretty good these past few days. I’ve something new to do to get out and get some fresh air. Me and a few of my friends have gone on bike rides and have found that we can get our exercise that way. A new game also came out recently and I just got access to it so I’ve also been spending a lot of my free time trying it out. As for Lawson, I’ve decided to write about how crazy it is because it was the only thing I could think of after I finished the book. A lot of my essay is also about how she grew into such a confident person and the steps and experiences that lead her to finally being confident in herself.
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For my rough draft essay, I focused on Sedaris and how he is a believer. I wrote about these ideas and was wondering if anyone else found these ideas in the text? Insecurity about change but optimistic that family and love can survive in a changing, modern society.
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for my draft I was having difficulty expanding on my idea. I am writing about Sedaris being unafraid to share his truths with the world. I’m finding myself saying the same thing over and over in different words. I don’t know what I’m asking but this has been more difficult for me than usual.
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Thought your comment was interesting because I wrote about a very similar idea and am having the same issue. I feel like the idea is strong but finding new examples has been challenging
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Then don’t worry about “examples”… just support your own logic and thought! IT’S AN OPINION PAPER!!!!!
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I’ve been writing a bit about how writing and speaking more truthfully can effect my life and society as a whole. Trying to relate his way of writing to myself.
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Let’s get to work!!!!! Tell us about those drafts!!!
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One thing from our life over 5 pages? Stephanie
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Don’t think about page length right now…
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For tonight’s page – Narration is a mix of chance and intent, or not… either way it has to be WRITTEN.
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For my draft, I wrote about how Lawson’s humanness affects the way she writes and what effects it brings to the reader. Her perspective upon her life is very contradictory and compliments the way her mind works, all over the place. I mentioned how her id, super-ego, and ego are all messed up and that her id takes over her reasoning resulting in her crazy and irrational decisions. I described how she is the perfect human because she of all the humanness she shows. She is actually alive. I want to describe how the people she is most close to each represent a part of her mind. I just can’t figure out where her sister comes in. I want my readers to appreciate how vivid Lawson’s life is and reflect upon how they themselves could make the same. I want them to think of how different the world could be if Lawson’s life was the norm, if the “new normal” was just normal.
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The character that’s writing their own character has to be felt, either through comedy or some sort of story told.
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Hey everyone ! Ive been pretty good trying to walk my dog ar least once a day for 5ish miles. The past week hasn’t been as productive as the previous weeks in quarantine. Spent the last 2 days playing catch up on some assignments going to sleep late in order to meet deadlines. Trying to learn new things here and there on business things and coding. Im also Looking at the few courses that I have left to transfer in 2021. Needless to say taking classes during high school was one of the best things I did.
In terms of where I’m at with my paper I think I need to brush up and solidify some ideas as well as a strong closing paragraph to end and recap my whole writing. IM writing solely on Lawson and I’d say just sitting in the chair and not moving as well as letting the ideas flow have been very good to me. I am making sure that I focus a lot on structure because in the past that has been an area that hasn’t always been too strong.
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Like the focus on Lawson..
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Pissing and reading. Been cutting through The Anatomy of Story, and I’ll likely pick up another book like it after this one. My friend who decided to make a cross country trip in his dusty station wagon has finally returned to Rosa with temptations to go out and get a milkshake with him. I’m waiting for his very convenient ‘food poisoning’ to pass so I can see his ugly mug once more. All in all, life is good. I read the paper out on the porch every morning, got two pounds of coffee grounds left. Eggs for days. Et cetera.
My draft so far feels very confused. I’m wondering how to organize the thing into some cohesive ecosystem. I’m wondering what pieces of Sedaris’ style they’re going to incorporate into their own writing. What’s there to learn from Sedaris? Et cetera.
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I like it!!
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For my paper, I wrote about how Jenny Lawson represents a beacon of optimism. I used her language/tone throughout the book as an example, I also used her relatability as an arguing point. Besides the book, I also connected her to myself as I saw that we shared a lot of the same qualities meaning we both enjoy looking at life through a lens of optimism. I think that the connection I have to her helped me distinguish and define what she represents and what she is. Along with that, I focussed throughout my reading on her relatability and how she informs the reader that they are not alone in their struggles, I feel that she can be that person that’ll listen and not judge. My paper mainly focused on how her optimism and positivity shined through moments that could easily be clouded in negativity.
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Like this approach… a lot of people don’t feel that way so it’ll be interesting to see how you approach it!!
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I think that language and tone is gonna be fun to explore especially with Lawson.
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Agreed!!
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I wrote about Lawson how she is a feminist and humanist. I broke up the pages too. My first page was my introduction and start of the feminism topic. Feminism continued to page three. Page three and part of page for I did the humanism part, the rest of page four was my conclusion. I went with this format to keep myself on tack to keeping my topics balance for the paper. Stephanie Neeley
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Love that!!! Feminist AND Humanist!!
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Post some excerpts from your paper, PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And questions for us!!!
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For my draft, I talked about how Lawson uses humor as a coping mechanism. “By that I mean that she doesn’t use those struggles she faced as the pinnacle of her book. This is not a sob story. She acknowledges those struggles, albeit they often get lost in the multiple other stories she tells along the way, but it’s because she’s venting. She writes down anything and everything that goes through her mind at the time and carries on because there’s no going back on those situations now.” So far, I’m happy with what I’ve written, but I’m also feeling stuck and don’t know how to further expand on my ideas. I don’t know what that’s about because I know what I want to write, I just can’t seem to actually do it. It also reads slightly confusing because it feels like I’m jumping from one thing to another so I’ve been trying to step away from it and come back to it at a later time with a clear mind to try and reword it.
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Colleagues??
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You’re right, here is no going back, and she has to own that. Her humor is proof that she knows everything about herself, because if not, she wouldn’t be making fun at herself. I like your idea 🙂
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being able joke about a situation could imply some form of acceptance. comedy is tragedy plus time.
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What do you mean by “plus time”?
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tragedy+time=comedy. “Plus time” would mean a certain amount has time has passed that enables a different perspective to taken on a once tragic situation.
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Yep!!
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Hey you guys! Another week has passed and honestly, it’s starting to simultaneously feel like a day and a month between meetings. I’ve been trying to force myself to create things to look forward to, but unfortunately most of that list just results in blowing up the water bill. There’s only so many showers and bubble baths a woman can take. However, I will say that there is something truly enlightening about signing up for a Hulu free trial, taking a 5 hour bath, and watching Dirty Dancing at 2AM. Not to mention making scrambled eggs at 11PM prior to that. I’ve discovered a lot about myself, having so little time around anyone else, but I think the paramount realization is that my favorite activity is simply making breakfast foods at the most inappropriate times possible. Oh, also that I’ve somehow developed insomnia, and will just be up at 4 in the morning cooking up a storm and laughing at my own thoughts. Like a crazy person. Yes. Exactly. Concerned? You should be. But honestly, I miss sleep almost as much as I miss the normalcy that was getting in my car for more than just a trip to Walgreens.
As for my draft, I actually had a lot of fun writing it. For some reason my proposal had already morphed its way into an intro, so I pretty much just picked up where I left off and took it from there. Essentially, I found that the transparency that both Lawson and Sedaris incorporate into their writing is somewhat inspiring, intentionally so, and to the point where a reader begins to want to embody the same sincerity into their own and outlook on experiences. It’s natural to want to run away from an embarrassing childhood or cumbersome family members, but both authors find pride in what others would find humiliating, and are open about it all, almost uncomfortably so.
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That last sentence is a great point. They are unapologetic in their rules that they set for the novel, and have nothing to hold back.
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cool beans d
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I’m arguing that Jenny Lawson is her own definition of strength. She completely owns every part of herself, showing how weakness is vital before strength. By writing, Lawson is able to explore herself in front of an audience, and her confidence comes to life in the comedy of her stories. She enhances her strength by connecting with the reader personally, and is able to show off who she really is. The fact that she isn’t like most people is the driving force behind her self-defined strength. I’m having trouble connecting everything together, and tying in her perspective. It’s hard to think someone else’s thoughts, and I’ll be revising this draft a lot. I wrote this in one shot, and haven’t looked at it since. Any ideas I can tie in?
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Part of this is an excerpt of my conclusion 🙂
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I’d focus more on the relationship between vulnerability and strength/maybe that’s your in for how she redefines courage? Just a thought, maybe talk about the juxtaposition of those two words and how they are actually similar/Lawson embodies this intersection
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Me as well….
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Love this. Hope you emphasize and go further into this idea of ownership!!! Exploring self in front of an audience…. AWESOME, DASHA!!! Cheers…. One idea is to maybe explore Jenny Lawson’s view of herself… what that entails and how readers are influenced by this view. Just an idea!!! Cheers!!! 😉
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How is Jenny Lawson’s definition of strength different from a regular definition of strength?
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Her experiences, and what she has overcome, give her the definition she has. Everyone defines strength differently, looking further than the physical strength dictionary definition. When Lawson thinks of ‘strong’, she thinks herself, and other people think of other personal relations. Not everyone thinks they’re the definition of strength.
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True.
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My draft has been coming pretty well, although I do want to come up with a few more topics for good paragraphs and of course I feel that I need to go back and revise it quite a bit. I started out with just getting some words on the paper and doing more of a freestyle writing because I typically have a harder time getting words out on the paper when I structure it more. But when I went back to it, it was so scattered and really just not all that clear so I make a plan and rewrote it with some structure behind it. Overall I feel much more confident about this draft but it’s just not long enough. I’m making a plan to go back and add more to what I already have but maybe go back to the other writing and take some more ideas from that to add on as well. I know I have a lot to say about these two books, I just need to stop thinking as much about how I want it to be perfect and just get the words down on paper.
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Cheers!!! Love this… forget about the words, and any sort of quantity… develop the idea and let your own ideas embolden you and what you’re writing!!
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I decided to write about both Sedaris and Lawson, and my interpretation of why they write the way they do.
Although Sedaris writes in a way that is amusing, there is a sense of self-deprecation underneath. It seems as though he is still experiencing the foundational self-esteem, or lack-there-of that was brought upon by a father who never quite approved of, or was proud of what Sedaris was doing. Sedaris writes of his father in a way that yes, perhaps his father did love him, but nothing he did was ever good enough. Sedaris seems to be writing for his father, in a way that calls him out, and seeks his approval at the same time. In this way, his father is motivating him to do better, and be better. Sedaris seems to write his stories using comedy and dry humor, because he is attempting to mask the pain he is feeling. However, he does make mention of his lowered self-esteem, so perhaps he writes in a humorous way in spite of his lower self-confidence. In this way he is relatable, especially to people who people who may have a lower sense of self-worth. As if to say we all have certain things that we don’t like about ourselves, but we can look at life in a funny way. Sedaris creates a comfortable atmosphere in his writing by doing this.”
I feel like my essay lacks connectivity from one paragraph to another, so I guess I am struggling with a particular focus? Any advice would be helpful….
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Connection for me is all about desire… What does the writer want for and from the audience?
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My draft is on toxic masculinity and healing. I am essentially discussing Sedaris’ relationship (or lack of) with his father and how that has impacted him not only as a writer, but as a person. I think Sedaris’ writing is self soothing and through sharing his stories he obtains the acceptance he has always craved. Art is therapy and he is an artist in the highest respect. I am trying not to summarize very much, but analyze and use what I have learned from my gender studies class to uncover how Sedaris’ father thinks, acts, and portrays himself which then in turn impacts those around him immensely. Sedaris always took the brunt of his father’s aggression and it shows when he shares his stories whether they’re comical or heavy.
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Toxic masculinity… agreed!!! That person and what makes the person is essential and demanded of such a paper…
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For my paper I decided to tie in the reality of life right now… covid 19. So I talked about how the experience of reading this book during these times allowed for a mental escape of sorts and helped show the reader how to view negative situations in a more positive and comedic light.
” Imagine the apocalypse. You’re probably envisioning a world where there is a huge natural disaster, the next ice age, or technology has ceased working and we have had to revert back to being hunter and gatherer folk. That’s how I always envisioned it anyways… but I am here to tell you it actually looks like the human population is staying in pjs all day, becoming alcoholics and washing their hands every 5 minutes. There is a highly deadly and contagious (by that I mean that it is both highly deadly and highly contagious) virus spreading all over the planet and all that can be done is social isolation, drinking copious amounts of wine and practicing personal hygiene. Most people are out of work, and the sense of impending doom is nigh. There are some things that remind us this is an actual apocalypse though. Everyone is going to the grocery store wearing heavy-duty masks and gloves as the bare minimum. It feels surreal and like something out of a science fiction film. The world is in a state of disaster. The body count is piling up and they are digging mass graves in New York. Humans are surrounded by devastation and are craving an escape. Said escape has come in a few forms: memes, Netflix, and humorous novels. David Sedaris in Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls and Jenny Lawson in Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) are both amazing at providing a mental escape and changing the reader’s perspective on life by explaining how their upbringing changed their point of view, writing in non traditional styles, and being extremely relatable to the reader. “
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Wow… colleagues?
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I can relate to this a lot because when I find myself in an uncomfortable situation or thinking about something I don’t want to think about I tend to try and distract myself. I also like this because a lot of people are also trying to be as productive as possible even when their productivity is limited and a book teaching the reader about life could be a really good outlet for them.
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I thought that was a strong piece of writing. I enjoyed how you brought strong realities that are happening right now into it and then eventually tying it all together with a connection to Sedaris and Lawson. I also agree with your main point about how both authors provide a mental escape and how they can make the reader look at the world through a different lens.
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As did I. Loved the arrangement of the ideas as well, Rizz..
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I enjoyed the details and descriptions in your piece! Very nice.
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Here are a few excerpts that I used in my writing the first one is regarding Jenny being verbal, which is Texas gender roles are a big part of the culture. – As the book continues, Jenny states her mind even with calling someone names. “Holy fuck, you psychopath!” is what I would have said if I hadn’t been eight years old (32). I used this for the feminism part. for the humanism aspect of my paper the quote that I used and also my favorite for this part was – Jenny was determined that Hailey would have a different childhood from her which also scared Jenny, “Still, she was on the perfect path to fitting in beautifully in a normal, pretty life, and it scared the shit out of me” (267). Do you guys think these quotes fit well for these two topics? Or do you guys think something would work better? -Stephanie Neeley
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Interesting thoughts on her child, Hailey. Do you think Jenny wanted Hailey to have a similar childhood to be able to relate to her?
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Good question!
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For tonight’s page…. STOP THINKING SO GODDAMN MUCH. Thinking is imperative, but also the most crippling impediment.
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PREACH MIKEY
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No preach. Just passion.
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AVA BURK POWERS, I love your topic of toxic masculinity. Could you post some parts where your gender studies class influenced your writing? Stephanie Neeley
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Yes, please!!!
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For sure!!
“In my Gender Studies class, Counseling 20, we discuss the impact of toxic masculinity thoroughly. By telling boys from birth that they need to be tough, that they need to be aggressive, strong, brave, large, unemotional and physically dominant, we’re creating a whole gender of unhealthy beings. Sedaris grew up with a father who was the book definition of toxic masculinity. He defined being masculine as resenting the feminine. By enforcing masculinity and shaming one for femininity, not only are you damaging the mental and physical health of boys, but you’re completely degrading the entire female gender…
There is definitely a stigma around being less than “masculine” as a man. Part of toxic masculinity is generational. Over time it has lessened, although never has it completely diminished. Sedaris was raised in a very traditional and stereotypical time period. He was forced into and confined by cliche gender roles. He was taught to reject femininity and embrace the masculine despite how he truly felt about how to portray himself. Nowadays it’s much more accepted, although not near entirely, to embrace your sexuality no matter what that may be. He has been forced to match an image he couldn’t be further from throughout his young life and now as a critically acclaimed writer he expresses himself freely and is widely accepted for the genius artist he is- as he should be. Resolution with his father came through his writing. By expressing himself to the world and sharing such intimate stories, he’s healing. It’s a form of meditation, a form of coping, and a form of acceptance of the self.”
Hope that helps sort of clarify my essay topic!!
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This is great!!!! Love the definitional clarity and relation to topic, and you, and LIFE!!
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That was a fun read and a very interesting way of seeing the book!
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For my paper I decided to write about how through the use of humor the authors were able to take power over what occurred in their lives and how they saw the world they lived in. I also discuss how the two authors write in a carefree manner and in a way that is not influenced by expectations. Lastly I wrote about how there style of writing and living can be beneficial to us in the times of the pandemic.
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Good point!!
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C’mon, y’all… That’s all you got??? Let’s see some parts of your essay.. some ideas… some VOLTAGE!!!!! BRING IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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The opinion I have developed is that sometimes it’s important to give things some more time to warm up to. I was very pleasantly surprised with Lawson’s book and ended up really enjoying it even if I wasn’t so fond of her writing style in the beginning. I’m happy that I did my best to keep an open mind throughout both of these books and in my essay I would really like to convey that and also how these books seem to elaborate on how it’s important to appreciate the more mundane parts of life.
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I also had a similar opinion about Lawson’s book. I found that her writing, at first, was annoying and very up in my face but as I kept reading I found jokes and tragic stories more powerful because I got a greater sense of who she is and the pain she was going through. Throughout all the craziness I also found that the life lessons that Lawson presented in her memoir were also very well executed and presented.
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From my writing I would want Lawson to appreciate how strong of a voice she has, influential she is as a person. For anyone reading my paper I would want to get them thinking how can a book create a lot of self reflection. Stephanie Neeley
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Thank you, Stephanie!!
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Here’s an excerpt from my conclusion:
Sedaris presents us with humorous stories meant to spur self-action and kindness. Our consciences decree that we find endings to Sedaris’s in our own life, finding love in friends, family, and life.
I was thinking of the burners and the kookaburra when I wrote this.
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Colleagues?
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I love your emphasis on kindness! It can be hard to see kindness in his writing initially, but it’s one of the main themes I notice now.
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Me as well!!
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