6-6:10pm. Narrate your day… tell us a story from today…
6:10-6:30pm: Your personal essay/story… share some paragraphs with us?
6:30-6:50pm: What are some of the more exiting dimensions to writing about yourself? Some of the challenges?
6:50-7pm: Without spoiling anything in your story, what do you want readers to leave with? That is, what do you intend on teaching them? What do you want your readers to do when done reading your writing?
7-7:07pm: BREAK
7:07-7:20pm: Samantha Irby…. Thoughts? Passages from her book that had you laughing, or LEARNING?
7:20-7:30: Describe her mood, attitude….
7:30-7:50pm: OPEN MIC
7:50-8pm: Close, tonight’s page…. Positive beats…..
HW: Final Draft of your story, keep reading Irby and type a reaction to her (wherever you are in the book…)…. Journal entries, be prepared to share next meeting.
#professormikey 
In my story I wrote about a time I think is the most significant of all the things that I have been through and the most intriguing. I decided to write about how my life was changed and restricted from the years of 9 years old to becoming a 14 year old teen. In the time I had some amazing moments and memories, while also having some damaging and difficult times. The writing was a little hard for me considering I never really think about the things I have been through but after writing it all and getting it down on paper, out of my head, I felt better and wanted to continue writing after. If I wanted to readers to understand or feel anything about my story it would have to be, to never give up on the things you want or take an easy way out because things will always be better in the long run as long as your are present and in the best health you can possibly be for yourself. Then you yourself will always see better days.
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Any excepts you want to share?
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Some of the exciting parts about writing about myself were finally putting pen to paper about that part of my life. I’ve been telling my crazy unreal stories to friends and loved ones out loud for some time, I can find a way to make them funny, or shocking by way of tone and physical movements and gestures. What I found challenging was conveying that tone into my writing. Sometimes I feel like my writing is, “and then this happened, and then that happened”, etc. And it can be hard to mimic the feelings in my written words.
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Talk to us about the excitement, maybe share with others in our group some ideas on how they can get more excited about their stories, and writing about their lives… 🙂
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That’s awesome you feel like you were able to really get yourself to come out in your writing. I think that is such a challenging thing to do… It is so nice when we can use facial expressions, body language, and intonation lol
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It has been interesting trying to write about myself. To be perfectly honest, I struggled with it immensely. I had complete writers block. I tried to write something and it just came out boring. Then I tried to write it another way and it was dull as well. Then I pretty much just sat on the topic for the week. I tried talking about it with friends and family and everyone agreed I had a good idea but no one seemed to understand why I couldn’t bring my vision to paper. I finally started to see some strings that could tie my paper together and I ran with it. I ended up incorporating both of my dull beginning attempts and I think they actually work quite well in the paper. I’m pretty proud of myself for completing the paper as in the past when I got writers block like this I wasn’t able to produce anything. So I guess the thing I found most exciting about writing this paper was the fact that I persevered despite being lost in thought.
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There’s no such thing as writer’s block, friend… 🙂
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For me, looking at my essay I am going to work on making my ending stronger. re-word a bit. Stephanie Neeley
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An exciting part about writing about myself is that I know exactly what to write because it’s about our own experience. It makes writing so much easier and fun because there’s no right or wrongs, or really having to convince anyone about anything. It can get tough though because there’s so much to write about. Not just the situation or experience itself, but also the emotions behind it. It makes it hard to take things out afterwards because you feel like everything is important to the story.
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Examples? Elaboration? Excerpts?
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Excerpt from my story:
“I was in the backseat next to a girl whose name I kept getting wrong, one of my best friends years later, and he was in the front seat with his hippie, vegan best friend who wouldn’t get caught dead wearing shoes unless they were homemade. First stop ChinaTown, some of the worst Chinese food I’ve had in my life, and climbing eight story buildings. You heard me right. We were walking down some sketchy alley and someone had the brilliant idea to jump up on some scaffolding, not the sturdy kind. Different colored pipes and a disarray of cardboard and wooden planks, the ones that wobbled under too much pressure. Climb it? You bet. Concrete proof that the female doesn’t finish developing until her twenties. I almost shit my pants. Almost.”
-I think one of the more exciting things about writing about yourself is how much of your voice can be in the writing, but at the same time it’s hard not to nitpick when it’s so personal.
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Great excerpt here, Dasha… colleagues?
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I couldn’t agree more and I am curious about your story!!
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“The distance was hard. Seeing you once or twice a month for a weekend drained us. We spoke every moment, but we craved more. Time flew by with you by my side, but the moments in between felt eternal. Life with you was anything, but dull. Everything was new. Sensations were overwhelming. My world was viewed through a new lense… Falling in love for the first time felt unlike any other human experience. It was raw and honest… The honesty between the two is beautiful and painful and tragic. I loved every moment of it… It’s messy and it’s liberating and it’s electric. If it’s anything less, it’s not something I would ever want to take part in. It should be physically and emotionally fulfilling.” An excerpt from my personal essay. I struggled to decide on a topic, but it was nice to choose something so dear to my heart that I am now able to view with such fondness and joy.
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Love this. I wouldn’t change a thing. Just build on it and keep telling this concentrated truth!!
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Thank you!!!
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Anytime.
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I feel like the paragraphs in my personal essay have been really long and I ended up writing 5 pages instead of 4 pages. Overall I feel like I had to condense my story down too much and the reader doesn’t get the full effect of it. I think I’m really going to have to cut down on what I want to include so that I can focus more and go deeper into detail on the things I do write about. I feel like the things that I have been writing about are quite personal and they are things that I have had a hard time talking about in the past so it is a bit of a difficult subject but I hope that I can really refine it and make the piece as effective as I hope it will be.
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For tonight’s page… Composition is in the characters, and the intention to tell their story in addition to your own.
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* Sorry my internet was down
For my personal essay I decided to write about my grandmother and my mother. I wrote about the misfortunes and bad decisions that my grandmother made/experienced that affected my mother and how my mothers decisions and misfortunes had then affected my brothers and myself. I still feel like the story and perhaps even the direction I want to go with it is still in development. Here is an excerpt from the intro: “Today they were commiserating on what an incredible journey it has been to even get to the point where they are now. There were other opportunities throughout their lives that they could have changed everything. There were other would-be suitors that could have taken them in a completely different direction that could have in tern placed me in a different location today.”
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I thought I’d share my intro for my paper and see if anyone had any suggestions/edits: Waking up early, I stretch and look around the hotel room. Hiking poles and backpacks are cluttered against the wall while hiking boots line the entrance, looking tough and weathered. I had trained for this day, hiking up grueling hills and running hundreds of miles. The grey sky silhouettes my frame as I rise. Gulping down a muffin, I tie my boots and wiggle my toes. Boy! I am ready! Breathing in the cold morning air, I walk alongside my mom to the bus stop. We’ve arrived early. Boarding the bus, the doors shutting, a late riser left behind.
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These details are authoritative and considerable… build on that to bring readers to where you are!
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I really like the obvious determination you have in the intro. Only feedback is “looking tough and weathered” sounds like you’re talking about the entrance, but I like the storytelling.
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Excitement versus challenge in narration…. TALK!!
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My favorite part of writing about myself is the fact I’m gaining perspective from it. It isn’t often that I go back through entire periods of my life in chronological order or much detail. When all the peices are placed together, there is a chance to see a big picture. I tend to focus a lot on the big memories that stand out, but my story has me thinking about each less notible experience as a part of the whole. It becomes easier to understand the past when I can see how each experience built on the next. One of the most challenging parts to my story has been trying to consolidate my words so that they convey my ideas but don’t run on for thirty pages.
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Agreed.
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From my story i want to leave readers with hope and inspiration. What hard times can be like but how they can turn out in positive ways. Stephanie Neeley
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In my personal story I focused a lot on just trying to get everything out onto the page, which resulted in 7 pages, but I took some of it out to get one sentence into the 6th page. But, I think that I should go back and add a few more to have it flow better, which will probably result in getting back to the 7 pages. oh well.
“At the time, I was making enough money to pay my part of the rent and bills and have a little left over, but not enough that I was comfortable with. I found a new full-time job that paid so much better, but it was a NOC shift, which I’d never done before. I worked at Aurora Hospital from 11 pm to 7 am and although it was an incredibly interesting experience, being in that environment became really stressful. I had training for managing serious behavior, but it’s different learning those things in a set up environment than actually applying it in a real life situation. I was placed in the most acute unit most of the time, and being someone of my stature as well as being a new employee, it was a constant threat to my safety which had me ridden with anxiety prior to every shift.”
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Lively words here… colleagues? What do you think?
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Funny enough, the greatest thing about writing about myself is that i am a fairly simple, and to be honest, somewhat dull being, which, just so happens to be the worst part about the process as well. But it is not often that I get to go back in time and pinpoint those moments that lead to who I am now, and i am enjoying every minute of the process.
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Keep enjoying…!!!
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The exciting parts of writing about myself are that I get to relax, while writing simply about how I have felt in moment or how I reacted to to joyful times in my life. I like to write about myself because it lets me relive some of the better moments, I have experienced in my life so far. I can feel just exactly how excited or happy I was in the past, or how much fun and laughter I was enjoying with friends or family. Just thinking about it makes me feel happy and full of excitement, and reading it on paper make it all worthwhile. The only downfalls are that even in the best thought or moments, a very bad one or many can flood over my brain and it becomes very hard to write, my mind becomes very foggy, while the words or descriptions become very hard to put together, especially on paper knowing people will read it. Though sometimes it can make me feel better in the end, the process still never becomes easier.
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Any excerpts you want to share from your story?
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At the end of my story, I want the reader to reflect on their growth. I want the reader to value their own hard work and perseverance. The reader should be proud of their life and their accomplishments!
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For my story, I want my readers to leave with a feeling of wanting to put themselves more out there. I want to encourage them to work for first and not mistakenly be ok with second as I was. I want to teach them to keep moving on in life no matter if it’s just you. We learn from our mistakes and one day we will make our lives the way we want it, we just need to be patient.
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Talk DIRECTLY to your reader!!
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What do you want for your readers?
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I want my readers to know the value of understanding other people’s circumstances and fears.
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Great aim to have, Pasha.
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I want my readers to appreciate the the little things in life and have a better understanding of a why people make mistakes and that there can be redemption
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Love the idea of redemption… the solution, and potential pain it can profess..
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For my story, I want readers to leave it with thoughts of appreciating what is around you even when there may not seem much to appreciate. That may be a bit confusing but maybe simpler could be behind something you may think is boring, there is a part of it that makes you happy and gives you good feelings. Also, I want the readers to understand that you do not need to travel far for an adventure rather, just look in your own backyard.
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I definitely want to leave the reader with the thought that no matter what you have been through, or what mistakes have been made, your past is the past. There is hope, regardless of how far down you have gotten.
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Have all the confidence you’ll convey just that!!
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One of the more exciting things I learned about writing my personal paper was learning about the obstacles that were overcome by others for me to be where I am now. A challenge for me is actually writing about me. I spent a lot of time writing about others and in retrospect, not enough talking about my journey. I think the final draft will include more about myself.
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Many have that same challenge… Embrace the challenge.
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Talk directly to your reader!!
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I think in a way I want to give hope to the reader that their situation can change. I think people get so boxed in thinking that the way things are is the only way they can be. I talk about how my objectives completely changed as different opportunities presented themselves to me, and I want the reader to realize that their life could amount to more than they recognize at the time. When a reader finishes reading my piece, I hope they reflect on where they are at differently, and are kinder to themselves
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That is a great goal to have for the reader. It’s often hard for people to reflect on themselves, especially their growth.
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I have no interest in starting a blog. That’s what people do when they start a blog, right? Do they write about themselves? Actually, I know that’s not entirely true because the joint that I learned how to make pot pies from was a culinary blog. They’re great! They post recipes like Choose Your Own Adventure books, because who follows the recipe? The format is
This is What the Recipe Recommends vs. This is the Amount of Parsley That Will Kill Your Dish.
Folks learn life lessons from strange places, especially nowadays. I have no idea who taught me “people gotta be their own judge and jury”, but I still find some semblance of importance in it. Know who they are and what they stand for, that makes sense to me. And knowing me, my gigantic ego and stubborn nature will provide me with plenty of challenges for any paper about myself.
My paper is pretty gross so far. Sounds like middle school poetry, sweet sweet angst. But, so far so good. Just working out the dimensions and the challenges.
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Keep writing, find your form.
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I would like for people to walk away from my story knowing it’s okay to sacrifice the approval of an important person in their life in exchange for blazing their own path. I also want readers to understand that they’re not alone in the discomfort this brings, but that things will get better.
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One’s approval of you has to be approved, by YOU.
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I want the readers to know that bad decisions and circumstances can be overcome and lead to good results. I think we can dwell on a bad decision that was made and have the “It’s all over” mentality but I want the reader to see that there is still hope in the face of adversity.
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What I wanted to convey was pretty much summed up in the last thing I said, as “those kinds of days can also get tainted by dumb shit, falling outs, and growing up, but that happiness, those feelings, it’s important to hold onto, or the memories at least, even if you can’t hold onto the people”.
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I really liked writing about my childhood. It was pretty a brief part of my essay but it was a really good part of my life and I enjoy how unusual it is compared to most childhoods these days. That part just seemed to flow and feel good. But I also wanted to dig into the rough part of my life so I could get to the point of my story about how you have to get through the bad stuff to end up in the good stuff. I really struggled writing about some of the harder experiences in my life and I feel like because of that I skipped over a lot of the detail and it just doesn’t do my point justice. I’m hoping to find a way to really bring myself to face what happened and write it down in a way that will bring a meaning to the reader and in the end have a positive outcome.
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I think it’s really interesting and cool that so many of us have a similar theme in what we want our readers to be left with. Hope, strength, overcoming obstacles. We all have different stories but the lesson is the same. Great minds think alike! 🙂
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Thanks for sharing this thought, Theresa..
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I found that some of the challenges when writing about myself were opening up considering that I don’t open up about my feelings to anyone really and keep a pretty private life. After a while of writing though all the feelings just flowed out. I think another difficulty is making the story engaging to not only the reader but yourself.
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Take a break!!! Face some Zen rays!!!!
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Hey Leon,
I get that and it took me a long time to figure out how and why it’s so important. After being a relationship of more than two years, I learned very quick that opening up is a game changer in a relationship, but not only that even with close friends it’s important to know that they may not know. I think and anyone can correct me if I’m wrong but I think the reason why we as humans don’t open up is because we are scared to either get hurt or be judged by someone. For someone like me who’s first language was not English and writing has never been easy. It’s definitly difficult to make the story engaging with your readers.
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In my case, my family never talked about our feelings so that’s probably why I never felt that sharing my feelings is a normal thing to. I’m still 18 but As I’m getting older I find that I shouldn’t care about what others think of me because I’m really only hurting myself.
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Without spoiling anything in my story. What I want readers to take out of my story is to not be so selfish and cherish every moment as that same moment won’t happen again. Cherish the important people in your life because they are bound to hand you lessons of life and the people that leave your life were meant too for a reason. It’s suppose to teach you that there’s more to life than just being on your phone and pretending to live your best life when you can actually do that if you commit. I want my readers to have confidence in themselves and to trust people even if it means you may get hurt because there’s a lesson to all the madness.
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I want the readers to know that if they’re not happy in a situation, there’s always going to be an opportunity to change it. Also healing, emotionally/mentally, from a situation or experience takes time; it’s a process with several steps and setbacks, and that’s okay.
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I really want the readers of my essay to leave with the over all feeling of “ What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. I know that I will be writing about a hard part of my life but I don’t want the over all feeling to be negative. I felt very negative about all of it for years and I want to have my current view on I in the idea that I’m actually very thankful I went through what I went through and that I learned so much from it.
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I know with some piece of my writing, trying with this piece but I’m not sure if it’s possible, I’d like to center in on this particular phenomena.
Ever get a particular warning from your folks, something they learned from experience and they advised you to not follow in their footsteps, and you went ahead and did it anyway? You dated the guy with red hair, you invested in Chipotle, etc?
I love that stuff. I’m not sure with a personal story I could highlight that and examine it, but I’m going to try anyway.
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Stop thinking so much about what’s possible, and centering on anything.. go with whim, go with impulse… be free on conveying your sight and identity. Go with what you love. Again, don’t deliberate and contemplate so much.
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Samantha Irby…. Thoughts?
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TALK TO ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I’ve mainly been trying to focus on our essay this past week. So far with this book It reminds me some of Lawson explicit writing but I also find it harder to follow like Sadris. Stephanie Neeley
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I am really enjoying her writing. It is similar to the other authors we have read this semester, but kind of in a self-deprecating way? Like she laughs at herself and invites the reader to laugh as well.
There’s a part where she says “Maybe in this life you get all kinds of soul mates, multiple people who vibrate at the same level you do.” I loved that part, because it is something that I myself have thought about MULTIPLE times.
I also like that she uses humorous adjectives like “disgusting garbagemonster.” So funny!
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Thank you, Theresa… All I’m asking for.. Yes, her tone is a layered approach and architecture, for sure. How is it similar, how is it different?
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I find that she is similar in the way that she is casual with her language, and makes it relevant to the times, like Lawson. It;s carefree, even when talking about things that can be looked at with a more serious tone, which is similar to Sedaris. She is different in the way where I don’t know she kind of laments her situation? Or maybe not so much laments, but is aware of her shortcomings, and isn’t afraid to expose herself.
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Her own entity, but consistent with our authors..
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Exactly.
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Any parts of Irby’s book so far that have you reacting, seeing her writing a certain way?
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Will be honest: my book hasn’t come yet. Arriving soon. I did watch a town hall video with her, and she is so “give no fucks” about what you think. Her education shows in many ways. Excited for the book to arrive.
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Download that shit on Kindle.
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Valid.
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I googled her and found it quite interesting that she is such a humorous person despite battling with so many struggles in life. She has depression, degenerative arthritis and Crohn’s disease… and the crohn’s disease sometimes requires her to wear a diaper! Woah and she can still find the humor in life. What an inspiration
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Thanks for your comment! Yes, she combats her own life composition.
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I feel Irby is a more intense version of Lawson in every aspect. Her writing has a punch to it, and she isn’t afraid to speak her mind whatsoever. She did cause me to smile a few times, but unlike Lawson, her approach to comedy can be hit or miss, and it has been half and half thus far.
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Examples of this “punch”? What does that mean?
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“You know, the ones in which you relax long enough to think that this might actually be real and cool and maybe start thinking about accidentally leaving some allergy meds and an old toothbrush in a dude’s bathroom.” This Irby quote had me falling off my chair with laughter. I miss my 100 bucks worth of allergy pills that I placed all over my ex’s house. Someday he’s going to find 6 bottles and wonder what on earth happened. 😉
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Nice!
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Haha yea I definitely contemplated “accidentally” leaving something at an exs house before
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Hahahahahaha….
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Irby is a WAY more graphic version of Sedaris and Lawson. I don’t see my self as prude but yet again I find myself adjusting to the next level of real.
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How so? Examples?
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Here is a more mellow example from pg 74: ” I tiptoed into the bathroom, glancing under the stalls for tiny manicured feet. When I saw none I slipped into the closest stall and waited a few seconds before letting out the loudest grossest fart any non-zoo animal had ever emitted and taking the biggest shit ever. Like the fattiest, fast-food-iest dump any human had ever taken.I emerged from the stall several minutes later, light as air, my butthole singing, and an smack into a trio of girls responsibly washing their faces over the sink eyes aghast behind the thin layer of Clinique mild cleanser…”
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Great read and communication…. Colleagues?
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Again, I love her sense of humor. She just can’t take herself seriously and I love it! On page 10, “Someone who will leave me the hell alone for extended periods of time without getting all weird about it.” I can totally relate. I love how she answers the question about alcohol on page 8 with “DO I.” It shows her much she makes fun of herself, but in a playful and positive manner.
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Mood and attitude, Irby’s is what? Use singular words to describe. For me, FREE… KIND. AGGRESSIVE.
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PROUD and an INTELLECTUAL
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YES.
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LOUD. UNABASHED. SELF-AWARE
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Perfect. Yes. Completely agree. Precisely how she not only engages her readers and get them/us to trust her, but how she loves the reality of being read… that her story is out there. A cosmos of kindness…
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Yes! Sh says early on “If this is in a real book that someone is actually holding between her sweaty chocolaty paws, then this is my proudest achievement.” The reality of being read.
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Yes.. and we are present with her, from the way she relays her reality.
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