5-5:10pm: Introduction – What are you writing? What are you thinking as this unusual year comes to its concluding set of pages?
5:10-5:20: On Essays, Essay Writing: Use paragraphs!! 7-9 sentences per paragraph is what I suggest. What is a paragraph to you? How do you know when to end one? Feel free to share a paragraph you’ve written on Irby, possibly for your essay due in a week…
5:20-5:40pm: What direction are you taking the Irby essay? Are you writing about your relationship with her, or taking it in your own direction. Remember, complaining is NOT composition.
5:40-6pm: Talk about you, and your life as Literature. For me, this year has taught me containment. Not so much focus, but made my life more consistent and characterized in terms of narrative?
6-6:15pm: When was the last time you were challenged, really tested… like something that almost totally made you lose your shit? What did you learn?
6:15-6:25pm: Close….
ASSIGNMENT: DUE ONE WEEK FROM TODAY, YOUR ESSAY ON IRBY. YOU KNOW THE PROMPT I RECOMMENDED, BUT TAKE IT IN ANY DIRECTION YOU WANT…. 3-5 pages, and include one outside source as support of your opinion. I suggest finding an interview with Irby and quoting her directly.
If you need ANOTHER idea for this paper, how about this….. Irby urges self-love. — Three words, one thesis. It’s that easy. You’re welcome. 🙂
ASSIGNMENT: Write me an email on journaling, keeping a journal, what it does for you. I’m only accepting submissions that encourage and delight in journal practice. I will only be awarding credit in that stride….
ASSIGNMENT: Write about your life, not as you. In third-person. Don’t know what that means, look it up! Have fun writing about you, but not as you. It’s enlightening, safer I feel as the narrator, and more communicative with audience. Give it a try….
#professormikey 
Good evening y’all!!!
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For tonight’s page….. Opportunity taunts you, what do you do?
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howdy!
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How are you?
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I’m okay, how’re you. I had a very difficult test earlier that I did not feel prepared for because of events with the teachers
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When I write, I can only be free. Why is this not emphasized more in the academic consistency?
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can you be free if you have so many rules? Or at least that is how I felt for so long
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If you respond to the rules in a way that you are held in place, you are responsible.
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Hello how are you Mike ?
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Well!!! What’s new with you?? Any experiences deserving of a page?
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Yes , theirs always new experiences and I been recording the ones that brings me joy . And new challenges that I been facing but I am sure they are for a better outcome.
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HI mike and fellow classmates, hope your guys’ day is going well
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Hey you guys, how is everything going so far?
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he Debora im doing good just having trouble with what I am going to write about for Irby essay, how about you
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I agree with you Finn, lots of options.
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Don’t overthink.
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What trouble?
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Same thing here Finn, maybe we can help each other?
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Yes!! Love this suggestion, Debora!! Please feel free to exchange emails/info here..
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trouble thinking how to write a thesis that encompasses most of the relationships that I had with her, I have had a hard time creating ideas that make logical sense in my essay
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Write about her writing… always magic in the meta.. I will say again, DO – NOT – OVER – THINK.
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Awesome! Hey Finn here is my email vitalianodebora@gmail.com 🙂
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As far as my journal is going , they are words that sometimes I can’t expressed to someone. And I am visualizing what I want with my future and most important I need to find inner peace .
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Keep scribbling, especially to yourself. You will find just that!!
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Anyone have a problem focusing on one project? Don’t hate yourself if you do, and don’t dismiss projects… keep the pen moving, and see possibilities and promise in all your ideas. If someone calls you scattered, they’re in envy of your echoes.
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I feel like there is so many things to cover in the book it makes it hard focusing one single idea to write about Irby…
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Here we go….. no problem! What do you want to say about her?
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one thing I did that helped me was to write down what is a relationship for me and how I can relate that with Irby, things that I admire on her (once I read that you just can have a relationship with someone who you admire somehow, even for a small thing that this person does or influences somehow) and things that she wants her readers to know/feel. Base on that I am gonna make my essay about my relationship with her
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I want to say that she ls a writer for freedom of choice. I want to say that she hates change and is someone that does the best alone. I want to say also that she is hilarious and able to connect her experiences so well with other people. I’m not even sure if that is something to talk about though
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YES!!!! Her ability to connect with readers through humor and truth!!!!!!!!
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Hey y’all hope everyone is doing good tonight
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Hey Jake!
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Hey everyone!!! How is everyone today? I’m feeling energized and ready for another great class tonight! I have been writing about my night dreams and my everyday life, Just because just recently I had a lot thrown at me and it is a way for me to reflect and clear my thoughts. Im not looking forward to this class ending I really enjoy it!
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Cheers Shantel!! Great attitude! We love having you here! Enjoy yourself tonight! 🙂
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My writing has been all over the place. I’ve been writing about happy/funny moments like my roommates’ mom staying with us for a week, also about some anxiety that I have been having lately and some memories from my childhood.
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With this odd and interesting year coming to a close im thinking about how the next year will be affected. With the presidential election coming to an end civil rest will be unavoidable.
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Unrest? We’ll see…
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For tonight’s page….. Keep looking. Doesn’t have to be for something singular or “specific”. Just look and explore for the sake of doing so.
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hello everyone. to the prompt question and i won’t get political but i’m writing and hoping some truth is shed in these next few months to come as our year comes to an end. i hate to refer to us as sides but i feel like that’s what it’s trickling down to, i hope to see a sense of community in my town as well, politics and results aside.
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Love this positive attitude, and yes… much more comes from unity that division.
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I would have to agree with you. That is on my mind a lot also. It makes me sad that people can think so negatively and the divide it causes.
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hello everyone. responding to the prompt question &i won’t get political but i’m writing and hoping some truth is shed in these next few months to come as our year comes to an end. i hate to refer to us as sides but i feel like that’s what it’s trickling down to, i hope to see a sense of community in my town as well, politics and results aside.
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idk why that posted twice lol.
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I have been writing about my personal life and the election and how this can affect everything and everyone. I think this last part of the year can definitely make an impression on how next year will be
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I’ve been writing mostly about the most plain and mundane of scenes… something that someone would think is boring, or just disregard. With an informed mind, as Sylvia Plath said, we can turn anything into Art.
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I think Irby too is able to make that boringness something fun and exciting as well, I have also noted how bored and plain my life has been recently so i can relate a lot
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True!!
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Lately I have been writing about my frustrations with work and with my ASL class. We have switched teacher again and we are now on our fourth. We have not been learning really anything and an interpreter is there the whole time so we aren’t learning anything knew. We just got our new teacher on Tuesday and today he gave us a difficult test and would only sign things once refusing to repeat things.
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Sorry it’s been so tough!!
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hi everyone. i’ve been working on my journal.
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I think this year has taught all of us to respect the nature.
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Amen to that
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I hope most of the people got that
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Hey everyone! I’m super excited for tonights class!
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I’ve been writing recently about what I can find that makes me happy or I didn’t notice made me happy. Some of the smaller joys can go unnoticed in a time like this since everybody is hyper focused on how to get out of it. When I walk into my backyard it almost feels like I didn’t live through fall as all the leaves are turning color and falling off. I’m excited to keep going and se the resolution this year.
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A paragraph is a series of sentences written together to group and organize them, A paragraph is done when the relevant information has been included and the paragraph can stand on its own.
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I’ve been writing quite a bit about my thought processes lately because I’ve been experiencing quite a bit of anxiety. The end of the year is so joyful but also a lot of stress due to the holidays and this year my impeding due date. My journal has been a great place to write about my feelings and a great reason for my to take a moment to reflect during a time that feels so hectic.
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I always found it funny how in earlier school years a paragraph was 3-4 sentences and now it’s 7-9. I must say it did help by easing us into writing longer and more collaborative paragraphs. I typically end a paragraph if I feel it gets repetitive or I change topics.
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Paragraphs are independent ideas that support the larger idea and intention of the essay.
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When I was in elementary school it was 3-5 sentences and it has grown from there to 5-7 and now 7-9. I like longer paragraphs because it helps me get my point across without dragging it on. I end my paragraphs when I want to start a new suptopic or if i’m going to elaborate further
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YES!!
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Paragraphs are ideas. Support them so you can have a supported essay. And honestly…. This is too much focus on structure and stricture, the pattern and what we’re taught. JUST WRITE!!! Support your opinions! Don’t be evasive. Don’t bullshit. Write with conviction and confidence, support and strength..
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Dude… how can a paragraph be developed with 3 sentences? Or even 5?
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A paragraph to me is introducing an idea to the reader , explain myself using evidence from the book or for my own knowledge and then in conclusion stating what was the reason I was using and restate that idea again
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WRITE. FREELY.
Support your opinion, and you have coherent composition.
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when I think of a paragraph I think of one big chunk or supporting details that support the prompt and thesis.
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Sure!
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A paragraph for me is a body of information. Depending on the information trying to be explained, depends on how long it is. I know how to end it because I know I explained everything I need to say in that paragraph and in the last sentence I rap up the idea of the paragraph
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I have a hard time with the knowing if I’ve said enough or not, or sometimes i’ve said everything I need to say but there’s nothing left of sustenance to say and i’m left with a short paragraph
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Ultimately it’s up to you as the writer of the essay. I find that 7-9 sentences is more than adequate for ample paragraph architecture.
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I hate not having enough information for a paragraph because then I tend to repeat myself a lot which gets super repetitive
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Understandable. There is no silver bullet. You have to be creative and build from what you’ve already put to page.
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To be honest I don’t really know for sure when to finish a paragraph. I generally try to read and reread all my paragraphs to see if I wrote too much information or if I could add more things on it. I am still brainstorming all the things I could write about Irby, but here is the beginning of my first paragraph
“For me, a relationship is based on honesty. First of all, being honest with yourself and then you can include someone into your inner circle, consequently be honest with them. And clearly this is mrs. Irby strongest character on her personality” – just in the beginning like I said
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I like that brainstorm do you think that her personality is what makes you able to relate to her so well?
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There are a few reasons that make me relate to her so well but her personality is definitely one of them. Her writing style is another one
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For tonight’s page….. Keep track of your favorite essays and quotes from the reading. This will lead you to an argument, something to write about, as well as supply you support.
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My direction for an Irby essay…. Writing about her Writing style, and what it does for the reader… Feel free to incorporate this into your idea if you like!!
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So I think I’m going to write about my relationship with Ibry in my essay so with that, am I allowed to say things like “I” and talk about myself? Unlike other essays where that isn’t allowed.
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Essays are only essays if you accept that vision.
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I want to write about my connection with Irby, despite our lack of connections. We are very different people, she likes cold but I like warm, she wants to stay in but I don’t like being by myself, My parents were 30 when they had me so I have them in my life more, and so on. Most things she puts forward are very different than my life, but despite that she has connected with me. Without being similar people we have the same mentality that I am me and there is no point in conforming to please others, only myself. I want to develop it more but thats my idea
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Those contrasts are where you’ll find composition!!
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In the upcoming essay I’m going to be writing about my relationship with Irby. It’s a topic where I can really take it anywhere and constantly elaborate on. Irby is such a universal writer that no matter your situation or your background, you can always find some type of comparison
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I strongly agree with you Jake! She is definitely a universal writer because even though her readers can’t relate to her story she somehow manage to create a relationship with us. I am amazed with her work.
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A paragraph to me is expressing and explaining an idea or claim. I think that they should tend to be between 7 yo 9 sentences before moving on. I have a habit to make longer paragraphs to try and add more support or use the last line to introduce a new idea. The end of a paragraph to me is when you have no more to say about an idea or have no further reason to explain and risk overexplaining,
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Ultimate goal is to be precise and to the point and don’t put unnecessary details in it.I would rather leave the reader asking for more rather than dragging the essay.
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Right now im still brain storming ideas for my essay as im not sure what aspect of irbing i want to talk about in my essay. If i had to guess at what my most likely choice would be it would honestly be a comparison to Sedaris and the areas where he faltered and where Irbing improved and also the areas where she fell short or didn’t improve.
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Irby is genuine, heartfelt. Especially in the last three or four essays. That genuine nature is something that should be realized and acknowledged…
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“fam—apparently marriage involves a little thing called compromise, a concept of which I’d been previously unaware.” (pg. 473) I love this quote because I totally think that she is giving us so much more of her personal thoughts too.
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Use it!!
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YES!!! I love this quote as well. I made a note of it saying that she is showing herself so truly that it feel she is making a safe place for me to also be myself and build a trust relationship with her
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I think the direction I am going to go with this essay is how Irby keeps her writing reals and how she also keeps it authentic
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Just a sidebar for a second… does anyone else see the drawn-out-ness of this election a bit funny? I’m not getting political. I’m finding humor wherever I can, cuz I need to… lol
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I know right. I’m not sure if this is true but I read an article that says that Alaska won’t begin counting absentee votes until next Tuesday. That’s insane.
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I think that I think I am going to go in the direction of her freedom of writing, lifechoices, and behavior. I want to say how her motivation of life and oppotunity is way different than mine. though I can admit that the idea of wanting to do things without the concern of what others might think is something that she does a lot and what I have learned what it means to truely not care about others opinions.
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Sounds great!!!
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What would Irby do…..?
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In what regard?
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Any …. It being too hot in November? Finding out the milk went bad…. Learning her childhood friend is the CEO of a Fortune 500?…. Anything.
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You’re right Mike, Ibry would be so mad that it’s hot still saying something like, “Come on man, It’s fall I want to wear my baggy sweatshirts and not be judged for going out in them” I feel likes like something she’d say lol because I agree
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lol
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To me, a paragraph is the body of an idea. Meaning, the paragraph will be as long as needed (typically) to get my point across and full discuss a certain topic, point, idea etc. It’s a way for me to organize my writing and make different topics in to one cohesive piece. However, in my personal writing, I typically don’t use them very often as I write things as they come to mind and the structure of my piece very much reflects that.
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Think about your idea… What YOU want to say. You want a silver bullet for essay writing? Write first, and MADLY, tidy-up later. AND… keep you intention intact.
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what do you mean intention intact? as in not drifting from the point?
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YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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love that!!!
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