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Pam Hoadley

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Neema Tashi,observing others and then observing myself!

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Neema Tashi,observing others and then observing myself!

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Ludwig Ritchel A. Kalambacal / The Accidental Writer (Redux)

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Ludwig Ritchel A. Kalambacal / The Accidental Writer (Redux)

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Herbert Vaughn/How I'm Learning to Write

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Herbert Vaughn/How I'm Learning to Write

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Ludwig Ritchel A. Kalambacal / The Accidental Writer Redux

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Ludwig Ritchel A. Kalambacal / The Accidental Writer Redux

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Ludwig Ritchel A. Kalambacal / The Accidental Writer Redux

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Ludwig Ritchel A. Kalambacal / The Accidental Writer Redux

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Island

I live on an island far from the rest of the world.  It's green and lush, with vast forests and thriving farmland, but it has a dark and sad history.  It mirrors the island within me, where I am content now, sometimes even happy after turbulent times.  Mine is an island of writing, all my thoughts tumbling onto the keyboard and locked into the computer.  I write just for myself and rarely read it again.  Putting my feelings and ideas down, organising my thoughts and making sense of my life is enough.  No-one else needs to read what I have written, it has a purpose within itself.

Daniel's island in "Message in a Bottle" is different.  My island is cosy and self-sufficient,  his is a place of ignorance and loneliness, a prison for his restless mind.  He is searching for any means of escape and has almost lost hope when he casts his bottle to the waves, while I sent mine off in a moment of leisure, idly wondering where it might land.  We are both stunned by what happens next.  Neither of us expected so many replies from so many places, such a wealth of ideas and stories.  We don't know what will happen next, but we have found a far-flung community of fellow writers and the possibility of change.  There are others out there, ready to comment, encourage, suggest improvements and lead by example.  They are our audience.

Writing for any kind of audience is a daunting thought.  It's very different to what I have been doing. I will have to take Alex's advice in "A Fresh Pair of Eyes" and look at my work differently.  He talks of continually improving his writing by looking at it in a new and different way.  Writing is a process of learning for him.  I, on the other hand, have always just written things down as they flowed into my mind, often never reading them again.  Editing and looking for mistakes are unfamiliar tasks and I have to cast my mind back to my days at University.  This is not the same audience, though.  I have no idea who will be reading my work and each piece must stand alone.  I have to look at my writing through the eyes of others for the very first time.  What could they be interested in?  How can I make sure they will understand what I am trying to say?  These are all questions I will ask myself, every time I write for others.

I have been astounded at the response to my first essay, the many replies, the shared experiences and the sometimes unexpected ways in which my story resonated with the readers.  It has been an empowering and almost intoxicating experience and, right there, I have to use my "reality check" eyes.  I submitted my story fairly early and this gave more people time to read it.  The many other people who looked at my essay without commenting quite possibly thought it was just another middle-aged, boring, finding-myself story.  None of that matters.  It's a tentative look at what might be out there,  what my voice might be.  There are many people to connect with, many stories to share.

I start to think more about how and why I should write, what my voice could be. I remember John's story "Ready?".  Like a Japanese garden or a Shaker chair, it fits together seamlessly, nothing is out of place.  Its simplicity is deceptive, hiding the skill and thought that has gone into making it.  I need to keep this in mind when my feelings threaten to run away with me!  There is more than that, though.  This tale of finding joy in an impromptu game of football with a small boy has a purpose.  It tells us that the  simple pleasures and interactions in life and the comfort they can bring us are as worthy of a story as any adventure and that writing can be a way of sharing this comfort and giving something positive to others.  I have tasted some of the bitterness of life and my writing often returns to those dark times.  I need to balance light and dark in my writing, just as it is in life.

It's time to step back and take a fresh look at my island.  Suddenly, I'm soaring and it lies beneath me, lost in the vastness of the ocean, the great southern land a huge, looming mass to the north.  To the south there are wild seas and ice.  I squint in the bright light and notice, for the first time, tiny threads leading north, west and east to every inhabited corner of the earth.  They stretch into the distance, interlinking and forming an intricate network.  Stories, thoughts and ideas travel back and forth like sparks.  There is a whole undiscovered world of writers, readers and ideas out there.  I live on an island, but I don't need to be alone.  I have a choice.

https://class.coursera.org/writing2-001/forum/thread?thread_id=1674  "Message in a Bottle" by  Daniel P. Zuzevich

https://class.coursera.org/writing2-001/forum/thread?thread_id=1327  "A Fresh Pair of Eyes" by Alex Owen-Hill

https://class.coursera.org/writing2-001/forum/thread?thread_id=975  "Ready?"  by  John A. Lewis

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An absolutely not unique essay about writing

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An absolutely not unique essay about writing

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Pernille Meyn Milthers

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Any feedback will be appreciated.

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How I found the similarities with a fellow writer inspiring..

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Investment Opportunity

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Avinash Behera/ Mitigating Fear Through Reflections

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Avinash Behera/ Mitigating Fear Through Reflections

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Different Tacks

"I often ask myself - am I a writer?"  (The insecure writer, by Nataly Eliyahu)

"Am I a writer?"  (Assignment 1: Getting to know you, by Sydney
Ainsworth Majoko)

"Round hairbrush. White bank cash envelopes, some full, some empty…"  (Received, by Jessica Tomforde)

"I learned to write from a young age at home from my
parents, and when I started school." (Assignment 1: Getting to Know You,
by myself)

What different starts to our different essays!  And we were all responding to the same
assignment 1 question.  I am quite
possibly the structured, business writer, relative to the three writers I
located through the Forum site for Rhetorical Composing.  In MBTI (Myers Briggs Type Indicator)
terminology, I am more the T (Thinking, e.g. logical, factual), and not so much
the F (Feeling, e.g. empathetic) type, and this would affect the way I want to write.

I am not a writer by profession although I believe I
could be one if I tried sufficiently.  In
my essay, I presented specific facts - that English was taught from a young
age, who influenced me, how I checked my writing, what I wrote, what I did not
wish to write about - and the key learning for myself from each scenario.  To me, writing is a mere tool for
communication, one which helped to achieve results in our school examinations
and, in our working lives, was, and still is, used to influence others.

In their essays, Nataly and Sydney reminded me that
starting with a question aroused a reader's curiosity immediately, causing the
latter to anxiously check for the next thoughts from the writer.  It is a great way to engage the reader.  Nataly's question was more personal with the
words "I
often ask myself
- am I…."
and one would instantaneously connect with her on that personal level,
empathizing with her feeling of not really knowing herself as a writer.  Sydney's question was crisp and sharp, asking
the reader directly, and the latter cannot help but continue to read for an
affirmative or negative answer to that question.  Jessica's start, with short, quick phrases,
prompted one to ponder where she was headed. It felt like a tease, with the reader wanting to follow the trail quickly
to find out how the "story" might end.  Jessica did not disappoint as she built
toward a crescendo to end her writing.

The above is a happy revelation for me, that different
writers could interpret the seemingly "straight forward" assignment
question so differently that they chose to start with such dramatically diverse,
yet impactful, lines.  In my writing in
the business world, I tended towards impersonal communication, with appropriate
sociability.  The business world also
encourages professional efficiency and clarity, resulting in my writing
efficiently and clearly, without too many and superfluous words.  Although the three writers' start techniques
are not new to me, I would want to explore different starts for different
effects on readers, regardless
of the topic.  The three writers
above have demonstrated that it can be done. I should reduce, if not remove, the business style I tend to have and
bear in mind the array of topics and audiences present.  This will be a real challenge for me.

What followed the starts in the respective essays was
even more impressive.  I felt for Nataly
and her emotions during her journey of self-discovery and when she finally
decided she should be "coming out of the closet" to be a "real,
self-confident writer".  Her statements
like, "…a strong misconception… enough to drive me away from pursuing
writing seriously..", portrayed her "insecurity" vividly, and
allowed the reader to experience some of her roller-coaster emotions.  She did not think she was a "real"
writer just yet. With no offence to and
lots of admiration for Nataly, I am quite sure I do not want to write about my
personal emotions, unless I decide to share them.

Sydney shared how his thought of "myself an
excellent communicator" was shattered when his psychologist told him,
"When you write a person you live with a letter or note, you are
dissociating yourself from the contents of that letter, unless you write it and
read it to her yourself."  In a sort
of twist, he briefly acknowledged that, while he preferred writing to
"intense discussion", writing might not be the appropriate
communication mode at times.  He shared
his keen frustration then, being a writer. Later, he wrote passionately, "I could
write again and someone else would read what I wrote….never give up on giving
that audience the best of you.." While I could be passionate about a topic, I would "tone down"
for a professional and business feel. This is also due to the sensitivity to cultural differences that I grew
up with, inculcated in multi-racial Singapore, in the big MNCs that I worked
with, and in my work in the Asia Pacific region with about twenty diverse
countries/cultures.  I strongly agree,
though, that writing is not always the best mode of communication.

Jessica chose to share how she started as a writer, when
she was "received by my mother in this moment".  From the start, the reader was invited to
focus on one key event, with, unlike me, detailed descriptions surrounding that
event, for example, "..my mother ceremoniously reached into her
purse..", "my mother beamed and said, "A poem, by Jessica"
and "lasting impression on me".

Three writers with three different interpretations of the
assignment.  They were incredibly
different from mine and would grab one's attention, too.  These writers' interpretation and perspective
of the topic would influence their approach to writing it.  I would want to experiment with different
approaches when writing about a topic.  I
would most certainly be more critical and observant when I next read other
articles/books, to learn new and impactful approaches from other writers.  This will most certainly be a very
interesting journey for me.

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Everyone Should Have a Voice

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Grace Buchanan

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Calling on God

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Oh where to start: peer reviewing stresses

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Oh where to start: peer reviewing stresses

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Sasha Chapman-Everitt - Assignment 2 - Peace of Mind

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I would like feedback about this work. Thankx.

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Yan Oi Leng

Learning from Others....

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Cheby / Will We Ever Reach Our Journey's End?

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Cheby / Will We Ever Reach Our Journey's End?

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On chasing that elusive writer in our heads.

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by Mark Daniel Hatz

Assignment 2

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Talita Piedade / Epiphany heard me sing and run away.

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From the comfort of my room I connected to three gorgeous women and their stories as writers. One of them is a blooming high school writer, the other, not so sure how much of a writer she is but she says she is a very avid reader and the third who quite indeed is a writer.

One of the things common to the three writers and me is to just keep writing. It can be any form. It can be an essay, a short story or even a journal entry. I personally write in journal to capture a day’s joy or to bleed out in sorrow. But I also write because I want to write. It’s not something that comes to be naturally, but I think it’s one of closest ways to letting it be yet to show people who you are. There is a natural flow, even if it is mindless words that do not make sense within a paragraph, but they do as a whole story.

But this flow must start from a certain source. It can be a source of inspiration or joy or melancholy. What I mean to say is that there is always an emotional trigger that brings the best out of writer.  There is always a story behind a story, behind the writer’s imagination, or the point the writer wants the reader to understand. There is a reason as to why the writer would want the reader to understand so. This behind the set story may or may not be obvious in the main context of the writing. But that is the beauty of this process. The writer wants you to spring your own behind the set understanding. They want you, the reader, to live in their story and make them your and have your own moment; your own story; your own understanding that belongs to you and no one else. Maybe even remind you of something from your own past and how you can use that to relate to the writer’s story and explore the deeper meaning and draw some understanding. But it’s all yours. This is the main roll we all play as writers. To connect with our in ways we can give them an exuberating experience to move them; to get them thinking; or to even get them writing.

As writers here, or as developing writers before connecting to other writer we must connect well enough to ourselves to have the natural flow coming. What I learn from the other three writers as a reader is that all the three can connect very well with themselves. This is the first step towards becoming a writer I believe because this way we can understand our point of view and share the story. It’s not complicated but as simple as a conversation. It is like we, the writers are connecting to you readers as if we are right there next to you. You’re welcomed to our realm with all of your liberty.

I believe in recent date I have regained my connection with myself that will make me a better writer throughout this course because if a writer is not connected to themselves, the story may not have anything to explore per se. It would be a mere river of words on a sheet or two. But this means anyone can write but all of it would mean nothing and would continue adding up to the aether because there is no connection of emotions. Emotions are what make us human; they are what act as a trigger to write ahead.

So as I have been pointing out that a connection is necessary to be a good writer, to further continue deepening this connection with ourselves and our probable reader is to read. The three of the other writers who described themselves as writers have a very passionate love for reading as well. This functions just as how good speakers have to be good listeners, good writers have to be good readers too. Reading lets us explore other’s perspective with our understanding and strengthens this very understanding. This development allows us to further simplify ourselves to our audience, the readers, so they can understand our perspective with their understanding. All in all this is a wonderful loop or a give and take relationship we have with each other from which both sides benefit.

So to simply put it, self connection and reading would be two strong pillars of a good writer on which he or she can grow. This clearly helps me simplifying my side of the story for you for your better understanding. But at the end of the day it is up to the reader as to what they would want to gain from this.

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Circles in the water

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Skip Worden: Do You Identify With Writing Or the Content?

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Skip Worden: Do You Identify With Writing Or the Content?

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Skip Worden: Writing as Activity and Content: Which Fuels Your Passion/Identity

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Skip Worden: Writing as Activity and Content: Which Fuels Your Passion/Identity

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(additional essays at http://www.thewordenreport.blogspot.com/)

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Assign#2

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assignment 2 - Getting to Know Each Other

GETTING TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER

Assignment 2

Vergil J. Smith

I am charged with the task of exploring the connection between my identity as a writer and other peoples’ identities as writers. At first glance, this seems straightforward and rather formulaic. How hard could it be? A quick outline would give me a very organized paper. It seemed perfectly academic … and that was the problem.

The difficulty for me seems to be in making this assignment interesting. There were numerous similarities/differences when comparing my identity as a writer to others: taking a class, the role of fear, academic writing versus creative writing, etc. Deciding the specific points I wish to use for my assignment just did not seem to interest me.

Then I began to read more between the lines. Themes began to emerge … love, chance, healing, etc. In the three essays I read, there is a theme that finally managed to break through my closed mind: love or money.

“Love or money” sums up much of what I have contemplated over the past several years with regards to my career. When I think about writing, it has to be a labor of love. I have never been paid for any of my writing. This is important to note because just like a job, I spend time writing each day. So, what is the pay off? Why do I do it?

One of the essays I read suggests that writing pays off in a way more beneficial than money. The writer suggests that writing was a path to sanity. On this point, I am in total agreement. My writing started as a way to clear my head. In a subtle but very potent way, the writing I do is a catalyst for the removal of negativity that the positivity can emerge. I can dump my brain onto a piece of paper, rearrange it and make sense of things. At least that is the theory. This not only applies to journal writing, but also to creative writing. The use of the imagination has always been a sort of meditation for me. It allows my mind to be taken elsewhere for moments in time. When using active imagination to write, I feel energized and vibrant. There is a kind of release that cannot be put into words. Those who have experienced this will know exactly what I mean.

Money is the next part of this puzzle.

One essay I read contained an ongoing thought of a “second career”. Just as I found writing in the later part of life, so it was with my chosen writers. We all sought a way to remain creatively active when the artistic profession of our choice did not pan out. Writing seemed the logical choice as it allows one to create something personal. Writing is an extension of some inner part of the artist that is waiting to be released.

On a personal level, I use writing to fill the void left from acting. Although I am formally trained as an actor, I have not had much opportunity to engage my skills these days. In the professional world, the chance to act came regularly through auditions. Many acting colleagues joked that an audition was a two-minute one-person show. Perhaps my personality fits more into that of a writer. At any given time, I can sit with a laptop and create. I like this freedom. I like that no one or no thing can decide when and where I create. The only thing standing in the way is me.

But I digress … back to money!

The sane person understands that the chance of making a living from one’s art is close to nonexistent. Back in the day, I never gave this theory much thought because I now believe I was not interested in sanity. I was completely naïve with stars in my head. As I grew older and continued to believe in the possibility of my art creating a financial future, friends began to gently tell me that maybe I should investigate other means. I ignored them. I still ignore them because at this point, I have to believe in the theory that as long as I continue to do what I love, the financial situation will work itself out. Am I still being naïve? Probably … but what do I have to lose? Besides, I’m a Pisces. I dream … all the time. I do not think I am based in reality most of the time. I am not talking about a mental deficiency, but simply a way of looking at the world that is not too practical (or so I am told).

Love or money? This question can either motivate or produce paralysis. At some point, I think everyone has had to think about this. There are some who have found the answer and this has made all the difference in the world.

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Analía Amaral

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On Vision and Induction Rites

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María Cristina de la Vega/Writing Decrypted

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María Cristina de la Vega/Writing Decrypted

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I'm interested in getting any feedback. Tx!

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Practice makes perfect

I do not belong to the world of writers who have strong passion for the job they are doing. I have never thought myself to be counted among the top, brilliant folks of writers who consider writing their bread and butter or their cups of tea and coffee. Never ever thought this way. But, I wish I could have acquired the talents and the extra abilities the true writers have. It is a dream, but I am not the only dreamer. I share this dream with most of Coursera mooc participants hopping to be scaffolded through this training course to get a password and user identity for the real world of writers.

Unlike the speaking skill, the writing skill is fully productive. And to produce any piece of writing we need knowledge of grammar, vocabulary and the mastery of putting these acquisitions coherently. For this reason the writing process is very challenging and demanding for me and the for the other three mooc participants I try to relate to. Nannette O. Janian in her essay:” Writing is Stressful For Me “, Nguyen Thi Kimangan in:” My Passion For Writing” and Tshepiso T. Maluzo in:” Block Party”.

I struggled and struggled at the beginning of my writing career. My story with encountering hindrances in my way each time I took the pen to jet down or respond to writing assignments either to please my English instructors or to pass an exam, started as early as I learned English as a foreign language . I was introduced to this beautiful language six years after French as a second language. In this context, I identify myself with Nannette who stated it openly in her essay:” I always feel discouraged to write a paper because of not being able to write with sophisticated words”. I had always had a state of phobia every time exams were about to start.  I was always afraid of writing, and not being able to score well. Same as Nanette in her essay when she wrote:” I was so afraid to take the writing exam”. To be frank with you, I suffered a lot, felt great pain and discomfort in mind when obliged to write in order to succeed. It is obvious here; all my writings were academic ones. And never had I taken the pen to write willingly!

The lighter side in this process of struggle with writing is that I could succeed each time I sit for a written exam. Nanette shared this experience with me as she stated it in her essay:” Even though writing is very challenging for me and I always struggle when have to write, I always succeed at the end”.The more I persisted, the more I read, the more feelings of hate and phobia with writing faded out. At the university, I read American literature and British literature. I listened to American lecturers delivering speeches. I had very motivating oral expression teachers who made me love to speak English with friends inside and outside the university. Gradually, I got rid of the disgusting feeling with writing. Later, I started willingly emailing and mailing my pen pals in English. These have been strong moments of motivating experiences to allow myself a short access to the realm of amateur writers. In this context, I relate with coursera mooc participant Nguyen who went through an experience similar to mine:”I met a Dutch tourist in Vietnam. He brought a new world to me and I soaked up his knowledge. When we said goodbye, I promised to write a book for him as a gift”. Like Nguyen, I believe in the power of motivation and the magic outcomes of stimulus in giving me the reason to act.

I can still spread my wings to find my way in the real world of writers. I remember I went through wonderful experiences for my English writing skills’ improvements. I flew to England in 1999, there; I practised speaking with native and foreign people and wrote a two hundred- page memoir for being on summer stage there. I got also extensive training courses by American and British instructors on various subjects. I identify myself with Nguyen when she stated it clearly in her easy:” When I borrowed some of the books, I tried to quickly devour them so that I could return them and get more”. The more I acquire language, the better I can use words to express myself, my feelings and convey messages precisely and concisely. I can also relate with Tshepiso when she writes:” The incredible thing with the writing is that it allows me to be the creator. I can make things that I wish or think they are, and don’t have to be confined to anything. It’s the greatest freedom I can think of”.

Practice makes perfect. Through practice I, to some extent, have overcome most challenges and difficulties I had at the beginning of my experiences with writing. To reach perfection is a dream, but still as long as I am alive, I will keep on dreaming.

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How I became the person I am by writing...

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Loosely based on the The Red..