The opening and closing of my book (Shelonda)

When I first started writing my book I began with a date and a day of the week. I didn’t think that it would catch anyone’s attention. I thought that maybe if I started with dialog and having that dialog being a question, people would want to know what was going on and what would be the answer. I ended my book the way I did because those are my goals. That is what I see myself doing within the next year. I try to set myself up a goal and do my very best to achieve it. I can’t wait until that happens. I closed by book by with this "I love a challenge. It makes me work harder to prove a point myself. that no matter what, I can do it and I will succeed. By the sommer of 2010, my plan is to be doing my internship. If I can get all of the classes that I hamve left in the spring of 2010, I will be graduating in August, 2010, but if not December,2010, at the latest. As I stated one before, I see the light at the end of the tunnel and I plan on coming out into the sunlight to celebrate my graduation and tho start a new career."

My writing process *LaDonna*

What ritin process. lol. this has been a crazy three weeks. I started without knowing what i was going to write about. Now i can't top writing lol. okay so now i am over exaggerating. This process has not been easy at all. It was kind of stressful at one point. For the past two weeks, i have dedicated all my time towards the completion of my book. I would look at pictures for inspiration. Trying to remember things and people isn't so easy. Sometimes it frustrating, but things came together for the creation of my book...


"It started with yelling, which was not foreign guest in my home. The tension rose and he grew angry. “How did I get in this position, where did I go wrong,”’ I said confused in my head. In my heart I wanted to stand tall and fight for my innocence, but in my mind I was like field mouse trap by the rattle snake. “You never pay attention, or take responsibility for your actions!” My father had never shown this type of fury towards me. I ran in the house trying to fight the tears, but the more he yelled the harder it became. I locked the door to the bathroom wiped my tear stained face with the towel that smelled like baby powder and was damp from the bath of younger sibling. I sat on the edge of the bath tub and prayed. "

I am proud of my accomplishments...and can't wait the end of my book.

My Writing Process (Tuan)

Man... I am sooo not organize right now.(haha) I tell myself everyday after class to go straight to the labtop and work on my book, but for some damn reason I would go on aim and myspace and chat first. Which takes hours of my time and when I finally get to the book. I would put on some music and jam to it and it makes it really really REALLY hard to concentrate, but I can't work in silence. I mean at this exact moment, I'm on aim/myspace chatting while listening/singing to the sweet melody that are blasting out on windows media player. At first my goal was to do what the teacher said. "Two pages a day." She said. Those word stuck to me like glue! There I was, laying on my cream flowered bed with my labtop in front of me with wordpad open. Half the screen taken up by my book and the other half with my 10 signicant events. Here I would choose certain topics out of the 10 signicant events as my source in the book and expand it into a bigger, more detailed story. My second goal was to wait for my classmates advise before I get any deeper into my book so I would be able rebuild/fix any problems the students suggested. Which was what I did. When I got home after the class I went straight to reading their comments. It actually surprise me that the comments the teacher and students wrote were all exactly the same from describing family members more and adding more dialog. There I went to revising my book adding the some, but not much dialog and describing my family members. Because I waited to long to hear the students comments I began to slack off with only 12 pages. As of now, my new goal was to stick with the 10 significant events and expanding it out into four or more pages a day and on the last day, to fix all spelling and punctuation errors.

Ps: Haha I read what Phong said "Whatever you do, don't lock yourself inside a room and open a word document." I sooooo did the opposite lmfao. xD

What works for me...(JaLisa)

When I get on the computer to start typing my book, I have to go to youtube.com and play my play list. It consists of R&B songs. That really help me relaxes and I can think better when I listen to music. I cannot be at my house when I'm doing any kind of homework. I get too distracted with the t.v. and wanting to see what movie they have on Lifetime. Even I would want to eat at all times. I want to go and stand in the pantry to see what kind of snacks I could eat. But this is the thing, I cannot eat and type. I be so focus on my food that I will not be focus on what I really need to be. I can't chew and think at the same time, also. I know this may sound weird but I just can't explain it.

During a stressful time of if I am wondering about an issue that I have going on, I cannot concentrate on my typing. I have a bad habit wondering off in space and start think about things that are next week or things that will probably never happen. I have a problem with sitting still in one place for along time. My nerves get bad and I begin to move around in my chair. I would have to get up and walk around for a couple of minutes. I have to do that especially when I get really sleepy, which happens offen. It's like I can be alert and doing my work then all of a sudden sleepiness hit me across the face.

Now that I am learning my weakness about studying and typing this book, which require a lot of sitting and staying in one spot, I try new and different environments. Like going to the library when I am typing my book. I think that really helps me with wanting to type and keeping focus. I just love the quietness and peace that I get from being in the library. I am looking forward to finish this book and see the improvement that I made about myself, like being focus and determined to apply myself fully to this commitment I have to school.

My writing process. (PHONG)

Whatever you do, don't lock yourself inside a room and open a word document. That never works for me. Sometimes, it takes encouragement, maybe even a little push for me to be motivated enough to right. However, if the urge isn't there, it's hard write. Don't wait last minute to finish a portion of the book neither. When you're in a rush as you write, nothing will make sense. Maybe it will for you, but for me it doesn't. For me, what seems to work is to type it on my iPod as I try to go to sleep at night. It seems that my thought are my settled when I'm on a bed. I also don't force the issue. If a section of the book is on my mind and I want to write about it, I am not worried about jumping around subject. A little warning though, if you start and stop, the reader can tell that you're in a different mindset if you're not careful. It might be useful if you find a room or location in which you're not as easily distracted, but not suffocated by. Take breaks when you need it, there's not sense in forcing the goal of two hours of writing, or three page as a goal when you're worn out and need a drink... of water. Do things that work in the first place, if you find your niche, stay there.

My Writing Process (Julia)

I am a BIG procrastinator and I get distracted too easily so it's very hard for me to get things done in an organized way. I work a lot and would come home tired. These are my excuses but I know they are not good enough. I have many excuses for not getting things done and I always promise myself to start on the book. For example, I would tell myself that I would do it tomorrow morning, and on that morning I would tell myself I have to do it after work, but after work I would tell myself I have the whole night but as the night becomes morning, I'll tell myself I can start tomorrow, etc. My writing process includes jamming everything in one night. This is an example of what not to do. A good advice I can at least give is to think about what to write about during your free time. It works for me because I can at least have a plan. What I have done the most is staring at the screen for a long time, and do nothing. What I do now is think about what I should write as the structure and then put in as much details as I can. I remember Mysti always telling us to describe places, people, and the surroundings so I would think about these things as I think about what to write and make littles notes in my head. A place I can never get work done is my home because it's not much of a learning environment. The library is a much better place since it's quiet and nice there. I hope these advice help. [:

What Works For Me (Luis)

When it is time to write I pull out my pen and my spiral. I stare at the blank page and begin thinking what the heck Mrs. Rudd wants us to write about. This thought has also been going on since she first assigns each prompt. Once I figure out what is meant by the prompt. I then start to brainstorm; this takes me awhile because I then have to think of things that have happened to me that would best suit the topic. I start writing on paper because it works better for me, but I tend to switch it up every once and awhile. When I decide on a topic I start writing and when I think I have explained enough I stop and re-read what I wrote because when I write I make real simple errors that even I can catch.
It’s hard to study or write at my house because my dad watches his TV in the living room and my mom watches hers in the kitchen and then it turns in to a battle to see who can have their TV the loudest. It seems to me that everyone in the house is deaf because even when we talk we speak in a loud voice. I really don’t understand why my dad has to have his TV so loud because he is maybe sitting eight feet from it but I stand in another room and can hear it perfectly fine, but he gets mad when I have the music “too loud” in the car and tells me that I’m deaf. Whatever!! So I try and write when I’m home alone or if I know I have to get something done I go to the Lamar Beaumont Library because it is closer to my house and I’m still as student there. I find an open study room in the upstairs floors and go into a quite place where I can have some peace and quiet to my own. It’s bad enough that my mind wonders when I try to concentrate on something but to also be where it is not quiet is worse.