WEEK ONE BLOG ENTRY:
What is the greatest movie of all time and why?
Friday, August 12, 2011
WEEK ONE READING:
On Writing
http://grammar.about.com/od/yourwriting/a/advice.htm
Advice From One Writer to Another
"Real writers are those who want to write, need to write, have to write"
By Richard Nordquist,
When faced with a major project, whether it's designing a bridge or laying new tile in the kitchen, most of us like to rely on experts for advice. So why should a writing project be any different? As we'll see, professional writers have a lot to tell us about the writing process.
Some of the advice may be helpful, some of it encouraging, and some may do no more than raise a smile. Here then is some free advice--from one writer to another.
• "There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly: sometimes it's like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges."
(Ernest Hemingway)
• "Writing is an adventure."
(Winston Churchill)
• "There are no dull subjects. There are only dull writers."
(H. L. Mencken)
• "Writing is just work--there's no secret. If you dictate or use a pen or type or write with your toes--it's still just work."
(Sinclair Lewis)
• "Nothing you write, if you hope to be any good, will ever come out as you first hoped."
(Lillian Hellman)
• "English usage is sometimes more than mere taste, judgment and education--sometimes it's sheer luck, like getting across the street."
(E. B. White)
• "Many people hear voices when no one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing."
(Meg Chittenden)
• "I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork."
(Peter de Vries)
• "When I finish a first draft, it's always just as much of a mess as it's always been. I still make the same mistakes every time."
(Michael Chabon)
• "Writing is like everything else: the more you do it the better you get. Don't try to perfect as you go along, just get to the end of the damn thing. Accept imperfections. Get it finished and then you can go back. If you try to polish every sentence there's a chance you'll never get past the first chapter."
(Iain Banks)
• "The writer learns to write, in the last resort, only by writing. He must get words onto paper even if he is dissatisfied with them. A young writer must cross many psychological barriers to acquire confidence in his capacity to produce good work--especially his first full-length book--and he cannot do this by staring at a piece of blank paper, searching for the perfect sentence."
(Paul Johnson)
• "Real writers are those who want to write, need to write, have to write."
(Robert Penn Warren)
• "Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go. . . . Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. . . . Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia."
(E. L. Doctorow)
• "Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say."
(Sharon O'Brien)
• "I write to discover what I think. After all, the bars aren't open that early."
(Daniel J. Boorstin)
• "Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead."
(Gene Fowler)
• "You fail only if you stop writing."
(Ray Bradbury)
• "Writing is not hard. Just get paper and pencil, sit down, and write as it occurs to you. The writing is easy--it's the occurring that's hard."
(Stephen Leacock)
• "I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English--it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don't mean utterly, but kill most of them--then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart. An adjective habit, or a wordy, diffuse, flowery habit, once fastened upon a person, is as hard to get rid of as any other vice."
(Mark Twain)
• "Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those, who do not write, compose, or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear, which is inherent in the human condition."
(Graham Greene)
• "You can be a little ungrammatical if you come from the right part of the country."
(Robert Frost)
• "What this means, in practical terms for the student writer, is that in order to achieve mastery he must read widely and deeply and must write not just carefully but continually, thoughtfully assessing and reassessing what he writes, because practice, for the writer as for the concert pianist, is the heart of the matter."
(John Gardner, The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers, 1983)
• "A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people."
(Thomas Mann)
• "What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure."
(Samuel Johnson)
http://grammar.about.com/od/yourwriting/a/advice.htm
Advice From One Writer to Another
"Real writers are those who want to write, need to write, have to write"
By Richard Nordquist,
When faced with a major project, whether it's designing a bridge or laying new tile in the kitchen, most of us like to rely on experts for advice. So why should a writing project be any different? As we'll see, professional writers have a lot to tell us about the writing process.
Some of the advice may be helpful, some of it encouraging, and some may do no more than raise a smile. Here then is some free advice--from one writer to another.
• "There is no rule on how to write. Sometimes it comes easily and perfectly: sometimes it's like drilling rock and then blasting it out with charges."
(Ernest Hemingway)
• "Writing is an adventure."
(Winston Churchill)
• "There are no dull subjects. There are only dull writers."
(H. L. Mencken)
• "Writing is just work--there's no secret. If you dictate or use a pen or type or write with your toes--it's still just work."
(Sinclair Lewis)
• "Nothing you write, if you hope to be any good, will ever come out as you first hoped."
(Lillian Hellman)
• "English usage is sometimes more than mere taste, judgment and education--sometimes it's sheer luck, like getting across the street."
(E. B. White)
• "Many people hear voices when no one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing."
(Meg Chittenden)
• "I love being a writer. What I can't stand is the paperwork."
(Peter de Vries)
• "When I finish a first draft, it's always just as much of a mess as it's always been. I still make the same mistakes every time."
(Michael Chabon)
• "Writing is like everything else: the more you do it the better you get. Don't try to perfect as you go along, just get to the end of the damn thing. Accept imperfections. Get it finished and then you can go back. If you try to polish every sentence there's a chance you'll never get past the first chapter."
(Iain Banks)
• "The writer learns to write, in the last resort, only by writing. He must get words onto paper even if he is dissatisfied with them. A young writer must cross many psychological barriers to acquire confidence in his capacity to produce good work--especially his first full-length book--and he cannot do this by staring at a piece of blank paper, searching for the perfect sentence."
(Paul Johnson)
• "Real writers are those who want to write, need to write, have to write."
(Robert Penn Warren)
• "Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go. . . . Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. . . . Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia."
(E. L. Doctorow)
• "Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say."
(Sharon O'Brien)
• "I write to discover what I think. After all, the bars aren't open that early."
(Daniel J. Boorstin)
• "Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead."
(Gene Fowler)
• "You fail only if you stop writing."
(Ray Bradbury)
• "Writing is not hard. Just get paper and pencil, sit down, and write as it occurs to you. The writing is easy--it's the occurring that's hard."
(Stephen Leacock)
• "I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English--it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don't mean utterly, but kill most of them--then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart. An adjective habit, or a wordy, diffuse, flowery habit, once fastened upon a person, is as hard to get rid of as any other vice."
(Mark Twain)
• "Writing is a form of therapy; sometimes I wonder how all those, who do not write, compose, or paint can manage to escape the madness, the melancholia, the panic fear, which is inherent in the human condition."
(Graham Greene)
• "You can be a little ungrammatical if you come from the right part of the country."
(Robert Frost)
• "What this means, in practical terms for the student writer, is that in order to achieve mastery he must read widely and deeply and must write not just carefully but continually, thoughtfully assessing and reassessing what he writes, because practice, for the writer as for the concert pianist, is the heart of the matter."
(John Gardner, The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers, 1983)
• "A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people."
(Thomas Mann)
• "What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure."
(Samuel Johnson)
WEEK ONE WRITING ABOUT WHAT YOU READ:
After reading a bunch of random quotes about writing, how would you define good writing?
WEEK TWO: September 19-23…WEEK TWO BLOG ENTRY
WEEK TWO BLOG ENTRY:
The most beautiful place I've been in the world is...
The most beautiful place I've been in the world is...
WEEK TWO READING:
aS YOU READ THIS REVIEW, CONSIDER WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL. EXAMINE THE TONE AND WORD CHOICE. ALSO, SINCE YOU'LL BE WRITING YOUR OWN RESTAURANT REVIEW, READ THIS AS AN EXAMPLE OF ONE WAY TO APPROACH SUCH A TASK.
Restaurant Review
http://www.bakersfield.com/news/columnist/tittl/x965388728/DINING-OUT-Save-our-restaurant-readers-plead
DINING OUT: Save our restaurant, readers plead
BY PETE TITTL, Contributing columniste-mail:
ptittl@bakersfield.com | Sunday, Jul 17 2011 06:00 AM
Occasionally I get called in like a restaurant superhero in the hopes that a favorable review by me could save someone's favorite restaurant. Unfortunately I don't get to wear tights and a cape, although I do apologize for planting that image in your brain over breakfast.
Two readers recently wrote about a humble northeast Bakersfield restaurant that is a favorite of theirs, the Original Hacienda Grill, located near the old East Hills Vons that's being swallowed by the Walmart next door.
Marsha Parr called it a "gem" and said the "food is excellent, authentic and varied. The service is very friendly and helpful and fast. The ambiance is comfortable and kitschy. I have been there about 6 times and have never had a bad meal, and neither have my 'companions.' I am afraid they will not stay in business, because the place is usually empty. This is partly due to the construction of the nearby Walmart off of Mall View Road. There are places to park near the restaurant, and if you enter from the east, you don't have to drive through the parking maze that is Walmart. They deserve to stay in business, and I thought that if you wrote a review, it would attract different customers. Please, please consider this, as we have so few options for really good restaurants on our side of town."
Parr went on to praise the "tasty vegetarian options: pot beans cooked without the ham hock, and veggie enchiladas. Shrimp mojo de ajo is great, as are all other dishes. Fish tacos are grilled tilapia, and fresh. Enchiladas suizas are excellent." Her friend Schifra Walder also wrote in as a former eastsider who moved to Springville six years ago and confessed to being shocked at the mall's decline. She liked the fun mirrors inside the restaurant.
All I have to say is that sensitive English teachers who seem bred to cringe at abuses of the king's language might not find that atmosphere so charming. A permanent wooden sign near the door says "Please have a sit."
A hand-lettered sign involving a certain type of coupon had so many misspelled words that I was seized by a need for a good red Sharpie. Avert your eyes if such miscues offend you. I did enjoy the mirrors used in the dining room to make a small space seem larger.
The menu has a lot of everything, from combo meals to seafood and fajitas, and we tried to get a representative sampling. I chose one of the specialties, the "roll grill" tacos ($10.95), while my companions selected the steak fajita burrito ($9.25) and the chili verde tostada ($8.25). If this were a baseball game, we'd say the kitchen is batting a sizzling .667.
The best choice really was my tacos, which I think featured that ability to make appealing vegetarian entrees praised by Marsha Parr. The entrée offers one steak, one chicken and one vegetarian grilled taco. The latter was the best, with onions, tomatoes, green peppers, cheese and even a few florets of broccoli mixed into the minced filling. Exceptional. The steak was solid, lean carne asada, and the chicken was breast meat mixed with cheese. The beans were notable for a pale color, some whole and some refried, and an honest taste not overly dependent on fat.
My companion's burrito was a massive creation, and the fajitas inside were praiseworthy for the nice mix and proportion of vegetables (red and green peppers and onions) and the way all the ingredients had been completely cooked together (the onions dark from caramelizing). The only flaw if you excuse the outsized portion was an untrimmed fat bomb he ran across right in the middle of it. Someone trimming the beef got a bit sloppy.
My companion's tostada was a disappointment. Now I know it seems like I'm Will Rogers when it comes to chili verde, in that I've never met one I didn't like, but this version of CV, while it had some heat, just seemed simple and dull. It was the only thing we sampled I wouldn't order again.
(It was somewhat similar to the salsa served with the chips, which also seemed to be missing some key ingredients -- cilantro, for example, would be nice).
Service was cheerful but absent for long stretches. Contrary to the reader reports, the restaurant was moderately busy late on a Sunday night.
Restaurant Review
http://www.bakersfield.com/news/columnist/tittl/x965388728/DINING-OUT-Save-our-restaurant-readers-plead
DINING OUT: Save our restaurant, readers plead
BY PETE TITTL, Contributing columniste-mail:
ptittl@bakersfield.com | Sunday, Jul 17 2011 06:00 AM
Occasionally I get called in like a restaurant superhero in the hopes that a favorable review by me could save someone's favorite restaurant. Unfortunately I don't get to wear tights and a cape, although I do apologize for planting that image in your brain over breakfast.
Two readers recently wrote about a humble northeast Bakersfield restaurant that is a favorite of theirs, the Original Hacienda Grill, located near the old East Hills Vons that's being swallowed by the Walmart next door.
Marsha Parr called it a "gem" and said the "food is excellent, authentic and varied. The service is very friendly and helpful and fast. The ambiance is comfortable and kitschy. I have been there about 6 times and have never had a bad meal, and neither have my 'companions.' I am afraid they will not stay in business, because the place is usually empty. This is partly due to the construction of the nearby Walmart off of Mall View Road. There are places to park near the restaurant, and if you enter from the east, you don't have to drive through the parking maze that is Walmart. They deserve to stay in business, and I thought that if you wrote a review, it would attract different customers. Please, please consider this, as we have so few options for really good restaurants on our side of town."
Parr went on to praise the "tasty vegetarian options: pot beans cooked without the ham hock, and veggie enchiladas. Shrimp mojo de ajo is great, as are all other dishes. Fish tacos are grilled tilapia, and fresh. Enchiladas suizas are excellent." Her friend Schifra Walder also wrote in as a former eastsider who moved to Springville six years ago and confessed to being shocked at the mall's decline. She liked the fun mirrors inside the restaurant.
All I have to say is that sensitive English teachers who seem bred to cringe at abuses of the king's language might not find that atmosphere so charming. A permanent wooden sign near the door says "Please have a sit."
A hand-lettered sign involving a certain type of coupon had so many misspelled words that I was seized by a need for a good red Sharpie. Avert your eyes if such miscues offend you. I did enjoy the mirrors used in the dining room to make a small space seem larger.
The menu has a lot of everything, from combo meals to seafood and fajitas, and we tried to get a representative sampling. I chose one of the specialties, the "roll grill" tacos ($10.95), while my companions selected the steak fajita burrito ($9.25) and the chili verde tostada ($8.25). If this were a baseball game, we'd say the kitchen is batting a sizzling .667.
The best choice really was my tacos, which I think featured that ability to make appealing vegetarian entrees praised by Marsha Parr. The entrée offers one steak, one chicken and one vegetarian grilled taco. The latter was the best, with onions, tomatoes, green peppers, cheese and even a few florets of broccoli mixed into the minced filling. Exceptional. The steak was solid, lean carne asada, and the chicken was breast meat mixed with cheese. The beans were notable for a pale color, some whole and some refried, and an honest taste not overly dependent on fat.
My companion's burrito was a massive creation, and the fajitas inside were praiseworthy for the nice mix and proportion of vegetables (red and green peppers and onions) and the way all the ingredients had been completely cooked together (the onions dark from caramelizing). The only flaw if you excuse the outsized portion was an untrimmed fat bomb he ran across right in the middle of it. Someone trimming the beef got a bit sloppy.
My companion's tostada was a disappointment. Now I know it seems like I'm Will Rogers when it comes to chili verde, in that I've never met one I didn't like, but this version of CV, while it had some heat, just seemed simple and dull. It was the only thing we sampled I wouldn't order again.
(It was somewhat similar to the salsa served with the chips, which also seemed to be missing some key ingredients -- cilantro, for example, would be nice).
Service was cheerful but absent for long stretches. Contrary to the reader reports, the restaurant was moderately busy late on a Sunday night.
WEEK TWO WRITING ABOUT WHAT YOU READ:
RESTAURANT REVIEW: (20%)
Go to any restaurant in town. As you eat, take notes on the ambiance, the food, and the service. You may choose any restaurant (from Taco Bell to Café Med), but you should use this writing assignment to explore your descriptive capabilities. Use sound, touch, taste, smell, and the look of the food and surroundings. The review should be approximately two pages in length, BUT YOU MAY CHOOSE TO WRITE MORE THAN THAT. You may use the first-person in this review.
This assignment must be emailed to me as an attachment by Friday, September 23
YOU ARE NOT PUTTING THIS ONE ON THE BLOG BUT ARE ONLY EMAILING IT TO ME.
Go to any restaurant in town. As you eat, take notes on the ambiance, the food, and the service. You may choose any restaurant (from Taco Bell to Café Med), but you should use this writing assignment to explore your descriptive capabilities. Use sound, touch, taste, smell, and the look of the food and surroundings. The review should be approximately two pages in length, BUT YOU MAY CHOOSE TO WRITE MORE THAN THAT. You may use the first-person in this review.
This assignment must be emailed to me as an attachment by Friday, September 23
YOU ARE NOT PUTTING THIS ONE ON THE BLOG BUT ARE ONLY EMAILING IT TO ME.
WEEK THREE: September 26-30…WEEK THREE BLOG ENTRY
WEEK THREE BLOG ENTRY:
If you could travel to one place in the world, where would it be and why?
If you could travel to one place in the world, where would it be and why?
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