"She was sure it would be repeated. It was; she lifted her head and smiled." (Mansfield, 85)
The second sentence is why I chose this quote. I love simple. There's almost nothing more simple than, simply, "It was," if you leave of the second part. I chose it, also, because I absolutely love it when semicolons are used properly! I have a slight fear of semicolons; I'm afraid to misuse them. (Nicely done, right?) Also, I feel - perhaps I stand alone in this - that a semicolon is almost never needed. Not like a period or a comma is needed. Semicolon overuse is another concern, one I think can be likened to a sickness, something that either needs a strict regimen of pills or a very hard beating to overcome.
One of my favorite authors, Linda Howard (Burn comes out in paperback in August! Yea!) has this very annoying habit of overusing semicolons to the point of ridiculousness. About 10 pages in, I'll start to notice a light sprinkling of them, just a drop here or there. And then, more of them, quicker and quicker, and a few pages later, it is pouring semicolons and I try to run for cover before getting drenched. I almost never make it. And then, suddenly, it's over and the semicolons end, just like that. Weird, right?
This particular sentence is not all that important to the story, but I thought it caught Katherine Mansfield's voice quite nicely, setting the tone for the rest of the rather proper prose. Of course, she does use more semicolons as the piece goes on, but not in that down-pouring way that some people do. And, maybe it was more acceptable back then. Or maybe it's just me.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Freestyle Week 1
I am currently reading a few things. One is a historical romance that is almost too silly for words, and yet (sigh) I love it. Don't worry, I won't talk about that.
What I will discuss is Craig Ferguson's autobiography, American on Purpose. I have been a fan of his for awhile, first noticing him on The Drew Carey Show and then later watching the Late Late Show more for his stand-up than the celebrity guests. He's an interesting guy with an interesting past, dealing with a rough childhood, growing up in Scotland and then dealing with more than a decade of drug and alcohol abuse, getting sober and then immigrating to the U.S., finally becoming a citizen in his 40s. That's more than I will ever do.
His book details all of this, some of which I've heard through his various stand-up specials and on his show, some of which is new and interesting. I'm only a few chapters in, however, because of my little handicap.
I can only read a little at a time before becoming hopelessly depressed. I learned this weird thing about me about 5 years ago: I get depressed when reading certain things. I was reading the Nanny Diaries, which took me about a week or so to slog my way through and, near the end of it, I found myself increasingly down in the dumps. I couldn't figure out what the problem was until I finished the book. Suddenly the world became a better place! Birds were singing again, food tasted better, flowers smelled sweeter. All because I was done reading a book that brought me down.
Inspirational romance, true crime, and chick-lit all do this. I can read Stephen King until my eyes bleed (which happens to his characters a lot!) but Bridget Jones' Diary makes me sad. Weird, right? Also, I am a very happy, bright person, joking around all the time, but when I try to write something funny, it never works out. For example, I needed to write a very simple scene in my book. It was a high school baseball game, very light and carefree and I ended up having to re-write it because my first attempt went dark so fast it made my head spin. I took a sunny day at a baseball diamond and threw in rape, suicide and attempted murder! What's wrong with me?
Just one of those things my mother doesn't understand. I don't, either, really, but I accept it and now know to read things that depress me in small doses. So, I will finish my historical romance later today, but Craig Ferguson might take a few . . . uh, months, probably.
Now, that's depressing!
What I will discuss is Craig Ferguson's autobiography, American on Purpose. I have been a fan of his for awhile, first noticing him on The Drew Carey Show and then later watching the Late Late Show more for his stand-up than the celebrity guests. He's an interesting guy with an interesting past, dealing with a rough childhood, growing up in Scotland and then dealing with more than a decade of drug and alcohol abuse, getting sober and then immigrating to the U.S., finally becoming a citizen in his 40s. That's more than I will ever do.
His book details all of this, some of which I've heard through his various stand-up specials and on his show, some of which is new and interesting. I'm only a few chapters in, however, because of my little handicap.
I can only read a little at a time before becoming hopelessly depressed. I learned this weird thing about me about 5 years ago: I get depressed when reading certain things. I was reading the Nanny Diaries, which took me about a week or so to slog my way through and, near the end of it, I found myself increasingly down in the dumps. I couldn't figure out what the problem was until I finished the book. Suddenly the world became a better place! Birds were singing again, food tasted better, flowers smelled sweeter. All because I was done reading a book that brought me down.
Inspirational romance, true crime, and chick-lit all do this. I can read Stephen King until my eyes bleed (which happens to his characters a lot!) but Bridget Jones' Diary makes me sad. Weird, right? Also, I am a very happy, bright person, joking around all the time, but when I try to write something funny, it never works out. For example, I needed to write a very simple scene in my book. It was a high school baseball game, very light and carefree and I ended up having to re-write it because my first attempt went dark so fast it made my head spin. I took a sunny day at a baseball diamond and threw in rape, suicide and attempted murder! What's wrong with me?
Just one of those things my mother doesn't understand. I don't, either, really, but I accept it and now know to read things that depress me in small doses. So, I will finish my historical romance later today, but Craig Ferguson might take a few . . . uh, months, probably.
Now, that's depressing!
Quote-Response Week 1
"She didn't look around, not this queen, she just walked straight on slowly, on these long white prima-donna legs." (Updike, 17)
This jumped out at me for a number of reasons. One is that I have been a victim of bullying so many times it is hard to count. I was bullied by girls that seemed like the girl in the story. She was walking like a queen, with her faithful subjects by her side and no one could tell her what to do. The girls that plagued my childhood always walked like that - like they ruled everything they oversaw and found it and the people in it lacking in some way.
Another reason why this struck me is that I've tried to walk like that. As if I were a queen, intimidated by nothing, and felt like a fraud while doing it - most of the time. Sometimes I do feel like a queen, when I'm going somewhere I feel as if I fit in, or am at least comfortable, such as home, where only my feline overlords bully me.
I can be at least a princess there.
This jumped out at me for a number of reasons. One is that I have been a victim of bullying so many times it is hard to count. I was bullied by girls that seemed like the girl in the story. She was walking like a queen, with her faithful subjects by her side and no one could tell her what to do. The girls that plagued my childhood always walked like that - like they ruled everything they oversaw and found it and the people in it lacking in some way.
Another reason why this struck me is that I've tried to walk like that. As if I were a queen, intimidated by nothing, and felt like a fraud while doing it - most of the time. Sometimes I do feel like a queen, when I'm going somewhere I feel as if I fit in, or am at least comfortable, such as home, where only my feline overlords bully me.
I can be at least a princess there.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Blog Post 1
Hello! I am Jennifer and I am a Freshman here at EOU, preparing to study Biology. My hobbies include reading, reading, playing Amateur Surgeon at AdultSwim.com, and reading. The only problem with that is, I do not like "literature." That may not be a wise thing to admit in a Lit class, but I have always found literature boring. "The classics" never interested me. Instead I like to read contemporary fiction including (but not limited to) romance, sci-fi, fantasy and a lot of paranormal junk.
I do not agree with people who speak about "worthless" books. There is, to me, no such thing. Even the most trashy historical romance has a use. Books take me to another place. I would basically go crazy without them.
Speaking of crazy, that leads me to my "hobby" other than reading. I am a writer. I have written 2 full-length novels and countless short stories. I currently write for an online magazine called Suite101.
Reading has played a major part of my writing life, and writing for my reading life as well. I feel that is would be difficult, if not impossible, to be a good writer without being a good reader first. That is just my opinion.
My best friend, Mandie, feels almost exactly the same about reading as I do. When the voices in our heads get too loud, we sit down with a book until they all go away. We both suffer from a phenomenon I call "Book Coma." This occurs when you open a book at a certain time and then look up a few minutes later to find four hours have gone by. Oops. It is not generally life threatening but it has been known to start fights. Other side effects may include sleep loss, missed meals and a general lack of focus.
Another good friend, Jed, has a slightly weirder view about reading. He can only read one book at a time and if he doesn't feel like reading that specific book he has already begun, he won't read! He has been known to go for a year or more without reading! I do not know how he is still alive; I would not be.
One of my good friends from high school, Jennifer (a different one, not me) has a way of reading that is so unusual that I am tempted to call it borderline insane. She gets a book and flips through it first, finding out what happens before she reads it! How is this sane? How is she still walking around free? Shouldn't she be locked up for her own good? Why would anyone want to find out what happens before you find out what happens????? To each their own, I guess.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go read for awhile.
I do not agree with people who speak about "worthless" books. There is, to me, no such thing. Even the most trashy historical romance has a use. Books take me to another place. I would basically go crazy without them.
Speaking of crazy, that leads me to my "hobby" other than reading. I am a writer. I have written 2 full-length novels and countless short stories. I currently write for an online magazine called Suite101.
Reading has played a major part of my writing life, and writing for my reading life as well. I feel that is would be difficult, if not impossible, to be a good writer without being a good reader first. That is just my opinion.
My best friend, Mandie, feels almost exactly the same about reading as I do. When the voices in our heads get too loud, we sit down with a book until they all go away. We both suffer from a phenomenon I call "Book Coma." This occurs when you open a book at a certain time and then look up a few minutes later to find four hours have gone by. Oops. It is not generally life threatening but it has been known to start fights. Other side effects may include sleep loss, missed meals and a general lack of focus.
Another good friend, Jed, has a slightly weirder view about reading. He can only read one book at a time and if he doesn't feel like reading that specific book he has already begun, he won't read! He has been known to go for a year or more without reading! I do not know how he is still alive; I would not be.
One of my good friends from high school, Jennifer (a different one, not me) has a way of reading that is so unusual that I am tempted to call it borderline insane. She gets a book and flips through it first, finding out what happens before she reads it! How is this sane? How is she still walking around free? Shouldn't she be locked up for her own good? Why would anyone want to find out what happens before you find out what happens????? To each their own, I guess.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go read for awhile.
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