No. 27

Freewrite...as much as you want...as many times as you want.

I can't believe this is the last one. I feel like I should say something especially special about it. It's hard to believe that the year is done...that's such a cliche. It's true though. It seems like only yesterday we were out in the portable and I was showing you how to do this. Remember that? Good times. Let's see, there are so many things I'm going to miss...about you individually, and about you as a group. I'm going to miss threatening to give a fake Channel One quiz to get you to stop screaming in the mornings...I'm going to miss your writing folders...I'm going to miss how much you loved Member of the Wedding...I'm going to miss taking you to assemblies because you were so well-behaved I never even had to look at you while other teachers had to stare at their kids...I'm going to miss saying hello as you came in the door and goodbye as you went out...I'm going to miss being so proud of you at your track meets, concerts, and games...I'm going to miss your voices, your faces, and all of the things you said and did that made me laugh when I needed it the most. You are all, every one of you, irreplaceable forever. I hope you find everything you ever want in life, and I hope that you learn from any mistakes that you make, and I hope that you are content with yourself at the end of each day.
Best Wishes.
-Ms. Grooms

Just Between You And...

When I was your age, my friends and I went through a little phase where we described everything with words that ended in -ness. For instance, we would talk all day about this person's cuteNESS, that person's stupidNESS, someone else's geniusNESS (not a real word, by the way), and all of our own boredNESS with everything that was going on that didn't involve ourselves. So, it got to a point where we would just say "ness" whenever something was really good (i.e. A really cute boy was just "The ness").

A sample conversation at lunch:
Little Ms. Grooms: Man, these skittles are so ness.
Little Friend of Ms. Grooms: Yeah, I agree. They are ness.
Little Ms. Grooms: That's what I'm saying. Ness. Taste the rainbow.

Yeah, so as you can see, we were so cool. I mean, that's obvious.

So, we talked like this for a while until we grew out of it. Thing is, it made sense to us then. Perfect sense.

Later, in college, at a sorority retreat, Meredith and I were in side-by-side sleeping bags and another girl was in hers at our feet. Someone (NOT ME) kicked her.
She yells, "Who kicked me?"
And Meredith says, "KK" (my nickname then).
I say, "Absolutely not. It was Meredith!"
And then she said, "No way! My feet are SO UP HERE NEXT TO MY LEGS!!"
And I say, "Wow Mer. So that's where you keep your feet?"
And she said, "Shut up."
And then I laughed and laughed.
So even now, some 5 years later, if I do or say something stupid and she tries to call me out on it, all I have to do to put her in her place is go, "Ok, and where are your feet?"

We have more little stupid stuff like that. I have stupid stuff like that with my sisters, with my other friends, with my parents. I like these little things, because these little things are what make us who we are. Our relationships are defined by these little things that make sense ONLY to us. We use our language to sort of accidentally create these ties that bind us. A little saying here, an inside joke there, a word that triggers something...they make us who we are together. We develop these like secret vocabularies.

What's something that you do or say that makes sense only to you and someone important to you? Think about the way you talk to your closest friends...your family...what kind of language defines those relationships?

p.s. I only say, "Cry on the inside" with you.
p.p.s. These can be anonymous again if you want them to be.

Top-Fives

The other night was was watching The O.C. when it occurred to me that I'd really like it if I could live inside that television show. That would definitely be great, largely because of the character "Seth." He is my favorite. So, thinking about how nice it would be to live in The O.C. got me to thinking about the other shows I'd like to live in. And I made a list...a Top-Five

Top-Five TV Shows I'd Like to Live In

1. The O.C. (As previously stated, this is mostly because of Seth, but also I assume I'd have a great deal of money if I lived in The O.C. because everybody does.)
2. Prison Break (This is mostly because of the character "Michael," but also I think that show is intriguing and suspenseful. But I wouldn't want to be in jail. So, if I lived in the show, I'd probably be like Michael's secret accomplice outside of the prison...I'd also be his wife probably.)
3. Grey's Anatomy (This would be fun because, if I were there, I'd obviously be a medical intern which would make me practically a genius. Having a great deal of medical knowledge is something that has always appealed to me.)
4. Cold Case (That show is so cool, and they are always doing really meaningful stuff. I couldn't look at dead bodies or anything, so I'd probably be the one who went and interviewed people.)
5. Ghost Whisperer (The girl who plays the Ghost Whisperer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, reminds me of one of you, so I enjoy that about her. I feel comfortable with her. I think it'd be cool to be on that show because...come on...how cool would it be if your best friend could see dead people? My best friend is a great cook...her spaghetti is unequaled...but she has no supernatural powers which is something I've always found to be upsetting.)

Making Top-Five lists is one of my favorite things. Actually, it's one of my all time Top-Five favorite things (Who didn't see that coming?). I don't know, but something about ranking random things makes me feel like the world is more in order. I make Top-Fives about movies, music, celebrities I'd like to marry, celebrities I'd NEVER marry, books, food, restaurants, optimum tanning locations, etc. etc.

For this post, I want you to make your own Top-Five. It can be about one of the things I've mentioned here, or it can be about something else entirely that you come up with yourself. Also, if you want to, you can keep it anonymous again. I rather enjoyed that little guessing game. I'll leave that part up to you.

Voice-o-rama

Here's a definition for you:

voice: the sound produced by the vocal organs of a vertebrate, especially a human

Now, when we're talking about writing, voice has a different definition, technically. But, I (and I'm the one in charge) want you to think of it in terms of this definition. As in, the voice in your writing is the sound that it produces. Voice is possibly the most important part of writing because it is the thing that is either going to turn on (or turn off) a reader. Voice should be distinctive; it should be unique to you. Voice is the most natural part of writing, which is why it's also one of the most difficult things to teach. I can't tell you how to write with your own voice; you have to find that yourself. I can however, give you a few hints.

1. Be specific. Details make a big difference in how well your reader can picture what you're writing.
2. Pay attention to what every word is doing. Voice can come down to small decisions, and one word can make a difference in the way a sentence feels.
3. Use commas and punctuation to infuse your writing with emotion, with pauses, and with rhythm.
4. Trust your natural flow (I feel like a rapper). You're writing should sound like you talking.
5. Be true to yourself. Don't try to use words that are big so that you'll sound smarter than you are. Don't try to come off different on paper than you are in real life, because a reader can spot a phony. The tone feels apocryphal (Yeah... check out that stemword. I am a genius.)

For this post, I want you to choose and answer ONE of the following questions (in roughly 1-2 paragraphs because just a sentence or two will not be enough), and try to make sure that your natural writing voice is coming through. Pay attention to the way it sounds...does it sound like you? Read it out loud.

1. If you were another person, would you be friends with yourself?
2. Do you like your own handwriting?
3. Who do you miss the most?

Now, this is very important: I want these to be anonymous. Meaning, you are NOT going to put your initials and/or name on them. I want to see if we can guess who said what, based on the quality of voice in the writing.

Vacation Station

DUE: Monday, 4/17 @ 7.30 AM (two weeks from now!)

Ok, so this will be easy. Try to make it lively by adding in details and humor.

What are you doing for spring break?

As we all know, I'm going on a cruise. Now, what's interesting is that I have never been on a cruise in my life, so there are many things about this that will be new. Namely, I've never spent a lot of consecutive hours actually on a boat...so...that could get tricky. I've seen the previews for Poseidon (a ship capsizes and the passengers have to fight to survive) so, you know, I'm trying not to think about those (even though I would definitely survive because I'm so witty and agile, plus I can swim without holding my nose now). When I first get there, I'll make sure to note where the lifeboats are located. I'm really looking forward to the break (not necessarily from you...but just the routine in general). I plan to spend the entire time doing three things, in no specific order: sleep, eat, tan. There could be some dancing...perhaps some shopping when I get off of the boat at Key West or something...and who knows what else. Overall, I'm extremely stoked about this.

See, now isn't that more interesting than if I had just said: "I'm going on a cruise."

Hope you all enjoy your break as much as I plan to enjoy mine. Whatever you do, please be safe, and behave!!

Beast in Disguise

DUE: Monday, 4/3 @ 7.30 AM.

In The Call of the Wild, we've seen Buck start to develop from being a pampered, adored pet into being an uncivilized, instinctive beast. He's stolen food, he's been in ferocious altercations with both men and animals that have ended in bloodshed and even death. So, he's come a long way. Which leads to the question, "How do you think you would do if humankind suddenly descended into an uncivilized, primal state?" Imagine, if you will, that there's been some sort of terrible disaster (nuclear holocaust, devastating flood, catastrophic earthquake, etc. etc.). There is no longer any technology that works, there is no governmental structure, no working medical services, etc. etc. We do have weapons (obviously, they'd still be laying around), and if you are willing to loot and pillage, you can get food and whatnot from any buildings that are left standing. Would you be able to defend yourself? Your family? What would your survival strategy be? If you had to, would you be able to kill someone else to protect yourself or someone you love? Would you be a leader, or a follower?

As for me...
I think that I'd probably be in trouble at first, but only at first. I'd spend a few days just being furious that the disaster had happened in the first place. Then there would probably be some shock, and a lot of crying on the outside, and I'd have to get over that. I'm pretty fit physically (overall), so I think I could handle myself in struggles. I'd be so angry that I'd use that fury to protect myself and others. That's another thing; I'd be competely consumed with protecting the people that I love. This could be my immediate family, extended family, and any body else who happened to be around that mattered to me. My strategy would be to stay as close to them as possible every single second, and I'd definitely have to be the leader or else I wouldn't be able to function. I don't take orders well in situations like that, or in general. I'd stick with my family and definitely heinously murder anyone who threatened them. I honestly don't think that I'd have any issues with that if it came down to it. I'm not sure what that says about me...it's not like I'd go on a killing rampage for the fun of it...but if someone hurt someone I loved...well then I'd have to handle business. Being fairly strong for a female would come in handy (except if I had to fight some massive body-builder woman), and being a fairly fast runner would also be good unless Marion Jones (fastest woman alive) was messing with me. I'd try to make friends with the people who were physically more dominant that me. I'm pretty smart, so I think I'd be able to figure out how to get food and stuff. I'd try robbing some grocery stores first, and then I could hunt and fish. I'd also dig stuff out of gardens. So, on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest survival rate and 1 being the lowest, I think I'd be like an 8.

Creedence Credo Revival

DUE: 3/27 @ 7.30 AM.

(Ok, there used to be a band called "Creedence Clearwater Revival," and you have to know that to understand how witty my post title is.)

We talked about Jack London's "credo" today. To refresh your memory, here's a portion of it:

"I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze
than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow,
than a sleepy and permanent planet."

This was London's basic stance on how to live life. He felt like a full life was what we should strive for, instead of a long one. These words were his, to use a cliche (overused phrase), "key to life." What's yours? How would you answer someone if they asked you, "How do you live your life?" What do you try to do? What do you want for yourself? What matters most?

You know, of course, there is no wrong way to do this (other than not to do it at all). To fancy it up a bit, you could respond in poetic form. (That'd be nice-and some of you will enjoy the challenge, and I adore you for that.) You could work hard at your language and your diction, and use nice similes and metaphors and imagery. Jack London's credo smacks of paralellism (he repeats "I would rather...").

Credo de Grooms ("de" means "of" in French...I think)
As for me, I try to do the best I can in every situation to make sure that the least amount of people feel the least amount of hurt. I try to make sure that the people I love know that I love them, and that the people I need know that I need them. I try to make sure that they know, if they need me, or if they don't, I'm there anyway....just in case.