This course will serve as an introduction and review of basic grammatical rules of standard written English through the use of creative writing exercises and projects. Students will also explore stylistic concerns of prose and poetry, writing conventions, and the writing process as a whole, particularly revision.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Wed. 11/19 Finish 100 Questions Story
Work on finishing your writing projects.
HMWK: Read Joyce Carol Oates; "Happy"; Russell Banks' "The Neighbor"; Ron Carlson's "Reading the Paper"; Jayne Anne Phillips' "Blind Girls"
1.)Where do you live? 2.) Do you live in a bad neighborhood? 3.) Or a good neighborhood? 4.) What did you do yesterday? 5.) Do you have a boyfriend? 6.) Did he come over yesterday? 7.) What did you two do? 8.) Did he come over with the intention to make you a woman? 9.) Did you refuse his request? 10.) Or did you approve it? 11.) Did you think of the consequences that would follow your actions? 12.) Did you think that he would protect you from them? 13) Or did you just want his attention? 14.) Did you want him so bad that you lowered your self-integrity? 15.) Did you tell him that it was “okay” to degrade your body? 16.) Or did you just think that it was “okay”? 17.) Did you ever talk about girls making “mistakes” at an early age? 18.) Did you know that you’re a hypocrite? 19.) Did you know that he never used protection? 20.) Did you know that you’re just another statistic? 21.) Did you know he never really cared about you? 22.) Did you know that he’ll never care about you or your “mistake”? 23.) Did you know that he will move on? 24.) Do you know with you? 25.) Your brother.
1) Why did I say “how are you”? 2) When did you tell me you were going to Ohio? 3) Can you tell me all of the various things that you’ve been up to? 4) If I had the chance to take back what happened, do you think I would? 5) Would you? 6) That night that we fought, I take back pulling your hair, but why did you push me? 7) Why did you bite me? 8) Pinch me? 9) Kick me? 10) And why did you scream, “I hate you!”, when we both got up? 11) Did you move away because of me? 12) Why? 13) Can you forgive me for what happened? 14) Do you want me to forgive you? 15) When you visit will you come and see me? 16) Do you miss me? 17) I miss being friends with you and I want everything to go back to the way it was, do you think it can? 18) If not, can we start over? 19) Hi, my name is Ta’Shae. What’s yours? 20) Did you say Halo? 21) How did you get a name like that? 22) Was it from your mom? 23) Your dad? 24) Aunt? 25) Uncle? 26) Who could ever think of a name so different? 27) Do you like it? 28) Why? 29) Would you like to change it? 30) What would you change it to? 31) Why Diamond? 32) If I could change my name I would change it to, Heaven, do you like that? 33) I have lots of friends, do you? 34) I have a boyfriend now, do you? 35) What’s his name? 36) Is he nice? 37) Are you happy? 38) I wish that our fight had never taken place, then you wouldn’t have moved away, don’t you? 39) Do you miss me? 40) Well I miss my old friend and I hope we can pick up where we left off, before we had the fight, don’t you?
Questionnaire ~From a deranged woman to her late husband~
1. Why did you leave us? 2. What can I do to make it right again? 3. 4 years of being married and you want to end it like this? 4. I followed you and your mistress around for 2 months…did you know that? 5. I know I made a huge mistake and some things just can’t be taken back. Do you forgive me? 6. You know I’m a jealous person, why would you irk me? 7. Your mother was so hurt when she heard the news but do you think I care? 8. She hurt me purposely. Do you think I should care? 9. I can’t even look her in her eyes anymore…why is that? 10. When you seen me at the door what were you thinking? 11. Why won’t my mom answer my phone calls anymore? 12. Why does your whole family look at me with hate? 13. I told them it was an accident but do you think they listened to me? 14. At the funeral I asked for everyone’s forgiveness, why did they ignore me? 15. That awkward silence made me want to shoot up the whole damn funeral parlor…but did I? 16. What do you want me to tell Jason? 17. How do I explain that his mother is a psychopath killer? 18. Should I tell him exactly how I did it or should I save the details? 19. Do you envy me because I never brought him to the funeral? 20. What if this never happened? 21. Why did they call police? 22. Would you like me to take Jason to your burial site? 23. If I accidentally murder him will you turn over in your grave? 24. What would you think if I told you that our only son Jason is decomposing in my basement? 25. He wouldn’t stop crying so is it really my fault? 26. How do I hide a dead body? 27. I’m a psychopathic killer…did you know that?
1. Were you startled when the front door shattered? 2. Did you scream? 3. Did you listen to the footsteps from upstairs? 4. Where they too loud? 5. Where did you hide? 6. Where you in the closet? 7. Where you under the bed? 8. How long did you listen to their shambling? 9. Did the baby scream? 10. Is that why they found you? 11. How fast did they make it up the stairs? 12. How long did it take to find you? 13. Did they threaten to do terrible things, snarling at you as you trembled? 14. Did you hear them talking about a young woman? 15. Did you assume it was you? 16. When they found you did you see their faces? 17. Where they angry, rotted teeth clenched to the point where it looks like they’d crack? 18. Where there hands rough and cold, scratching and clawing as they pulled you to your feet, or where they surprisingly warm, as they were only acolytes? 19. Were they happy, seeing that they would be progressing in their work? 20. Did they seem amazed that you had run from it so long? Did they walk you down the stairs or throw you down? 21. Looking at them, their skin so pale, did you wish you had died all that time ago? 22. And when you finally saw it, hood shrouding the true form, massive blade in hand, did you scream again. 23. Why did you run if you wished to die? 24. Why did you break free of their grip? 25. What did you think would happen? 26. What did you think you could possibly do? 27. You did know you couldn’t change a thing, right? 28. As you ran down the street, screaming for help, did you think anyone would come? 29. You hoped someone would look out their window, move their shades, and emerge from the dark of an empty house, didn’t you? 30. Did you know that if you were caught you’d receive hell? 31. Maybe they’d forgive you if you surrendered? 32. Why do you keep running from death? 33. Why won’t you listen to me? 34. Where will you hide now? 35. Where will you take shelter until it finds you again? 36. You’re leaving your child behind? 37. Leaving it to its cold embrace? 38. It’d take more care of it than you would? 39. When will you tire of living for so long? 40. When will you accept death?
1.) Why were you there? 2.) Why was I left holding the bag? 3.) Where did you go after that? 4.) Were you able to find any peace? 5.) Do you still see her? 6.) Do you feel the pain and anger I feel whenever I think of her? 7.) Or is it regret you feel? 8.)Or maybe longing? 9.) Have you ever told anyone else what happened that day? 10.) Are you dreams filled with images of that event running around and around until you feel that you are dizzy? 12.) Do you wonder what could have been, every day, every hour, every minute, as your life slowly passes all around you? 13.) Do you ever think of me, or maybe what you did to me? 14.) Does that make you guilty? 15.) Do you remember what was in that bag? 16.) Do you remember the crisp rustling of the unused money? 17.) Do you know that I hated the money? 18.) How did you feel about all those unmarked bills? 19.) Did they make your fingers curl with longing as you reach for it and pull back in fear as if it had transformed in front of you into some sinister writhing monster, like her? 20.) Or did you hate it and everything it meant and hold it as if it were rotten, like old meat or a corpse, like me? 21.)Or did you hold it close as if a child, not caring who it had hurt, or what became of you? 22.) Is that why you pulled out the gun? 23.) How did it feel in your hand? 24.) Was it cool and soothing, or cold and hard, and unforgiving? 25.)Did you hear as she screamed loud and shill, see as her blood spilled out of her and soaked into the old brown carpet? 26.) What did you think of the money then? 27.) Did it make you sick, or did you still long for it? 28.) What did you think of her as she died? 29.) Did you love her like you did in the beginning? 30.) Did you love her like I loved her, wanting to protect her from the world? 31.) Is that why you tell yourself you did it, to protect her, to save her from herself? 32.) Do the lies that you tell yourself make you sick, like they make me sick? 33.) How can you even live with yourself? 34.) Have you ever considered ending it all, perhaps with the same gun that ended her life, a little semblance of justice and togetherness at the end? 35.) Do you actually believe that would make anything better, and that it would help her, or is that just more of the self denial that you force feed yourself? 36.) What did you do with her body when you had finished crying, and stroking her hair? 37.) Do you visit the place where you dumped her, hoping to reconcile with your past? 38.) Do you think you’ll ever forget that day, even when your mind grows weak, and your back is bent over, and you barely remember who you are? 39.) You’ve agonized over her, and over yourself. Have you every considered how I felt? 40.) Have you ever looked at her broken dying body through my eyes? 41.) Have you ever felt the culmination of all my love, and my longing, turned inward as a knife, or turned even more sharply outward as hatred for you? 42.) Do you remember me standing there as you carried her off? 43.) Why did you even bother coming back? 44.) Did you see my icy glare as you walked back in? 43.) Did I break your jaw bone as I threw that punch? 46.) What did you see as you looked back at my face with little recognition? 47.) Why did you run after that? 48.) Where could you have even run to? 49.) Did you recognize me as you squinted at me through the glass, the one and only day I came to visit you? 50.) Did you find it ironic, like I did, that you were put away for petty crimes? 51.) Do you even know the difference any more? 52.) Did you back then? 53.) Is that why you left me with the bag?
BFA, Drama (Directing) Carnegie-Mellon University
MA, SUNY-Brockport, English Literature
MA, University of Rochester, English Literature, Ph.D candidacy.
Community theatre director--Shipping Dock Theatre, JCC, Blackfriars, RAPA, Rochester Shakespeare Players,
former GeVa stage manager
6 comments:
_______Girl’s Daily Questionnaire
1.)Where do you live?
2.) Do you live in a bad neighborhood?
3.) Or a good neighborhood?
4.) What did you do yesterday?
5.) Do you have a boyfriend?
6.) Did he come over yesterday?
7.) What did you two do?
8.) Did he come over with the intention to make you a woman?
9.) Did you refuse his request?
10.) Or did you approve it?
11.) Did you think of the consequences that would follow your actions?
12.) Did you think that he would protect you from them?
13) Or did you just want his attention?
14.) Did you want him so bad that you lowered your self-integrity?
15.) Did you tell him that it was “okay” to degrade your body?
16.) Or did you just think that it was “okay”?
17.) Did you ever talk about girls making “mistakes” at an early age?
18.) Did you know that you’re a hypocrite?
19.) Did you know that he never used protection?
20.) Did you know that you’re just another statistic?
21.) Did you know he never really cared about you?
22.) Did you know that he’ll never care about you or your “mistake”?
23.) Did you know that he will move on?
24.) Do you know with you?
25.) Your brother.
Old Friend
1) Why did I say “how are you”?
2) When did you tell me you were going to Ohio?
3) Can you tell me all of the various things that you’ve been up to?
4) If I had the chance to take back what happened, do you think I would?
5) Would you?
6) That night that we fought, I take back pulling your hair, but why did you push me?
7) Why did you bite me?
8) Pinch me?
9) Kick me?
10) And why did you scream, “I hate you!”, when we both got up?
11) Did you move away because of me?
12) Why?
13) Can you forgive me for what happened?
14) Do you want me to forgive you?
15) When you visit will you come and see me?
16) Do you miss me?
17) I miss being friends with you and I want everything to go back to the way it was, do you think it can?
18) If not, can we start over?
19) Hi, my name is Ta’Shae. What’s yours?
20) Did you say Halo?
21) How did you get a name like that?
22) Was it from your mom?
23) Your dad?
24) Aunt?
25) Uncle?
26) Who could ever think of a name so different?
27) Do you like it?
28) Why?
29) Would you like to change it?
30) What would you change it to?
31) Why Diamond?
32) If I could change my name I would change it to, Heaven, do you like that?
33) I have lots of friends, do you?
34) I have a boyfriend now, do you?
35) What’s his name?
36) Is he nice?
37) Are you happy?
38) I wish that our fight had never taken place, then you wouldn’t have moved away, don’t you?
39) Do you miss me?
40) Well I miss my old friend and I hope we can pick up where we left off, before we had the fight, don’t you?
LOVE ALWAYS,
YOUR OLD FRIEND,
TA’SHAE
Questionnaire
~From a deranged woman to her late husband~
1. Why did you leave us?
2. What can I do to make it right again?
3. 4 years of being married and you want to end it like this?
4. I followed you and your mistress around for 2 months…did you know that?
5. I know I made a huge mistake and some things just can’t be taken back. Do you forgive me?
6. You know I’m a jealous person, why would you irk me?
7. Your mother was so hurt when she heard the news but do you think I care?
8. She hurt me purposely. Do you think I should care?
9. I can’t even look her in her eyes anymore…why is that?
10. When you seen me at the door what were you thinking?
11. Why won’t my mom answer my phone calls anymore?
12. Why does your whole family look at me with hate?
13. I told them it was an accident but do you think they listened to me?
14. At the funeral I asked for everyone’s forgiveness, why did they ignore me?
15. That awkward silence made me want to shoot up the whole damn funeral parlor…but did I?
16. What do you want me to tell Jason?
17. How do I explain that his mother is a psychopath killer?
18. Should I tell him exactly how I did it or should I save the details?
19. Do you envy me because I never brought him to the funeral?
20. What if this never happened?
21. Why did they call police?
22. Would you like me to take Jason to your burial site?
23. If I accidentally murder him will you turn over in your grave?
24. What would you think if I told you that our only son Jason is decomposing in my basement?
25. He wouldn’t stop crying so is it really my fault?
26. How do I hide a dead body?
27. I’m a psychopathic killer…did you know that?
Zach’s Door
1. Were you startled when the front door shattered?
2. Did you scream?
3. Did you listen to the footsteps from upstairs?
4. Where they too loud?
5. Where did you hide?
6. Where you in the closet?
7. Where you under the bed?
8. How long did you listen to their shambling?
9. Did the baby scream?
10. Is that why they found you?
11. How fast did they make it up the stairs?
12. How long did it take to find you?
13. Did they threaten to do terrible things, snarling at you as you trembled?
14. Did you hear them talking about a young woman?
15. Did you assume it was you?
16. When they found you did you see their faces?
17. Where they angry, rotted teeth clenched to the point where it looks like they’d crack?
18. Where there hands rough and cold, scratching and clawing as they pulled you to your feet, or where they surprisingly warm, as they were only acolytes?
19. Were they happy, seeing that they would be progressing in their work?
20. Did they seem amazed that you had run from it so long? Did they walk you down the stairs or throw you down?
21. Looking at them, their skin so pale, did you wish you had died all that time ago?
22. And when you finally saw it, hood shrouding the true form, massive blade in hand, did you scream again.
23. Why did you run if you wished to die?
24. Why did you break free of their grip?
25. What did you think would happen?
26. What did you think you could possibly do?
27. You did know you couldn’t change a thing, right?
28. As you ran down the street, screaming for help, did you think anyone would come?
29. You hoped someone would look out their window, move their shades, and emerge from the dark of an empty house, didn’t you?
30. Did you know that if you were caught you’d receive hell?
31. Maybe they’d forgive you if you surrendered?
32. Why do you keep running from death?
33. Why won’t you listen to me?
34. Where will you hide now?
35. Where will you take shelter until it finds you again?
36. You’re leaving your child behind?
37. Leaving it to its cold embrace?
38. It’d take more care of it than you would?
39. When will you tire of living for so long?
40. When will you accept death?
1.) Why were you there?
2.) Why was I left holding the bag?
3.) Where did you go after that?
4.) Were you able to find any peace?
5.) Do you still see her?
6.) Do you feel the pain and anger I feel whenever I think of her?
7.) Or is it regret you feel?
8.)Or maybe longing?
9.) Have you ever told anyone else what happened that day?
10.) Are you dreams filled with images of that event running around and around until you feel that you are dizzy?
12.) Do you wonder what could have been, every day, every hour, every minute, as your life slowly passes all around you?
13.) Do you ever think of me, or maybe what you did to me?
14.) Does that make you guilty?
15.) Do you remember what was in that bag?
16.) Do you remember the crisp rustling of the unused money?
17.) Do you know that I hated the money?
18.) How did you feel about all those unmarked bills?
19.) Did they make your fingers curl with longing as you reach for it and pull back in fear as if it had transformed in front of you into some sinister writhing monster, like her?
20.) Or did you hate it and everything it meant and hold it as if it were rotten, like old meat or a corpse, like me?
21.)Or did you hold it close as if a child, not caring who it had hurt, or what became of you?
22.) Is that why you pulled out the gun?
23.) How did it feel in your hand?
24.) Was it cool and soothing, or cold and hard, and unforgiving?
25.)Did you hear as she screamed loud and shill, see as her blood spilled out of her and soaked into the old brown carpet?
26.) What did you think of the money then?
27.) Did it make you sick, or did you still long for it?
28.) What did you think of her as she died?
29.) Did you love her like you did in the beginning?
30.) Did you love her like I loved her, wanting to protect her from the world?
31.) Is that why you tell yourself you did it, to protect her, to save her from herself?
32.) Do the lies that you tell yourself make you sick, like they make me sick?
33.) How can you even live with yourself?
34.) Have you ever considered ending it all, perhaps with the same gun that ended her life, a little semblance of justice and togetherness at the end?
35.) Do you actually believe that would make anything better, and that it would help her, or is that just more of the self denial that you force feed yourself?
36.) What did you do with her body when you had finished crying, and stroking her hair?
37.) Do you visit the place where you dumped her, hoping to reconcile with your past?
38.) Do you think you’ll ever forget that day, even when your mind grows weak, and your back is bent over, and you barely remember who you are?
39.) You’ve agonized over her, and over yourself. Have you every considered how I felt?
40.) Have you ever looked at her broken dying body through my eyes?
41.) Have you ever felt the culmination of all my love, and my longing, turned inward as a knife, or turned even more sharply outward as hatred for you?
42.) Do you remember me standing there as you carried her off?
43.) Why did you even bother coming back?
44.) Did you see my icy glare as you walked back in?
43.) Did I break your jaw bone as I threw that punch?
46.) What did you see as you looked back at my face with little recognition?
47.) Why did you run after that?
48.) Where could you have even run to?
49.) Did you recognize me as you squinted at me through the glass, the one and only day I came to visit you?
50.) Did you find it ironic, like I did, that you were put away for petty crimes?
51.) Do you even know the difference any more?
52.) Did you back then?
53.) Is that why you left me with the bag?
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