Assignment #3: "Good" Papers.

    One of the most differentiating qualities in writing that separates a mediocre paper and an awesome one is description. I think that a description of the surroundings and emotions that effected the author is extremely important. For example in the book Great Expectations, Charles Dickens describes his sister (Mrs. Joe) buttering a loaf of bread. To some readers, he goes on for a tedious, painstaking page and half (or however long that section is, I honestly don't remember) giving pointless details... or to others, just that very action of buttering bread showed her angry, intense personality like you were in the room with her.
    Secondly, variety of word choice. Usually when I'm writing a paper I have dictionary.com and thesaurus.com because, face it, we're all human and sometimes we get into the habit of using the same word over and over again. For example, "He was a very big man, and he chewed his food very loud." vs. "He was a bulky guy who obnoxiously chewed his food." Not only is this a great tool to spark up a paper, but it widens your vocabulary and you'll need the thesaurus less as time goes on.
   Next, is organization and some kind of structure. The paper should be easy to follow and not drifting from topic to topic.It's hard to grasp the concept or idea of a paper that isn't sticking to the topic.
   Lastly, a good paper has emotion. Unless it's a research paper with specific details and what not, it should have some soul. Nobody wants to read a dry narrative about some experience you've had. When I read someone's work, I want to feel like I'm teleporting into their imagination, their setting, their drama or whatever they're trying to draw you into.
Personally, I find all of the qualities easy except for sticking to the topic. I think I'm kind of sarcastic in my writing and I tend to ramble (in normal speech and writing!). Some readers find it interesting but you would already have to be knowledgeable about whatever my topic is to follow sometimes.

Assignment #2- Generating Ideas

 

The most life changing event that has most recently effected my life is my move to Chicago. It was kind of a random decision I made while I was bored, like this nose piercing I just got. I'm very spontaneous with my free time... I could write about my transition itself, how it affected my friends, family, and most of all myself. Chicago
is a very interesting city coming from Columbus, Ohio, so I could write about the abrupt culture shock. Moving here meant my life was going to be in every way different, mostly because this is my first time living with my father and he has a family so I'm in the middle of trying not to impose and walking eggshells to appease but still be myself in essence.
The pros of writing on this topic is that I would have plenty to write about and I could give people insight about me... But the cons are that to fully understand me and my story, you'd have to know it all and that could be a bit to personal for English class.

-Aeryn♥