Created by Matthew T.

DAgostino

POETRY

NOTES

From: The Art of Reading Poetry

There is everything remaining to be thought and sung provided an individual voice is at hand Harold Bloom. In her book the Art of Reading Poetry she tells the reader that there are always things that can be written about in poetry, and poetry covers many topics. When writing poetry it is important to read poetry. It helps you think about what you want to write about and how to write it.

what is the price of experience do men buy it for a song or wisdom for a dance in the street no it is bought with the price
Different poems can speak to us differently but all poems can be beautiful

From: Writing the Life Poetic- Sage Cohen

Poetry should appeal to the senses to bring out a feeling in a unique way.
Using Rhyme, Rhythm, and Repetition help make a poem beautiful. These elements work together to deliver messages in a way to respond emotionally. Rhyme creates pleasure for the reader. It is easier to retain a phrase strung together with sound When writing poetry remember everyone crawls before they can walk and everyone makes mistakes. A good writer can benefit from his past mistakes rather then becoming afraid. Remember to experiment with point of view this can help draw the reader in and give more variation to your poetry.

From: Rules For the Dance Mary Oliver

Poetry should follow some pattern but the rules by witch patterns are constructed are less rigged then other patterns rules because the pattern is meant to illuminate feelings and meanings rather then to declare a fact. Poetry should have some sort of regular pattern. Like breath for example it should be constant and regular never faltering. Breathing is natural. Your poem should also be natural and it should common scenes and expressions.

From: Inspired Creative Writing

Inspiration can come from anywhere your friends, dreams, a summery of past experiences, games, etc. look for your inspiration anywhere in life. Even if you are starting small let your imagination grow big. a poem is never a thought to begin with it is at its best when it is a tantalizing vagueness. It finds and succeeds or it doesn't find it and comes to nothing- Robert Frost

The Room I walked into a room one day I saw you looking the other way It seemed like I was in a trance I had to get another glance So I went ahead and took that chance Then later on I got closer to you But I thought my dream would never come true I didnt talk I was so shy I dont know why You didnt pass me by There came that day when I had to leave that room and then I never knew if I would see you again I said my prayers and finished with amen Asking God if I could just see you again I walked into my school one day The door slammed behind me as I caught my breath And saw you looking my way I wasnt so shy So I went ahead and said hi Hoping there would be no goodbye As time marched on we met again And soon we became good friends We went to the same school this I knew But as I saw you walk away with another guy My heart shattered like glass and it made me want to cry I knew my dream would not come true But we met again like we did before And began to like you more and more But I could never find the words to say I hoped I would find those words one day Years went by And we fell in love But sometimes we had to cry I cried over you You cried over me Maybe it was never meant to be

I watched you walk in through a set of doors one day Everyone stopped and looked your way I knew in my mind that this was the day To say those words that I thought I would never get a chance to say A cheer went up as the sun went down As we walked away Into a brand new day Hand in hand out to the beach Away from the room where the preacher did preach To explain the rest I must be frank And quit this rhyme So you do not think this is a joke or prank Think if I had not seen you in that room Or even if I had not walked into that room Did you know a dream can come true with just one word Or escape into the night Like a bird, That takes flight They can be the best thing or the worst thing you have ever heard Just listen to these few words I have to say Make sure to look back and give a long glance And make sure to give love a second chance You walked in to my room one day Your hair was darker then midnight My hair was aged and grey You looked like her when I took another glance And I hoped that you get the chance To take a young boys breathe away When he walks into a room And sees you like I saw your mother When I walked into that room 30 years ago today Written By Matthew DAgostino

REVISIONS

Ori gi na l I. Title: You I.

Rev i s i on Title: The room- changed the title because the use of repetition of the room gave a more drastic impact II. But as I saw you walk away with another guy, My heart shattered like glass and it made me want to cry- Jerome suggested this because I needed a simile III. Your hair was darker then midnight My hair was aged and grey I needed a metaphor and more descriptive imagery

II.

But as I saw you walk away with another guy, I knew my dream would never come true III. Your hair was gold My hair was grey

THINGS I FOUND HELPFUL IN THE POETRY SECTION

1. Scaffolding 2. Reading other poetic works 3. Free writing 4. Using song lyrics and music to inspire poetry 5. Peer collaboration and review 6. Tracking revisions and reviewing others poetry

From: The ring a short story .Rachael turned back to the bed and watched for a moment as Jacobs chest rose and fell. The heart monitors constant beep brought her back to reality and she looked again at the coat. Rachael saw a small lump in the inside jacket pocket were the paper had fallen from. She reached into the pocket and pulled out a small black box. The heart monitor continued to beep. Rachael let out a gasp as she opened the box. It was an engagement ring and she studied it closely. On the inside of the ring the words were inscribed J&R till death

do us part. After Rachael read this inscription she closed the

box and turned to the bed where Jacob lay. The box snapped closed loudly with a bang but that was the only noise in the room.

From: www.life123 .com five main types of conflict in ligature.

1.

Character struggling against another character

2. 3. 4. 5.

Character struggling internally with self Character struggling against forces of nature Character struggling against society Character struggling against fantasy/supernatural/technology

From: Turks head review elements of short fiction History of fiction

1.

2.

3.

4.

Fable - story relating to supernatural or extraordinary persons or incidents, and is a product of popular belief, myth or legend. Usually have an obvious moral to them Tale - a story drawn up so as to interest or amuse, or to preserve the history of a fact or incident. Folklore - the system of traditional beliefs, customs, and legends of the common people in a given culture, often represented in story form or poems Myth -fictitious narrative usually involving supernatural persons, actions, or events, and embodying some popular idea concerning natural or historical phenomena

From: Turks head review elements of short fiction The building blocks of fiction 1. Plot 2. Character 3. Point of View 4. Setting 5. Imagery 6. Symbol 7. Irony 8. Dramatic Irony 9. Verbal Irony 10. Ambiguity 11. Theme

From: writing basics 2012 Where to Look for Story Ideas By Joseph bates

Good ways to find story ideas

1. 2. 3.

4.
5.

First lines of other works Headlines from newspapers Titles Being a diligent reader And in other forms of art

Reading id the best creative writing course you will ever take.

From: What Does Dialogue Accomplish

1. Dialogue reveals character: there mood, emotional state, motivations, background, and educational level. 2. Dialogue Moves the story along 3. If carefully written Dialogue can establish setting

1.

2.

3.

In a short story developing your character can really help the story It can give you ideas about what to write about and what happens ultimately in the story There are many recourses all over the internet to help writers with there stories

Original
A young man and a young girl walk out from Grandma Luigis Italian Restaurant, their favorite restaurant, into the gorgeous summer day. The young man, Jacob Brimwood, had just graduated from college with a degree in criminal justice and was about to start his job in the local police force of Wintercreek. The skinny but athletic young man with light brown hair and deep brown eyes was accompanied by a girl that looked just a year or two younger than him. Her name was Rachel Derokoski and this was her last year in college. She was a striking contrast to the young man with curly hair. She had long black hair and light blue eyes that seemed to sparkle in the sun. As they walked down the street of the small town that the girl

Revised
Is everything ok, Jake? the young girl with black hair and light blue eyes asked as she turned to the boy who walked beside her. You look really nervous. Jacob Brimwood, the tall young man with curly brown hair jumped at the question then quickly answered Uh, oh, its nothing, Rachael. Its just that Im thinking about my job, life, and I dont know. He shrugged off her question with his charming smile, grabbed her hand, and they continued walking down the street towards the edge of town. She was still not satisfied with this response and wanted to ask

These are both the first paragraph of my short story the first is much more verbose then the second The second also draws the reader into the story better by opining with the dialogue the second also describes the characters better. Even though the first describes them more the second gives us a better picture without subtracting from the story.

As they walked Rachel took in all the sights remembering the places she had known so well just three years before she hadnt gotten a chance to go back until now because of her busy college schedule. They passed many people al who greeted them with a friendly hello as they walked down the street towards the edge of the small town. Everything was within walking distance in the town and few people took cars un less they were headed for the city of Millmount 10 miles away from the edge of the small town. They were walking to the edge of town because Jacob wanted to see the sign that proudly stated Welcome to Wintercreak the quietest town in the north east. Jacob was not intending to actually stop at the sign but he was planning to walk to the old bridge just past the sign that spanned over the creek. would be this the best spot Jacob asked himself after all this was where they first met. Jacob didnt seem to notice anything and walked absentmindedly and Rachel began to notice. Is everything ok Jake? She asked You look really nervous. Hugh o its nothing its just Im thinking about my job and I dont know He shrugged off her question with his charming smile and they continued walking. She was still not satisfied with this response and wanted to ask again but decided it was better not to. She wondered why he wasnt really telling her why he was so nervous and was somewhat hut usually Jake would tell her anything after all they had been dating for over 5 years now.

I revised this section by cutting out most of the description of the town. This description did not further the plot but only made it worse.

Original
At the end of the hall some of the students and teachers were huddled together against the wall others had locked their doors from the inside and were trapped in their rooms. At the top of the hall just in front of Jacob was one of the convicts on the most wanted in the North West list and he was armed with 2 large pistols. Jacob noticed the bullet holes above the mans head that explained the noise but Jacob wondered why he was here. There was no time to think about that now Jacob had to do something. As the man turned toward him Jacob grabbed a fire extinguisher off the wall triggering the alarm. As the man raised his gun to shoot Jacob pulled the handle of the extinguisher and sprayed it in the mans face as he walked forward. The man dropped one gun but fired the other. The bullet grazed Jacobs arm bud did not seriously injure him. Jacobs adrenaline was pumping now and he continued to walk forward. The man was stunned and Jacob got up to him and swung the fire extinguisher at his leg. All in an instant a caching sound was heard the man fell and the gun went off. The man lay motionless on the ground passed out from his leg breaking but Jacob also la on the ground bleeding from his side. At that moment sirens where heard and the police and fire department rushed into the school.

Revised At the end of the hall some of the students and teachers were huddled together against the
wall others had locked their doors from the inside and were trapped in their rooms. At the top of the hall just in front of Jacob was a man with a gun. Jacob recognized him. He was one of the convicts on the most wanted in the North West list. Jacob noticed the bullet holes above the mans head that explained the noise, but Jacob wondered why he was here. There was no time to think about that now. Jacob realized he had to do something. As the man turned toward him Jacob grabbed a fire extinguisher off the wall triggering the schools fire alarm. As the man raised his gun to shoot, Jacob pulled the handle of the extinguisher and sprayed it in the mans face. The man fired the gun but he could not see. The bullet grazed Jacobs arm but did not seriously injure him. Jacobs adrenaline was pumping now and he began to walk towards the man. The man was stunned. Jacob got up to him and swung the fire extinguisher at the mans leg. All in an instant another bang and a crack was heard as the man fell, his leg broken. The man had pulled the trigger as he fell and the gun had fired another time. The man lay motionless on the ground; he had passed out from the pain of his broken leg. Jacob also lay on the ground bleeding from his left side. The bullet had hit him. The last thing that Jacob heard were the sounds of sirens from a fire truck or police car he could not tell. He thought of Rachael, and then he felt a sharp pain in his side. Then Jacob felt nothing.

From: my one act play The Ring

Jacob: (In a demanding tone) stop right there! (The police sirens seem to get closer Jacob: Youre on the most wanted in the North West list. I know what you have done. Stranger: I dont know how you know that, but you know that I wont hesitate to kill you then. (He cocks the gun. At that moment Ms. Betty hit the stranger over the head with a rolling pin. A policed officer pulls up.) Jacob: Well that wasnt Dj vu. Officer: I want to thank you all. You just brought down the most wanted criminal in the North West. Jacob: Dont mention it. (he brushes his pocket hitting an object) Jacob: (getting down on one knee in front of Rachael) Rachael I was going to ask you this later but I realized that time on this earth is too short. Its unpredictable and I want to spend every moment I can with you. I have even dreamed about it so I have to ask now. (Pulling out the ring) will you marry me? Rachel: In astonishment. Yes Jacob, yes. I have been waiting for you to ask me and hoping you would. I will be with you forever. J&R till death do us part.

A drama must have adequate stage directions and enough descriptive wording about the scene and the characters so that a director could easily create the play vividly Just like a work of short fiction a play must have a flow and a sensible progression of events that could be plotted on a normal plot diagram. By reading both The Necklace (the play) and The Importance of Being Ernest gave me a good idea of how to format a play and how dialogue should flow properly.

From: http://www.jonathandorf com/youngplaywrights.html I found this website very useful WHERE IDEAS COME FROM A line of dialogue. A title. A character, either fictitious or based on someone you met or observed or read about. A historical event. A setting. A theme/issue. Anything observed. An object. A photograph or an image. The newspaper. Your own life. Anything you care about. And that's the bottom line. You can't write about something which isn't in some way really, really, REALLY important to you Make sure your dialogue makes sense have someone else read it aloud Replace telling in dialogue with action other questions to conceder to make your play interesting: Are the stakes high enough?, Is there a ticking clock? Time pressure always creates additional tension Is what happens in the play a result of choices the characters make, or do outside events dictate what happens? Strive for the former. Study your setting and make sure you can see it in your play

In my original play I had somewhat of a Romeo and Juliet ending both of the main characters (both loved each other) eventually died before they could have a fairy tail ending and live happily ever after. The class (mostly girls) decided that the preferred the fairy tail ending and wanted the boy to propose in the end. Eventually I caved and created the story book ending with the proposal

I wanted to keep the dramatic action and I originally wrote that the boy recovered from his wounds but this made the story les potent When I revised the story I had the boy dream that he did not recover after he had saved the day and then wake up in the same situation and have to decide what to do I then had to devise a way to save both the character and the others so I had the boy predict his future in the dream so that he could stop the tragic event and eventually propose.

To carry this ending out I had to ad two more characters then the original play Ms. Betty And a police officer