Composition Final Assignment, Senior Year

For one of my last assignments for composition, I had to write about what I think my 'writing voice' sounds like. So here is what I came up with after going back and rereading several things I've written over three years. My feelings are not hurt if you don't understand all of it...this was free-writing, so I wasn't even worried if things were spelled wrong. Imaginary Friend, Dust, The Tower Princess, Rapunzel Rapunzel, Cheesepuff, and Hot Air Balloon are all titles of things I've written, either poems, short stories, or novels. Maybe enjoy...if not, just know this is like an inside look at my brain.

Task 9.2

Something I definitely notice about my writing is REPETITION. From the repetition of phrases (Imaginary Friend, Dust, The Tower Princess [at the beginning]) to repetition of themes, such as curses, family problems, deep-rooted desires, popular older brothers you can’t compete with (My first two NaNo stories could have been morphed together without any issue)...stuff like that. I have things on my heart that stick, and so everything I write ends up having the same feelings, themes, ideas. I don’t know if that’s a bad thing. Maybe it means I’m just a one-hit wonder and once I get it perfect I’ll have to quit.

My writing voice sounds like the books I read (particular Gordon Korman, oddly enough. I’m thinking about Schooled, and I definitely see things there.), movies I watch (if dialogue inspires me I adapt it), conversations I have with people (mostly family). It all sounds so WANNABE. Its not particularly unique, but it does sound like me. I have more than one voice, but I’m not sure how many. I always have this angsty feel to what I write. Rapunzel, Rapunzel was an angst-fest. But that was one of my earliest books. I wish I could find my REALLY old novels that were basically Eragon knock-offs, just to see how far I’ve come.

My writing voice has changed by becoming more refined. I write things correctly, without five exclamation points or ALL CAPS WITH WORDS WRITTEN LIKE THIIIIISSSSSS TO ADD EMPHASIS WHERE NONE IS REALLY NEEDED ANYWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gosh, I feel like I’m reading Cheesepuff when I look at that sentence!

Since I don’t really know what my writing voice IS, its hard for me to say what parts ‘don’t sound like me’. Any part that’s really steamy or romantic often comes off cliche because I’m trying to write things I’ve never experienced, without consulting anyone who has. Movies are the LAST place to look for reality, that’s one thing I definitely know. I can’t access my Hot Air Balloon story right now, but I feel like that might be the best place to find ‘my voice’. Anyway....I know I use too many adverbs (anyone else notice how many times I use the word definitely in this?), not enough adjectives that actually work, and I rely too much on straight out TELLING the reader what is happening. I can show with words, but its best to use as few words as possible. I also struggle with making verbs work the way that they’re supposed to. I misuse them.

I know I’ve written to please an audience, and it just sounds pained. It’s like a dying whale gasping for breath even though it knows its a goner. I am only successful at writing when I have something to say, I know roughly what I WILL say, and I have time and resources to help me say it as clearly as possible. 

Reasons I shift into another voice? I hate the one I'm using. I will scrap pages of something if my main character starts off whiney I hate whiney main characters. I myself, the main character of my life, am pretty darn whiney, so they get it honestly. 

Oh, I also say 'I Think' and 'I Believe' more than should be legal in one essay.

Short Story Creator

I haven't had this good of a laugh in a while. I was bored, I was online, so I googled 'story creator' seeing what would come up, and I found this site, where you enter a bunch of random things and it creates a whole story out of them. After 30 days of madcap writing, it was really very entertaining to have a ridiculous story written FOR me. It's hilarious because I had no idea what it was going to do, so I put in my friend Steve's name, and it turned him into a blue fish (who apparently has a scruff you can pick him up by)! Enjoy!

"A SHORT STORY", by Clare Bear

Once upon a time there was a young girl named Clare. Clare was 17 years old and lived in Minnie, Minnesota. While walking home from school one day, a blue fish jumped out from behind a train car and tackled Clare to the ground. But just when she was about to let out a scream for help, Clare realized that the blue fish was only licking her face, not trying to bite it off. At that moment, Clare decided to keep the blue fish as a pet. And on the way home she decided to name her pet blue fish "Steve."

When Clare and her new pet finally got home, guess who was standing on the front porch? That's right, it was Clare's mother, Julie. And boy was she surprised to see a blue fish following Clare into the yard! "What in world is that?" shouted Julie. "It's a blue fish," answered Clare. "Dah, I can see that, Clare, but what on earth is it doing here?" said Julie. "It's my new pet!" answered Clare. "Oh you think so do you?" remarked Julie. "I wouldn't get your hopes up. You know how your father hates blue fishs. But, well, I suppose you can keep him until your father comes home." And with that Clare grabbed Steve by the scruff of the neck and led her new pet into the house -- even though she knew her father was probably going to dissaprove.

Once in the house, Clare and Steve played and played, that is until Clare's favorite television show, "Doctor Who," started. At that point Clare forgot all about Steve having an unsupervised run of the house. That is until half way through "Doctor Who," when Clare was brought back to reality when she heard her father shout, "rage!! Clare! Get your rump in the basement...NOW!!" With that Clare rushed into the basement to see what all the fuss was about.

When she entered the basement, there stood her father, Mike, pointing toward the ottomon. "Will someone please explain that?" asked her father. Then, as Clare followed her father's finger to where it was pointing, she instantly knew what her father was so upset about. There, smack dab in the middle of the ottomon, was the biggest pile of fish doo-doo she had ever seen! "I don't EVEN want to know how that got there," said Mike. "But you had better get it cleaned up now! And you had better get rid of whatever it is that could have done such a thing!"

Well, knowing her father as well as she did, Clare knew there was no sense even asking her father if she could keep Steve for a pet. So without hesitation, Clare set out to find where Steve was hiding.

After a few minutes of looking, Clare discovered Steve crouched beneath the table that Clare did her writing on. "Come on, Steve, it's time to find you a new home. And hey, don't look at me that way, I'm not the one who did the dirty deed on the ottomon!" scolded Clare. "Thanks to you I'll never get to have my own pet fish!! And with that Clare led Steve out of the house and down to the local Michael's. Michael's had a pet section and Clare knew the owner would find Steve a good home. So after saying good-bye to Steve, and thanking the owner of Michael's, Clare walked backed home and attempted to dround her sorrows by slamming down a half dozen Arnold Palmers. But Clare's pitty party came to an abrupt end when her father reminded her about the mess she had neglected to clean up. And low and behold, midway through the clean-up, Clare suddenly became thankful that someone else was going to have to do it from now on.

The End.