Week 1: Famous Last Words

So the first week of school is always a bit tricky for me since I have to work myself into school mode, which typically takes about a week. On top of too many hours’ worth of procrastination on assignments, I spent most of my weekend attending Christians on Campus events, so as a whole I've spent a woefully small amount of time actually doing school work. Now I'm looking at having to read 12 chapters worth of Steinbeck, writing a short paper, reading a chapter in my Sports Management textbook, and taking an online quiz all before Tuesday, in addition to this class's work. If doing all that doesn't get me into school mode, then I don't know what will.

Yes. (Wikipedia Commons)

On a more positive front, my classes all look interesting, and this one in particular looks like it will allow me to learn a lot through reading and writing. Since my goal is to be a short fiction writer, learning to write in a way that requires me to cut to the bone when it comes to writing will be very useful. I think the storytelling assignments in this class will give me plenty of opportunity to improve my ability to express myself in a more short and succinct manner.

Just to give a bit of a review of what I've enjoyed from this class so far, I'll say a little something about the two student-authored stories I've read so far. One of them was Yuli Liu's "The Fox and the Grapes," a variation on the fable of the same name. Although the changes to the story were subtle, Yuli provides a more detailed ending to the story that, at least in my mind, does a very good job of expanding on the theme of rationalization that I felt was important in the original work.

The other story I read was Chris Dunlap's irreverent but amusing "The Skank and the Neighbor," which was a greater departure from its source material--the fable "The Owl and the Grasshopper"--than Yuli's story, but still very in touch with the original story's events and themes. Chris skillfully manipulates the setting and characters to make the story take on a distinctly modern tone, but never loses sight of the idea behind "The Owl and the Grasshopper."

Overall, I've really enjoyed what I've read so far, and look forward to reading more as I progress through the course. I hope to learn a lot about writing through reading everyone's works and absorbing what I can from them.

I'm not sure I know what all this means, but I'd lay odds that I'm guilty of all of it (Wikipedia Commons)