Week 3 Assignments

Writing Assignment: Select one

1) Write a scene or a story of no more than one page that does not conform to traditional structure. Think about some of the techniques used in Little Book of Days. Or think about the Isabella Rossellini anecdote from “Gesture” in which an unspoken situation is revealed through an action.

OR

2) Finish the repetition poem you started in class today (or write a new one). Really try to push the poem in as many directions as possible, relying on the repeated phrase to ground the poem. Try out the skills we’ve talked about in class, especially the different kinds of patterns.

Read for Next Week

IN THE COURSE READER
My Name, Richard Brautigan from In Watermelon Sugar
Margaret, Richard Brautigan from In Watermelon Sugar
A Mown Lawn, Lydia Davis
My Papa’s Waltz, Theodore Roethke
The Dance, William Carlos Williams
Everything that Rises Must Converge, Flannery O’Connor

Blog

1. Post an entry about any one of the readings this week. This may be a critical or creative piece of about 200-300 words. It MUST respond to your chosen reading in some way, either by identifying and discussing craft elements, themes, or techniques or by using those elements in a creative response.

2. Post comments on at least three other entries. Remember, this is not a place for critiquing each other’s work. Instead, identify something from the piece that strikes or interests you, ask a neutral question about the work, or suggest ways the author could deepen or expand it.

Little Book of Days response

I took a series of notes about the whole book discussing the authors craft techniques and themes

- Right at the beginning, in the prologue about artic squirrells the narrators tone is established,
its contemplative, slightly somber, noted that the prologue is a metaphor

- The author ties in small observations with large abstract ideas. she describes physical objects and situations that she observes but then discusses the importants and definitions of ideas like "dispair" and "trauma"

- I noticed that there is a fairly big distinction between the characters. Friends and close relationships are represented by letters (maybe this reflects the insignificance of labels when paired with the importance of the characters and their roles in her life?) People she observes, but doesn't know directly are called by their names (ex Andrew and Richard) and then the people she knows nothing about remain ambiguous and only provide for description (people walking by, cars driving by)

- She tells us her emotions day to day without outrightly telling us she is "sad" or "happy. " She does this by creating metaphors ( like her bed is a grave) or descriptions of her environment or state of mind

- Color seems to be a huge part of this book. She is constantly referring to the color of objects that she is seeing. This helps the reader notice things in the picture that they otherwise wouldn't consider (like a RED coffee table stands out much more than just a coffee table). It gives importance to certain objects. Much of the description relies on sense description, often sight- using color- but she also describes scent quite often.

- Some of the entries have capitalized "titles" some dont- significance?
- She uses fragmented sentences, lines and words in order to create a stream-of-consciousness for the reader to follow. Simultaneous thought processes

- The last thing i noticed was how the story, and mostly the character, changed throughout the book. About halfway through the dreariness seems to disappear and the entries start to become more about the outside world, more fiction-like, as opposed to an emotional journal. We can see the the narrator develops without it being obvious

My response to Gesture

I found this reading to be applicable and helpful when writing. As a new born Creative Writing major, I haven't really read any of the texts about writing. I had never really been someone interested in art talk, craft talk, or really anything analytical about art. The way I used to see it was that other people's opinions don't really matter as much as what the reader gained from it. Now I am realizing it is time to set my ego aside and be open to any advice or ideas anyone has to offer. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, it doesn't. I have nothing to lose.
Although, I do have a difficult time actually incorporating her said "gestures" into my writing. My writing is somewhat a stream of consciousness, or at least it begins as so. As I create draft after draft, I begin to incorporate details that tie in with other details that seem to make the story more cohesive. There are many techniques, according to Prose, to help incorporate this into writing.
"Often, gestures betray the unconscious, but in fact there are many cases in which we are all too conscious of our gestures- and that consciousness too is a sort of revelation." I think that by being careful with the way I state things, by making things that are seemingly unconscious more of a conscious decision on my part and less of a conscious action on my characters part, incorporating this into my writing should go smoothly.

Response to "Gesture" by Francine Prose

"Gesture" by Francine Prose is an essay in which the author attempts to describe the importance of gestures as related to characters in novels. She begins the essay by giving a traditional definition of "Gesture", describing it as "small physical actions, often unconscious or semi-reflective, including what is called body language and excluding larger, more definite or momentous actions." To reenforce her point, she also illustrates examples of how gestures have complimented character development within novels. Not only used as a form of character development, gestures can be used to advance a story's plot and giver depth to the setting in which the characterr lives. Two examples that Prose gives us from the text are excerpts from the novel "The Dead" and a story from Isabella Rosselini's memoir. The first excerpt from "The Dead" is an exchange of dialogue between Lily and Gabriel. The dialogue as well as the small inflections from the characters while speaking is a perfect example of how gestures can develop a character without needing the character to speak. The second example comes in Isabella Rosellinis memoir, where she places a call to her ex-husband to vent about how she was eft by her lover. In this example, we can see and understand volumes about Isabella's character. All at once we feel her loneliness and her need to be validated by another man, which we assume is why she called her ex. Within the context of writing, Gesture is a tool that can be used for many aspects of a character, either psychological or physical. Reading this essay helped illustrate many points to me about how Gesture can be used to build character in subtle ways.

BLOG IMPAIRED

Trying this out. Think I finally got it to work. Here goes a test run

Inspiration

My favorite piece from “Little Book of Days.” By Nona Casper’s can be found on pages 54- 55. It is imaginative and unique and consequently I found myself inspired. What would one do if a robber stole our bed? I am pretty sure; I would be passive until the last possible moment. The action is wonderful and it shows the reader she has a clear intent. What I mean is it allows us to take a journey through Casper’s mind. The story is well crafted, inspired. It led me to want to keep a journal of my day’s thoughts.

The syntax of the piece is interesting; oftentimes two separate thoughts will combine without a paragraph breaks. Like an actual day. The narrative also will change from first person to third. Making the story a powerful representation of the chaotic thoughts thorough-out a day. There are also many different themes that converge throughout the story, such as, (Squirrels, V, A, T, bugs, cats with long tails.)

In the section a woman is confronted with a robber that is stealing her bed. It begins with “SOUND” the reader knows instantly that something is about to happen. Through this use of action the author sucks the reader in. Casper’s imagination is ingenious here. She holds us in suspense. She is quiet and unable to escape and at the last possible moment confronts the robber only to be hit by her mattress.

The author will also use punctuation in an interesting way. P. 54 “….the bottom drawer full of journals. Silence…” The story is well crafted, unique and is a fine depiction of the writer’s voice.

Gesture Response

My response is on Gesture by Francine Prose.In the beginning of her essay she defines gesture as "small physical actions, often unconscious or semi-reflective, including what is called body language and excluding larger, more definite or momentous actions." Along with this she cites examples from novels describing the gesture of characters helping the reader understand the setting, the personality of the characters, and the plot of the story. Prose gives us a passage from Joyce's, "The Dead." We can see simply by the dialogue between the two characters Lily and Gabriel, the class distinction between both peoples- a difference as Prose puts it of gender and power. Another example of gesture Prose discusses that I found interesting is her mention of a story in Isabella Rossellini's memoir, where the actress calls her former husband to tell of her being left by her lover. Her outer show of affection, her telephone call to her ex-husband, conceals and displays the passion and remorse she feels. Gesture is a powerful tool in story telling in which we can tell the psychology of the characters. Simple descriptions and actions can convey much along the lines of plot and its significance. By reading this essay I am given many ideas on how I can use gesture to build my story and create depth of my characters, and create the meaning I want to portray to my readers.

February 9, 2010 2:42 PM

Little Book of Days

Although Little Book of Days by Nona Caspers had its moments of effective descriptive language, I found the format very difficult to get past. It made the overall book feel very stilted and hard to read. It was definitely creative and I would give it overall points for uniqueness when it come to style, but I am a reader who appreciates beautifully descriptive language, and personally, I do not feel as though it reached its full potential in that sense. Don’t get me wrong, I do feel as though the book held strength in its power of observation when dealing with the ordinary pieces of life, focusing on mundane things such as cars, squirrels, neighbors, and the familiar concepts of desire and death. For example, Caspers spends a great deal of time focusing on Pigeons, animals that are not really loved by anyone. Overall, I would give the book props for going outside the box when it came to style, but it definitely didn’t wow me.

-Stephanie Dotto

Gestures

Sorry if this is a little late... this is a piece inspired by the Gestures reading. Enjoy!


She twisted the dial downward and put on the kettle, setting aside two teabags from a Tupperware container. Her frizzy red hair was restrained only by an obscene magenta hair-tie.


What else was there to do? He set his teeth and told her, told her right there and then, told her everything. Her back to him, she did not she stop her preparations, not for a moment. With practiced hands she took the packets of sugar from the shelf, arranged by color and selected a yellow Splenda and a pink Sweet-And-Low. A teaspoon and the right cup of artificial creamer received the same treatment. Aside from the feminine cluckings, she was perfectly silent.


She did not look at him, but of course, she did look at him. It was really very awkward, to be looked at so, without the eyes. It made telling her all the worse - she might know every hair on his head with that kind of looking.

The kettle began whistling only after several moments of silence following the telling. In time she handed him his teacup as if he had just come into the room. Her eyes sparkled like spun glass beads as she said

“Would you like cream or sugar with your tea?”

my version of little days

BEGINNING

with a little bit of leg with that dress.

Plus I'm drafty, wind in the lungs and my hands are weighty

by my sides, grasping my eye with those latina lips

1. basket

2. prosciutto

3. salami

4. bread

5. Humboldt fog goat cheese

6. wooden cutting board

7. soft linen

8. cotton picnic sheet; patterned

9. her and that sundress

10. wine and weed

I imagine that things won't go according to plan, it'll be windy, seeing the clouds

move against the background. G told me at least I'll get to see you. I understand that.

Sleeping against the grass, trying to keep the sweat out of my eyes.

Hopefully I'll feel complete before the

ENDING

Little Book Of Days - Imitation

There's a bubble of gas sitting between my shoulders. I'd like someone to punch it out, but that seems hurtful. I tend to forget that I'm more fragile than I actually am.

The usuals came over to play Monopoly. None of them have played since they were children. I've been playing religiously and obsessively for the past two weeks. They wouldn't make deals to create monopolies, which consequently makes the game incredibly long and boring.

Every single one of my dishes is dirty. The boyfriend gets home at eleven pm, but I just can't seem to get the kitchen clean for him. It's not a feminist thing, but more of a lazy-ass thing. You'd think the man who's completely supporting me and his bastard child would deserve a clean spoon and bowl. I never claimed to be a good housewife.

I received three letters in the mail today. One was my Netflix, "Paper Hearts", one was a valentine's card from my Nina, and the last one was an overdue notice for my rent. Apparently if I don't pay my $1096 in three days, I'll be evicted. Funny how that happens.

My ex-boyfriend's band is performing on Friday. They uploaded a new music video. A cover of Maps by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. He's ridiculously good looking in it. More so now that I've hurt his feelings and told him to stop texting me.

I finally called a doctor today. I'm not hopeful. Nobody ever wants to take my insurance. They just want to shuffle me around from building to building. God, I hate taking the bus these days. I always have to pee the second I get on.

I spent a good 3 hours decoupaging a tin can for the boyfriend's valentine present. I'm pretty sure a second grader could have done a better job.

I should probably get up and do something productive with my day, but we all know that's not gonna happen.

Page 50

On page fifty of the Little Book of Days Caspers’ mentions a quote she heard on the radio, “Consciousness has no climax,” and describes the billions of neuron connections as an ocean. The continuity of consciousness and describing the mind as an ocean, remind me of eastern philosophy. “D” says it would be sad if we lost big drama. What would the world be like if we didn’t take trauma and “blow it up with meaning and emotion through language?” I’m not sure it would be sad. I think we might all be living as monks, which might not be a bad thing.

Little Book of Days

Me goofing around with her format. Hope you enjoy:

AT THE CONCERT. Strobe lights brighten and fade faster than you can. I stare at them. A bright flash on someone's camera that isn't in sync with the strobes. My mind is wiped. I stumble backwards. You grab my waist right when I clutch for your shoulder, but you don't really want to touch me. Black. White. Black. Black. Black.

OUTSIDE. Perched on the bench like an unlit pyre. Eyes focus on the hundreds of legs walking all at the same pace. But never next to each other. A man walks up and hands me a ticket to "the opportunity America is talking about." Overwhelmed by under-stimulation, I shove my pen in my mouth. It's plastic and bland like your face when you walked away and left me here.

My version of Nona Caspers' "Little Book of Days"

IN MY BEDROOM: My roommate decides it’s necessary to shout, when discussing her breast reduction surgery, while on the phone. I type at a much slower speed when shouting is near, I also type at a slower speed when my arthritis flares up. She’s done. The clock starts shouting. He starts shouting faster. I get anxious. And just sit while flip-flopping my feet.

BEHIND THE REGISTER: I’m eating it. Oh, okay. This is expensive. I know, but it’s organic? Do you have a bathroom? Sigh. Yeah, we share it with Jamba Juice it’s right around the corner but you need the key which is attached to the silver bucket which is next to the white tin that says “Bread”. I hate you. You don’t listen.

Little Book of Cat Facts.

Much like everyone else, I was fairly depressed when reading this book. Because of this, I didn't enjoy reading it very much. What I did enjoy was the page of Cat facts (39). So I decided to make a similar entry for one of my favorite animals.

The First Chupacabra attacks reported were in 1995 in Puerto Rico where eight sheep were discovered dead with three holes in their chest and drained completely of blood.

The Chupacabra is indigenous to Spanish speaking countries, as well as the south west United States.

El Chupacabra translated to English literally means “goat sucker”

The above fact could be misinterpreted as someone who is sexually attracted to goats.

Both the X-Files, and Dexter's Laboratory have episodes dedicated entirely to the Chupacabra.

If you see a Chupacabra, its probably just a coyote with a severe case of mange. If not, report it to your local authorities at once.

Mange. Mange.

A Chupacabra's memory can last as long as sixteen hours-exceeding even that of monkeys and orangutans.

Little Book of Days

Hey all. So, here is my attempt at mimicking a passage from Little Book of Days.

IN CLASS. A professor squawks with the effortless screech of a parrot. The girl next to me receives a baby in an electronic message. Pen clicks. The blue one is the only one that works. My face begins to enlighten and I count all the bones in my face. Two, maybe three. Ethical nihilism is beginning to look like the easiest way out of thought. The masses are we, running from the treadmills in our heads.

WALKING. The breeze settles upon the greenness of the grass, restless. Poems begin spewing from my steps, but I cannot hold them in. A man listens to music too loudly and runs off the beat. As the sky erases its being, the oxygen disappears. Gray building, gray plant, gray steam. Soon I walk within my own rhythm and the leaves appear to dance.

-Alex Fiola

As some have already pointed out, this book was hard to read through. It wasn't that it was wan't engaging but more because of a lack of narrative. Each page was an isolated piece of writing with no sense of story to connect them and therefore nothing to carry me on to the next page. On top of this, many of the entries themselves felt incomplete, only fragmented ideas with no clear resolution. Even now, nothing really sticks to my mind about the book because I cannot remember it as a story but as about one hundred scattered thoughts.

I'm not criticizing the book because this may well have been the intention. In fact, I rather like the structure of the book. Even though there is no concrete narrative, there is a sense of continuation. Each page is a day in the author's life and perhaps this is a reflection of how life doesn't have a narrative flow, that it is mostly made of fragmented thoughts and feelings, that it does take pains to go through it just like the pages in the book. To me, it seemed that the book tried to deconstruct the idea of a story and present one that is continuous, trapped in an endless string of days with no specific beginning and ending, as life is.

Little Book of Days

I found that reading this book straight through was beginning to become pretty daunting. So When I was about a fifth of the way through. I decided to open the book open and read whatever page I landed on. Oddly enough, the first line I read, in the middle of the entry is what stuck with me for the entire book after that. "It feels like a crime to be lonely." This came from page 40. It really just brings the reader into a world of heartache. You think back to a time when you were lonely, and you had no one to be with or to talk to. "Early morning calls are for crises." If you have an out, if you have a way to cure the loneliness, maybe you have to wait. You are a prisoner, you can't call someone at 3 AM just because you needed to talk to another human being. You are locked up in an empty room with no one to save you, and I think that's what she means but its a crime to be lonely. Its just like a jail cell, you don't want to be there, but there is nothing you can do about except wait until you get released.

-- Mike Davies

Little Book of Days

My attempt at a "Little Bit of Morning"

Is it necessary for construction workers to do their job so close to my window at such an early hour? Heat rises, and a room on the second floor with no fan in sight puts closing the window and muffling the racket out of the question. Maybe what I perceive to be too damn early is late afternoon for them, and they fall soundly asleep as soon as the sun begins its 6 o'clock descent. Maybe they're doing this on purpose, driven by an ill will and a skewed sense of duty to whomever their loyalties lie.

I throw the comforter from my body, slamming the window down with a curse bellowing from my throat, waiting for the warmth to sink in.

The high pressured hiss of water shooting through a shower-head mixes with the sizzle of bacon on a skillet. Outside my room the house mates are making their morning rounds. If I follow suit will the construction workers win?

Little Book of Days

I appreciated the uniqueness of this book and the fact that Caspers shared all these private thoughts with her readers. It must have taken a lot of courage to write a line like "it became clear to me that I had to carry my body through millions more minutes" (9). She was basically letting her readers know that to live, for her, was a challenge.
However, I wish I could say that I enjoyed reading this book. Because I didn’t. It was tedious, difficult, and exhausting. I hate to criticize a piece of work so personal and worthy to its writer, but it almost felt like it wasn’t meant for anyone else to read. Her ideas are all over the place and the metaphors, along with the imagery she uses, don’t seem to tie into the descriptions that follow. “DEEP BLUE. Silver. Black. Cooing. Whoosh, woosh. A ringing bell and then more black” is followed by “Who told her to wear that shirt?” (27). Then she mentions a man with a green backpack possibly gawking at her white refrigerator. I mean why throw in all these colors and descriptions when they don’t provide us with any important understanding of what she is describing?