Final Blog

Well overall I can honestly say I have enjoyed this class and will miss it. I think I have been pretty honest up to this point and do not have to be mushy or gushy just for a grade, I really did enjoy everyone's feedback and point of views at times and it was a very interesting dynamic I had never experienced before. I think just honestly getting back 7 or so feed backs was just the most helpful in general because you are getting so many new ideas on what to fix and how to expand that you can take what you like from the workshop and apply it. I am also glad to see some people, despite what most of the class said to change, still stayed true to their writing and vision of their story. We all had a story to tell and we just figured out new and better ways of doing it. I think I was pretty honest and tried to be as constructive as I could. I do not think I was ever harsh but that could not be someone else's opinion. I honestly tried to analyze the stories I read in the most outside perspective I could and stray away from the grammatical errors some people fixated on and concentrated more on logic, story and character depth, and originality/creativity. I do not have any plans to become any kind of writer still however but I will now be much more critical when reading books and novels haha.

Publishing houses

So I was kind of torn between three houses whose websites really struck me as something I could see myself on. The three are: Little Brown, Random House, and St. Martin's Press. Each of these seem to have cool enough looking books that give off a vibe I like. The old saying goes don't judge a book by a cover but lets face it, we all are used to incline towards something based on appeal. And personally I love books that can grab you with a cool picture on the front that ties back into the story but is different enough to attract attention.
That is my main reason with going with Little Brown. Their website was easy to navigate, which is actually important. Also, some of the covers I saw were like grey, black, and white pictures which said something about the story itself without needing to read anything. I like that because I feel it completes two artistic forms together in one project/story to be delivered. To be honest, any could have gotten me but Little Brown stuck out a little more out of the pack. The other two I did not mention did not capture my attention and were not very tech savy, which means they probably have an older target audience.
I believe my story would do the best in a younger audience because of the strong ties to pop culture now. Though set in the future, I feel if done properly it could be almost like a new age 1984 but with a bunch of twists. It could be semi timeless because it somewhat captures the monster of our times in this conspiracy that has already made its way out to the mass audience. The demons could also be metaphorical for the wrongs in our society now a days and the dark presences we feel around us but cannot see or control.

Literary Agents

I chose to pick Ms. Lynn Nesbit from Janklow & Nesbit Associates (who represent Anne Rice, author of "The Queen of The Damned", among others in her series), Mr. Chuck Verrill from

Darhansoff & Verrill Literary Agent (who represent Stephen King, author of "Carrie" and "Pet Cemetary"), and Mr. Morton Janklow from Janklow & Nesbit Associates (who represent Thomas Harris, author of "Silence of The Lambs"). They encompass the feeling of the darker side of my story I wanted to further reach into and make more sick and twisted, while keeping an eerie realness to it. I feel I barely got to touch a tip of what I could see myself doing at the very end of my second installment presented to class.
Each author I have chosen has been successful in making their way in to the horror/suspense field of writing and have established themselves as true professionals of their trait. As far as their publishers go, I believe they are clearly inclined to the horror genre or thrillers, but also keep an eye open for new or creative ideas. I believe I can deliver that. I do not want my story to depend on the backbone of its strong references in pop culture today and the injections of classical love like Romeo and Juliet, along with the semi controversial references I make to the bible and biblical characters, but to be able to stand on it's own on my depiction of these demons and their monstrosity in a new way.

Revision: What I think about it....?

Well, in revising my fiction I found it pretty easy over all and I picked two main feed backs that I felt confident in which they knew what they were talking about in respects to grammar and tense. I believe those two things are the main things I needed to focus on because I was so grounded into my initial vision of the story. A common criticism I received was that more dialogue was needed, especially with her parents but I purposely made them seem almost distant and away because they are mysterious and later their mysteriousness becomes a huge part of the story and basically the main conflict that the main character must over come. As far as changes in the story, I tried taking a couple elements that did not add up and changed small things here and there, specifically speaking about making her parents more obvious that they are two celebrities out in the business now and with the walk to her father's side of the home, in which she walks in on him mid-ritual and I think it might have made it more believable in how shocked she was and how out of the ordinary it was to her. I also changed the figure the father was chanting to because it alluded a little more to theme of Illuminati.

Overall the process was pretty easy as I stated as I did not change much around because I was so grounded in the images I chose and how they relate back to something that is rumored in society now and would create an eerie realm in which the story "could" be real, based on rumors and the fact that the characters stand in real life characters we have now, but I also took them into my realm in my mind and made them do what I wanted to make a story out of it. All the input was greatly appreciated but most people did not understand the correlation to pop culture now so some things I did not want to change that others said I should.

Booktube

I like the idea of having these book critiques in a video form, as I am an avid lover of youtube as it is. I agree, I do not believe these videos are meant to be formal but more intrapersonal to make the viewer feel a connection to the blogger and get an appreciation to their quarkyness. They seem to be in a tight nit community within themselves (bloggers) as they often refer to each other or tag each other in their videos with shout outs. They also do random videos to keep the viewers attention and to add variety to their show, such as book hauls,  friday reads, book shelf touring, weekly wrap ups, and to be reads. They mostly, however, give their opinions on works read through critiques, favorite book covers/characters, and ect.

I personally liked Booksandsquils myself because she is querky enough, without over doing it. She has a bright personality, a british accent, and seems knowledgeable yet relatable to a large audience. She also has the most viewers for a reason. The technical quality of her videos is good in that she cuts of when she needs to to keep the video flowing and edited the shots together very well. A good booktuber should be honest, relatable, and entertaining yet informative. I do think they can express their opionions and be rather blunt because it makes them who they are, but it is important never to be offensful because in a large social media setting such as this, people are easily offended and can counter blog you, resulting in a loss of viewers. I do not believe I could ever do this as I dont have the patience for it, but kudos to those who do.

What I think about good reads

I think it is an easy to use website. It is pretty interesting that instead of most social media being used for massive communication in general (which ends of being about gossip or other things) this website uses social media to critique and give feedback on books other people have read. It also points you in the right direction if you are thinking about starting a new book or series by having suggestions available by your friends on the website. You can up load your pics to it and customize it to be a lot more personal for the user. 

I do believe this website is pretty easy to use as I just searched for Golda Fried and she popped right up. Yes my English professor might not have a very common name like Amy Smith, but none the less I was able to find her and find some of my classmates under her friends list. 

One thing I will say is I do not have a lot of spare time to read books right now as I am taking well beyond a full semester' worth of work and my job on top of that, so I do not know how involved I will get with this website. It does seem like a neat and helpful tool for people who do love to read and do it often to come and give their opinions and suggestions to others and talk about a common passion they have for reading or literature.

What am I?

I scream for attention at all times. Some people would say I am pretty bright, but I can be pretty empty at times. One thing you should know for certain is that I will always have your back and I am here to help. Depending on what I put in myself for the day, I can weigh a whole lot or be pretty light weight. I get occasional compliments for my looks. I would have to agree that I definitely draw a lot of looks my way. I'm pretty durable and I can take a beating. I don't usually mind the rain, or even the snow for that matter. At times it is difficult to keep my mouth zipped but I never make a noise. I usually hold a lot of information inside of myself at one time, but it comes and goes. I get thrown around a lot and usually don't ever get to ride shot gun, but I know I am appreciated. I am almost always convenient to have around and lessen the loads that bear down on people's lives. You would think by my (brand) name I would be sporty, but I am actually more on the nerdy side. I love long walks and good books the most.

Workshop

I think we did a great job with our first workshop as a class. We still do not all know one each other but it is interesting to hear everyone's feedback and see how they think and what criteria they are looking for in a "good story". I believe in the long run this will help us know about each other a little more and appreciate our mind sets a little more, whether we completely agree with them or not.

I like the fact we did not all say generic comments that had no real feedback. We are a small class but it is important to come together and push each other to new potentials.We also did a good job and not being too picky or judgmental. We all kept an open mind, whether that genre was our "cup of tea" or not and gave back good commentary that not only brought encouragement but helpful ideas on how to improve. New ideas were being bounced around and it was exciting to be a part of.

The only thing I will say, and it's in agreement with what Ms. Fried said, in that we should refrain from saying "You" to not get the line of being too personal or hurting someone's feelings. We all work hard on our material and I am so glad to be a part of a class in which we are so open to one another. I think with repetition we will cut down on the "you"s and become expert critics.

"Emergency"

So we read the first story out of our class books today called "Emergency." I remember Ms. Fried commenting about this story was adapted into a film version starring Jack Black and I can now see why.

Honestly, over all the story leaves you a little confused and intrigued about what you just read. I understand there are metaphors in the story that shaped it and made it much more "literary," such as the usage of seasons which most people associate with certain feelings and moods.

It is the story of two friends, who are stated as being good friends despite the fact that the narrator has only known him for a max of 3 weeks, as they met at his new job. They both work the overnight shift at a Catholic E.R room/ hospital. They have many adventures and get into crazy trouble and that is the main gist of the story. 

It is obvious both "Fuckhead" (the narrator) and Georgie are both pill heads and usually stay under the influence as they are surrounded by medical supplies. In the beginning of the story, Georgie has a stash of pills, which the narrator only leaves him with two. Mind you, he never states he put the pills back, which he then states he took a couple later on. That led me to believe as much as the story wants to make Georgie the obvious one with some sort of "problem," the narrator might in fact not be any better himself.

I like the distorted point of view of this story as I feel it puts the reader in the narrator's shoes. He seems to be confused a lot and it just seems random things keep happening which he doesn't place much thought on. The story is presented in random scenes and flashbacks, which is actually a different way of presenting a story and I appreciate the originality. 

Now, what I will say is it seemed in the discussion we had in class everyone concentrated just on the metaphors and might be looking too deep into the story to find a purpose, which I understand from the literary point of view perfectly but let's keep in mind it's in the point of view of a "supposed" pill head. I personally do not take pills but I am young and I do like to party and so relating my experiences to this story I understand sometimes being in an altered state of mind. The beauty of the story is not always so much what is going on but how it is coming across. Your mind is almost detached and it just seems everything is happening and you are just there for the ride, kind of like when he had the baby rabbits and forgot about them. 

Yeah there might be some hidden metaphor for that but let's not get so caught up in those and try to appreciate the way the story is written from what I would call a "euphorical" point of view in which the narrator himself might not be completely aware of his surroundings but the randomness of the story itself is the beauty of it.