Less Worth(y)

What is worth writing about?

I don't know why this question never stuck out to me before. Worth. Everything's been written about at some point. There's really nothing new. What isn't worth writing about? That's seems to be a smaller question. Maybe the only answer is: what you had for breakfast.

Unless you write a bowl of cereal better than anyone else.

Why, Where, For Whom- A Partial Literacy Narrative

In  the nights of my childhood - which are still so close to the nights of my adulthood - thunderstorm, blown fuses, and unpaid bills often stole the light from my home. When, in the dark, I had no buzzing electronics to drone on entertainment or knowledge my way, I had no light to read by, and my mind would tell me stories. The stories of my mind in the darkness of my home would pull me into them. I never thought of remembering as an important part of this ritual; my only goal was for the moment. When I grew, I felt the loss of my moments and memories and I mourned. Then, I wrote. I wrote to block out the darkness, and I wrote to keep the light bright.

Joan Didion and I share many aspects of our writing trials and tribulations in her piece “Why I Write”. Reading her was a very reflective experience for myself, as I had so often been the thinker of the surrounding information, or as Didion puts it, the “peripheral”. She writes about how she “tried to think” and couldn’t. Facts for both Didion and I come in and out as a means of giving the authorities what they desire but they end up meaning so little to our lives as writers and people. The dates and times are lost in lieu of the colors of the hats worn and the scent of a gently worn gardening gloves. But Didion and I veer on one important area. We seem to differ on what it means to be a writer. Didion puts it artfully and on a pedestal, saying : “a writer, a person whose most absorbed and passionate hours are spent arranging words on pieces of paper”. Why must one enjoy writing to be a writer? And, not only enjoy it, but enjoy it more than any other activity? Not all accountants love their job, does this not mean they are not accountants? A writer cannot enjoy an activity more than arranging words? Then, Didion, what are they to write? A writer, to my knowledge, is one who writes. A good writer, to my knowledge, is one who lives enough to have something worth putting on paper. And that should be the end of the distinction.

I am certainly a writer. I write. Phrasings and word choice are working through my mind always but through speech they find difficulties in both order and effect. On paper, the texture of what I think is jagged and rough. This is how I think and how I wish to express these thoughts. Unfortunately, I am trapped behind the voice of an audio-book commercial voice-over artist. My voice is not an appropriate venue for my poetic though. For my angry thought. My voice is only appropriate for this forum: the essay and speech-giving forum. But this writing is not what keeps me alive and thriving. This writing is not a lifestyles. And I write to express my jagged thoughts and rough ideas. To get the answers out. To get the questions out. To break through anger and injustice. I am a writer. I find it sad to think not everyone has that joyful self-designation.

Advice is a tricky word, but if I had to give it to those starting out as writers my first instinct is to say: write. Writing is not as scary as you’ve been told. But it is exponentially more important than you have come to think. Don’t be afraid to enjoy what you’ve done. Revel in phrases of beauty. Be proud of yourself. And that is when you edit. However, if you hate each word that you have laid down before the eye of the masses and more importantly yourself: don’t touch a letter. Leave it, I beg you. Crimes of passion are oftentimes impossible to recover from. Editing under duress has destroyed more beauty than a swift southern hurricane or the lost habitation of a rainforest.

As for advice from a more established voice, Ron Koertge wrote a piece “Do You Have Any Advice For Those of Us Just Starting Out?”.  In support of what I said earlier regarding Didion, Koertge instructs : “Give up sitting dutifully at your desk. Leave/ your house or apartment. Go out into the world.” He praise the virtues of living live and carrying a writing tool while doing so. The overall message seems to be: write, but more importantly, live.

And, in the end, you might want a reader. The relationship of reader to writer is such a special and unique bond. Poet Billy Collins writes about his relationship in “The Flight of the Reader”. He speaks as if he is in an intimate relationship. At first glance, without taking into account the title, this reads precisely as a love poem would. However, he ends with the caveat that he does not have a crush on his reader. He says: “It’s not like that. Not Exactly.”

Speaking as freely as possible, my relationship my reader is like a dinner party. The room is crowded at this dinner party. And everyone is dressed in suits or gown and there are at least five red. Three purple, and six blue neckties. And thirteen bowties. But, I am wearing a top hat, and walking in six inch stilettos, after locking up my unicycle outside next to the fountain, next to that of my reader. And through this dinner party, I will try to find this person. And we will eventually speak, and I think he will get me, sometimes. But mostly, he will be intrigued each to ask “who rides a unicycle in stilettos?” and I like to think he would read on to find the answer. Because, unlike Billy Collins, I won’t deny it. It is “like I have a crush on you” It is that “I cannot live without you”. It is like that. Exactly. Don’t get me wrong, I have no stake in what you think or say. I really write for myself. As long as I am here, present, and accounted for, I have the reader I always hoped for. I had better strap on some stilettos…Signed,
Cassandra Rose Blaise DeMarco

The Quest for the Right Write

Cassandra DeMarco


WSC 002


4/27/11


What is Happening to Writing?


The Quest for the Right Write


In a way, writing can be seen as a deteriorating art, decaying at the hands of poor syntax, horrendous grammar, and “lol”s. However, in terms of comprehension and organization, there is a definite move toward progress. Verboseness is generally frowned upon and concision is the goal in most writings. A reader wants to get to a point with as little difficulty as possible, with important ideas highlighted, and unnecessary platitudes kicked out of the equation. The culture of the 21st century America is that of speed. Fast and to the extreme has become the new “American way” and if that means that writing must change to accommodate the culture, so be it. But how does writing do so, or, how has it? The genesis of the written language was a response to the desire to record important data: inventories, genealogies, events. As the scope of writing grew, however, stories were written. Emotion and humanity began to be placed into what was once a medium of mere information. This gave life to fiction writing and the use of writing as a medium of persuasion, and a written language of proper sentence structure and formatting was born separate from the language of speech and thought. Writing had rules and sequence. Respect was given to writers that knew and respected said customs; it showed education. However, these rules are merely constructs of tradition, and not natural or particularly conducive to the comprehension of the reader. Moving now to the present, the digital age has offered an entirely new venue from the book, or codex, or scroll. While computerized word processors may just be the electronic translation of such forms, web pages are an entirely new language, and the nature of writing and what it should be is brought into question more than ever, and addressed in a variety of novel ways.


Our class has looked through an incredibly wide scope at what is being said, yelled, shown, and written about writing. Essays, news articles, performance pieces, lectures, and the writings of peers have opened up the possibilities of what writing can do and the effect that it can have. It has also shown that there is a great deal of writing about writing. This sort of meta-writing proves the consistent impact which writing has on society. An example of this includes the poem “the Problem of Describing Trees” by Robert Hass. In his poem, he comments on the use of metaphor and the power that a writer has when the reader is in the grips of the text. He writes on the actions of a particular tree, using metaphor and personification. At a certain point however, he begins to have difficulty with this. He continues: “And the tree danced. No. / The tree capitalized. / No. There are limits to saying, / In language, what the tree did. / It is good sometimes for poetry to disenchant us.” (Hass) This technique of addressing his writing within the writing itself is an out-of-body experience for the reader, holding a mirror up to the poem and noticing the truths it contains. This commentary shows that writers are not just thinking about what they should write now, but what can be written, and the style and innovations that writers are becoming more fearless in employing. Hass is a good example of one who is aggressive in his review of what poetry can do. The commonly held idea is for poetry to enchant, specifically. However, Hass realizes the limitations of words, and for a poet to reflect on what words cannot do as opposed to what they can is a pioneering effort in the modern explorations of writing.


Moving along the lines of poetry but venturing into the spoken word forum, Taylor Mali is a teacher/performer with a passion for the power of words and speech. His performance of his poem “Like You Know” on Def Poetry is a testament to the virtues of speaking and writing with authority. (Mali) While it is certainly a written poem, the presentation style of it is not through text but through voice. In fact, when read off of a page, it has little of the impact it is destined to and loses much of the meaning. This is a reminders that writing is not only meant to be read, and never was, and the popularization and resurgence of slam poetry shows how powerful writing can be out loud and shared through the writer’s actual voice. The sentences can be fragmented and choppy, and it offers more strength to the words and the message without discrediting the poet as uneducated in proper syntax.


Jay David Bolter’s book Writing Space: Computers, Hypertext, and the Remediation of Print is a foray into the digital age that we are now living in. in working through Chapter 3: Hypertext and the Remediation of Print, it became apparent that writing is nowhere near as stagnant as many have assumed. The constant reworking of ideas and mediums gives writing the distinction of a living medium. It is working hand in hand with science and experience to find ways to make writing more accessible to the average individual. Jay David Bolter describes Hypertext as thus: “phrases in a webpage can be “hot”: clicking on them will bring up a new page. One page can be linked electronically to many others.” (27) This hypertext is a way of digital indexing that serves to make the landscape of the internet easier to navigate. Often, however, it can start a chain of distraction, opening page upon page of new information branching in all different directions instead on offering a plain, to-the-point page of information. While this might be distracting, it is conducive to knowledge retention and understanding in a way that the physical text on paper is not. It allows for instant definition of words or phrases that one might not be familiar with and breaks up the linear form of most perceptions of writing.


After the presentation we gave on Chapter 3, our peers went to their blogs - online forums for writing and thought - to respond to the chapter and ask some unanswered questions about writing through the scope of this medium. One such peer, Alex Breen, asked: “If hypertext is more akin to human thought, how might that change the linguistic habits of future cultures?” I believe that what is important to keep in mind is that we do not speak in the same way that we write unless we are reading something written or forcing it unnaturally. The way that our brains are wired is hypertextual. We speak and digress into other thoughts and fragment our sentences and backtrack to the initial point much the way we might do on a web page. But this linguistic formula has always been this way. Speaking in full sentences and paragraphs without creating a sort of vocal hypertextual web is only practical in terms of rehearsed speech. Most modern playwrights have realized that the linguistics of the English language as spoken differ vastly from the English language as written. Writers such as David Mamet have begun writing in the way that people think and speak, and it is more natural sounding to an audience than long blocks of thought without pause, retracing, repetition or defining. So, the new hypertextual landscape of writing should have no effect on the linguistics of our culture, present or future, but, in fact, mirror it more accurately.


Another colleague, Daniel O’Connor, in his blog, asks two questions about the potential of distraction that hypertext poses: “Can Hypertext worsen an argument by linking to an irrelevant piece of writing?” and “Along with Hypertext is there the risk that the reader continues to go from page to page and never returns to finish the original?” these are important questions. As impressively adept as the human mind is at establishing connections and finding meaning, it is also known for difficulties in focus. On a personal level, hypertext has distracted me almost in equal parts to the good it has done me. If the first question it is being asked from the perspective of the writer, then hypertext absolutely can weaken an argument. If a writer attempts to make an argument and does not know how to effectively manipulate the writing space which they inhabit, i.e., a web page, it is wholly possible that poor use of hypertext can devalue or dilute an argument. That is the same as using any tool, however: if the user does not have adequate understanding of or skill with the device, it works against him. Hypertext is not something that all writers should shove into their otherwise linear and meaningful texts: it is not a mandatory tool for internet writings. However, if the writer can weave it into his or her piece without adding confusion or distancing the reader from the true meaning, hypertext does its job. Much like writing itself, there is certainly an artistry involved in the shaping and formatting of an online text, not unlike any other text, but with more possible tools and higher risks of failing.


To answer Dan’s second question: the human mind, again, is prone to distraction. A writing form with such spontaneity and possibility also has its drawbacks in the context of the limitations of us as people. There are surely innovations to still be made, and hypertext is not a perfect creature, but from where we are technologically, these problems of focus fit snuggly into the discourse.


In conclusion, the time we live in is a fortunate one in the sense that we are living during a technological revolution. The way that we see the world is altered daily by new advancements and technologies instead of reading a magazine to find out about what is going on in, say, the theatre world. I can now read articles online sent directly to me through an RSS feed. Information is constantly coming at us from all sides and the scary thing is when we are overloaded, will we know? What is happening to writing is that it now needs to shout louder to reach us over all the white-noise written words we receive. It needs new organization and research to find the most appropriate formatting for our thinking patterns. It’s not so linear; it lives in fragments. What’s happening with writing is a revolution of time, speed, and form, and it doesn’t look like there will be an end anytime soon.















Works Cited


Breen, Alexander. Summareponse to Chapter 3 presentation. Breenbrain. 25 April, 2011. Web. 26 April, 2011.


Bolter, J. David. Writing Space: Computers, Hypertext, and the Remediation of Print. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001. Print.


Hass, Robert. The Problem of Describing Trees. 2005.


Like you Know. By Taylor Mali. Perf. Taylor Mali. 2003.


O’Conner, Daniel. Ch. 3 Hypertext and The Remediation of Print. DOC’s Blog. 26 April, 2011. Web. 26 April, 2011

Presentation Reflection

Watch our Prezi at: http://prezi.com/ltd96tjbiajm/hypertext/
I am going to categorize this presentation as a success! Mostly! I mean, I am relatively content with the way we presented our piece and the points we got across. I do think that we offered a coherent explanation of the chapter. However, structurally, I wish we could have been on more solid ground together. I enjoy giving oral presentations, and enjoy them more when I feel fully prepared for them and what they will entail.
For my part, I was happy with the video that I chose and the screenshots from eBay and Wikipedia. I also felt comfortable with explaining my points when Dr. Lay asked questions. What I wish didn't happen was the typos, because of my self-diagnosed spelling obsession. I'm very irritated by typos…
If we had more time, we could have had a more cohesive presentation and worked together more. But considering we absolutely didn't, I can't complain as much as I usually would. A plus side to this was that when each of us brought up points, they were open to disagreement within the group and we had a positive response when ideas clashed. I was happy with it!

Chapter 6 refashioned dialogues

Chapter 6 refashioned dialogues

Gorgeous layout
Don't understand the first video
The font sometimes was difficult for me specifically to read because of my eyesight, but is probably fine for the general reading population!
I can excuse typos in personal writing, but when quoting I don't think it's acceptable. There were at least two.

1) why is Bolter using music as a metaphor? Hips he a musician?
2) what was the point of the music video?
3) Is reading right to left not considered reading in sequence?
4) Is there a way to write which could interpret meaning in itself? For example, using formatting, italics, bold,underlines, size and color.
5) should speaking and writing exist in two separate realms? Speaking being linear and writing not so?
6) How do anti-writers format books in non-
Linear formats when confined to paper? Is it possible?

iRealize-your-limitations-pad

Well I think now is a great time to talk about the iPad for a second or two again. I think I'm going to go into some drawbacks, as my inspiration for this post is that I can't submit a file to this class's blackboard site from the creature. Not only can I not attach a file but I also could not type it in separately. I think the main problem for me is that it was easy to become reliant of this product, but it still cannot do all the things that a laptop computer can do, (obviously and understandably). Here is a fun, short list of some drawbacks I can think of right now:

Upload files onto blackboard
Save files in .docx, or .doc.
Stream music on www.stereomood.com (it keeps repeating the same songggggg!!)
Work on a prezi
Play anything that uses Flash.

I guess it's just what naturally happens in all relationships. You fall in love with the ideal form. The winsome smile and the curled eyelashes. Little do you realize she has nine cats and they're all named... "Cat".

But I digress, I feel like I have been cheating on my laptop, quite frankly, for a light and cheaper lady-friend in the iPad.

That said, I have to start appreciating the iPad for the incredible piece of technology that it is and not expect it to be a computer, because it isn't. Heck, I can't even spell-check on blogger with it...*

*it should be noted, for irony's sake, that when I first typed that last sentence, I mistyped spell-check as "spellcheak" which, coincidentally, would have been easier to catch if I had spell check.




Okay, cowboys. Have a Marvelous Monday, or at the very least, a manic one. For the Bangles' sake.

Signed,
Cassandra Rose Blaise DeMarco

I Think I Crayon, I Think I Crayon

1) The writer of this crayon assignment oriented his piece in portrait format, with the only set margin being the end of the page. He wrote along the full width of the page, and began with his name in the upper left corner. The crayon is that weird gold/olive/bronze crayon color. The color doesn't pop out at all, and is very plain. The lettering is not spaced much; the words are written close together to utilize space. there are only two cross-outs, and the piece is, overall, well-organized and absolutely to-the-point.

2) Truthfully there isn't anything interesting or novel about this piece. I've been staring at it for quite some time trying to find something.

3) [see blackboard]

4) As these crayon assignments were done at the beginning of the semester, it is completely understandable that the space wasn't used to its fullest potential as a blank page. We've been indoctrinated to view "blank pages" as lined paper, to follow the standards expected of us in relation to format and spacing. This piece does well to prove that. (as did mine, for that matter)



Hey, thanks for reading, kiddies. Have a day of many splendors and food court vendors!

Signed,
Cassandra Rose Blaise DeMarco