Thoughtful Thursday

Hello highly valued readers!

My classes this semester are already challenging my mind. They demand that I work out my head and showcase its progress. Discomfort. Let me be honest (and ironic), I feel completely inadequate compared to my peers in my field of study (English) and I am developing a paralyzing fear of exposing what is inside of my head.

Do you remember that class I mentioned yesterday that I thought was going to really help me out in my career path? Well, it may become a matter of encouragement versus discouragement. This is the first course I have taken since I entered college three years ago geared towards creative writing (I have been very busy with analytical work). My classmates are mostly creative writing majors, journalists, graduate students, or English majors that at least have had a creative writing workshop before; I feel like I am on a complete sub level of thinking and creating in comparison with their skill. Nevertheless, I want this. I need this. So, the plan is to preserve and fight the pangs of low self esteem and envy. I really want to establish a style, a skill, a self.

So, What do you think about posting some piece of thought on Thursdays?
Maybe I will post some exercises from a class or just a thought I'm trying to articulate...
I can't promise this stuff will make sense but most the time artsy English stuff doesn't to most people, at least at first glance.



Here is an exercise from my Creative Non-fiction textbook I did (It is based off of Why I Write by Terry Tempest Williams) The question to answer was "Why do you write?":
I write to make sense of myself. I write to communicate with God, with others, with myself. I write because I am expected to do so. I write because I can't. I write because I can. I write to encourage. I write to question. I write to challenge. I write for therapy. I write for exercise. I write to improve. I write because I envy the talents of others. I write to be thankful. I write to contemplate. I write to purge. I write to savor. I write to memorize. I write to organize. I write to understand. I write to feel the rush of vulnerability. I write to find what is lost, hidden, or stolen. I write for hope. I write for faith.

I am also taking class called "Grammar for Teachers" and tonight we discussed how the use of a diamante (a poem in the shape of diamond and consisting of seven lines) can help teach students parts of speech because lines two and six are two adjectives describing the beginning and ending nouns (which are opposites); lines three and five, three participles; and line four a shift of four words or a phrase.

We tried it out and this is what I came up with:

                                   Man
                         rough and strong
                lusting, directing, harvesting
             He compliments his counterpart
                    thinking, caring, feeling
                         soft and delicate
                                Woman

We have an assignment to compose another one based off Dr. King's Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech...so if it comes out okay, I will post it next Thursday.

Well, assuming you got to this point, thanks for reading. I am battling severe uncertainty, so if you did make it to this line of the post, feedback would be much appreciated!

Blogging my Battles and Blessings,
Amber Marie