A Partial Narrative

            Why do I write? Why does anyone write for that matter? Is it just because we have to? That sounds reasonable. Many people don’t like to write so what ends up going behind their words is an apathetic voice filled with a colorless void. No passion, no meaning, no genuine thoughts are detailed through those words. But for people who do like to write, a entire vast of possibilities are here to explore. For me, I like to write in a way that goes outside the box. I write to break the conventional ways of writing. I like to imagine writing as a kind of game. I can play with words, tease the opponent, or reader, and create ideas according to my own rules.  Does this sound quirky? If so, I don’t care. We write however we want, in what style we want, in what way our brain thinks. Who needs the generic brand of writing; the five basic paragraphs, a three -point thesis, or the illegal use of first person narrative. These formats serve to restrict who we are as writers and to keep our tones in exactly the same, monotone manner.  Don’t get me wrong, we need to sound professional, but aren’t there other ways to do so? It can’t be one way or the highway.  I write what I see in my head. I don’t see the structured format; I see a river flowing gently down the hill of a large Appalachian mountain, with each little ripple forming its own path, creating small waterfalls or big ones until it comes to a stop at the edge of the mountain. I don’t see where the river must end or where the river must form. It is there and I don’t need a cement pool to contain the water.

            It is dark now. I can’t see the words I write in front of me. That is okay by me. I don’t need light to see what I’m thinking. The power is out. I have a strange sensation that I’ve traveled back to the sixteenth century where the only light available was by candle. Yet now I find myself lost in words. Where should I begin my tale? Perhaps it shall be one of communication since that is on my mind. And my mind is a flowing river of ideas.

            I find it rather interesting that there are several forms of communication that exist. We have sign language, Morse code, gestures, and languages such as Swahili. We can do anything with language and communicate in many ways. What if that communication was cut off?  Would any of my written words make sense? Perhaps the world would become blurred by incoherent ideas floating around because no one can understand what is being said.

            As a writer, I try to mess with the reader’s mind. I tried to sidetrack you with this excerpt from “ Writing in the Dark”, a blog post by yours truly. Why do I write this way? I do not know. No one in particular pointed out all the little tricks I try to consciously use. So what advice can I can you, the developing writer? According to Ron Koertge, “ You who asked for advice, listen: When the tower falls, be like that child.” Basically, when you are starting out, you don’t have to be confined to the space around you. Roam around, explore ideas, or be like the kid who knocks down a tower of books: unconventional. Exploring seems to be the best option. There is no right way in writing the first words. It is something that becomes developed over time through practice.  I believe Koertge wants a person to write in a way that works and that isn’t necessary a typical style. The old fashioned fancy notebook or staying in a desk doesn’t allow the mind or hand record the wonders of the outside world. There are endless possibilities when in comes to writing.

            Writing typically starts out through a series of sentences. How you decide to form these sentences will in turn form your style. A sentence is like a railroad track. In the beginning, you have to wait for the train to start, but after awhile the train begins to move at a steady pace down a path that goes straight, left, or right and has twists and turns. There are several stops the train makes, but then it gets going again. That’s what I’ve been doing as I’ve been telling you my story on writing. I hope you’ve been paying attention because it’s important to know that writing has many twists and turns as well as derails and delays. But eventually there is an ending. When the writing ends is up to the train.

            Now that I told you how I write, I would like to here from you. But I guess we’ll save that for another time since I have to get to class. But here’s a quick thought; does anybody write in way that hasn’t incorporated anyone’s own writing style? According to Joan Didion, she admits from stealing a title from George Orwell because it deemed fit for her intended purposes. Why George Orwell though? There are so many people to chose from. I admit to learning from Jack London, the author of “ The Call of the Wild.” Why did I chose him? It just seemed right. It seems that is the reason to how we write- it just seems right.

Just Can't Get Enough

So here we are again. We come back to the subject of writing. Well there is just so much to say about it that I just can't get enough. Never mind the fact that this is an assignment to respond to a prezi. Curiosity is at stake here. Curiosity has been brought to my attention. Haven't you, as a reader, ever wondered about the works in front of you? No? Hm, well let me tell you what I think.

Everyone should know that technology is taking over our lives. How we explain things, how we write things, and how we express our thoughts are done through technological means. Let me first explain the prezi I saw. It is a basic, bland platelet of black text on a white background. There are some images, actually one, that helps give a visual explanation. See? We even have visual demonstrations now. Still, there could be more to the presentation to get the overall message across. There are so many different messages being conveyed that there must be an overall connection to link them together, which there is. There still i this constant " Technology v.s Pure Writing", but technology has made writing more efficient and simpler. we no longer need to dictate word for word on paper the president's speech or the life of George Washington. We can use the computer, in which no paper is wasted. Editing is much more convenient. How we look and analyze works are now changing. Handwriting is at a consistent legibility and ideas are constantly expanding. Instead of priests being the only authoritative figure, now anybody can write about anything. So now I ask: who is the authority now? Why are they the authority? Is it because of our growing reliability and dependance?

Another good thing about the prezi was the use of individual definitions to help explain the topic. An audience can follow along, but may not understand what they are saying due to vocabulary. Do you understand what I am saying? Everyone learns differently. In fact, we learn how to " write properly". In English, we are given a structure on how to write an essay. Why is that? Can we not freely write or express how and what we want? " No," we are told," you must sound professional." That may be true, but is it necessary to have it one way or the highway? We are restricted in who we are as an individual through structured writing. There are constraints and limits placed on us because we are suppose to write in a way that is similar to how everyone expects or wants it to be. So we are all little robots, writing the same five paragraph, three point thesis model. We should be allowed to go outside the box, as long as it can be professional, dignified, and coherent in its own right. We should allow differences more. 

This brings me to reading. Have you ever wondered about the production of what you read? How we seem to read things that belong to our culture? Do we realize that we are reading works by authors from ireland, England, or Singapore? Are there any differences between the works, besides potential language barriers? I like to think that all writing has become uniformed. With or without translations, with or without different cultural values, writing is writing and it has become more universal as time goes by. Writing meant nothing to the common people of the past; now it holds more value. it also contains what we value implicitly through our ideas and creativity. Ok, enough is enough. I don't know how much more I can talk about writing. You don't need to know more. Have you had enough? Well, too bad because as long as writing keeps expanding, there is always going to be something said about it.

The Evolution of Writing..What a Dosey

Once upon a time in a faraway land known as the Beginning, there lived a small civilization of human beings. Before the foundation of industry, these people lived in small clusters near coves and caverns. These early people, or cavemen, relied on the elements of nature to get by. Instead of electricity they had lightning and fire. Instead of indoor plumbing, they had forest trees and leaves. Before they had up to date means of communication, they had fingers, voices, and sticks. There wasn’t a telegram that could be sent across the country. There wasn’t a letter that could be sent through mail. All that was available were chalk or dirt drawings and their own voices. Writing had to start from somewhere. Society is not where it is today because of an automatic presence of digital and printed texts. Writing has developed to more advanced forms through the ages. Why is this? What has caused this? What is happening to writing as it stands today?

            Writing started off as a standardized method of conveying ideas or cultural conventions. It started as a place to record stories or songs that represented important historical events or characters. But over the years as our culture began to advance, so did the writing. Writing has changed from a simple technique to a more stylized and utilized component to society. At first, methods of writing expanded slowly. There was the telegram and the letter, which could take days to deliver. Now there exists instant email and text messaging to receive messages quicker. Writing has transformed from a traditional, aesthetic form to a pure technological one. As cultures begin to speed up their lives the need for word processors and digital print intensifies in order to match the daily life. Gone are the days of beautiful chalk writings, ink written love letters, or hieroglyphics to tell fantastical stories. Or record historical and personal reports. Now there is a vast variety to convey these topics as well as convey annual reports, research, and magazine articles via the Internet and word processing.

            These expansions confide to the new established needs of the public. The creation of hypertext, according to J. David Bolter, has helped expand the previous limits to accessibility. Hypertext links an individual to several different sources with the simple click of a button. Instead of spending tedious amounts of time searching the books in the library, as grandparents once had to in those college days, now information can be gathered in a simple search. Hypertext also provides a means of gathering more information. Books are limited in that there is so much information out there to gather that it is extremely improbable to obtain it all through time- consuming searches from book to book. Being able to obtain more information through data streams has given more knowledge to how an individual writes. Writing probably was not as structured in the early beginnings, for there was not much to go on. It started as a mainstream way of passing information and now it is growing into more versatile uses such as speeches, newspaper articles, and protests.

            But writing is also growing towards a more digital era. How many articles are being printed via computed instead of being printed manually and physically? The number is draining as people are now using such instruments such as nooks and kindles. The newspaper is not as thick anymore. Even writers publish their books by digital means. No one actually writes much by hand these days except to write checks, sign their name, grade papers, and other trivial chores.

            These days there had also been an addition of visual aid to writing.  It is more common to paint a picture with words and paint words with a picture than to have words without the image or image without the words. Hieroglyphics was a language used among the people that have taken archeologists years to decipher. Is there a way where images can coincide with words that everyone understands? Traditionally, writing was not so widespread; making the variety that writing possesses limited to each community. How would the English know about the stories of Huckleberry Finn. Or how would the Chinese understand the take to The Scarlett Letter.  Each culture has something considered to be separate from other cultures, yet there are universal images and words that apply to general standards. Fear, sadness, and happiness are recognized worldwide, so it can be possible to form those words into a plausible image. Writing has become more artistic over the ages. It has strayed away from the arduous task of meticulous handwriting, which generally applied to recording history or epic sonnets. Now there are new forms in the style of newspapers, magazines, printed text, and digital billboards.

            According to Bolter, “ Words should be seen, not just read.” There should be depth in the words written, which he implies is an unusual custom to do. Writing has expanded to the point where there can be a lot of depth in what an individual reads. When writing about a boy who has fallen down a well, one should be able to visualize the scene with the painted words. One should be able to smell the cookies made by grandma or taste the droplets of rain falling on their lips. So much can be gathered behind the meaning of words that another world can be created out of it.

            But now it is time to wonder if too much can be gained from the evolution of writing. In the past, there wasn’t too much accessibility to absorb everything in. People were less educated then than they are today. Nowadays a simple link will take a person to any information in the world instead of being confined locally. But is there a limit to the growth of writing. At one point, how does one know that the information they are searching for is correct? There is so much to sift through, that it can become overwhelming to find what one is looking for. Plus, these days anyone could write about anything, such as the mating habits of unicorns, and call themselves an expert. There is a good chance tat they reader will believe them, if there are enough articles to support it. Writing has traveled through time opening new gateways to social interaction.

            Now lets go back to the fourteenth century and look at writing in the form of a manuscript. There was yet to be the invention of the printed press but there was access to parchment and ink. It is curious to wonder how people during that time would react to such drastic changes in writing that society has today. They probably didn’t think about the remediation of print and how it could extend to serve more purposes. In those times, a person was considered extremely important if they knew how to write. Today, it is a requirement to know how to            write. With writing comes all sorts of creative possibilities that expand upon what was previously done. Technology gives special effects behind the pictures that coincide with words. Instead of a two dimensional drawing that depicts a fire eating away at a village, technology adds mobility and three dimension to draw more power behind a written description of a village. There is so much writing can do these days that it couldn’t do before.  The problem is, will the expansion ever stop.

As long as technology keeps advancing, so will writing techniques. It is now necessary to have a class that teaches one to type quickly on a keyboard. But is there a limit to writing? How far can we go with writing? If the advancements stop, will society revert to old ways after being out of practice? Writing has become an essential tool in communicating across the globe and channeling individual expressions or ideas. Where would society be without writing? So many questions about this can be refuted in so many different ways. For instance, Will has argued that pictures are not necessary companions to words. But others’ such as Bolter and Virginia, regard pictures as another gateway that tags along with words. Writing comes in many different shapes and forms, and as Virginia puts it “visuals are an important part of metaphors, which are incredibly successful at conveying feelings” as well as adding to the significance of words. Writing can be descriptive, analytical, dialectical, or expressional. There is no right way to writing, unless one gets into technical grammar and spelling, but people should be able to write freely or structured. It is more than an educational habit. Writing has evolved to many stages so a person isn’t stuck in the past copying Latin or writing a diary. Writing is a part of society that has changed for the better.

Once upon a time there was a place called Haven where people got along well enough. They were satisfied with business, content with technology, and indulged in writing. Though writing can be slipping away, people are generally pleased by the fact that whatever they publish can be viewed from across the world. The best part is they can write about anything: sports, pumpkin pie cancer, and armadillos. Each day they secretly thank their ancestors for bestowing this gift upon them. Without this ability to write, who knows where society would be now. The change from scriptures to digital has not delayed society; they run at a quicker pace now so they need quicker technology. It’s too tiresome to write by hand now. Although that may die out, writing itself in every form, whether its chalk, pencil, ink, or computer, will remain intact. It doesn’t matter what tool a person uses to write- it’s the quality that comes from it. Writing means nothing if there isn’t a type of quality that doesn’t confuse the reader. But as long as a person needs eyes to read, there will always be someone to write, no matter how evolved it has become.

Breakout of the Visual

Start

There is this pretty interesting prezi ( I've never really heard of it but it can do amazing things) about the emergence of visualization of media and how it aids to textual argumentation. The main point of interest that gets the message across is this video on the distortion of beauty. I must say, that really is the strong point because it actually applies to how we view billboards and models today. How many of us become disillusioned by images? Visual text refashions how printed and oral text is presented.

If you never heard of a prezi, the layout is pretty simple. You chose the background and special effects. You type in text that circles around the screen, providing a lively encounter with the information presented. You can add images and videos to help support what you want to convey. Otherwise the meaning can easily be lost among in an overwhelming sea of communication, depending on how complex the subject matter is.

" Words should be seen and not just read". What if someone can't read? How can they still learn when they cannot read the information? Although images can be misconstrued, some images provide a great deal of information without printing a single word. In the prezi, there was a point made about a shoe advertisement and how without reading the article, you can tell that the realization image of the older woman surrounded by crazy shoes implies how there are so many different shoes out there that there is always a right shoe for you. Or something along the lines of that. You can get the main idea from images. Sometimes words cannot provide the right image for you. When explaining a complicated play in sports, some people do not fully understand the context until it is put into visual action. Diagrams and charts can be just as complicated to understand as text. Sometimes there just needs to be a simple, clear cut way of viewing things in life.

Post Script: Questions Unanswered

Yes, everything can leave out something we want to know.

For instance, I did not quite understand the metaphor image of the pie. Therefore...

1. Can you use other instances of visual metaphors? Can you explain where they fit in society? I would like to know about that more.

2. What exactly is Ekphrasis, according to Bolter?

3. Where do MUDS fit in?

4. Many of the texts use state a fact. Can you provide images to go with those facts so we can see what it means with an example?

5. Out of curiosity, how many ways can text be depicted in general?

6. This revolution, or remediation, of the printed text has led to visual representations. Why has this become so? Is it from the trend of hieroglyphics? What makes communication in different forms so special nationwide? Is it merely for understanding each other's cultures or is there more to it? Why can't everyone just see everything in the same way?

These may be redundant questions, but these are my questions that I find missing in the prezi. Maybe the answers were there, but I didn't understand them. No judgments should be made at this time.

End

The Battle Wages On

So the printed book and its vast army of loyal followers come to a stalemate with the digital print.
" So what makes you think you're so better?" asked Commander Manuscript.
" Because I'm more advanced," retorted Commander Nook.
Both parties had come to a halt. The printed army could not get past the complicated construction on new age technology. They had no weapons to penetrate the highly built wall of computer screens and digital font. Yet the digital army could not obliterate the strong legions of followers, such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Thomas Jefferson, that still held tight to the old ways. Neither could gain or lose ground.

So will the war never end? Or was there never really a war to begin with?

" I propose a remediation of sorts," said Commander Nook pompously.
" I don't think that's a great idea," responded Commander Manuscript. " You already change the way we look and feel. And you make us seem difficult to use."
" Nonsense!" laughed Commander Nook. " We have merely revolutionized the meaning of text! We help people look at things in a different light. Plus, they're too lazy to want to flip the pages of the dictionary. Bahahaha!"

Suddenly a flash a lightening streaks across the deep blue sky. A figure materializes between the front lines. " Halt!"the voice shouts. " I am the great J. David Bolter and I say halt!"

The two armies grow silent. The figure continues to loom over them. " Now listen, you may not agree with what I say, heck I don't even agree with what I say, but I've been inspired by the mighty Dr. Lay to disagree with my own statements, or at least voice different opinions about them. This bickering feud between you has got to stop. Can't you work together in the same world? Yes, people are going to like Commander Nook better. Yes, people are going to like Commander Manuscript better. But the message should still be the same. Readers of all kinds should be able to get the same information. What should be the difference? One mode is not better than the other- they are the same. Although I'd much prefer the feel of the book than that of a kindle, yet nevertheless neither form should become outdated. Technology took time to develop- older generations didn't have what we have today. Yet now that we have technology, we can't let books fade out of existence. Digital print is not ruining the past. it is merely providing another way for people who are lazy or hate reading to search for things required of them to read. They don't want to flip through a book because they hate books. Likewise, a person may not know how to use technology. You can never go wrong with a paperback. Now stop this squabbling and learn to deal with each other. Can't we all just get along?"

The mysterious figure leers at each party. No one moves. No one looks interested to move. Is the stalemate continuing? If so, for how long? Will one army finally diminish or will one grow? Or are both sides just too stubborn or slow to adapt to their environment? Stay tuned and find out what happens next in the future...

Writing in the Dark

Great. The power is "out". I can't see anything, yet Somehow I still have the capability to write. I wonder how many erros will occur...

It seems strange sitting here writing my thoughts. i feel like I've been transported back to 1729 where writing by candlelight was most common. But i do not have a candlelight. I am literally writing in the dark.

So where should I begin my tale? The tale of communication that is. There are so many different ways to communicate, it's astounding. We have sign language, morse code, gestures, etc.  We can communicate without actually having to speak words. I guess that's where I can begin to answer the question : "What are some of the earliest encounters you remeber with language, written or verbal? Why do you think you remember them?' Well, here's the thing. Not to get to personal, but i'll let you in on a little secret: for the first six years of my life, I couldn't hear. In fact, i nearly became deaf. So I don't remember much on how I communicated. I know it wasn't with words much. it was gestures mostly. Or I would just scream  my head off, you know the average thing a kid likes to do. Most of the time it isn't easy for me to say something, so i would be unable to express it or just signal with my body. These days i like to write things down because it is so much more fluid for m,e to get messages across. I mean, its not harde to forgwet about a time where you couldn't heaar or say much in the early years. I remember communication being difficult and the way I had tro express it because it is still difficult for me today. But hey, we all struggle with something and do the best we can do. So i don't know if i answered the questioned properly, but this is sometthing I'm not afraid to share because we havwe to communicate everyday. it is a part of our lives and sometimes it can be overlooked because sometimes we think everyone communicates in the same way.

I hope i didn't drag you on a long, boring story. I told you I had a tale. i just hope there aren't too many mistakes in this. I can't look nback once this done. But hey, i can't write anything that comes to mind- it is a free write after all.

There once was an elf named Gilda. She lived the forest by herslf. One day... oh wait, I don't think that's the kind of tale you want to hear. I'll save it for next time then.

Fare thee well, neighbor!

How to Describe a Boy and a Girl

Tell me, what are the first words that come to mind when you think of a boy or a girl? You would think it would be something ambiguous or pleasant such as sir, madam, lady, angel, gentleman, cookie, and mister. But instead, more derogatory words such as womanizer, slut, whore, douchbag, skank, asshole, and bitch are seemingly deemed more proper. Then there are the slang words, such as bro, brah, suga', and hussy. I'm just curious, is this how we really view people today or is it that we are more cynical and optimistic about characteristicas of people that they deserve such lovely terms. As much as I find this hilarious, and the fact if you put a bunch of young adults together to make a list this is what you mostly get, there is something striking about it. the days have since pass where a man would be called a gentleman and a lady a madam or miss. Is it that people don't act in the way a gentleman should act anymore or that we have just lost all respect, dignity, and faith in people's humane characteristics. The ugly words, whore, bitch, and asshole, are given to people we find distasteful or hold in disgust. What is it about our attitudes to create such a "trashy" atmosphere. is it too outdated to use such pleasantries as sir or angel? Or have we forgotten that people can be endearing and sweet and kind that we can term them with lady or miss.

I find it kind of ironic that the first thought that comes to mind in this circumstance are potentially hateful and seething words. It's ironic how free association works out. Have our inner workings of our mind become so dirty and filthy as to lose sight of the wonderful things people can be? I'm just curious as to why the custom as become to describe someone as "horny', "trashy", " slutty", etc instead of " homely", "angelic", or " cutiepie". What has become disdainful about it? Or at least that is what it seems. So maybe we should all play a game. I'll ask, you give me the first thing that flows into your head. If I say describe to me Presidents , what would your first response be? ( I can tell you what i would say, but that would ruin the fun).