Today we begin our class with Marshall McLuhan...
"Medium is the Message"
"A wheel is an extension of our feet..."
...and we end with stories about This American Life.
"Cameras"
"Faulty Memory"
(and possibly one more story from Pulp Fiction called "The Gold Watch")
But in the middle, we'll talk about the following...
Take out everything that isn't your Memoir
Writing is Re-writing
...and we'll practice writing description, dialogue, and getting to the point of your memoir.
How to Write a Description
Six-Word Memoirs
Overheard in New York
HOMEWORK
READ:
POST: Write a Six-Word Version of your Memoir as well as part of a conversation you might use in your memoir.
WRITE: A first draft of your memoir. Make sure it is complete and that it has a beginning, middle, and ending. It must be complete.
BRING TO CLASS: A draft of your memoir and laptop/paper/pencils/pens so that you can rewrite for a second draft of your paper.
Monday, May 18, 2009
All Media Are Extension's of Man's Faculty - Marshall McCluhan
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"How The Music Always Moves Me"
Joel, how do you listen to music? What does it make you want to do? How does it make you feel? Yeah, the sounds always are sad. But how do you interpret it? And how do you want the music you play to make others feel? How will you make the music speak your soul?
Six word memoir:
"Four kids growing up; taking control."
Dialogue:
As we are ordering supplies for screen printing and a microphone for recording our demo... Rick and I pooled about $150 of our own money together for it.
Rick: “You sure we can pull this off?”
Me: “Yeah, what do we have to lose?”
Rick: “One hundred fifty freaking dollars!”
Me: “True... What the heck, we're going for it.”
"Life without purpose is not living"
Dialogue:
Hostess: Sooo like how many students do you have?
Me: Last time I counted I had about 95 kids?
Eavesdropping waiter: WHAT?! Is that phyiscally possible?!
Me: What? Oh. They're not biologically mine! They might as well be though...
"This monumental beacon leads me home."
I walk up to the pay phone, grab the receiver and slowly dial the numbers scribbled on the wrinkled piece of notebook paper in my hand.
Phone:8-1-3-9-3-2
Me: Sigh
Phone: 1-4-6-0...ring,ring
Dad: Hello
Me: Hi, is this John William Hollis?
Dad: Yes it is, who is this?
Me: Sir do you hve two twin daughters named Anna and Helen, a son named Johnny, and do you know a woman named Diane Ewan?
Dad: Um, yes I do, now who the hell is this!!!
Me: sniffle, Dad....this is your daughter, Anna!
“My missing father has been found”
Dialogue:
I waited anxiously for the phone to ring. I was worried about what we would talk about. He said he would call at 8:00. Will he call? Right on schedule I answer the phone.
“Hello”, I answered.
“Hey kid”, he says “how are you?”
“I’m good and you?”
Then he says, “I am so, so glad that you wrote me that letter.”
"Independence through car & life's lessons"
Dialogue:
This is when I recieved my first speeding ticket in my new car.
Cop "Your license & regristration please?"
Me "What was I pulled over for, officer?"
Cop "You were driving twenty miles above the speed limit in a forty0five mph turn."
Me "O, but dear officer I was wearing these big three-inch platfrom heels..."
Cop "Okay, I'll go easy on, ya."
Me "Thanks, officer I guess I didn't relaize how much I was pressing with my heels"
{I noticed he only toke off two miles off; in other words, I was only going over eighteen mph over the limit.}
Cop "You have thrity days to pay the ticket or fight it in court. Drive safely and don't drive while wearing heels."
Me "Thank you dear officer, have a nice night."
{I hope Daddy doesn't get mad at me again. Or like what he did last time, take the car away for one day, pay for a lawyer the next, and buy me a dozen roses to make me feel better. Thank you Daddy I love you.}
"Feeling like a failure to college student"
Jessica: "I only have two more semesters left"
Dricka:"Wow it's been three years since we graduated"
Jessica:"YEP"
“Fear for changes takes away opportunities.”
Once, while talking on the phone, he asked me a question I really did not expect to hear from him:
Him: You know, I think, you should come back to the United State and we should try living together. What do you think?
Me: I really want to try, but I have my family, friends, job…everything…here and I have absolutely nothing there.
Him: I’ll be by your side.
Me: I need to talk with my family.
"Seeing life through shots of photos"
Comparing cruise pictures of my husband and I ten years apart.
Me: "WOW! look how big the glasses we wore on the first cruise trip.
kids: Mom, you and dad has really upgraded your clothes since 1998 on the second picture 09'.
Dad: LOL, We getting younger.
"I do." These words change everything.
"my rifle changed my life forever"
Cheif: (points to boy) "Your outta here, your shitty attendance will no longer be tolerated"
Coach: (looks around at the remaining team members)
"On that note...we need to recruit some new souls"
Girl: (raises hand) "I'll do it !"
"My Cellphone brings my family closer"
Me and my dad's text conversation.
My Dad:"Get me a glass of water"
Me:"NO why don't you get someone else to do it"
My Dad:"No one else is here but you and me now stop be lazy and get me some water"
Me:"Ugh. Don't call me lazy when you're then one whose next to the kitchen but fine. Whatever I'm getting it.
"Who Says Blondes Have More Fun?"
Dialogue: Just before loosing all of my hair--desperately seeking for the perfect wig. This is my chance to see how I look with different color hair.
Hairdresser: "Try to pick out some wigs and styles you might like, so that you can try them on."
Daughter: "Lets see Mom with a Blonde wig on" as she laughs.
Mom: "I don't think I could be a blonde? Some how I tried it on --did not know who I was and was right--ughh not for me."
Sally Carattini
"Painting secrets leave me with hope."
"Ashley!"
"Hey hun, what's up?"
"Where were you this morning? I tried calling you but you didn't answer."
"I'm sorry, I set my phone to silent and I was late again."
"I will never drink and drive again"
Dialogue:
Officer: "License and registration please."
I reach in my glove compartment for my paper work and hand it to him.
Officer: "What happened that caused you to loose control of your vehicle?"
Me: "I was trying to avoid getting burned by my cigarette butt that flew back in my car."
Officer: "Have you had anything to drink this evening."
Me: "I had two coronas around 12 AM."
A six word blog that describes my memoir, well its not actually six words but... Communication can create a lesson of a lifetime.
Conversation:
ME: "OK look so, Auntie I want an iPod touch."
Aunt: So.. you're tellin me because?"
ME: "Um...cause I know if you talk to my mom she'll listen to you and I'd have a better chance at gettin one."
Aunt: "Why she won't listen to you?"
ME: "Uh she will but not how she'd listen to you. With you she will actually sit down and consider gettin it for me, especially if you explain to her it will help me in school and make gettin work done out of school easier."
Aunt: Hmmm. I'll see what I can do, but I'm not makin any promises."
ME:"ok"
6 Word Memoir
"Daddy's Little Girl Lost and Found"
"Hi Daddy. Can I go to Homecoming?"
"What's Homecoming?"
"It's just a formal dance and somebody from each class gets crowned king and queen."
"Oh. Go ask you mother."
(After asking my mother and she tells me to go ask my father)
"She told me to ask you. So, can I go?"
"No."
"How did you crash your car?"
Officer: How are you doing? That was a bad accident tell me how did you crash into the other car?
me: I was speding down the street, and suddenly a truck backed out into the street.
Officer: How fast would you say you were speeding.
Me: about ten miles per hour over the limit.
Officer: Okay I am not going to give you a careless driving ticket, but I am warning you it is against the law to speed.
Got high off horn, can't again.
dialog: "One, two, three, four!"
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