Sara Rodriguez- Fiction Critique 4: An Author Can Dream

NOTE:THIS PIECE WAS MISLABELED AND THE CORRECTION HAS JUST BEEN MADE 3/12/2013. NOTHING FROM THIS PIECE, BESIDES THE TITLE, HAS BEEN CHANGED SINCE ORIGINAL POSTING IN 2/12/2013

Sara Angela Rodriguez

A415-002/Chambers

Fiction Critique 4: An Author Can Dream

31 January 2013

Reading Walter Kirn’s review on Samson Graham-Muñoz’s novel’s, Dr. Pitcher’s Experimental Mistress and The String Theory Quartet, was very entertaining. After reading the review I looked it up on the internet to see if I could find this book, because it sounded very interesting, and came to the startling realization that this book, in fact the author, were all fictitious. The title, “An Author Can Dream” must refer to the fact that Kirn dreams of a book, an author, a story, that is similar to the one that he has created in his short fictional review. I think that doing this was very creative and a great way to experiment with fictions. Not only did he create the image of a story that was entertaining and exciting to read but he created a review about this story. This had to be very hard because I imagine he first had to have an entire story built up in order to break it down. I would really enjoy reading the ‘novels’ that were mentioned and I hope that one day he can actually write them, not just a review on them. I think that the execution of this piece was perfect and that nothing else needs to be added or changed in order to make it better. He had us all fooled. He did his job.

Sara Rodriguez- Fiction Critique 3: How I Write

Sara Angela Rodriguez

A415-002/Chambers

Fiction Critique 3: How I Write

31 January 2013

When if first read this piece I didn’t know why it was classified as experimental fiction. It looked like a regular first person narrative discussing not only how, but why, Viktor Shklovsky writes. I believed that this was an essay written as a general response to the question “how do you write?” and I honestly didn’t find anything special/experimental in it besides his direct addresses to the audience and to his environment (one example being when he addresses the typist in the room by saying “the typist, the same one typing up this essay, retypes my pieces with the page numbers”). It was not until I reached the end of the piece and saw the questionnaire which prompted the writing of this essay that I realized that this entire piece was developed out of what were short answers to the questions. The piece, does not seem like it was written to answer any specific questions and in reality it doesn’t. It is a general piece that uses the questions as guidelines to a larger more comprehensive essay. I think that the way that Shklovsky writes his response is fantastic! The piece works very well in this format because of its smooth transitions from one answer to another. I think that the only thing I would have done differently with this piece is find a way to bring the audience in to the world of writing just a little bit more. I really what was written on page three because here Shklovsky not only introduces authors and themes he is familiar with but shows us, through the portrayal of  “the journalists need [for] integrity, and courage” how stories are made/told.

Sara Rodriguez-Fiction Piece 5: Memories pulled from a Jar

Sara Angela Rodriguez

A415-002/Chambers

Fiction Piece #2

1/31/2013

This is once again an attempt to use the epistolary style of writing. This is supposed to look like a bunch of random memories or just tid-bits of information pulled out at random from a jar. I actually have a jar of random memories and journal entries that I keep which is where this idea came from. I think that I’ll go back later and pull out some memories of my own to add to this entry. I think that it would be fun to pull out memories and mix my reality with my fiction.

Word Count: 895                                                   

Memories found in a Jar

Memos 05 Oct 2006 12:01:01 AM

Things I’ve saved from years past but seem to find no use for.

Maybe someday I will but for right now they'll just sit here like shoes in a closet which are too small to fit you but too big to fit your siblings.

Thoughts keep flowing from my brain but there is nowhere to put them.

They’re so inconsistent and so useless that I don't even know why I bother mentioning them.

Someday they'll serve a purpose but for right now they just get in the way.

Like that song you keep singing that reminds you of a special time and place. It brings you back to your past yet you can't remember exactly why.

You listen to it over and over again and still can't find meaning to it even though your subconscious does.

Lord, why can't I remember? Why can't I know ahead of time?

Why must everything remain concealed until the moment it's needed?

It brings a mystery to life and yet takes enlightenment away....

Religion is… 06 Sep 2007 05:50:05 PM

the ashes of our souls
will burn into the ground
and even though we scream
there will be no sound

the hole of hell will open wide
and those who are full of arrogance and pride
will be swallowed up
their souls and hinds

while those who worship the Lord
will be glorified
they will rise above
and live at rest....

I don't know. I was thinking of all those different religions that we're studying in Mr. Elder’s class and it made me write thing. Now I know now everyone has these views and I respect that. But the point I am trying to get across is that almost every western religion views this as the fate off all mankind....why do you think that is?

Her/him 02 Jun 2008 10:58:59 PM

Every time I see her face.
Every time I see his face.
I want to barff.
And they haven't done anything to me.
Well not that they can think off.
I haven't seen them in months and still I get this feeling.
Grr.

Grr 02 Jun 2008 08:01:42 PM

What the hell is wrong with people?
Just wanted to ask...no one needs to answer.

So Today 19 Sep 2008 9:28:36PM

Today was very interesting.
Everything went so fast.
So many people said so many things.
I got yelled at.
I got my "future told".
I watched/read in cold blood.
I’m watching my back b/c I’m scared.
Not really scared just getting images in my head.
Images of...well yeah. Amber knows.
So now...now...what?

Lace 08 Oct 2007 10:21:21PM

Is starting to get on my nerves. She asks me to tell her sooner when I can't do something b/c then she is left with nothing to do. Okay w/e and she doesn't care that she's done that too me more than 19 times. She talks about ash and how she was ignoring her and not going to shows...but she acts the same way. From now on I’m going to try and go more with Tallman, Autumn and Dave. That way I can go and enjoy myself and don't have to worry about tag-alongs. At times she is worse than my brother...at least he can take a punch!

Ek 12 Mar 2008 06:12:13 PM

There is really nothing much I have to say except that today was very interesting.
Also, I want to go bowling with Alek, Janie, Logan, Macy, and various random people. Doesn’t really matter who.
Another thing that’s up is that right now I’m too lazy to get up and do math h/w.
and and...Every time I hear a certain song it reminds me of my trip to Mississippi. Now that wouldn't be so bad if it had all unfolded it the way I wanted it to. But it didn't so that upsets me.
Btw I am now trying to fix my brain b/c it keeps going and thinking things I don't want it to. Amber knows how my head thinks of things.

Confusion is nothing new.

So, yeah...now I want to go outside and start walking and keep walking and never come back.
Like I want to get up and drive downtown and sit on royal with all the pot heads.
Or maybe go and sit next to the Spanish plaza and dip my feet in the water and then run down the river walk.
Or or or...I can go to cafe du monde and get some coffee and then go to Julia street and cruise the art galleries...

goodness I love this city.

Je te adore… 06 Sep 2007 11:03:18 PM

I tried to pick between one option and another
I gave up on the first option thinking that I would do better with the second
but then I tried to give back the second option and work with the first
and then I discovered that I had no options at all
except the third option
which left me with nothing tangible.....
Does this make sense?

I tried to figure you out 06 Sep 207 08:39:24 PM

I tried and tried with all my might
yet all my trying did not a thing
to bring your mind to agreement with mine
I thought I figured you out
but now all I’m left with is doubt........

Sara Rodriguez-Fiction Piece 4: Blogs

Sara Angela Rodriguez

A415-002/Chambers

Fiction Piece #2

1/31/2013

I wrote this in order to experiment with the epistolary style of writing. This was originally going to be a large set of blog entries that chronicles a person throughout the years. They were going to be the type; well they are the type that uses the blog only when they remember that it exists. So, all the entries would be random and the only thing that would be constant is this collection of unfulfilled promises. I’m still playing around with this and I hope that it gets finished the way I want it to because right now I only have the basic outline done.The title is also a work in progress.

Word Count 1,220

Blogs

2005

Five years ago I made a promise to myself. Today, I found that promise. I have yet to read it but I hope that I didn’t promise anything impossible. You see, five years ago I didn’t smoke or drink. Five years ago I didn’t have sex with random strangers the street. Five years ago my parents were still alive. Five years ago I could still look at myself in the mirror. Five years ago, when I looked at myself in the mirror, I could look myself in the eyes and I was proud of whom I was. I was proud of whom I was and I knew who I wanted to become—a successful lawyer with a big family, a dog, a nice big house, and a perfect life. Today I know that’s not a possibility. I know that I can’t be a lawyer because for that I would have had to have gone to school. I dropped out my first semester of college and started busking on the streets. After that I found a job at a local café and I’ve been here ever since, barista by day, bartender by night. I know I can’t have a big family. My real family is either dead or gone and no one wants to have a relationship with a druggy drop out. Even if they did want a relationship I’m too unstable and I’ll probably end up walking out on them. The dog I have. That’s the one thing that I know I can have. And actually, he found me. The house I don’t need. I don’t want a big empty house. My one bedroom apartment is plenty good. The perfect life….that’s a joke. No one is perfect. Nothing is perfect. Well, I guess I should read the promise. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Ya’ know?

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1999

A Promise to Myself:

So, I've realized that I am able to do anything I put my mind to. I know I've probably said this many a times before but now I truly believe it. For the past 4 days I've been in the middle of nowhere, aka Lorganger, Louisiana, with no cell phone service, no internet access, and 60 complete strangers. I thought that I was going to die and that I would have a horrible time, but by the first night I couldn't imagine leaving. I became closer to those people than I have to most people that I've known for years. I can truly say that I will never forget them and that if we would have stayed at that camp for more than just those four days we would have discovered a way to put our brain power together and take over the world. I learned to be a leader and to be a follower, which is harder than it sounds. I had to overcome the fact that no one will do a perfect job on everything and no one is as OCD as I am and that I need to get over that and just go with the flow. Truth be told I've never done that and I believe that is why so many of my friends always turned away from me. I'm an extremist and I should and will stop. I need to come down from my cloud and admit that I was wrong. Another thing I learned, in the most odd of manners, is that I should stop saying yes to everything. No matter how bad I'll feel about helping out later, I need to have time for myself. You see every time Lacey wants to go to a concert or Amber wants to go to a movie or Kim want to just hang out because we haven't seen each other in years, I should go. I haven't done something for me in what seems like years. So starting tomorrow I will make a change in the way I deal with all my dealings. Also, the parentals have brought to my attention that the last time I slept for at least 8 hours during the school year was sometime in elementary school. I need more sleep. So that is what I'm going to do. Now I know you are wondering why I am writing all this gibberish down, but I want something solid to know that I promised myself that I would change and what is better than making a public promise to myself? If I break my promise everyone will know and that plus my new found free spirit will keep me from breaking this promise. I have decided that I will pray more, meditate more, and do my best to run my heart out every morning and dance it out every night! I will give up drinking coffee from Starbucks every day because I was told that if I save all the money I spend at Starbucks then by the time I retire I will have a million dollars saved up. I will read every day, because I have sort of been slack on that, I will enjoy life to the fullest, and I will read this every day to remind myself of the promise I have made to myself. I know I will be able to keep all these promises to myself and go above and beyond the call of duty to do so. *Sigh* I think that may be all that I have to say. I am completely relived that I've written this down because I know that if I just said it in my head that I would forget what I wanted to do and why. So, I guess that's it.

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2005

That’s it? That was my promise? Well, it seems very shallow and superficial. But, I guess that in a way I did keep my promise. I sleep more than 8 hours on school days, though not going to school and not having to do homework makes that possible. I don’t drink coffee anymore. Sky has replaced Starbucks as my preferred poison. I go out more now. I’ve been out this entire week and I hope to be out next week too. Though, thinking back on it now I do remember what prompted me to write this ‘promise’ to myself. You see back in middle school and high school I was a straight ‘A’ student—no smoking, no drinking, no partying, nada. Because of my great behavior and great leadership skills I was sent to this camp for ‘inspiring leaders’ and I had to work together with ‘other leaders’ in order to raise money for some organization. At the end of the weekend we were all told to write a public promise to ourselves based on what we learned at camp. I wrote this in order to satisfy then. In reality I had a horrible time. I hated those strangers and I hated that camp. I guess it’s time to make a new promise to myself. Maybe I’ll keep it. Maybe I won’t. I guess I’ll have to find it in five years to see how I did.

͏

2005

A Promise to Myself:

Drink less

Stop smoking

Don’t have sex with strangers/use condoms

Go back to school

Find someone to love that loves me back

Reconnect with family

Remember tonight

Critique on "Stockholm Syndrome"

Sara Angela Rodriguez

A415-002/Chambers

Student Critique/ Stockholm Syndrome

07 February 2013

Your story was awesome. I must admit it did creep me out a little, but in a good way. The relationship that the narrator created with the wasps that were living inside her arm was horrifying yet sweet (in a weird way). But, to be honest I wasn’t sure who was being held captive here: the wasps or the narrator. It seemed to me that the narrator was holding them captive, yet she (I assume she but in reality I have no clue if it was a male or female narrator) is the one that is slowly becoming attached to them, showing them kindness and caring. Because of this, and the title of your piece, I’m lead to believe that she, not the wasps, is the true captive. But, if that is the case it needs to be made clearer. I think that the style of writing you chose for this piece is excellent. It was a good way to chronicle the events taking place through the days and a good way to show the progression of emotional attachment. I really liked how you skipped making an entry for a few days. This made the journal seem more realistic (I feel like no one really keeps track of their everyday activities, they only report the interesting things that happen to them, not the ordinary) though I think it would work if the time spent with the wasps was longer and more days would pass between the entries. Overall, I enjoyed your story. Thanks for sharing it with us.