Read Tool 18 and Tool 19 in Roy Peter Clark's Writing Tools and then read Sven Birkerts's "One Long Sentence" (p. 38) and Bill Capossere's "Chess Piece" (p. 137) in Brief Encounters.
One aspect of successful writing is the writer's facility with syntax and line length; for this post, write two sentences that you could use in your personal essay. Have one sentence be short, blunt, powerful, and emphatic. Have the second sentence be longer, more complex, and more musical. Be sure each sentence is grammatically and mechanically correct, and play close attention to your subjects and verbs.
My life is no different.
ReplyDeleteIt contains characters that have long since entered and left my story, plots that have unfurled, have been left behind, have been solved, and have yet to be closed, and various settings that I have passed through, left behind, remained inside, or strive to return to.
-Amber G.
Life is hard.
ReplyDeleteAll our actions have consequences, and this will not be the exception. You have done something incorrect, so you will have to deal with the consequences.
Alondra Moreno
She was done, tired of the pretending, tired of perusing the dream of the American Dream, she looked for anything that can remove him from the life that she used him to create. They divorced.
ReplyDeleteMy life has been fun.
ReplyDeleteI have sung with pop stars, been friends with actors, driven cross country, danced in the rain, skinny dipped in the Atlantic, experienced the devastation of heartbreak, and the unbelievable joy of pure love.
This existence has been a whilrwind of emotions.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many adventures I wish I would have ventured in and so many journeys I should have never embarked on.
Do I want to teach?
ReplyDeleteI have taught in the past in various subjects, so why not teach as a profession?
I failed most of my classes.
ReplyDeleteDue to procrastination and poor time management, I struggled to understand more complex class material resulting in failing test scores.
My life is only beginning.
ReplyDeleteI have so many great aspirations, all of which I plan to make a reality during my short time here on Earth.
Selfish.
ReplyDeleteShe never cared about anyone else but herself because she was too busy managing her double life; the married one and the mistress one, one that was with an amazing husband she blamed for eloping at a young age and having five beautiful children and the other with a married man who has a wonderful family, not realizing the damage she was doing to both families.
The room echoed loudly as all of my large family stumbled inside to view the barren room. This house was nice.
ReplyDeleteCarlos Montejo
We moved quite often from apartment to apartment.
ReplyDeleteShe would also slick our hair back in a ponytail and use lime to keep those stubborn baby hairs down.
Kimberly Irineo-Donato
Will you make it?
ReplyDeleteWhat truly defines success? A race to cross an imaginary finish line or the sublime ecstasy felt after the blood in the water? In these terms what is the definition for perfection? Relentless aspiration dig into the heart of those grasping for dying stars. This agonizing uphill journey with so few receiving the gratification necessary to support the climb. What then makes those few stand out; could vilified traits be inherent in order to achieve this success? With these characteristics in mind what truly selects those who will survive the battle? This revelation increases the anxiety until I'm left to wonder, will I be the one to make it?
Life has its ups and downs.
ReplyDeleteThroughout all the hardship thats come along on my career path, got to learn to keep moving forward and not letting things get in the way.
Gasping for air, my lungs are burning feeling as though it is on fire, yet my legs keep pushing off the floor and my arms keep swinging the racket in my hand as the opponent return my shots, but with patience and determination, the tennis ball lands deep in the corner of the court away from her. I just scored the game winning shot.
ReplyDeleteLife is like a road.
ReplyDeleteThe road ahead is filled with rough patches, the occasional bumps, and potholes, but every once in a while, a wonderful place can be found.
I paint an unpleasant picture.
ReplyDeleteThe day I pronounced that I received the letter, my parent’s eyes were brighter than stars on a silent light, hands raised above higher than Mount Everest, like children on Christmas day only to tear open a gift revealing their utmost wish sent from Santa Claus.
-Gelynne Agustin
Shrieks are scarring our throats.
ReplyDeleteSurrounded by the artificial ambiance of the theme park, the Ferris wheel gondolas sway erratically with the sweet summer wind. A chorus of elation and fear fills the air, and knuckles turn pale from tightened iron grips. We are only saccharine sixteen, but if our sands of time deplete tonight, then I’m sure we’d be happy to die at the prime of our lives.
We painted the room with laughter.
ReplyDeleteWe regurgitated all the possible colors into an eight by eleven sheet and poured our hearts and soul into our mother-daughter bonding time.
I work hard everyday.
ReplyDeleteI strive to accomplish daily goals that I have, these daily goals helps shape the person that I am trying to mold myself into.