What's Up Wednesday: Cliché vs. The Band Perry

Dear Readers,

I am back to the Meme-ing thing.  You would think it'd be easy to remember that every Wednesday is What's Up Wednesday by the lovely Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. Well, it is easy to remember, but seriously, my weeks have been so crazy.  Can you believe the end of summer vacay is right around the corner? 



What I'm Reading:  Country lyrics.  That's right.   Country Lyrics.   So, this is what I am basing my whole post around for this week's edition of What's Up Wednesday. 

Every morning I drive about 25 minutes to teach some of the greatest high school students in the world.  Yes, the regular school year ended, but I moved on to teach college courses for soon-to-be seniors who have elected not to take a summer break.  Anyways, every morning I "turn up" to The Highway on XM/Sirius radio, and of course, there will always be some tune about a pickup truck liftgate, a Friday night, and a dirt road under the moon with girl.  Oh, and the kiss that tastes like moonshine. 

How much more cliché can it get?

But, then there is The Band Perry (and many other great country artists!) and song lyrics like "Who would have thought forever could be severed by the sharp knife of a short life."  Guys, I could base a whole English lesson around this--around the slant rhyme, the alliteration, the assonance, the whatever that makes this line lyrical and not unlike a poem.  That lyric is from "If I Die Young," by the way.
Or, what about one of their newer songs? "When you're young you can fly. But we trip on clouds 'cause we get too high."  I know the idea of flying through clouds is nothing new, but the whole idea of "trip on clouds"--well, there is a whole poem waiting to be written there. 


What I'm Writing:  Nothing except this blog post.  Seriously.  Here is excuse number 223--I was unexpectedly recruited to teach the second summer session of the college course.  I found out on the day before it was to begin.  Here is excuse number 365--I got a new job teaching Theatre Arts next year!  I am so excited, so all my thoughts are on course planning, field trip brainstorming, and pinning theatre stuff on Pinterest.  Of course, there is still all the working, the mothering, the wife-ing, and the unfinished writing.  I am in the middle of my life.

What inspires me now: 
 

 

This should actually be the true inspiration of all writers!

What Else I've Been Up To:  Here is the rundown.  I already told you about my new job.  I will be leaving the best high school/college students in the world, but I will be working 10 minutes away from home now in my hometown, and I will be teaching crazy drama type, middle school theatre arts kids.  This means no standardized testing.  This means no core-subject.  This means no more un-graded pile of 6 page papers with documentation. 

Besides this, we took our older children to visit UT-Austin and Texas State University, followed by Sea World.  Our roof is being completely redone and being paid for by our insurance.  Our oldest pet, Skippy, pretended she was pregnant and in full labor.  She is back to normal now, but no puppy was born.  2 days ago I realized the last time I had a baby was 12 years ago.  Today, my two oldest are at band camp and the youngest is at football camp.  Folks, the summer is over.  Which only means my life will continue to be crazy, but it also means the return of "The Walking Dead."  So, yay for that.


Here is the song "Don't Let Me Be Lonely" by The Band Perry. Enjoy!

What's Up Wednesday? Green and Bieber

Dear Readers,

I am back to the Meme-ing thing.  You would think it'd be easy to remember that every Wednesday is What's Up Wednesday by the lovely Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. Well, it is easy to remember, but seriously, my weeks have been so crazy.



What I'm Reading:  With the end of the school year coming and our school being transformed into a literal prison of 100+ restrictions, there is no time to read.  But, I am working on a blog post (hopefully ready for tomorrow) that incorporates some TFIOS quotes. I read this novel about a year ago, so technically, I have been re-reading portions of The Fault in Our Stars to find the right quotes.  If I have to choose one quote that I deem to be one of the best pieces of YA writing, I would definitely have choose "You die in the middle of your life, in the middle of a sentence."  Here I am 40 years old, and guess what folks?  Most of us will not even make it to 100 years of age. So how true is it that life literally ends while we are still living in it?

What I'm Writing:  As I said already, I am working on a blog post for Thursday Trailer tomorrow. And, I never finished my post about plotters and pantsers because I wrote other posts instead.  Here is a brief preview of my opening: 

If The Fault in Our Stars had been out in 1988, it would have been a hit...like totally (typical 80's/90's lingo).   All I remember reading back then was twisted V.C. Andrews and the stuff--the classics--I was forced to read for high school English. Brave New World, anybody?

As for my country star novel, well, I have thought about it a lot.  Yes, I know the number one thing that keeps me from being a published author is not writing continuously.  One day, I will get it together--the working, the mothering, the wife-ing, and the writing.  I am in the middle of my life.

What inspires me "write" now: Teaching high school can be pretty amazing when you have the "write" mix of students.  I have the best high school/ college students in the world.  They have finished all college coursework, they have taken the darn AP exam, and they have done an o.k. job with their Gatsby skits.  So, what is left? 

Well, let's just say we have been listening to a lot of I Heart Radio while they studying or pretending to study for other classes.  So, here is the latest song that I've had on my mind--don't laugh!

Beauty and a Beat

We gonna party like it's 3012 tonight

I wanna show you all the finer things in life

So just forget about the world, we're young tonight

I'm coming for ya, I'm coming for ya

Cause all I need

Is a beauty and a beat

Who can make my life complete

It's all about you,

When the music makes you move

Baby, do it like you do

Not the best lyrics in the world, but they work well in this song that is meant to get you ready for #turnup (to use modern teen lingo.) 

But what I love is just that phrase of "a beauty and a beat." How amazingly creative and fresh!  I think of my MFA poetry workshops, I think of how easy it is not to be cliché, I think about slant rhyme.  I think I feel inspired to write right now!

Here is my 10 minutes of writing work today:

In a beauty and a beat

the world comes to an end.

That swell beyond the sand

that Atlantian explosion

all at once like a beast.  Then the beauty,

then the beat. 

I have to say Wow to myself.  Just so Wow!

What Else I've Been Up To:  Here is the rundown.  Little League Games for Son #2, Son #1 Honor Banquet, Son #1 Two Day Trip for Texas State Solo and Ensembles, Waking Up at 4AM to Retrieve the Son, Grocery Shopping, Dropping Daughter Off at Church Youth Group, Eating Pizza and Choco-Flan (delicious cake with a decadent, rich layer of sweetness) During Forbidden Classroom Parties, Grading Reflective Personal Essays, and Enjoying the Mexican Cartel Version of The Great Gatsby in Class.  All this is like half of everything!

And of course, a lot of country music on my 20 minute ride to work and my 20 minute trip back home.  Beauty and the Beat in between, wishing I could be Beast writer like John Green.

And for your musical enjoyment!  This is so cool!  Like Totally!






Fictionally Yours Siempre,

Minerva

What's Up Wednesday

Dear Readers,

I have joined a Wednesday Meme!  What's up Wednesday!
 



http://www.jaime-morrow.com/
 

WHAT I'M READING:  I am not reading anything of my own personal choice this week, but I can tell you what my students are reading--The Great Gatsby.  Hmmm... If I just turn to a random page this is what I find:

There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams - not through her own fault but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything. He had thrown himself into it with a creative passion.

Chapter 5, Nick speaking about Gatsby.

By the way, I am excited about starting my "Gatsby Twitter" project with my class! Details Soon!

WHAT I'M WRITING:  Well, I have been trying to finalize a blog post regarding the structuring of fiction--a basic "Pantsers" verses "Plotters" entry with examples of the "In-Betweens."  It is taking longer than I thought it would, and I will not have it ready until Friday. I suppose I am more of "Pantser." 

 

Now on to What I Am Trying To Write When I Have Real Time--A YA focused around a rising country singer name Carolina Rose Reyes.  I have chapter one complete!  As for chapter two, I need to get things going and continue on with the running theme of "good girls pick good politics"--since love interest number one is country music royalty and known by many as the "Son of Nashville," and love interest number two is truly involved in political politics.  Hopefully I can share some real progress next week.

WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW:  Obviously, country music.  Especially Miranda Lambert's "Automatic" since at the core of my YA is the idea that music is not about politics, but rather about home.  Here are Miranda's lyrics from the final bridge section and stanza:

Let's put the windows down

Windows with the crank

Come on let's take a picture

The kind you gotta shake

Hey what ever happened to waiting your turn

Doing it all by hand, cause when everything is handed to you

It's only worth as much as the time put in

It all just seems so good the way we had it

Back before everything became automatic

Absolutely lovely writing.  :)

 WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO:  Craziness!  Reasearch Paper Madness!  I teach 6 sections of college writing to high school students, and the semester is rolling fast to a frantic ending.  Kids are freaking out by having to write and submit a 6 to 8 page paper, and they have no concept that one day (when they really leave high school) that 6 pages is peanuts compared to the potential 20 page research paper they may one day write for some professor who expects nothing less than perfection. 


We are talking thesis, claims, warrants, refutaion, body sections, rhetorical strategies, and the dreaded MLA documentation.  Ugh.  Plus, this Saterday I am offering the final Advanced Placement review for the significantly difficult English Language AP exam on Friday, May 9th.  Thank God I simply have to teach and not actually test.  My testing days have been long over.  Yes, my students love me.  I hope.


Fictionally Yours Siempre,

Minerva