Writers Notebook--St. Patrick's Day!!

In my opinion, I consider St. Patrick's Day to be one of those various holidays that kind of gets stomped on by all of those other, "more interesting" holidays. Those holidays like, Christmas, New Years, or even your birthday! However, I kind of enjoy St. Patrick's Day.

I think St. Patrick's Day is a just a fun holiday where people can dress up, be somewhat spirited, and pinch each other. And what could be more fun than that? For example, today I have pinched a total of 6 people and me and my best are wearing pretty awesome green hats. I am quite enjoying myself!

So, before you completely consider "St. Patty's Day" to be just another boring holiday, try to just play along with the fun and maybe you will enjoy it!

Writers Notebook--Persuasion

Persuasion. This is a word and a technique that I, myself, have become quite familiar with. I normally only utilize this technique when I want to get something I want, or if I am trying to help a friend. However, I do use this technique more often then I probably should.

I wouldn't say that I am a professional at the art of persuasion, but I do my fair share of using it to my advantage. Normally, I use the tactic of persuasion that makes people feel sorry for me (Pathos). This type of persuasion can be used when I want to get another cookie at dinner, or when I want to be able to wait another hour before starting my homework.

Persuasion is being used all around us! On television, in magazines, and even on the Internet. No wonder children are beginning to use it more often!

Call of the Wild

"These men wanted dogs, and the dogs they wanted were heavy dogs, with strong muscles by which to toil, and furry coats to protect them from the frost." The novel, Call of the Wild by Jack London truly impressed me with its attention-grabbing plot and unique and colorful characters.

Call of the Wild is an action packed story about the difficult and unsuspecting life of sled dog. The main character, Buck, is tossed around from family to family after being taken from his original home. He has to be broken and raised as a true, cold-blooded sled dog. Throughout the story he learns how to be something he isn't used to. He takes a stand against the top dog, and he even leads the whole team to safety. However, everything goes horribly wrong when they have to make a 5000 mile trip. Can Buck and his team survive?

Each of the characters in this novel have a unique and wild personality. One of my favorite characters is the lead role, Buck. He is snatched up from his home and taken to live in all kinds of new places. However, Buck gains insight and strength and becomes "one tough dog". Another character that really stood out was Solek. He was nice, and always did everything that was asked of him. Though, when he lived in a world that was full of anger and hate, he had to learn the hard way that "all is far in love and war".

I do recommend Call of the Wild to any type of reader. Jack London does an excellent job of portraying the harsh life of a true sled dog.

Writers Notebook--Determination

Sometimes, I think that the people that are competitors in the Olympics are just crazy. They work 18 hours a day attempting to defeat the impossible, and then they go all over the world challenging OTHER people to do what they do. However, this type of commitment is worth a lot. Not many people understand that this type of opportunity doesn't come along all the time, and that this is a great honor.

There are very few activities that I would make this type of extreme commitment for. And sure, I play soccer and I practice 5 days a week running around after a ball just so I can kick it. But some commitments are much less intense than others. But, if the thing that was being committed to was important enough, I would definitely make that kind of commitment.

Writers Notebook--What is a Winner?

Being a winner means that you have success in something that you have worked hard for. A winner is also someone that feels that they have tried hard and really completed a task.

However, being a winner doesn't always mean that you receive a tangible reward. Sometimes a winner receives just the honor of doing something helpful and worth-while. An example of this type of winner could be someone that helped another person on their homework. The person may not receive an award in return, but they did have success in helping someone.

I am most proud of winning the Lakewood Soccer Tournament. My team was very far behind but we came back and won it all!

The Lovely Bones

"My name was Salmon, like the fish, first name Susie. I was 14 when I was murdered on December 6, 1973. It was still back when people believed things like this didn't happen." This is the first few lines from the book, The Lovely Bones. It's a little disheartening isn't it? The Lovely Bones tore at my heart strings, but it also had a truly unique and interesting writing style. The plot also drew me into the difficult, but excellent read.

Alice Sebolds' writing style took me by surprise. She had such a way with words that even though the book had a tough plot, her writing made it a really interesting read. Her writing style involved showing the tough side of Susie's murder, the heart ached family, the deranged murderer, and even the hopelessness of the entire situation. However, Alice also showed the happier side, which included the closure that was realized at the end of the book.

The beginning of the book starts out with Susie narrating the base of the story. She tells of her murder, and who murdered her, and how it happened. The rest of plot thickens when her family begins to investigate and they finally start to see the true side of their strange neighbor. I found the plot to be extremely interesting with the author's view of what heaven really is. It gave me a whole new perspective on that outlook.

Though The Lovely Bones was tough and slightly disturbing at times, I would definitely recommend it to any type of reader.