What Should I Read Next?

This is fun, if that's your question. 

How to Not Work in a Coffee Shop with Your English Degree

Look at this.

creative piece

help me out here fellas (and zana)

The Salutatorian
You always thought you were so much better than me. Like my accomplishments were nothing! Not once did I ever party or go drinking. Not once did I indulge in the carnal pleasures of “thirsty Thursday”-an institution as venerable as the school song Im sure. I spent every waking hour in the library reading and working. The work is my life! But that’s not good enough for you is it?
God forbid you even notice me. Your just content that I remain you little step and fetch. “Could I borrow your pen?” you ask. “Mines out of ink.” Like I can’t see through that. You think Im so stupid that I wouldn’t pick up on a little bit of subtext? How dare you insinuate that you could serve my pen –MY PEN, the pen my father gave me- better than I could. Are you trying to say I shouldn’t even be writing? You infuriate me.
The worst part is when I brought it up that I saw through your little veil. You just sat there blinking at me. Were you surprised, dear girl, that I could understand your little mocking game? I told you to stop looking at me like that but you just kept blinking blinking blinking! Blinking through those thick blue glasses. Your fashion sense is pathetic. It’s like your trying to broadcast to the world that you’re “a smart chick.” Emo glasses, with big boxy lenses, magnifying your radiant eyes, forcing the light into them like a crystal. I saw the light catch on the ear piece highlighting just how bent they are. The glasses are the axis of your universe I’d wager. Everything you are rotates around that single shallow definition. Emo. My eyes were sucked in, following the frame like a dog follows its tail, then I notice…
“Stop blinking at me!”
Then you started to say something. I couldn’t quite hear what it was. Your mouth was horrible; moving madly, it didn’t match up with what you were saying.
“My god you really are that stupid aren’t you?” you hissed at me from across the table.
“Quiet”
“You don’t even understand that all the work you’re doing wont matter. Think about it: a second has no meaning to the day, as a day has no meaning to the year, as the year has no meaning to the century, as the century has no meaning to the era! Your life is nothing.”
You said all that without even moving you mouth or looking up at me. You treat me like a dog. I bet you didn’t think I was smart enough to use the book did you? Smart enough to keep smashing until the dull thud turned soft and wet. Ill never again live in your shadow.

Being Productive Creatively

This is an interesting post on how to produce good creative work, based in part on the contention that most things anyone creates are sub-par.

constituents

ok a constituent is a break in the sentace of words that go together. for example in the sentance "the pimp gave me a turkey sandwich" the constituents are

the pimp (noun phrase)
gave (diatrasitive verb)
me (noun phrase)
a turkey sandwich (noun phrase)

got it? no? wiki it.

anyways, how do you think these are used in the linebreaks in poetry? is it a consious desicion?

Kurt Vonnegut's rules for writing.

from the introduction to "Bagombo Snuff Box", a collection of his earliest short stories.


"Now lend me your ears. Here is Creative Writing 101:

1. Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

2. Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

3. Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.

4. Every sentence must do one of two things--reveal character or advance the action.

5. Start as close to the end as possible.

6. Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them--in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

7. Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

8. Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

The greatest American short story writer of my generation was Flannery O'Conner (1925-1964). She broke practically every one of my rules but the first. Great writers tend to do that."

Job Skeels.

This article from the Chronicle of Higher Ed is aimed at PhDs who are going into the non-academic job market, but it seems to me that a lot of what it says would also be useful to any English (or humanities) major thinking about that age old question, "Who wants to hire an English major?"

need a little help

as some of you know, I'm taking a poetry class to make myself more well rounded as an educator.
as all of you know, poetry makes my heart sad.

these two facts combined have given me writers block.

i need a metaphor and i need to make a 22 line poem out of it.


i read a short story once about an author who pushed a cork screw into his back to help him concentrate.

what do you all do to fight writers block?


~Mark out~

Mockingbirdery

Pirates and Ninjas and Bears. On Fire.

the poet hath poed

Russian Brides
Lord of the Pies
Psuedo officers and English guys
Etcetera Etcetera

Interpolation
Little motivation
Hegemonic revalation
Etcetera Etcetera

Where are dues go
Just a little shifty
A least we have X-box 360
Etcetera Etcetera

Constitution
makes us an institution
To start an English revolution
Etcetera Etcetera

~Mark out~

ok minions, here is the deal:

we have our officers and advisors

advisor: Hoilman
Prez: me
vice: Jared Crabtree
sec: Nick Khoors
treasurer: alexzandra laurence

psuedo officers

Poet: Josh Bauer
Lord of the pies: dan?


~Mark out~

what he said

we need someone to handle/launder our ill gotten gains.

lets nominate some people fo rthe office

im thinking bauer(the freshman) of zana (alexandra lawrence)

feel free to add or vote or what ever

~Mark out~

our constitution (note the terror)

CONSTITUTION OF THE BALL STATE UNIVERSITY ENGLISH THEORY CLUB

ARTICLE I: Name

The name of this organization shall be the Ball State University English Theory Club.

ARTICLE II: Purpose

The purpose of this organization shall be to generate academic discourse on compositional and literary theory.

ARTICLE III: Membership

Membership in the Ball State University English Theory Club shall be limited to Ball State University students, faculty, and staff currently enrolled at the university. Members of the Ball State University English Theory Club shall be eligible to vote at the meetings.

Etcetera… The Ball State University English Theory Club shall not discriminate against any individuals by refusing membership based upon age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, or sexual orientation. All who share a love of theory and literature shall be welcome.


Membership Responsibilities: Dues for the Ball State University English Theory Club shall be approved each year according to a majority vote by the Club membership. Individuals who fail to pay membership dues shall not be permitted to attend meetings until dues are paid to the Treasurer.

Resignation: Members and officers may resign of their own will at any time; however, members shall only be asked to resign if such action is decided by voted and constitutes at least an 80% majority of the collective.

Section 5 visitors – visitors are encouraged to attend meetings of the Ball State University English Theory Club and shall be permitted two (2) “free” meetings before the payment of dues will be requested.

ARTICLE IV: Officers/Advisors

Section 1: Elected officers—
Elected officers of the Ball State University English Theory Club shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. A quorum of half of the membership must be present to conduct elections. Officers shall be elected according to a two-thirds majority vote of members present at the last meeting of each academic year. The term for all officers shall be one academic school year, beginning in the fall. Elected officers must be members of the Ball State University English Theory Club at the time of their election.

Section 2: Officer Duties—
a. President – The President shall be responsible for the overall operation and wellbeing of the Ball State University English Theory Club… the President shall conduct meetings. The President shall make sure all officers are performing their duties. The President shall serve as a liaison between the Ball State University English Theory Club and ball state university. The President shall also meet regularly with the faculty advisor.

b. Vice President – The Vice President shall aide the President with all his/her duties and conduct meetings in the absence of the President. The Vice President shall replace the President in the event that he/she vacates his/her position. The Vice President shall serve as the chairman for all committees of the Ball State University English Theory Club.

c. Secretary – The Secretary shall handle all correspondence for the Ball State University English Theory Club. The Secretary shall maintain up-to-date records of the membership of the club. The Secretary shall prepare the agendas for the meetings. The Secretary shall be responsible for recording and distributing minutes of the Ball State University English Theory Club meetings.

d. Treasurer – The Treasurer shall be responsible for the general supervision of the finances of the Ball State University English Theory Club. The Treasurer shall collect all dues from members of the Ball State University English Theory Club, and issue all receipts. The Treasurer shall keep up-to-date financial records. The Treasurer shall assist in the preparation of the annual budget.

Section 3: Faculty Advisor—
The Faculty Advisor shall inform officers and members on topics, rules, and regulations about the club and like issues that need clarification. The duties of the Faculty Advisor shall include making educational contributions to the Ball State University English Theory Club. The Faculty Advisor is also the liaison to the Office of Student Organizations and Activities.

ARTICLE V: Executive Committee

The four officers shall comprise the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE VI: Meetings

The regular meeting time of the Ball State University English Theory Club shall be twice every month. A quorum of one-third of the club’s membership must be present at all meetings. A minimum of two officers must be present at all meetings.

ARTICLE VII: Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the Ball State University English Theory Club In all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with this constitution.

ARTICLE VIII: Amendments

For meetings in which the organization will amend the constitution, a quorum of three-fourths of the group’s membership must be in attendance in order to conduct a vote. By a two thirds vote of members present, the constitution shall be amended. The proposed amendment must be announced at the meeting preceding the voting meeting. Amendments added to the constitution shall include the date of the addition in parenthesis in the constitution. The constitution shall include the date that it was last revised.





~Mark out~

Used Books

Used book buying advice from LifeHacker.

Crosspostings . . .

Some of you may be interested in the stuff I posted here. (I'm not really sure what this other blog is for yet . . . I'm playing . . . )

Elmore Leonard's Ten Rules for Writing

Featuring humor, good advice, and thoughts on hooptedoodle.

and the heroes, having dispatched, rested

it is done. the constitution has been forged... i must lay my head down

unfortunatley we had to introduce club dues. they will be used
to appropriate pizza and thank you packages for speakers.... NOT an xbox 360 for me and jared... im totally not lieing
~Mark out~

constitution...not fortitude

so, I'm sitting down at 3:00 pm on monday in the atrium's little addition to starbucks to write our constitution. wanna show up? do.

~Mark out~

whachoo be reading?

ok, i know you guys are in fred's 210 class this semester. i was in his class last semester. just so i can be on the same page as you guys, what are you reading? are you still doing the great gatsby? i read some of the previous entries and there was some talk of other pieces (beowulf, sir gawain and the green knight, etc.). i just think it'd be nice to know what you guys may be discussing.

i'm dan, by the way. hopefully, matt and joey will join us.

n00bs

we should be having some newbies come to the blog. a few guys from the srping 210.

enjoy.


~Mark out~

Blogrolling

Mark:

The blogroll is your list of links. Over there yonder at the right.

Tips for Creative Endeavors; Organizational Toys

Via 43 Folders, an article on staying creative even when you have a lot of other things to do.  Relevant for college students.  Even more relevant for those in the workforce.  And the Pig Pog PDA. 

I also think this is incredibly cool, in a very nerdy way, for, like, small project management.  

a poem EVISERATE IT

i just wrote a sonnet for my poetry class.

i post this not because im proud of it(i hate it like an illigitamate child who wants my money) but because i want to hear your thoughts on things like the freedom of working in structure.

go my children! SPEAK

Prayer of an English Major

Please Muse, oh please Muse, come to me and sing.
For dear muse, I know not of what to write!
So come to me and sing inspiring
Songs to free me from my horrible plight.

Lack of confidence becomes writers block.
My diction, my syntax feel off to me.
I meekly check my MLA handbook
For rules on properly making a rhyme.

Then the words surface inside my strained mind.
Words pour out like a spit shine avalanche.
I can feel myself hatching a goldmine.
Ideas are born. I’ll write till my hands ache.

Was it you muse, who wrote my sonnet? No.
Twas my own skills, nothing to you I owe!

~Mark out~

The Valve: Smart Minds, Blogging on Lit and Lit Theory

A theory-centered blog: The Valve. Hey, Mark: you oughta add this one to the blogroll.

Defining Literacy

My freshman are thinking about literacy on their blogs.  Thought you Etc folks might be interested in some of what they had to say.  And maybe in offering your own definitions . . .

You may offer gentle encouragement in the comments sections of their blogs, if you are so moved.  :)  

KC Fry's definition looks at how individualized literacies exist among each of the groups to which we belong, from the biggest to the smallest.  Luke Tinkham makes an important note about what literacy means in each new environment we encounter, and Alexandra Garritano notices the cultural implications of literacy.  Katie Stevens notes how literacy is not stable: it increases in each of us over the course of our lives.  Amber Lovitt works out an idea of literacy as a package deal.  Joe Archer breaks literacy into categories and suggests that it is an adaptive organism.  Emily Modezjewski makes a crucial connection between literacy and manipulation.  Becca Cordray notices the need for simplicity and power in literate communication.  Michelle Concannon notes the kind of literacy present in the language of experts talking to one another.  Alli Grissom notes that literacy takes time and effort.  And Graham Martin points out that literacy is sort of the super size combo meal of everything we know.

Make it Conversational

Hello, everyone. You may have noticed I've posted here a couple of times recently. (You might not have.) I'm hoping to help get you guys going a little bit, maybe turn this thing into the masterpiece of inquisitive conversation and learning I know it could be. Let me suggest the following uses for a blog like this:

• Reviews: of books, films, papers, poems, events, or anything else you noticed and would like to recommend to the world (and specifically to the Etc group).


• Queries: questions you have about ideas, authors, whatever.


• Idea Formation: if you have ideas you're fleshing out, present them to the group and see if they can help you with the thinking process. There's a great example of this kind of collaboration at Chris Anderson's Long Tail blog, where he's working out ideas for a book he's writing. (Anderson edits Wired, a great contemporary magazine, by the way.)


• Research Round Ups: share your research into ideas, topics, authors, whatever. Got a bunch of great links to Ezra Pound sites? Throw 'em up here. Give us an annotated tour.


• Recommendations: even if you don't have time to do a review, you can throw up a quick recommendation of a book, a film, an author, an article. You get the idea.


• Super Cool Links: Got a great site? Link it.


• Commenting! Give back the love, or this won't be fun for anyone. Comment in the comments, comment in new posts. But make sure this thing is conversational.

The other thing you should make sure to do with this blog: be professional. Not only because you're creating a public persona, not only because it would be nice for you to look good should anyone (a cool peer, a current prof, Stan Fish) stop by, not only because professionalism helps you preserve and cultivate professional relationships, but also because professionalism helps make discourse interesting, insightful, accessible, and enjoyable. So keep it high-minded, keep it clean, keep it courteous, keep it polite, keep it interesting, keep it competent. If someone needs to be banned from posting, that conversation should take place offline. Ditto if you've been offended by something, in most cases: keep flame wars and conflict resolutions and insults in general in the face to face real world.

Comments? Conversations?

The Phantom Professor is doing a nice series of posts on writing and style, with some cool exercises and such and so forth. I enjoyed this one on voice. Besides his thinking on voice itself, I appreciated his stuff about how long it takes to learn how to do anything well. 20 years to be an expert, he suggests. And this maybe makes me feel better that sometimes I can't figure out how to finish a paper. But it also makes me feel like some kind of permanent apprentice: "20 years if you're lucky, kiddo. Then maybe we'll give you that gold star for mastery. Or we'll maybe put you out to pasture like a racehorse who never won nuthin."

Banksy

Banksy. Enjoy and discuss. Discuss and enjoy.