On Writing Well

Who is this elusive creature, the reader? The reader is someone with an attention span of about 30 seconds-- a person assailed by many forces competing for attention.

The rest of the paragraph includes all of the distractions that can affect a reader. From electronics to pets the spectrum does not end. I think William Zinsser was spot on when he says that if the writer does not simplify his work the reader will give up. This also made me laugh because sometimes this is so true. Unless I am completely into a book that I cannot put it down I usually take a glance around the room every few pages or so and then eventually find something better to do. Identifying the reader and knowing how to captivate them is a large part of writing and I think Zinsser must be some crazy genius for figuring this out.

Nature

When Mrs. Slockett first assigned this I couldn't imagine why I would have ever had a "moment" in nature. And as I was complaining about this to my friend, it came to me: the breathtaking view of the snow covered canyons, mountains, trees that bordered the blue skies through the window of a gondola taking us up to the top of the mountain in Park City, Utah. I was in awe that I could possibly be in the middle of this beautiful scene, suspended in the air as if I was flying over the endless canyon and the previously towering evergreens. The scenery was so beautiful and then as I skied down the mountain I breathed in the surroundings knowing there are only a few times in life the one connects with nature the way I had. At that moment "nature" didn't mean camping or fury woodland animals, but just knowing that I had witnessed one of the most beautiful sites there are to see.

5 things from the packet

1. Ralph Waldo Emerson believed that America should interpret its culture in new ways, not borrowed from Europe.
2. Transcendentalism according to Kant is "the knowledge or understanding a person gains intuitively, although it lies beyond direct physical experience."
3. Brook Farm is where people who believed in Transcendentalism went.
4. Literature growth and transportation advances were related to each other.
5. Boys that were 7 and 8 provided for the family more than the father because his wages were too low.

http://www.freefoto.com/images/1212/05/1212_05_9---Walden-Pond--Massachusetts_web.jpg

Top 10 Things That Bring Me Joy

10. Halloween
9. going to a baseball game
8. Raw chocolate chip cookie dough
7. people eating my cakes
6. My Birthday
5. having fun with my friends
4. listening to music
3. skiing
2. Going to an amazing concert
1. One Tree Hill