The Caption Contest

Just for fun, we'll try writing a caption to match this week's Caption Contest from The New Yorker magazine. Be sure to check the links provided in the article on how to win for more ideas and information on writing the best caption. Have fun! Enter your caption as a comment to this post, but, if you are brave, register at The New Yorker and submit it by Sunday night for a chance to win!

Here are the three winning entries:

	"I am useless until I have my morning turkey." Submitted by Corey Lowney Wappingers Falls, N.Y.
	"I was actually hoping for a boy." Submitted by Antonia Boyette Los Angeles, Calif.
	"I miss the cash bonuses." Submitted by Robert Becker Northford, Conn.

Article: "How to Win The New Yorker Caption Contest"

Online Notebook for November 13-20

Make this week a description of something seen or heard or felt or smelled or tasted that is part of the natural world. See you next Thursday!

In the Beginning: A Dilemma

Take your character from last week's exercise (or use a new character if you wish) and give them a dilemma (a problem). Connect it to the character's ambition or secret. Write about the same number of words, but concentrate on conflict and making a beginning to a story.

In Keith Grey's words: "Decide how you are going to start your story. Can you think of an opening scene that will help you explain the Dilemma to your reader?" Link to podcast if you'd like to view it again.

Discovering a Story through a Character

Fiction writer Ali Smith uses this exercise to help her find a story:

"Think of a person you've noticed, but don't know—a drugstore clerk, a bus driver, a politician, a celebrity. Using the first-person, write a two page scene [200 to 300 words is plenty] that describes a moment in the life that you imagine for that person. What is he/she thinking about? What matters to him/her? What doesn't? How does his/her mind work?"

Also, use the information from Keith Gray's, Episode 2: Characters, to help you make this character as realistic as possible.

Online Notebook for November 6-13

Continue making observations for the notebook. This week, try something different: comment on a TV show you watched, a book you are reading, a newspaper article you liked/disliked. Keep it short. Last week's were fun and interesting. Try to make at least one post here this week.

An Online "Notebook"

As Keith Gray says, "Good writers are good observers." This week, pay attention to your surroundings (see the handout for more ideas) and put your short observations here for all of us to share. You don't need to write anything long or complicated. Just tell us what you saw or read or overheard. Have fun!

Here's a link to Keith Gray's short video on Ideas and Inspiration. You can also find the information sheet here in word format if you missed Thursday's class.

Short Stories at Writeboard.com (for editing)

Here's a place where you can continue to work on the story (and soon, where everyone can make suggestions and changes to it). 

NEW: I've made changes to all the stories (first three to four paragraphs) and inserted comments inside your text (in italics) and a comment at the end as well. We'll look at how to use Writeboard.com in class this week. 

Struggling to Survive by Esther

Perfect Man by Makassia

Making Notes by Snow

A Good Beginning by Hongxin Guo

The Anniversary by Beatrice

Fish Tank Story by Sonya

Unsung Heroes by Marc

NEW: A Woman's Story by Catherine

A Short Story (1000 to 1500 words)

Now's the time to begin work on something BIG! Don't worry if it is not perfect. Follow Snow's advice and get the story started; perhaps start with an interesting character in some difficult situation. Like Catherine said, look to life for ideas.

Try to have something here before next class. I will too!

14 Tips for Writing the Short Short Story (some pretty good advice; scroll down to read)

Anton Chekhov's Short Stories (often very short so are good models to follow)

Short Stories: 10 Tips for Novice Creative Writers

Revised Work in Progress

We've come a long way (and have a long way to go!), but I am sure that you all know more about what makes good writing already. Use this post to give us samples of work you've revised. Take it from anything we've done so far.

After your revision, provide us with some idea of what you changed, and why. Perhaps get rid of those "cursed" topic sentences or add descriptive details or remove the "telling" parts and replace them with showing?

See you on October 30!

Your Backyard Adventures

Write about 200 to 400 words about your backyard or outdoor adventures as a child. Write in the 3rd person (he or she, not I).

Use what you know about good storytelling in your work. Make sure your settings are interesting and, perhaps, try using parts of the 8 point "arc" to tell a better story.

Writing about Lunch in a Public Setting

Write about 200 words about having lunch in a public setting. Begin by establishing the setting (and avoid the dreaded "curse" of the topic sentence). Include some dialogue and try to be humourous if you can. Remember to "name names" by identifying real world objects: think of Connie's "Lock Lock" cup. Mentioning a specific cup is better than just an ordinary cup.

Have fun!

Student Samples of Published Authors' Indirect Characterization

Here's where you can put in short (no more than 100 words, please) examples of favourite indirect characterization by an author you have read. Choose a segment that has pleasing sentence structures, outstanding description etc. Please also give a short (up to 25 words) reason for submitting it to us and identify the author's full name and the full title, also.

The Jealous Character

Put your 75-word indirect character description for "The Jealous Character" here.

The Naive Character

Put your 75-word indirect character descriptions here for "The Naive Character."

Imitating the Great Writers (London or Shields)

Put your own setting example here that imitates the style and structure of the two examples given to you in class today. Try to write as close an imitation as you can. Describe any setting you wish in any way that works! Please complete before next class so we can admire your work . . .

Student Samples of Published Authors' Settings

Here's where you can put in short (no more than 50 words, please) examples of favourite setting writing by an author you have read. Choose a segment that has pleasing sentence structures, outstanding description etc. Please also give a short (up to 25 words) reason for submitting it to us and identify the author's full name and the full title, also.

Welcome Writers!

Here are some words from bestselling author of The Shawshank Redemption, Stephen King, to get us started:

"I'm not asking you to come reverently or unquestioningly; I'm not asking you to be politically correct or cast aside your sense of humor (please God have one). This isn't a popularity contest, it's not the moral Olympics, and it's not church. But it's writing, damn it, not washing the car or putting on eyeliner. If you can take it seriously, we can do business. If you can't or won't, it's time for you to close the book and do something else. Wash the car, maybe."—Stephen King in his book, On Writing.

A Disgusting Setting

Here's your first opportunity to share your writing. Write a short (50 to 100 words maximum) setting that evokes a feeling of disgust. Leave out any characters for now. Also, do not use the word "disgust" or any synonym in your piece. Have fun!

Essays on What I Learned in Writing 12

Post them here for the other students to see if you wish.

Advice to Parents

What advice would you give to parents about disciplining their children? Write a short piece of approximately 300 words. Due before next class on Thursday, May 29th.

Link to Suzanne's piece at Writeboard.

That's Interesting!

Write a short piece for the category "That's Interesting." Choose an interesting person or event in your life to write about. Please do not write about the place you visited and wrote about in last week's travel journal! Also, avoid writing about any cultural event that you wrote about in a previous assignment for this course.

Travel Journal

Write a short article (300 to 500 words) about a place that you have visited as a traveller. As we read in Martin Li’s article, “Remember that most places you write about will already have been written about before. Your challenge is to find something new and original to say.”

Brad's Writeboard Edits

In the interest of saving some time, I have edited a few pieces to get them ready for The Pearson Buzz: The Beneficial Course: Civics Studies 11; Biology 12: Understanding the Human Body; All You Want to Know about Writing 12; Accounting 11: A Practical Choice ; My Teacher Louise

Check them to see what I've changed. Published at The Pearson Buzz: My Teacher Louise; The Beneficial Course: Civics Studies 11; Pyramid of Society.

Introductions to English 11 and 12 Pieces

Write a brief, 75 to 100-word, introduction to the piece. Make us want to read it and make clear why we chose it. Enjoy your time with Renuka and work hard. Thanks! Work on these this week as she would be pleased to see them and help you with your composition. Have them finished for sure by May 17th so I can publish on Victoria Day weekend. Yes, I will share some pictures with you on my return.

Ruth: Victoria's piece, Friendly Canada
Natalia: Catalina's, Halloween Every Day and Josephine's two pieces and Beatrice's, Maybe He Was Right (anyone want to volunteer to help Natalia?; let her know)
Suzanne: Andrew's, Pyramid of Society
Masaru: Teresa's Do I Need to . . .
Hongxin: Mavis's piece, Keeping Speed or Braking
Ben: Aileen's piece, Lack of Respect for Cashiers

Orphans that anyone can volunteer to do:

Renee's piece Always Waiting
Lola's piece Thorn in the Butt

Links to English 11 and 12 Articles

Use the links to read their articles. They have a deadline of Tuesday April 29 at 6:00 p.m. If you can comment on the articles you like the best and explain why before my classes on Wednesday, April 30, the students would appreciate it very much!

NOTE: Natalia's piece, "How I Robbed My Landlords" is published at The Pearson Buzz. Sorry, I didn't post earlier as I note you've done another revision. We can discuss in class tomorrow.

English 11 Rants
English 11 Cultural Differences

English 12 Rants
English 12 Cultural Differences

Top Ten Tips

Put your Top Ten Tips here, please.

Course Descriptions for Editing at Writeboard

Masaru's piece: All You Wanted to Know about "Writing 12"
Natalia's piece: Accounting 11
Suzanne's piece: The Beneficial Course: Civic 11
Ben's piece: Entrepreneurship
Hongxin's piece: DFT 12
Ruth's piece: Biology 12

Edits with Simile Added

Take any one of your previous pieces and see if you can improve it by adding a simile! Don't go overboard, however. A single simile is often enough!

NEW: Published today: Suzanne's piece on L and Masaru's piece on Brad.

Simile Simile Simile

Put your sample similes here. No need to do all ten unless you are as hardworking as a RAV line tunneler trying to get ready for the Olympics!

Teacher Profiles: Edits at Writeboard

For the teacher profiles you worked on this week, make the changes you suggest before next week's class. Be sure to identify yourself when you edit so we can see who made the changes. The password is writing12 for all writeboards. Please also check pieces you didn't have time for in class if you have ideas or edits to share.

NEW: Two articles published at pbuzz.net: An Upside Down World (Masaru) and St Barnabas Church (Natalia)

"My Teacher Louise"
A Young Teacher: Renuka
A Full Grown Prairie Soul Boy: Brad
A Wonderful Teacher: Cheryl
Teachers in PALC (L)

What Makes Us Laugh?

Post your stories and anecdotes here. Short pieces are fine. Suzanne's example about her granddaughter could be done in 100 to 150 words, for example, or expanded to include some other funny things said at other times.

Introducing a Course from a Student's Point of View

Put your drafts here before our next class on March 27. Have a great vacation everyone. There are some writeboards in below posts if you wish to do some editing work on existing pieces.

NOTE: Ben's piece, "How I Saved My Party" has been published at The Pearson Buzz
LINK: Writing a Book Review (sorry Masaru for not posting this earlier!)

Spring? Who Needs It!

Using the list of vocabulary we generated try writing about spring. One condition: write in a negative way about it! For example: "The red-breasted robins outside my window woke me up with their incessant chirping. Maybe I can find some bird poison at Home Depot!" or "The piles of cherry blossoms were slippery and made me fall and hurt my arm." Have fun!

NOTE: Natalia's piece, "An In-Between Time" has been published at The Pearson Buzz.

Teacher Profiles: Post Drafts Here

Link to Writeboard for editing suggestions. Same password as always.
Suzanne's piece on L, "Teachers in PALC"
Hongxin's piece "My Teacher Louise"
NEW: Ben's Piece "A Wonderful Teacher: Cheryl"

New Feature Articles

Please post here anything you are working on for The Pearson Buzz, either a new draft or a new article.

NOTE: Articles from Hongxin, Ruth, and Suzanne are published at The Pearson Buzz.

The Pearson Buzz: First Edition

Hi Everyone,

I have enough nearly completed articles to put together a first edition. If you have done edits for the articles from last week, please go to the Writeboard to do them before next week. Password is writing12. Even if not, please feel free to suggest edits.

Lessons I Have Learned (Masaru)

Between Two Cultures (Hongxin)

What a Day! (Max)

Customs and Traditions (Natalia)

My Experience about Cultural Difference (Ruth)

Introducing the PALC; Introducing The Pearson Buzz

Please put your two introductions together in one comment to this post. Remember to check and make suggestions for the piece of student writing you were given in class today. Bring it with you next week! See you on February 28th.

Articles for The Pearson Buzz

If you wish to contribute a new article (or post one from a previous exercise; for example, your writing on your home town) please post it here before next week's class.

We'll work on revisions to prepare for our first issue in a week or two.

Experiencing Cultural Differences

Tell the story of an event in your life where a strong feeling of a cultural difference came through to you clearly. Write in about 200 to 300 words or so. Use a few short paragraphs. Include some dialogue (he said, she said). Make it possible to see and hear and experience what you did. Use the senses.

Reading "The Pearson Buzz"

Please take time to read the previous classes' writing.

Archive of articles from The Pearson Buzz

After reading, suggest two or three article ideas you would be interested in working on; you might also suggest a "special issue" idea on one theme or focus (e.g. helping immigrants to integrate in their new communities etc.)

Put your suggestions and ideas as a comment to this post. Thanks and see you on Valentine's Day!

Why I Write: Post Essays Here

Put your finished drafts here as a comment to the post. Try to get it done before Chinese New Year! See you all in two weeks.

Here are links to student essays from the 2006-2007 class:

Why I Write (first drafts)

Why I Write (revisions)

Our Home Town Stories

Post your home town story here. Try to have it posted by Tuesday night so we can all have a chance to read and review.

NEW: Brad's home town story at Writeboard. I finally did my homework and made the changes to come up with a second draft.

RAIN RAIN RAIN

Put your positive rainy writing here! Don't forget to make edits to your story of a scar in the post below. See you next week.

Writing Tutorial on Writing about the Rain
View the tutorial to see more vocabulary and a suggestion for a narrative structure for you to follow. Includes a sample of my writing.

The Story of our Scars

Please post a story about a scar you have on your body. Our first class is January 10, so post something before that date. Enjoy your holiday and stay safe. Please edit your story at the Writeboard links I provide to you. The password is writing12

Brad's story: The Scar on My Pinky (at Writeboard.com for editing)
Suzanne's story: Scar on My Index Finger (at Writeboard.com)
Hongxin's story: The Scar: The Remains of the Past (at Writeboard.com)
Kamila's story: A Child and a Motorcycle Mean Trouble (at Writeboard.com)
Zarghoona's story: The Scar of My Hand (at Writeboard.com)

Remember to write every day at least a little to stay in practice.

Revisions for An Important Memory

Please post your revised work here. Remember to make constructive comments to student work before next week's class. Use the "Criterion-Based Questions" as a guide for making good comments. Thanks!

NOTE: I made my comments to the pieces at the post below for Masaru, Hongxin, Emilia and Suzanne.

NEW: 50 Writing Tools
Excellent short explanations to help you improve your writing style. The first 30 or so include a "podcast" so you can listen to an explanation as well. Try applying one or two to your current work on memory.

Writing an Important Memory (Event) in Our Lives

Please post your memory writing here by Tuesday night. Remember to make comments on this writing by Wednesday night.

No set length. Remember to show us rather than tell us!

Character Trait Descriptive Writing Exercise

Following the two examples, "The Thief" and "Paula," write your own examples to demonstrate the two traits: easygoing and selfish.

Maximum word count per example is 75 words. Minimum number of paragraphs is three. Use dialogue at least once. Remember to write using verbs and nouns. Try not to use adjectives or adverbs unless necessary. Use at least one kind of zeugma.

DUE on Tuesday night!

Comments to other students' writing should be done by Wednesday night.

Pet Peeves

Put your writing here for Pet Peeves exercise.

A Simile a Day Keeps the Doctor Away!

Post your simile example here according to the schedule made in today's class.

You are also required to comment on one (or more) other student examples during the week. Does the simile help make the idea understandable? Is it fresh and interesting?

Links to Writeboard for Student "Showing" Examples

Zarghoona's Showing Examples

Hongxin Guo's Showing Example

Suzanne's Showing Example

Emilia's Showing Example

Links to Editing Student Descriptive Essays

Mushroom Necklaces

Cleaning the Well

Neptune Festival

Special Summer Ritual

Post Your Warm Ups

First one: FEAR

Second one: BOREDOM

"Jack" Stories for Editing at "Writeboard"

Here are the stories so far. Please edit one or two before coming to class on the 8th of November. Make a comment to tell us what you've done and why! Also, remember to do your introductions (see post below, "Introducing the Student Essays")

Brad's Story: "Jack"

Suzanne's Story: "Matter of Age and Marriage"

Hongxin's Story: "Jack"

Masaru's Story: "A Halloween Night (Chapter One)"

Short Story: Same Story in Different Voices

Post your story here. Remember that you can submit a part of a story. For example, write the ending or write a scene (a single incident). Anything you do will help you with the story overall.
View Short Stories: 10 Tips for Novice Writers for more information.

The "rules" are as follows.

Name of protagonist: Jack, a charming, ambitious, smart and selfish 26 year old.

Kind of conflict: external conflicts (with social environment, with other people etc.) Jack wants to marry a rich woman.

Why does he she want that? It's the easiest route to success.

What does he or she need to do? To find that woman somehow and seduce (attract; not have sex unless you are really daring!) her.

What are the obstacles (name 3): He comes from a poor family. He doesn't have enough good clothes. No car.

Setting: From a poor eastside Vancouver neighbourhood. (east of Main Street). Near Boundary.

Ending:

Does the protagonist succeed. How? or Why not? In a way he succeeds, but finds that it is not a perfect situation. The ideal woman is 20 years older than he is.

Introducing the Student Essays

For the four essays chosen in today's class, write a short introduction (50 to 75 words) that would help to interest a reader in devoting the time to reading the full essay. You should write at least one, but can write more than one if you wish. Write on your favourite, of course.

A New Way to Collaborate!

I've found a unique and interesting way for us to make edits to student work online. I've put students' writing up to demonstrate today. In order to access editing the document, you'll need the password, writing12.

Assignment: Go in and try an edit on one or two pieces below. Try to be helpful, but don't take too much time. We'll practice more throughout the term.

Here's Masaru's "A Daffodils and a Douglas Fir"

Here's Hongxin's "The Freds"

Here's Emilia's "10 Words"

Max's "10 Favourite Words Paragraph"

Suzanne's "Pursuing Fortune"

Tina's "Business and Happiness"

"Short Story Basics" Worksheet

Put your story outline as a comment to this post. Bring your ideas to class on October 25 to begin working on writing a full length short story.

Your "Favourite Ten Words" Writing Exercise

Please post the results of your writing exercise as a comment to this post. For Masaru (and Lina) here is the final list. There is no word limit. The only rule is to use all the words in your writing and for it to make some kind of sense!

Douglas Fir
Daffodils
Sunset
Pacific Ocean
Chocolate
Smile
15 Million Dollars
Green
Hawaii
Motorcycle

Link to "Learning the Edits" Information on an Editor's Changes

In 2000, I had a piece published in The Globe and Mail on the life of a dear friend whose life was cut short by cancer. The piece was extensively edited before it was published. As a favour, the editor agreed to answer ten questions about her editing decisions. Read about it here.

Vote for Your Favourite 10 Concrete Words

Vote for 10 in a comment to this post. Next week, we'll use some of these words in a piece of writing.

Sunset, Pacific Ocean, Douglas Fir

Turkey, Cook, BBQ Sauce

Daffodils, chocolate, green

The Big Idea, Mont Blanc fountain pen, parchment

Spaghetti, motorcycle, pin-striped suit

U.S Open, Hawaii, Fred

15 million dollars, health, smile

Electricity, clams, soccer

Homework for October 11 Class

First, repost your writing from October 4 with a 20% cut. After your paragraph, explain why you made one of your biggest cuts (be specific about the words you took out). Why is the sentence (or sentences) better now?

Second, take one of the original sentences from another student's writing and suggest a cut. You might even suggest a cut to the revised version if you dare! Don't be afraid to make a suggestion on Brad's piece. I'm pretty wordy in my first drafts.

Setting Assignment for October 4 Class

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the delay! I was feeling a bit "under the weather" due to a head cold this weekend.

Take your character and describe a setting as seen by that person. For example, how does a girl like the one Guo is writing see the world around her? You may write in the third person (he or she . . .) as it is easier.

Give at least two details that appeal to the senses (something we see and something we hear for example). Make the place very specific (one location will help you with your description). The details should reflect the personality of the character (a place he or she would like to go).

Write about 125 to 150 words.

Enjoy the rain, rain, rain . . .

Homework for September 27 (On Character)

Take the character you wrote about in today's class and write from the point of view of that character. In other words, use "I" to describe how the world looks from inside that person.

To make it easier, describe a "moment" in the life of that person (a single incident happening at one specific time, for example). What does he or she think about? What matters to him or her? What doesn't matter? How does his or her mind work?

No set number of words. Put your finished work as a comment to this post. See you next week!

Writing Activity for Thursday September 20 Class

Good evening writers!

As I walked my dog tonight I saw a man driving by. He drove a grey Chevy Malibu and wore a green-striped polo shirt. Oh yes, he also sported a pair of wrap around sunglasses. His front-wheel drive car had a spoiler the trunk.

What kind of guy was he, I wondered. How might his car, his clothing style, his sunglasses (and yes, his black hair worn a bit long, swept back and held in place with some kind of pommade) give us a sense of his character?

For practice, write a character sketch. Keep it under 100 words. Try to show (but without telling) the kind of person someone is through the externals: dress, actions, grooming . . .

Have fun! Type your writing into the "comments" link at the bottom of this message. Remember to log in first.

Welcome New Students

This is your blog. It provides a fun and interesting way for us to meet the Ministry of Education requirement that we "employ a variety of effective processes and strategies, including the use of electronic technology, to generate, gather, and organize information and ideas."

This year's Writing 12 class will participate in an exercise on descriptive writing done by the English 11 and 12 classes and will publish a few of the best student essays at their online newspaper, The Pearson Buzz.

Stacey's Graduation Speech Published at Buzz; Grad Photos

Enjoying the sun? Me, I've got my windows covered and closed!

Stacey's speech is up at The Buzz. Still waiting on L, for his photos of the graduation. I'd like to use Stacey's pic to go with the speech and to, if it's ok, to feature as grad on our PALC.net home page. Would anyone else allow a grad photo to be used?

I took only four pictures, but they're not too bad. Save a copy for yourself from below. If anyone doesn't want photo linked here let me know. Mostly only we visit here I think.

Graduates seated

Masaru getting his marks

The potluck table

The potluck table with Ann and Cheryl close up

The Graduation on June 21st: Our Thoughts

I've started the thread. Anyone else want to comment or give their view of the proceedings?

New Articles Up at The Buzz

Start at home.

Stacey's Graduation Speech

Here's an edit of Stacey's current draft. I think it's pretty well ready to go! For more information: Public Speaking Website

Stuff About Writing 12: Your Answers to My Questions

Much appreciated any comments you feel would help convince students to give Writing 12 a try in the 2007-2008 school year.

Buzz Articles (New Articles Welcome!)

So far: Olivia's Dentist Rant; Helena's Taoist Monk travel journal; Rosaria's recipe for pancakes (due to tomorrow's rainy forecast!); Catherine's Is a Flood Coming?

Buzz Articles Published May 27

Michelle's "Learning from Mice" and Hiromi's "Young Man Who Went the Distance" and Ritsuko's "Active Teacher Helen" and James' "A Philosophy of Romance."

The "Natalia" New Piece Post

Post them here! Thanks Natalia for your suggestion. Suzanne: we're eagerly anticipating your ghost story at the elementary school!

Here's the file of pieces we looked at in class today.

An interesting (fairly long) piece called On Good Writing

Portfolio Pieces for Feedback

Take advantage of the class session by submitting one piece (something you hope to work on) for our evaluation at Thursday's class. Limit of one per person! Anything from anytime this past year . . .

Buzz Articles Published This Week (So Far!)

To assist you in preparing your portfolio: On Editing.

Also pieces by Natalia on summer music festivals, by Ruth on the Hollywood Bowl concerts, by Stacey on dealing with separation, and by Suzanne on the forbidden palace.

Assembling Your Portfolio REVISED May 16

Locate all the writing you've done since September 2007. *By this I imagine that some of it needs a bit of searching to find; perhaps it's on the blog only; perhaps you've not shared it or shown it to anyone before.

Categorize what you find: is it a first draft?; is it worth working on?; is it phony or forced in any way?; has it been published?; is it the best that you can do?; how well do you use our five senses in the writing?(can a reader imagine the setting easily, for example, in more than one sense?) *This is for your sake. I don't expect to see or know about this step at all. You are trying to find your best in order to do the one revision below and to choose the pieces (5-10) you will present to me in your portfolio. It's up to you!

Write detailed comments for one piece that needs work and is worth the effort. Be brutally honest (If it doesn't work, readers won't buy what you are saying. You'll lose them!) Write up your comments in a short essay.

Take your own advice and rewrite the piece. Make it the best you've done all year.

Choose between five and ten pieces from the year. Word process them, using 12 point text size, double spacing and an indent for each paragraph. Title everything clearly and refer to the exercise or technique where you first began to work on the piece.

Be sure to follow correct form; for example, when inserting dialogue make a new paragraph for each new person speaking. And, of course, punctuate the dialogue correctly!

Write another short essay; in it, describe three things you've learned in Writing 12 this term and how they apply to your current and future success in writing.

Submit all the above to me by May 31. I will comment, but will not proofread (correct mistakes!) and will remark on it if your errors are frequent. A professional presentation (clean text, neatly assembled in a folder of some kind) with minor and very few errors will gain higher marks.

For that indefinable quantity called style, it's subjective. I'll do my best. Remember that I will evaluate your whole year as well in my calculations. Good attendance, participation in all its forms, will get its just reward.

Thanks to all of you for making it happen this term.

New Articles Published

So far, Ritsuko's article on Dina , Yang's on going to hell , Larry's My Son Jerry , Catherine's A New Totem Pole and Hiromi's on the passport office.

Class Document for May 10 (Put Revisions and New Articles Here)

Here's the link: May 10 Document. Looking forward to your revisions and additions. I'll publish a number of articles this weekend and will let you know when done. Be alert to any glitches (like the Letcho) and let me know about them! I'll fix them asap.

New Articles Published (Updated MAY 7)

See Pbuzz Home Page for new articles from Joy, Olivia, Tatyana, Catherine, Ritsuko and Stacey.

And Helena, too! She cannot see our blog in China (censored, I think), but has sent on a lovely article titled, "The Backyard of China," on Yunnan Province in China. And it has a nice photo of a man with his dog.

Thanks Hiromi and Stacey for your edits. I made very minor changes to both. See if you can spot them!

Class Document and Happy Birthday to Me!

Thanks very much for the cheesecake, Rosaria. And for the tea! Ritsuko, your cookies are delicious! I had a nice quiet birthday dinner and now plan a sunset walk with my little dog. The chocolates are creamy and filling and . . .

Here's the link to the document we worked on in class Thursday.

Sign Up to Edit (and Inconvenient Truths)

Stacey's edit of Tatyana's piece is a good example of editing for readability and style. This is normal in the editing process: many writers are good fact finders and excellent with a pithy quote but may not be masters of grammar (nor am I, in fact). Editors edit as much or more than was done on the "Submarine" piece.

In that spirit, as Stacey has done, please sign up to edit a piece that we plan to publish . Be sure the piece matters to you in some way. Try not to alter it so much that the original writer's voice is lost.

Here's a story that bears reading: Record High Temperatures in Europe in April at The New York Times. We've been blessed with relatively moderate weather this spring (excepting a few fierce rainstorms) but it is not hard to remember what happened last winter! Here's another, just posted today: The rich world's policy on greenhouse gas now seems clear: millions will die

Have a look around at what's in the news on climate change/global warming and share any other sources you find on the Web (here at this post). Time to practice some persuasive writing (editorial)!

See you all Thursday. BTW, I jumped the gun a bit and published Yi and Hao's pieces. Also Harjit's Hybrid Cars and Suzanne's Yoga pieces. Remember to vote asap and thanks to Ben and Natalia and Hiromi for weighing in . . .

Latest Publications etc. (New articles?)

Posted Stacey's rant on Virginia Tech (and recipe for veggies), Hiromi's piece on Strunk and White, and Rosaria's rant on show offs. Check for my edits.

The domain pbuzz.net is fully functional now. I noticed a dramatic falling off of readership over the week as our content got stale! It's back up now (I'll show you in class). We'll have lots of articles with the contributions of the English 11 and 12s, however. We should publish no more than 2/3s of them to make it clearer the effort required!

Bring your ideas for your future contributions to class or post them here. The poster is ready for printing (will show you in class) and we'll need to work out where to post and who will distribute. As for printing places, I'm happy to receive your suggestions, although I've found one online.

Links to Revised Articles for The Buzz-REVISED

Please check the links below as at least two students posted revisions this evening.

Vote by the student name (there are two Cynthias btw). No need to say why. I assume that Yi's recipe for cheesecake, the piano tuner article, the article on the Hollywood Bowl are publishable. All others are up to you!

Articles by English 12 Students (Revisions)

Articles by English 11 Students (Revisions)

Latest "Buzz" Stats

Pages viewed went from 477 for seven days previous to our last class to 1273 (250% increase) this week. I'm still working on figuring out how to get pbuzz.net to work. I'll let you know.

The "Latest" (+new edits)

I've published Ritsuko's turquoise piece, Hiromi's bank machine debacle and Rick article, Natalia's jazz cafe, Rosaria's bulgogi recipe , Catherine's The Wall and a couple or three rants (on Monday, maybe)! Larry's latest on cats.

Everyone: put your latest edits or new pieces here.

Student Article Links for The Pearson Buzz

Students have a deadline of Tuesday evening to submit their articles. Expect some to start coming in later on the weekend. Use this post to comment on their articles and discuss the potential for publication of their submissions. They have a 200-word maximum word count.

NOTE: Just a clarification. Please post your comments to student articles here rather than at the English students' blogs. Actually, I had no idea you could post to their blog (Stacey did and that was a surprise). I've moved Stacey's comment back here. The class will go over their pieces in detail on Thursday and feedback will be delivered to the English classes on Friday.

Articles from the English 12 students

Articles from the English 11 students

Articles and Edits (and etc.)

Put anything new you're working on or any new edits of pieces not yet published at this post (to avoid confusion). Hope to see another teacher article, for example! I'll look through your offerings, but articles by Natalia and Hiromi (at the bank machine) look nearly ready (I can do the "copy" edit). James's article is ready (just need a teaser) as is Ritsuko's article on hot springs. New content to start a new week. See you next Thursday (and hoping to see you, Stacey, too!)

The Advertising Poster

Thanks Natalia for offering your son's help. Hope he doesn't mind! Ideas for wording on the poster are welcome at this post.

By the way, no problem with funding the purchase of a domain name for pbuzz.net. I'll get it done over the next week or so. In time for our next big advertising push!

RANTS!

Put 'em here!

Buzz is LIVE (Updated April 3)

I sent out the email newsletter today. Also, I made prominent mention of the paper on all of our top pages at PALC.net. I'll let you know later in the week how our readership is going. Is anyone interested in designing a poster/handbill for giving out/displaying at the centre this week?

NEW: I've found that we can get the domain names, pbuzz.net or pearsonbuzz.net in order to make it easier to advertise our site (and easier for someone to type in). Which one do you prefer?

Bravo to all of you! You're published . . .

Updated Pages at The Buzz

I added information to Contact Us, School District 40 information, Resources. Also, put up Catherine's article on Sheryl's visit. Added graphics to Giving Praise and Flying After the Sun articles. Pages without content have a "content coming soon." The Features page duplicates the content on the home page for the moment.

Need a teaser for the article on Sheryl. And more articles if you're late with yours! The Romance article can come anytime! I'll wait until Sunday to send out the email newsletter to give everyone a chance to get their articles up.

Enjoy the sunshine guys . . .

Latest Assignments: Post Them Here

Here's the latest list of story assignments. Stacey can add her idea in the comments section. Harjit promises us his piece soon (saw him after class). When I send out the mass email and link up the Buzz to the PALC web site, I'll let you know in a post. Should happen on the weekend.

Hiromi: Feature on teacher “Rick”
Helena: Travel journal while travelling in China and Tibet.
Ben: Romantic story
Brad: something for the “More on Writing” page
Rosaria: recipe for marinated roast beef
Ritsuko: how to communicate and behave in a Canadian setting at a party; hot springs; turquoise
James: updated Canucks article; +something else
Olivia: a rant (it has to be something that REALLY bothers you)
Larry: more on cats or maybe pigs?
Catherine: Sheryl article; something for romance; cultural differences
Natalia: More on music

Apophasis Anyone? Put Your Rants Here!

Here's the post for your not-so-polite rant about something using the handy Greek technique called apophasis. Here's a web link for apophasis.

Buzz Updates and Tasks for Writers (Updated Mar. 26)

NEW:

1. Copy edited Catherine's "Giving Praise" piece. I think it's ready. Note how I changed paragraphing from original.
2. Copy edited Larry's piece on cats. See if you can spot my changes. I qualified in two spots (see "many" and "often" in the revision).
3. Added and copy edited Rosaria's piece on baked mussels. Note my extensive edit to the first sentence and use of the present perfect tense. By the way, my wife says, "Sounds yummy!"
4. Added and copy edited Suzanne's piece on snooker. Anyone want to write a "teaser" for Suzanne? Oh, and where are all your teasers? It helps me to set up the home page. If anyone wants to volunteer to do one for another student, feel free.
5. Copy edited Hiromi's piece on John Grisham.
6. Added and copy edited Helena's Flying After the Sun

I added content to the home page, About Us, and the Music We Like article from Natalia (so you can see how subheads look on a "real" page). Mock up of the site.

Teasers from Larry, Catherine, Stacey and Natalia are demonstrated on the home page, along with headlines. Articles are in alphabetical order btw. Writers who feel that their article is ready to be at the mockup stage should submit article revisions or say they feel it's ready at the "Articles Ready" post.

NOTE: As "copy" editor, I reserve the right to make corrections to the text. A writer's responsibility is to read the final version carefully and note any edits that were made. We can use some class time to discuss edits and the whys of my decisions.

Everyone who has done an article should write a one or two sentence "teaser" for the home page (max 20 words or so). Each teaser would act to attract a reader to click on to read your full article. Think honey and bees!

Proper Edits?

Hi Brad.

I was wondering, would it be an improper thing to do to re-word some of the student's writing? Could you outline what I can and cannot do. Possibly outline my duties? I could really use your advice. I could live without another misunderstanding. Thanks.

The "Article's Ready" Post

If you feel your article is ready for publication, post it here. Editors have to agree or give some reasons why they want revisions, including specific instructions to the writer. I elect James and Hiromi and Stacey to act as co-editors. Be sure to state your agreement as quickly as possible.

If all agree, I'll post the final version to the Buzz mockup for a look at how it'll appear online. If you have graphics in mind, send them along as an attachment to your email. Photos, too. Once enough articles are posted to the Buzz, we can decide on the "splash" date.

Revisions and Edits for The Buzz

The original post is getting a bit long, so post any final revisions etc. here for a last look. Take a look at Stacey and Hiromi's subheadings and try the same if you haven't already. Remember that for the Web, a paragraph of 50 to 75 words is long enough. Whatever you do, don't be boring as a Web reader tends to decide to move on in seconds!
NEW: Here's another good resource on writing well for the Web.

About Us: The Final Word?

You all have copies of the various "About Us" versions. Using all the contributions so far and whatever other fresh ideas you may have, post a "final" version for us to see. We may need to vote on it!

Sheryl McFarlane: Reactions etc.

Post your comments to Sheryl's visit here. If you'd like to try writing a short news article on her visit, you can also post that here. Natalia has the most notes! If you have any suggestions for Sheryl on her presentation, you might post that, too, as I'm sure she'd appreciate any feedback.

Editor Position: Clarification (March 8)

Remember that the editor assigns stories and makes final decisions on readiness for publication. The final proofreading or copy editing I can do just before the piece goes "live"! I, of course, will appreciate good clean text with little for me to do . . .

Also, it's not really necessary for everyone to do a weekly piece. A big splash will be nice. If we don't have something ready for a features page, then a short piece of text to explain what kinds of articles will appear would be helpful.