My Love/Hate Relationship with Writing

Hello,

As you may assume I kind of like writing. I feel it is an excellent way to organize thoughts, communicate, and tell stories. The fact is that while I like writing it doesn't always like me, and my main problem is always getting started. That is why I write this in letter for because all you need to start is to say hello and then introduce the topic.

Seeing as I am in college it is easy to assume that I do a lot of writing. I would have to say that because of my major and thus the classes I take I actually do very little writing. The only classes that I have to write for are Women's Studies and Intro to Theatre. There is also one major flaw with my style/voice of writing, some people love it and some people hate it. My English teacher in high school hated it, my friends loved it, my history teachers loved it, my french teacher hated me.



Here is a classic example.



My two most recent writings were for the above mentioned classes. I had to write a review of a play and some in class essays on how media can induce more violence against women. I really tried on my in class essays. I put my thoughts supported by some reasonable facts. I had at least okay intros and very strong closing statements. I chose the questions that I would be able to write the most about and I didn't hesitate to say what I thought. They were well organized thought out essays. I haven't gotten them back but I doubt if I get higher than a B-. The teacher for that class hates my style of writing. She hates how I construct sentences and paragraphs. I think in general she hates the voice that comes across in my papers. I will keep doing my best and hope that I get the grade I want.



On the other hand my Intro to Theatre teacher asked us to see a play and then write a review. Well I love plays so I went. I hate starting to write so I put off writing the review until the night before it was due. This happened to be a week later. I sat down and typed up the two pages in less than half an hour. I was tired so I didn't spell or grammar check it. I just printed it out and handed it in. When I got it back I got a 29/30 because of two spelling mistakes. The teacher wrote that my writing was superb and that she looked forward to reading more of my reviews.

So I have no idea what to think about my writing. I suck at spelling and hate starting to write but once I start writing I hate to stop. None of this goes along with my major, seeing as I want to be a doctor. So far in the Pre-med field there is very little writing. So what is a girl to do?

On an unrelated note I just got 5 tee shirts for $8. I love being me, at least sometimes.

Here is the "superb" paper:

If the actors of UMD’s “A Flea in Her Ear” were looking to make the audience laugh, then they have surely succeeded. This French bedroom farce of Georges Feydeaus was brought to life on the UMD thrust stage these past weeks, but this time with a twist. The director decided, and aptly so, that instead of setting the play in its original 1700’s this play would be set in the mid 1920’s.

The actors’ body language and movement, while in high speed, where in perfect harmony with the setting and the play. The speech was supposed to be in stage standard, and most actors executed this with little difficulty. The fast past speech and movement combined with the volume at certain parts of the play sometimes led to all words being lost, and no coherent sentences being formed. This was one of the few things that could jolt one from being enraptured in this enchanting play and pulled back to reality. The characterization was for the most part spot on. The speech and body language all compiled together to make you believe that the actors were in fact the character. The main characters did a wonderful job, but it was the supporting cast that made the show truly complete. The added touch of having the stage crew dressed as servants may have been the added touch that keep the whole show flowing even through scene changes.

The scenery was excellent. From the main house to the Pretty Pussy Inn they were nearly flawless down to the last detail. The simplicity of the house with the opening top window for the maid added just another opportunity to laugh. This simple format with only a few chairs, a desk and a bar, made the entire focus of the audience stay on the words and the movements, as it should be for such a fast paced and linguistically hysterical play. The Pretty Pussy Inn was far more complex, as it should be because this is where the plot really thickens and all characters get themselves tangled up in one monster of a mess that lends only to laughter at the situational and dramatic irony. The lighting only lended to the richness of the sets and the music matched seamlessly to each scene or situation. All in all if the actors weren’t there the stages themselves and the music accompanying them were masterful enough to still attend.

The costumes on the other had done little to impress me. The men were dressed well enough to not lend to too much criticism. In the end how wrong can you go putting the men in suits and ties? The women, however, had vastly unflattering dresses that did nothing to enhance the scenes or even the overall theme. While the actor’s hair and makeup were in order, it was really the costumes that at times seemed rather cartoonish, or even childish. I fear that except for the men in suits the rest simply looked as if they were children playing dress up. This isn’t to say that the costumes didn’t fit, because each one seemed to have been tailor made to the character. It is just that the costumes were at times too comical or disjointed with the setting to allow the suspension of disbelief to continue.

In the end it is a play worth seeing for anyone who desires a good belly laugh. Not a soul in the performance I attended didn’t laugh at least once. I can never walk away from a play that made me laugh with any large amount of malice towards it. The actors did a great job, except for the occasional yelled line that lost all comprehensive value. The scenes were worth the price of admission alone. The attention to detail, with the exception of the costumes, is in the spectrum of great to grand. When the play ended the only flea left in my ear was whispering about the costumes.

Ta Ta!