week 7: journal blog 2

Description:1.      Playwright Claudia Johnson advises her students to identify real concerns by making a “menu” of them.  Pick the big emotions and make a list in your journal:  What makes you angry?  What are you afraid of?  What do you want?  What hurts?  Or consider the crucial turning points of your life.  What really changed you?  Who really changed you?  Those will be the areas to look for stories, whether or not those stories are autobiographical.  Novelist Ron Carlson says, “I always write from my own experiences, whether I’ve had them or not.”

What makes you angry?  When innocent people get hurt... When friends betray you… When those that care about you turn on you… When life gives you lemon and you cant make lemon aid. When people lie to you just so that they can gain your trust. When secrets are revealed that should never had been shared with someone you don’t trust.

What are you afraid of?  Those that I care about might get hurt one day. My best friend will no longer be my friend in the future.  

What hurts? When a family member dies and I was unable to be there for them. When my friend/sister/brothers/parents lie to me about certain things. Knowing that my almost 10 year-old dog does not have many years left in him.

 What do you want?  Unconditional love from my family. Continual faith in God. To be able to have one of my writing published. To be around horses and dogs, for many years. To be able to help people. To serve my Country. And to always know that my family, my friends, and God are there for me.