In school vs Out of school writing

First off I just want to say that I feel like I'm going to repeating myself alot throughout this blog, but here it goes.
I write a lot both in school and outside of school. For school I write lots and lots of papers and I take notes every day. When it comes to writing papers for school, I tend to be very serious. I like to brainstorm and get my thoughts in order and then just simply go at it. Sometimes I’ll write some rough drafts out on paper, but recently I’ve just been mostly typing. I type and type until I can’t do it anymore. Writing on the computer allows me access to more tools such as the thesaurus, which I use a lot. If I feel like I’m repeating myself over and over again, I’ll look for alternative words. That way, my readers won’t get bored and my teacher won’t put tons of red marks all over my paper. When I write outside of school, like my poetry for example, I ALWAYS write on notebook paper. Usually I’ll get one or two ideas, jot them down, and then ideas will come at me from every direction. Anything can become inspiration for my personal writing. Also, if I end up saying the same things a lot, I just go with it. Because that’s how I feel. When my writing is just for my eyes, I say whatever I want and don’t have to worry about being formal. Also, I need motivation some times to write papers for school. When I’m writing for myself though, I just do it whenever. Something will usually spark my interest and then I’ll just write forever. When I’m taking notes in school, I see it as something that I simply have to do. I don’t think about it, I just listen and write. I don’t really mind taking notes. It gives me something to do and I know it will be useful later. Papers aren’t always horrible, but I tend to put them off until the last minute because I’d rather do other things. But writing for me is anything but a chore. It’s something I enjoy and I feel better about myself after I get my personal thoughts out.

The boys are back in town

So I just recently bought the new Alice in Chains CD Black Gives Way to Blue. This album is fucking awesome. Even without Layne Staley, the CD blows my mind. The songs are some of the heaviest Alice in Chains has ever come out with. I love that the single “Check My Brain” has a heavy riff and yet it still has the same ‘ol Alice in Chains flavor. They still have great harmonies and a grungy rock ‘n roll feel. “A Looking in View” is probably the heaviest song on the album. The beginning riff just makes you want to thrash and throw down. Also, as a fan of acoustic music, I truly enjoy number four on the album, “Your Decision.” The simple chord progression and clear, beautiful vocals make it one of my favorites on the CD. I’ve even started learning how to play it on guitar. The last song with the title of the album is what I feel an ode to the late Layne Staley. He was a one-of-a-kind vocalist with true talent and an unfortunate end. The song pays tribute to him and gives the message that no matter how much they move on, Alice in Chains will always remember Staley. I mean without him, they may not have even reached the level of fame they have achieved. But this album proves that even with a new singer, they can still be as badass as ever.

case study: writing for other classes vs. writing for english

So far this semester, I’ve only written papers for English and one recently for my Jazz class. For my jazz paper, I had to be a reporter for Time magazine and write about the life of Louis Armstrong. For this paper I simply stated lots of facts about Louis and discussed how he changed the face off jazz. My writing for English is much more personal. I can be myself more and put more of myself into my English papers. When I think about the other papers I will have to write this semester, like the history paper I have coming up, I expect my writing to be very formal. For my history paper I have to pick a historical document and write about how it came to be and what it was for and all that good stuff. I’m not really looking forward to this paper. I think it will be pretty boring and I don’t think I’ll be able to put much of myself into it. It will still be my style, but a very formal version of it. I’ve really enjoyed the personal and creative freedom I’ve had thus far in English 110. Oddly enough, my writing has been less formal than the stuff I did in high school. And I’m really digging that aspect of English. When I’m writing papers for English, I am able to brainstorm and put my own original thoughts into it. Whereas for jazz and history, I mainly just take notes and turn them into my own words. Of course I can put my own perspective into those papers, but English papers are sort of special in a way. When I have a good topic that I’m passionate about, I can pour myself into the paper. But if I’m not into what I’m writing, it isn’t as good.