Block 3 Author Study

Friday, February 27, 2015

Ashley R Author Study on Jodi Picoult

I selected Jodi Picoult because I feel that I can relate to some of the things that she writes about. She makes me feel like I am living in what that I am reading, that I am a witness to what is going on in the story. It takes a lot for me to be really into a book, to want to keep reading. Even just reading the first page of a Jodi Picoult book instantly gets me hooked. I would love to meet Jodi Picoult one day, it would be an honor because she is the first author that I really made a connection with.

I would like to know how Jodi Picoult comes up with the topic of her storys. I wonder if she has been through the experiences that she writes about or if people have told her experiences and she writes about them or even if she just thinks different things up. Either way she does and amazing job of creating a really solid story. The storys that Jodi Picoult writes about seem like they are things that have happened in her life or someone else so I would really like to find out if my assumption is right or wrong.

Tim M's Author Study - Tim O'Brien

I first heard of Tim O'Brien when some of my friends were required to read his novel The Things They Carried for an honors English class their Junior year. I remember the two of them came in homeroom fake-crying, but in a sympathetic way, about a guy shooting a water buffalo multiple times. The buffalo didn't give up. This sounded interesting to me. The book takes place in the Vietnam War. I have always been interested in wars. Both of my grandfathers had fought in wars; The Vietnam War is the only war that no relatives of mine have participated in (that I know of). Mrs. Byma specifically told me that Tim O'Brien is one of the most well known authors that writes about the Vietnam War, so I decided to pick him for my author study.

I'm interested in knowing about a lot of things that go on in Tim's lifestyle, especially after all the horror he and many other men (and women) went through. The Things They Carried talks about his life too. He constantly talks about how it is easy to make a fake war story seem true. Tim often lies in his books, changes the names of characters, and often switches events that happened to a specific person so that they happen to another. It really gave me a new view on war as a whole. There are common stories where people have P.T.S.D. from the horrors of watching people die. The Things They Carried goes more in depth. It talked about how the jungle almost consumed their souls, and that in a way they remained in the bush. He really put a superstitious taste in that novel, which really intrigued me. I just started another one of his novels Going After Cacciato, and I can't wait to crack down on the story that awaits.

Hello!

You have successfully found the spot where we will post our reflections for the Author Study. When occasion warrants it, you will respond to specific prompts about your author and/or his writing as required by the teacher. At other times you will share any of your own current insights regarding your author and his books. Here is some additional information to help you get started:

1. Follow Mrs. Byma's instructions regarding being invited to be an author on our blog .

2. Once you've accepted the e-mail invitation to be an author on our blog, click on "New Post" to set up your own personal section of the blog.

3. Title your post with a title that includes your first name, last initial, and the words "Author Study" as well as the first and last name of the author you have chosen to focus upon for the assignment. For example, you might title your post "Joe B's Author Study on Charles Dickens." Then proceed by typing a clear concise discussion of your topic in a manner that expresses your ideas and also invites your peers to comment on your thoughts.

4. Always return to your initial post to add new Author Study reflections to the blog on future occasions. Click on the "comment" button at the bottom of your first post to open a text box for your new ideas. Doing so will allow you to keep all of your Author Study ideas together in a streaming commentary.

5. If Mrs. Byma tells you to write in response to a specific prompt she provides for you on a given day, be sure to thoroughly address the required content before moving on to other insights about your author and/or his writing.

6. Feel free to respond to peer comments on your post at any time by simply clicking on the "comment" button and typing.

7. In order to earn the 20 points available for each assigned reflection, be sure to write at least two focused paragraphs that fully address the prompt (if one is provided) or that provide an in-depth discussion of your latest insights regarding your author and/or his writing instead. In addition, reflections must contain minimal errors in grammar and mechanics. Please proofread before you publish!