Farewell 4unit (or E.E.2 rather) (1 Viewer)

[ameh]

to do: get a date

 

[boasboy]

well physician.. i may be joining ur boat soon.. i havent even done half of my MW and it's due in less than a month at my school.. so.. *salutes*

"Closing your eyes, you effortlessly lick it clean as if it never were. You watch as the rest, discoloured and flawed, slowly veins its way through a river of dirt and mixes into a swirl of life and dust.

You have taken a life. You are a murderer.

From dust you came, and to dust you shall return."

YES YOUUU ! my story about dead babies and abortion and taking a male feminists perspective... but it's only 4000 words atm.. and i've lost my direction.. i wonder what i should do..

TO DROP OR NOT TO DROP ?

 

[physician]

well physician.. i may be joining ur boat soon.. i havent even done half of my MW and it's due in less than a month at my school.. so.. *salutes*

"Closing your eyes, you effortlessly lick it clean as if it never were. You watch as the rest, discoloured and flawed, slowly veins its way through a river of dirt and mixes into a swirl of life and dust.

You have taken a life. You are a murderer.

From dust you came, and to dust you shall return."

YES YOUUU ! my story about dead babies and abortion and taking a male feminists perspective... but it's only 4000 words atm.. and i've lost my direction.. i wonder what i should do..

TO DROP OR NOT TO DROP ?

don't join my boat... it's allready fulll...

I had various reasons which influneced my decision to drop.... also keeping in mind that i was on 13 units....

I also wanted to spend the 3-4 hours i was going to allocate to 4 unit during the holidays on my other subjects... which over the entire 2 weeks would make a large chunk of hours which equals way extra study which could aid me in getting the higher marks i'm looking for....

duuuude..... ur story sounds awsome....... I'd love to read that man.. just reading what it was about got me interested.... 4000 lol... that's heaps...

Don't let the pressure get to u... if my marks weren't so low in chemsitry and ext maths.. i would never have dropped ext.2 english...

by the way... pm me if u want any help with any specific part of ur major work.. or more precisley if I can help u with the idea itself....

that's if u need any help.. or just post ur questions up here....

don't give up.... i had 5+ reasons that led to my decision

and remeba the boat is full.. plus if u do decide to join .... i will throw u.. no hang on... I will KICK u overboard... lol jusk kidding... I will throw u... not kick u....

I'm looking forward to reading ur major work allready... keep at it....

 

[kami]

I agree with physician, don't drop EE2 boasboy. 4000 words is still a considerable amount, and your story does sound rather cool and inventive(though thought it was about Pinnochio...how times change and how I got confused *sigh*), if you want inspiration just read glitterfairy's posts in a certain thread(which I cant remember but i think physician does) and you will feel revving to go again, also remember that no one is asking you to imbue your work with the pinnacle of literary perfection, this is the High School Certificate...*high school*, a fact too many people forget. And if it makes you feel any better you are sitting on a higher word count than I am. So don't lose hope, and don't jump ship!

 

[physician]

after spending more than half an hour searching for that wonderful post.. i was unsuccessful in finding it..

i have no idea in which thread it was posted... I have it printed out in my 4 unit folder but i don't think i saved it on my computer...

Let's hope glitterfairy can revive her post....

 

[glitterfairy]

Hello darlings!

Unfortunately I have to dash off to a singing lesson in a few minutes, so I can't stay long, but I will come back later for more pep talking!

EDIT: Is this the post people were looking for?

http://boredofstudies.org/community/showthread.php?t=70578&page=2

-END EDIT-

There are several milestones in every EE2 journey, such as your first full draft and your first full reworking. No-one says they'll be easy (indeed, we all say the opposite!) but it WILL be worth it!

If you are repeatedly butting your head against a brick wall, take the poor baby AWAY from the brick wall (Down boy! Down!) and try the stairs or the yellow brick road instead.

We get so involved, working with our major works, that we can trap ourselves into believing there is only *one* light at the end of *one* tunnel. Wrong! There are many tunnels and many eventual destinations to choose from. They all head in different directions, and where one does not work for you, try another!

I suggest you look for new inspiration, or perhaps try a new twist. Take a break, write at weird hours of the morning. Maybe even stop trying to force something to happen. Some people believe that it is the author that creates a story, others believe it writes itself. Either way, it will happen the way it's supposed to happen. Think of it a bit like an angsty teenager. Knowingly forcing it one way = headaches. Encourage it, built it, reward it, respect it, work with it.

But, we also need to *have* something to work with

Rather than writing out your story *perfectly*, as I imagine many of you are, just get the blank plot out there on canvas. Write just as much as you need to to justify it's existence (eg having characters say certain things to make the plot work, bring in all your ideas - somehow! Yes, even if it's cliched and stupid) and so that it actually WORKS. God, I remember my first full draft. It was almost as if the first half aimlessly headed in one direction, and then the second half was the only one that realised the story had to end with some kind of resolution

Don't expect your first full drafts to be all that good. They really don't need to be - all they need to do, is WORK.

It is so much easier to work off something that already exists. What I found was in my second half of my first draft, I'd haphazardly brought in all the themes, choice quotes and images I wanted, but will nothing in the first half to ease their passage (I call this jackhammering - "Here is my story - this is my second chapter - this is more - herearelotsofimportantthemes - THE END!")

Remember, the creative writing process is just that - a process. I say this to myself a lot (damn, I wish I listened to my own advice more), but 9 time out of 10, you're really not going to like what you write THE FIRST TIME.

But play with it, toy with it, work it into something new.

You've already written 4000 words, which tells me that you believed you had a good concept that had the potential to become a good EE2 major work. A good concept doesn't just "transform" into a good story - it has to change, develop, mature.

Be patient, and be strong. Have faith in yourself! I do.

Where one path fails you, try another. And all the while - know that pretty much every other EE2 student out there is feeling, or has felt what you do, and that everyone here on BOS is here to support you.

 

[velox]

you might aswell finish it off boasboy

 

[kami]

I found "THE POST!" by glitterfairy, enjoy:

*big hugs to all the 05's*

I remember going through all of this... I used to rework my story from top to bottom, and if I didn't like something (normally halfway down the second page) I was utterly screwed... I remember staring at the screen for hours, freaking out and wondering how the heck I was going to make it work. Naturally, I REFUSED to move on until I was satisfied. Unfortunately, that could take weeks...

I usually only wrote when I was under pressure to. My dear EE2 teacher - Mrs D - figured this out fairly early on. That was when the phone calls - to the home phone!!! - started for example: "If you don't have your full draft done by thursday next week, Bad Things Will Happen!"

My problem was in working myself up so much I couldn't write. If I actually started writing, usually everything turned out ok - but sitting there, and going "omg omg omg this is not working!!!! Why isn't it working? Why can't I think of a way to make it work!" - not good. It was because of this my writing was so sporadic - on good days when I just wrote without thinking too much, it was fine. On bad days when I was stressed and freaking out over the smallest of things, I used to just fall to pieces... nothing got done. If you're like me, just write - don't think! Even if your writing takes you into a completely new direction, let it.

Writing now is especially different. Thanks to the HSC, emotions are probably at an all-time-high and it can be very difficult to suddenly have to break out of the system - sure you have to write from your soul, but you ALSO have to be able to distance yourself somewhat to ensure your major work doesn't become an extended diary entry (or, to avoid many random articles in your journal... mysteriously appearing... by the thousands ). There's a beautiful quote from Finding Forrester I wrote in my journal: "The first draft comes from your heart, the second comes from your head". And that's the way it should be. (for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, be ashamed of yourself, and rent it next weekend!)

Sometimes it can feel as if you're constantly butting your head against a brick wall in terms of where your major work is going - typical story, it started out as a good idea but you're running out of things to write about, or, it just doesn't feel right. Sometimes you just need a change of scene to get new inspiration to write - reading a new book, thinking as you walk home - sometimes it all just hits all of a sudden and it's like "wow! Now I know why it's not working! I'm going to take it into a new direction!". So, maybe you just need to tune out and go absorb yourself in something new like a movie (Finding Forrester, Finding Forrester, Finding Forrester!!!!) or book (far out, we really are geeks if our idea of a good time is a good book... *sigh* lol!).

Be wary of being overly picky - remember, your work as a whole is more important than the syntax of the one sentence (although if you are freaking out, talk to goldendawn... he and syntax/all things proper in the literary world are like *this* close). If you need someone to tell you to stop being paranoid, pm me and I'll add you to my msn list and personally send you "STOP BEING PARANOID" messages until it sinks in

And finally: Don't let the stupid HSC system make you cry! I'll beat it up if it does! (let's not talk about how for now - will figure that out later ) EE2 is subjective - always has been, always will be. To a certain extent, they either will or won't like your work - with that knowledge in mind, you don't really have to worry about whether it'll be "good" or not. Just write.

I think what's most important about EE2 is that you walk away having learnt something. Even if you look back later and despise your major work (give me two seconds, and I can rip my own major work into 16 pieces. I can't stand to look at it these days, and the only reason it remains on BOS is as an example of what you should NOT do), if you have learnt from the process, then you have gained something. Most people have never really written something on this scale before - now is the time to learn how your own writing process works, how to deal with the obstacles that come up, how to distance yourself from your work whilst still keeping that strong sense of yourself within it.

So long as you write the best work you think you can do, (oh, here we come with the HSC cliches) you've done all you can. You all have the talent and the passion just to get this far - now take this opportunity and use it! I know you can!

 

[boasboy]

hmm after all this support i think i might just try abit harder and finish it

and to kami.. it is still on pinnochio.. i made up some interpretation of pinocchio being a being/non-being without a mother and i duno i have it written in my journal somewhere i spat it all out in my viva... and yeh

THANKS ! well i was planning to drop either this or physics anyway.. cos i have 13 units.. i guess i'll just work my ass off for the trials and see how i go~!

 

[glitterfairy]

*speculative look*

It would appear physics is dropping like hotcakes...

 

[coreyjk]

english suffers

i must say, i do loathe how each member of this forum believes that he or she (lest i stir the wrath of some wacky femmo-nazi) has attained divine enlightenment through the extension two english course.

'physician' has produced the superlative of banal poetry, "for in his deams he hears her screams" - congratulations, he/she/it is a mediocre rhymer (rather he/she/it has mastered rhymezone.com).

i must question the intention of 'physician's' major work. it surely was not an exploration of hackneyed poetry? surely it was not an investigation into the perversion of language? perhaps its was the crafting of forced rhyme and contrived imagery? i must say, the only "beautiful moments", as expressed in the deranged lament of 'physician', will be the time when the english language is unburdened from the ability (or lack thereof ) of a dull and commonplace year 12 poet.

perhaps, i will earn the enmity of a few forum members. i may have earnt the eternal hostility of the divinely inspired 'physician'. nevertheless, i wish good luck for all my fellow extension two english competitors.

 

[black_man]

i must say, i do loathe how each member of this forum believes that he or she (lest i stir the wrath of some wacky femmo-nazi) has attained divine enlightenment through the extension two english course.

'physician' has produced the superlative of banal poetry, "for in his deams he hears her screams" - congratulations, he/she/it is a mediocre rhymer (rather he/she/it has mastered rhymezone.com).

i must question the intention of 'physician's' major work. it surely was not an exploration of hackneyed poetry? surely it was not an investigation into the pervesion of language? perhaps the crafting of forced rhyme and contrived imagery? i must say, the only "beautiful moments", as expressed in the deranged lament of 'physician', will be the time when the english language is unburdened from the ability (or lack thereof ) of a dull and commonplace year 12 poet.

perhaps, i will earn the enmity of a few forum members. i may have earnt the eternal hostility of the divinely inspired 'physician'. nevertheless, i wish good luck for all extension two english competitors.

would i be able to inquire as to whether you are an ee2 candidate? if this is the case i would feel somewhat saddened that you feel a compulsion to sort of put down a composer or their work in thie course. i myself am not a 'femmo-nazi' if you use the term in a derogatory sense (i'm sorry about my spelling), but i think there is a creative energy in the ee2 course that is perhaps a little bit esoteric due to the fact that it might only be something that is experienced through the sense of creativity and composition of engaging this subject.

I feel i have to strongly disagree with your application of 'dull and commonplace year 12 poet' I myself write poetry. i don't call myself a 'poet' because i think there are implications to the title of 'poet' that i dont feel i deserve, but i feel no poet is 'dull' or 'commonplace', if you feel you can apply the poetic form in a more evocative manner than physician, than please, allow us to assess your work in a similar fashion, i would be very eager to experience works from someone with your perceptions.

I urge you not to generalise those who write poetry as part of the ee2 course. if you still feel the need to, PM (private message) me and i'll explain further about how wonderful and diverse the poetry, short story and all other ee2 composers are, and if you want to express further your disposition of any members of our forum who believe to have achieved greater aestheticism as a result of this course, then i would be very welcoming and eager to discuss that with you aswell

 

[coreyjk]

**EDITED OUT ON REQUEST**

moreover, i most adamantly reject 'black man's' assertion that extension two english is about an esoteric path to englighenment. let us be pragmatic. it is an hsc course that allows students to attain marks for a uai. it is not a great and divine journey. it is a course that contributes to one's uai. that is all.

 

[black_man]

**EDITED OUT ON REQUEST**

moreover, i most adamantly reject 'black man's' assertion that extension two english is about an esoteric path to englighenment. let us be pragmatic. it is an hsc course that allows students to attain marks for a uai. it is not a great and divine journey. it is a course that contributes to one's uai. that is all.

i understand that perception of it, and it is a perfectly valid belief in this course, what makes the subject so diverse and amazing is the combination and embracing of so many different points of view. but i feel utilising this to the extent of belittling someone elses work is not a very kind or harmonious practise.

i never stated achieving any sense of enlightenment from the course at all, and i want to urge you to focus your creative energy upon your own work, rather than degrading others' work or beliefs in this forum.

 

[coreyjk]

i must say, it is rather misleading to assume that i commented on a person's work in order to degrade or belittle. rather, i was merely identifying its weaknesses. surely you would understand the importance of a variety of criticisms? isthis not essential for the perfection of one's work? conclusively, i am not going to undermine my integrity by providing false praise.

 

[black_man]

if you wish to offer criticism, than make it constructive, rather than using sarcastic remarks and words with negative connotation without any real suggestion for improvement. if you feel that is beyond your capabilities then the solution is to not comment at all

 

[kami]

coreyjk, the English Extension 2 course may in fact be a pathway to UAI success however as with all courses, it is designated to be a learning experience for those undergoing it. This is compounded by the fact that at this age most of us have never previously composed something of this size or depth before not to mention this personal. It is in the manipulation of our feelings represented in our work that we understand a small something of what proffesional composers go through and how they achieve what they do. I would think that this is a kind of enlightenment, especially for someone with a passion for literature.
I would also say that I am dissapointed that you would make assumptions about what "every" member of this forum thinks or even why they think it. It also dissapoints me that you joined a community merely to denigrate it for you assumed they held beliefs that opposed your own.

 

[coreyjk]

in response to 'black man'
surely, you will not persist with such futile blather. if you wish to criticise a poet's work through positive euphemisms and equivocations, fine then, do so. in this noble task you will only be undermining the directness and precision of language and meaning. i wish you luck.

 

[black_man]

in response to 'black man'
surely, you will not persist with such futile blather. if you wish to criticise a poet's work through positive euphemisms and equivocations, fine then, do so. in this noble task you will only be undermining the directness and precision of language and meaning. i wish you luck.

futile blather is what my hsc work is all about, but yes...thats beside the point. feelings are a large part of this course, and i urge you to take them into account before providing any 'direct' criticism, without suggestion for improvement

 

[coreyjk]

in response to 'kami'.

i assumed in my first and glorious post that "each member of this forum believes that he or she (lest i stir the wrath of some wacky femmo-nazi) has attained divine enlightenment through the extension two english course". you assert that not every one of this forum holds these beliefs. however, yourself, 'black man', 'physician' and others (too various and insignificant to mention) have all upheld this belief. so, my original observation has thus far been correct.

what is your quarrel?