Rozie Khashmanian

SHOWCASE WRITING PIECES.

 

FIRST BLOG POST|FIRST REFLECTION

Who really knows what “good writing” looks like? Your definition could be on the opposite scale to my definition, and both of us could be wrong. Or we could both be right. I’d like to think we are both right because all writing is good writing. It’s all simply different types of writing.

 

All writing is good because the words on the page came from that person’s mind, so who am I to judge someone’s thoughts and ideas if they are not mine to judge? Good writing makes a person think because it sparks emotion and interest. It makes the reader feel something inside them churn because it touches them in a special way.

 

Writers can become better writers by finding a topic they are passionate about and then taking that passion and creating a written piece from it. There is no secret formula; this is not math. It’s writing and it’s yours. So write how you want to write.

 

My example of “good writing” is a bit of a spoiler so if you want to read the book, I advise you not to read the following passage. And allow me to apologize for using a spoiler. I always strongly disliked those who “accidentally” reveal the ending of a movie and or book. That’s why I’m giving you a fair warning.

 

This is a passage from John Green’s book, Looking for Alaska. I won’t recap what the book is about because I think it will be interesting for you to read it without knowing anything about the book (that is, if you have not read it) and to see if it has the same affect on you as it did on me. So, here it is…

 

“Although no one will ever accuse me of being much of a science student, one thing I learned from science classes is that energy is never created and never destroyed. And if Alaska took her own life, that is the hope I wish I could have given her. Forgetting her mother, failing her mother and her friends and herself—those are awful things, but she did not need to fold into herself and self-destruct. Those awful things are survivable, because we are as indestructible as we believe ourselves to be. When adults say, "Teenagers think they are invincible" with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don't know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail.”

 

When I read this part of the book, I laughed when he described the adult smile because here is this adult, making fun of other adults. But if you read some of Green’s answers to fan questions, you’ll realize that his humor and sarcasm do not make him like regular adults.

 

Reading this passage, I felt like I was being pulled closer to the page so I could carefully grasp each word. Every word got more intense and real and it was like this calming suspense that continued to build.

 

I couldn’t help but feel this way and for a while I wasn’t sure why. All I knew was that I couldn’t stop reading this one passage. I think part of it is the words itself and the other part is the way in which it is written. I could picture an arrogant adult, mouthing the words “Teenagers think they are invincible” with the same smile that Green describes and that made the piece so incredible.

 

It also has to do with how true the whole statement sounds. Kids have this exact idea inside their heads, but are never able to form it into real words. He has scientific facts in there, so no one can argue with that, but it’s the way he uses that information and how he relates it to thoughts kids have all the time that makes the passage so touching.

 

“We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken,” is the line in the whole passage that stands out to me the most due to its strength. That sentence alone made my eyes go wide because it gives such hope and thought to the reader. That was where the real power struck.

 

 

MY PERSONAL CREDO|SECOND REFLECTION

I believe in making corny jokes because they are the best kind of jokes to tell.

 

I think it’s important to look for the best in people. Always. Yet we live in this world where judging people negatively seems like a talent.

 

I believe in caring for others to the best of your ability.

 

I truly believe family is the most important thing in life.

 

I believe in smiling when you are upset because it shows just how strong you can be. Yet sometimes the hardest thing to do is crack a smile.

 

I think everyone should have at least one good friend.

 

I think you should hug someone when the words are jumbled up in your mouth.

 

I don’t believe in driving down the highway any other way than with your window down and the music blasting. You should make the best out of a long drive.

 

I believe in eating two kinds of cereal within one bowl.

 

I believe in smiling at strangers.

 

I believe in laughing whenever you get a chance and laughing at everything, anything, and nothing. You should find a reason to laugh every single day of your life.

 

I believe that writing down your thoughts and feelings are vital for your sanity.

 

I believe in being a kid at heart, but only in appropriate situations.

 

I believe in reading books like you are part of the story and have known the characters your whole life. It allows you to enter a separate world so everything is real.

 

I genuinely believe in loving with every part of your being for as long as you live.

 

I believe in trying to be the light when darkness takes over. I believe in hearing music when there isn’t any playing. It does not make you crazy, although that’s what people assume. It means the music is part of you.

 

I believe that’s life.

 

 

THIS I BELIEVE|THIRD REFLECTION

I believe in flipping through pages rather than swiping a finger across a lit screen.

 

I believe in the use of bookmarks. When I was little, my Harry Potter bookmark was my favorite one to use and now I have another favorite that has a Henry David Thoreau quote on it. I think bargain bookstores are fascinating because you can find all of the classics for $3.35. I like the feeling of thumbing through pages and holding a book in both of my hands. I think the weight or size of a book is indifferent—it’s the words inside that define the book. I feel happiness when looking at one of my books and being able to tell that I have read it countless of times because of the intense creases in the middle of the book and how worn out the pages look.

 

When on a flight to another part of this world, I look at the business men and women with their electronic books and at first I get confused and a bit irritated as to why they cannot just read a real book. Then I realize that maybe they love reading so much that they can read up to five books on one long flight and simply do not have enough space to carry them all. But this younger generation is so reliant on electronics that they cannot even read anything that is not on some sort of device or bought from the Internet, regardless of where they are going or not going.

 

I can’t help but love smelling a book that has not been opened for a long time. That old, musty aroma is like smelling flowers to me. The smell of brand new books is equally pleasant. You see, flowers and books are quite alike. They both have a distinct smell and when they are opened, they show their true beauty: flowers with their exquisite colors and books with their words across each page. But that same affect cannot exactly happen with a book behind a glass frame because rather than leafing through all of the pages, you are moving your pointer finger through them.

 

I like the act of watching my collection of books grow each time I place a new one on my dark chocolate painted bookshelf. I remember having a petite, cream-colored bookshelf in my room when I was little that only had three shelves built in. I would have to pile books on top of it, next to it, and all around it until it began becoming unstable and my parents realized I needed a bigger one. Now, I have one with six shelves and I realize that it’s still not enough. Reading on a device, you do not get the same excitement of seeing piles of books grow around you. You have these “libraries” that are just files of books categorized by genre or whatever you categorize your books by.

 

I believe in reading the “old fashioned” way. I believe in reading actual books that you buy at a bookstore or check out at a library. But regardless of how you read, I believe in reading.