Non-Fiction

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Lopate Yourself as a Character

The point of this reading was to understand that in order to write nonfiction we need to turn ourselves into characters. In order to write about my life and the difficulties I must first think of myself as a character more than me writing about myself. To make myself a character I must step outside of myself and create a character that has the same personality, looks, and gone through the same things in life.

10 Significant Events in my Life

Born – January 5 2000
- I was born in the year 2000 on January 5^th. The year I was born was very significant because it began a new century. Since I was born in the year 2000, my age will always coincide with the year it is at that time.
Owen born –October 2 2002
- The year 2002 marked the year my younger sibling, Owen was born. I already had an older sibling, but it was an exciting to be able to have two brothers in my life.
Started school – 2004
- I started pre-K 4 in the year 2004 when I was four years old. This is very significant because it marked the first time I was able to be make friends of my own.
Started going to summer camp – Junne 2011
- When I turned eleven I decided to go to summer camp for two weeks. This is significant because it was the first time I was away from my parents and had a chance to experience new things.
Started competitive cheerleading – August 2013
- Right before I started high school, I decided to join a competitive cheerleading team. This decision lead to many friendships and gave me a passion in my life.
Started high school – August 2013
- When I was in 8^thgrade I started high school. I traveled to a high school far away from my elementary school, so I did not know anyone when I arrived. This change gave me a new start brought me to some of my closest friends.
Started working – August 2017
- Just before my senior year in high school I began to work at a boutique. This job allowed me to understand the responsibility of being an adult and brought me close to many of my coworkers.
Graduated high school – May 2018
- In the year 2018, I graduated from high school. After 4 years of being in the same place it was now time to say goodbye and move on.
Started college – August 2018
- I began college only a year ago in 2018. This was the biggest change I had encountered in my life. This is the time I began to feel like an adult for the first time.
Joined a sorority – August 2018
- Once I began college, I decided to join a sorority. This decision allowed me to be a part of an organization and to find my place in the new life I was leading.

“Swimming Under Water with John”

The memoir “Swimming Underwater with John” immediately presented a story to the audience. This memoir was effective because the writer presented herself as a character that the audience wanted to get to know. She wrote herself as an interesting and different character that kept people intrigued. Even though the story was describing her little brother, through her description we could see what her personality represented.

Memoir about someone I love

When I was a little girl every day after school I would sit by the window and watch as the day passed by me. It felt like I sat there for hours on end waiting for her car to pull up and for her to come in the house. Just the same every day, she would get home at 5 o’clock, no earlier or later. Finally, I heard her walking through the door and I immediately jumped up and gave her a hug. I could see the happiness in her eyes when she sees me, and I knew she was happy to be home. Mom worked endlessly every single day and after she got home, she was able to relax. I made an effort to make things easier on her and I could tell she appreciated everything. My mom was always perfect to me. Every time I saw her, she had the prettiest clothes on with a fully face of makeup. She was always prepared to leave the house and embark on new adventures. I always wanted to grow up to be just like her and now I have realized that I did just that.

“It will look like a sunset”

This memoir involved domestic violence and provided more of a story to tell. This story was very effective because the author used such descriptive language. Since the scenes were so detailed it was easy for the audience to picture the pain she was going through. It is important to use descriptive language in order to keep the audience intrigued.

How could my memoir be more engaging?

After reading my peer reviews I think that I could change the way I introduce my topic. One thing that I could improve specifically is the first sentence in the essay. My first sentence does not pull the audience in enough and could be rewritten to catch the audience’s eye more effectively.

What are some changes that need to be made to my memoir?

After peer review I believe that I could added more details to keep the audience interested. Some points in my essay do not include enough personal details to keep the audience interested in me as a character. In order to make the reader believe I am a character I must added more feeling and depth to my story.

Student Profile

Cullen is a sophomore student at the University of Alabama studying Marine Science and Biology. Cullen has many dreams for the future which include going to medical school one day. School has been an important part of Cullen’s life, but he has many other hobbies. One of his hobbies includes, playing the violin. This talent has allowed him to escape the difficulties of his school worth and let loose for a little while. The challenge of getting into medical school is very difficult but Cullen is persistent enough to achieve his dreams. Cullen’s persistence and strong will come from his father who he views as a role model. Cullen’s father provides him with the strength to continue working toward his dreams. Achieving one’s dreams can sometimes be a letdown, but Cullen has been determined all of his life to be one of the few who accomplish their dreams.

Summer Camp Memoir

It was an early Saturday morning. The sun was still down, and I could barely hear my mom asking me to get out of bed. Slowly I rose, still angry at my mom for waking me up. Today was the day I left to go to summer camp for two weeks. The car was all packed up, and we were ready to go to the airport. As we drove my heart started to beat uncontrollably as I began to realize I had never been away from my parents before. This is the first time I would truly be on my own, away from everything that was comfortable in my life. Finally, we had arrived at the airport, and I knew there was no turning back. I, at only ten years old, was going off on my own for the first time, and the tears came flooding in as I hugged my mom goodbye.

After a few hours of waiting, I boarded the plane and began my journey to Arkansas. I had never been afraid of flying before, but the turbulence seemed much more frightening without my family there to protect me. Once I got off the plane, a camp representative picked me up at the gate, and we made our way to the bus. There were about a dozen counselors there, who were directing us in the right directions. Knowing that adults were around me allowed me to relax a little and breathe a sigh of relief. They gave each of us a sandwich and a water, but I couldn’t bring myself to eat anything at the time because I had lost my appetite. The drive seemed to go on for hours, and my stomach would turn after every bump in the road. After what seemed like forever, we finally arrived at the campus. The giant gates immediately opened, welcoming us into our new home. I could feel my palms begin to sweat as we approached my stop. Slowly, I stepped off the bus and into the large crowd of people yelling my name. I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of voices yelling around me and did not know how to conceal my nervousness. A few minutes later, the cheering lessened, and I noticed a girl running towards me with the biggest smile on her face. My nerves took over my body, and I barely heard anything she was saying to me. Together, we walked for what felt like a mile in the June heat, to a little cabin that sat on a hill. I could hear the other girls laughing inside, and it made my heart race. As we walked into the cabin, all of the eyes in the room turned to look at me instantly. The only thing I wanted to do in that moment was turn around and run back home. However, I ignored my fears and introduced myself to all of the girls in my cabin. Surprisingly everyone was very friendly and, for the first time since I left home, I started to relax.

A couple hours later the whole camp walked to the field house for the event of the night. It was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. There were hundreds of people, games, and snacks scattered throughout the entire building. The night that followed completely changed the way that I viewed everything I thought I knew about summer camp. Later that night, I began to think about how I started the day at home and was now surrounded by an entirely different world. As each day passed, I grew closer to the people around me as we filled our days with zip lining, swimming in the lake, and laughing until our stomachs hurt. Although each day brought a new, and exciting adventure, the nights were what I looked forward to the most. The whole camp would dress up in different costumes that coordinated with the theme of the night. Each event had new games, activities, and music for all of the campers to enjoy. The days seemed to only last a couple hours, and my time at camp was passing by like the blink of an eye. Before I knew it, my last day had arrived.

On my final morning, I packed up all my bags and started to head to the bus with all of my new friends. As we walked, I tried to capture every aspect of the campus to remember it throughout the year. When it was time for me to leave, I could barely see because of all the tears streaming down my face. I hugged each of my friends one last time and said goodbye. As the bus drove away from camp, I looked back and reminisced on all of the memories I had made. After a long and tiring trip, I finally made it back to the airport where my journey began. When I stepped off the plane, I saw my parents waiting for me and realized that I had completely forgotten how much I had missed them while I was away. Even though it was just summer camp, I quickly came to realize how much of an impact it had on my life. Now, ten years later, I can still close my eyes and see the camp and all of its surroundings. I spent seven summers of my life at camp. I was constantly pushing my comfort zone, meeting new friends, and making memories that would last a lifetime. This opportunity gave me the chance to grow into my own personality and understand what kind of person I wished to become in life. Looking back, I never would have imagined the impact that my summer camp time would have on the person I have become today.

How did the memoir go?

After completing and turning in my memoir I found that I got a better understanding on how to be a better writer. I had not been given the chance to write a memoir before, so this assignment allowed me to work on my writing skills in a new way. I feel like I successfully wrote a memoir that captured the story I was telling and the feelings that I was enduring at the time.

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