Kat Foster:
1. Bloom warns writers to be wary because (as he states in the second paragraph of Chapter 8), "In their attempts to engage readers immediately and impress them with the intelligence of the piece - as well as the skills of the person who set down those words - beginning writers tend to create the most inappropriate and off-putting prologues." Even Annie Dillard (she's in the first paragraph of Ch. 8) says that she never pays much attention to the first page of her students' themes.
2. I have found that I tend to go back and re-do the beginning after I have written the piece, but I am one of those writers who must write in order - something I wish I could change. I often spend hours when I have a paper due simply because I can't think of a creative way to start it. This results in a not-so-great intro to whatever it is I'm writing and I get very frustrated because things don't come to me easily.
3. I did find Elaine's story powerful because of how she wrote it. I liked how she wrote the middle first and then answered the question "Why are you writing this?" in order to find her beginning and end. I liked how she was honest but how she didn't want people's sympathy--she just wanted to tell her story, perhaps to make herself feel better. She sounds like a very strong woman, because it would take a very strong woman to deal with that kind of pain. The process' structure was the way many people reccomend that writing be done - the middle, THEN the beginning and end.
4. One lesson I learned is to not TRY to be funny, but just to write as myself. I also learned that misfortune can be funny but it is not that one thing that makes the story funny - many other things go into that. I learned that if you can make people laugh, you can say anything. One last thing I learned is: "get to the joke, then top it."

5. Some pros of specialty writing are: getting to write about what you love and if you love magazine writing, they mostly focus on specialties which would give the opportunity to write about what they love how they love to write. Also, if you write about something you don't really know anything about, you get to learn about that topic. The book also stated that good reporters become editors. Plus, you can inform people about topics they might know nothing about. Specialty writing may be helpful, however. A con of specialty writing, especially reviews, is running the risk of offending people. Another is not necessarily being able to write about things you like...information and your topic may be boring!

JATHAN FINK: “…In writing, the beginning isn’t always the beginning. Don’t get so hung up early in the process. Just keep writing. The right beginning will often arrive at the end.” (Bloom, 133)

Whether you are writing a novel or a piece of narrative nonfiction, the beginning of any piece of literature should strive to captivate the reader’s attention. This is the golden rule that has been taught to readers everywhere. Some call it the ‘hook’ of the story.

However, Bloom argues that while many authors and their editors devote too much time and attention to this part of writing, it is not what makes the best part of the story. The meat of any story is in its substance, in the heart of the work, and this is where he suggests that writers begin.

I think one of the reasons he feels this way is because any time someone sits down to devote any amount of time to reading, they want to feel like their time was well spent. The author’s passion for the material needs to surface, to sparkle on the page like a diamond on a piece of black velvet. If that passion isn’t there, the reader will lose interest. But Bloom makes me think that the reader doesn’t want to see the blinding reflection of light right on the first page. Rather, it would be better if there were a softer glimmer, still interesting, but which does not reveal too much too soon.

Because I am working towards becoming a novelist as well as a journalist, I have sat in numerous writing classes and workshops, listening to professors drone on about captivating an audience. While all would agree with Bloom, that it would be best if there were substance behind the constructs of the façade; others tend to focus on the necessity of that initial hook.

JATHAN FINK: As a writer, such criticism has been the bane of my existence. My work, I’ve been told, tends to be compelling because I weave a good story. Once I am off and running, the words nearly seem to type themselves into my word processor. However, starting is another thing altogether. This is where writers block comes from, or at least in my case.

On countless occasions, I have sat before a blank screen, procrastinating because I did not know where to begin. I knew the story that I wanted to tell, but I’d be damned if I knew how to actually start. I type a sentence. I delete a sentence. I type it again. Over and over I do this. I listen to music. I get up and dance. I do anything but tell the story.

But then, there are times when I have said ‘to hell with it’ and just started writing. Screw a good beginning. I just need to write. And that is where my best stories have come from. And I think this is Bloom’s point. If you know where you want to go, sometimes you just have to start the process of storytelling on blind faith. Walk the tightrope and hope that there is a net below you. If you don’t press on, you’ll fail completely. Bloom makes me think that it is better to get from one side to the other, even if your work is a bit shaky, than not to move at all. That is what the revision process is for. There, you can work out the kinks, refine your story, hone your craft. And there you can find out exactly how to begin and link your beginning to the end.

So as the man said, just keep writing. Take the first step. With luck, and with a lot of hard work, the good things like a strong beginning and ending will come in time.

Bloom says that when writers "try to impress readers with the intelligence of the piece", to "commit an act of literature", that readers and editors can see through this, and the writer's lack of experience becomes evident. I was surprised and comforted to finally read a book about writing that advises against putting too much importance on the beginning of a piece of writing. Most books I've read stress the fact that you only have so many seconds before the editor flings your paper toward the trash can, so you had better take advantage of those precious moments. While he didn't minimize the importance of the beginning, he did encourage readers to just keep writing, that it would eventually emerge.

More often than not, the beginnings of my finished pieces have not come at the beginning of my writing. I am working on a narrative that is beginning to come together only after months of research and interviews. It makes sense, since the beginning is so important, that one of the most significant elements of a piece would not become apparent immediately. I am working on a narrative that is beginning to come together only after months of research and many interviews. The things that keep coming back to me, the details and quotes I can't forget are probably the ones that will stick with readers the most, so those are the things that I am going to use.

Elaine's story was powerful. It took a lot of courage for her to open herself up and write about her pain. She was probably afraid to confront her own feelings, but that's what made it human, and so successful with readers.

Bloom had a lot of good advice in the chapter about humor. Juxtaposition and pacing, setting up the humor are important. I liked Colin's satire about Dan Quayle being deprived of quality words when he was growing up. The way it kept gettingi more and more ridiculous made it hilarious, and was a good example of his argument that "if you make people laugh, you can say anything...". Humor is like anything else, everyone is different and people respond differently to different styles. I personally think Dave Barry is hilarious, but obviously not everyone does. To me, that means just be yourself because if you find something funny, chances are that there is an audience somewhere who will be amused by it.

Because of the specialization of publications, it seems like there are a lot of opportunities for success in specialty writing. Bloom says you just have to squeeze your way into something, make yourself an expert and find your niche. On the other hand, you run the risk of being "pigeonholed", and it may be difficult to break away from it and go into other areas.

1. Why do you think Bloom warns writers to be wary of their first few words? Novice writers try to "commit an act of literature." They try to impress the reader and the writer tends to lose focus. He or she could be missing out on better ideas, better sentences, better words of choice. As Bloom said, "the best beginnings are seductive." 2. Have you ever found in your writing that the right beginning comes about at the end? Explain. Yes, because when I'm writing the piece I don't have a good sense of where I want to go so I just start writing anything that comes to mind. Gradually I uncover some thoughts and ideas that would work perfectly together and that normally doesn't happen until the end. 3. Did you find Elaine's story powerful? Why or why not? Describe how her process is about honesty, about fearlessness and about structure. Elaine's story was very powerful, yes. She wrote about things that most people would never let escape their minds. But when traumatic experiences happen to people, thoughts and reactions are extremely important in retelling the events. Elaine was able to place the reader in her shoes with the selected information she wrote in her story. 4. What lessons did you learn about humorous writing in Chapter 9? Don't try to be funny because that's not funny. Comedic pieces flow better when the sentences are shorter and less complicated. If jokes are used in news/column writing, they should be understandable to the majority of readers. Trust your instincts and try everything... 5. What are the pros and cons of specialty writing? You can't aim for specialty writing and expect to succeed better than if you just stumbled into it. You have to find your niche. By the time this happens, you should have a solid background in writing everything else... you don't have to know it all before you try.

1. Bloom tries to warn writers of their first few words because those are the only words a writer had to pull a reader in. 2. I have found that out many times in my writing. Whenever I wasn't sure on a topic, I would just start to write about something, but I noticed as I wrote I would just be rambling on until the end. 3. I found Elaine's story to be powerful because she spoke about something that most people would try to forget.Her process is about honest because from the very beginning she never misled the reader. Her story was about fearlessness because of the emotional subject matter she wrote about. Her story was about structure because she told readers how long it took start writing and to get it right. The final structure of the story made it very easy for the reader to understand the sequence of events. 4. The lessons that I learned is to not try to hard and to always be sure of what you are trying to say. 5. Some of the pros you are writing on something that you enjoy and you learn new things about the certain subject you enjoy. Some cons are you have become an expert in that field. This may mean you have to put yourself in situations you don't want to be in. For example, if your specialty is the restaurant business you have have to work as a "bus boy" to get the ins and outs of the business. another con is you may get tired of that particular subject, but its what your readers know you for. Then you might be faced with the decision to change from specialty writing and lose some readers.

1.Why do you think Bloom warns writers to be wary of their first few words?
If you try to do too much at the beginning of the piece, many readers will stop reading before they get to the meat of the story. Sometimes they will stop because there is just too much fluff at the beginning. Other times they will assume that they read what was important and don’t need to go any further.

2. Have you ever found in your writing that the right beginning comes about at the end? Explain.
Usually I just write and know everything that I want to write. Sometimes the beginning will change by the time I finish the story but in general I know everything that I want to say and how I want to say it before I start.
3. Did you find Elaine's story powerful? Why or why not? Describe how her process is about honesty, about fearlessness and about structure.
Yes it was very powerful. I think it had that power because she was speaking from experience and had a passion to get her story out. Her story is completely about honesty. Especially when writing about yourself, people know when you’re not being genuine. It is very difficult to tell a story about pain in your own life. The structure of this story seemed difficult to obtain. Her choice of structure made the story even more powerful, showing how difficult it is to tell someone what happened.
4. What lessons did you learn about humorous writing in Chapter 9?
I learned, most importantly, that it is important to not try to be funny but just be yourself. Humor comes from your own style. When you try too hard to be funny, it end up just being awkward.
5. What are the pros and cons of specialty writing?
Specialty writing can be great for writers who really love the topic they are writing about. It can give them opportunities in a niche market. The bad side of this is that writing a specialty can pigeonhole the writer and make it difficult to write about anything else.

Madison Galster:
1. Bloom warns writers about their first few words because people (especially amateurs) tend to exaggerate their experiences in order to make their story stand out. By doing this, authors stray from their focus and don't let the reader build a true understanding of why this subject is important.
2. I tend to find that when I start writing my words and ideas tend to be broad. It takes a couple of minutes of writing and brainstorming to find the exact point that I'm trying to make. I also feel that it is important to have this discombobulated beginning. Of course when I turn in the final piece I change the structure of my introduction to best suit the point the story will come to, but it is important in the draft stage to get all of my ideas on paper and figure out which direction in which I am most passionate.
3. Yes I found Elaine's story very powerful. It's one thing to journal about this type of experience but she had the courage to share it with the world. As she was battling with her own emotions her words were being critiqued at the same time. Some people find it hard to deal with one issue, but to have both on your shoulder is something courageous. Also, in order to find a suitable introduction to her story she had to be truthful with herself. Why did she feel it was necessary to write about this experience? She felt the only way to have a level mind about her situation was through writing, and in doing so she was able to face her issues.
4. I learned that humor doesn't come in one-liner form. My attempts at putting humor in my work haven't proven themselves to be worthwhile and I believe that where I have gone wrong lies in the fact that I don't build up the scene. I might find it funny that this man made this absurd comment, but if I don't elaborate on its context then nobody will see the humor in it but me. Humor articles won't be published if only you find it funny.

Madison Galster:
5. The pros of specialty writing is that there’s always an area in which to write; one can specialize in food criticism, one can specialize in movie reviews, one can specialize in yacht reviews, the list goes on. If it's a subject that interests you, chances are somebody else is as well. A con to specialty writing is that you are criticizing someone (which could be a pro or a con depending on how you look at it). But a journalist must recognize their line of work and know that there will be backlash to a negative review. In order to be a specialty writer you must be prepared for the redirected criticism as well as know that you are being honest with your readers no matter what negativity might be thrown your way.

1. Bloom said that too often writers try too hard with their first words, and "create the most inappropriate and off-putting prologues." First words should be interesting and compelling, but at the same time, not too fancy and forceful. 2. My beginnings are never what I originally intend them to be like. Usually during the middle or end of my article or story, a great "beginning" idea hits me after I write a compelling statement or add a great quote. It usually takes me awhile to find the right angle or lede for a story, so my work goes through a lot of revisions. 3. I did find Elaine's story powerful because she went through a very difficult time in her life, one which no woman would probably want to revisit, and was still able to write about it. Elaine was very honest while telling the story, and she told how the event affected her life. She also had to be fearless because she couldn't be afraid to tell people about the awful experience of losing a child. Elaine's process is about structure because she had to have structure in her story so that it would flow correctly.

4. I learned that every writer has their own "unique voice," and that "every humor writer sees irony in a special way." I also learned that you shouldn't try too hard to create a humorous piece, you should just use your natural voice. 5. Pros: You get to write about something you really love, or you can learn more about a subject that you don't know much about when you are doing research to write the piece. Cons: Sometimes you have to worry about offending your audience when you are making criticisms.

1. I think Bloom warns writers to be wary of their first few words because I think people often want to make the first few words their best ever or the most interesting part of the piece, and when that happen they can come off as trying too hard. When writing Bloom says you want your first few words to stick with the reader or catch their eye so they will keep reading; you don't want the first few words to put off the reader. 2. I have found that usually the right beginnings come at the end. There are times when I will sit for literally an hour trying to start and introduction and finally I just get into the paper hoping to figure out what I want to write at the beginning at the end. Most of the time I end up changing my intro at the end because I will have either changed the direction of my piece or I just just don't like the sound of it anymore. 3. I felt Elaine's story was truly powerful, it touched my heart and I'm sure if I would have read the whole essay from beginning to middle to end I would have surely cried. It's a story you don't want to hear about but when you do it gives you something be thankful for in your life. Elaine's process in writing her essay was about honesty because she shared things about people close to her and about herself she may not have shared normally. Her process was also about fearlessness because she had to confront personal feelings and things she may not have had to deal with before and she also had confront her son's death again through her writing. Her process was also about structure because without the perfect beginning, middle and end she would not have had an amazing essay. Bloom talks about how it was chosen as a best essay "not for its beginning, not for its ending but for a middle that no one who read it will ever forget."

4. Bloom talks a lot about humorous writing in Ch 4. I learned that to write humorously you can't make it come out of you, forced humor is usually not funny. I think to be funny you have to let it slide out of you and not think so much about it. Tell jokes the way you tell jokes. Bloom says "humor is wry, elegant prose infused with observation, irony and juxtaposition." You have to take risks and sometimes you might fall on your butt but it is all about trying. Being natural is the most important thing to do though. 5. Pros and Cons of specialty writing. I think the cons are that you have to use your judgement to judge something else say in a restaurant review. You have to recommend things to your audience sometimes giving good reviews and at other times critical ones. You also have to be able to take the heat if someone doesn't think your review was right. The pros is that for specialty pieces you can becomes trained and good at what you do. Also if you like something most of the time you can choose what you want to write about. You also get to write about interesting subject matter.

1. Why do you think Bloom warns writers to be wary of their first few words?
He points out that the first words are so important, it could determine the rest of the outcome of the piece. If you jump right into the point of your writing, it could end up like caboose that got ahead of itself. It begins with a running start, but as it picks up the point can become jumbled or dull. If you take too long to get to the point, you will bore your readers to tears before they reach the meat of the story. You have to be careful, so a piece doesn’t become contrived and ticks off your readers. Subjects can make all of the difference in approach, and there is no one sound rule in creating an effect introduction, but you must be war y of your words.



2. Have you ever found in your writing that the right beginning comes about at the end? Explain.
I find that when I’m writing sometimes, I have a vague idea as to what I’m writing about, but often I haven’t done the proper planning. Or I have done the proper planning, and it isn’t what is the most important aspect of the story.

3. Did you find Elaine's story powerful? Why or why not? Describe how her process is about honesty, about fearlessness and about structure.
I found this piece very powerful. Her work proved that no matter how well you know a subject, it would have a 99.999% of needing a revision. Sensitive issues can be difficult to write about, especially when the subject is so close to home. Writing about the loss of a child is something that would be difficult for any mother who has carried a child only to have their life to be taken so abruptly. She has to delve deep into the pain that she felt in order to get to the essence of the story. I can imagine that while the process was painful, I suppose it could be therapeutic. Her thoughts and feelings are sincere, and the readers sense that, and maybe women who have lost children can relate to the thoughts that passed her mind. Those who haven’t can feel the humanity in the piece.



4. What lessons did you learn about humorous writing in Chapter 9?
I have always admired comedic writers for their ability to tell a good joke. In this chapter I found that it must be your own distinct voice. Everyone has a different outlook on things, and writing for the sake of trying to be funny isn’t always as humorous as you may initially think.



5. What are the pros and cons of specialty writing?
The con is that specialty writing requires certain knowledge of the subject. You must be able to have a deep understanding of what you are writing about really is. Once you gain credibility though, the doors of opportunity open and you will get offers for many different things. Another pro is that you can immerse yourself in something that you are passionate about.