Genevieve Chase 6/9/15

English Period 1

Introduction

Many times I have written stories, notes or paragraphs just for fun. Most of the time,

I didn’t like how they turned out. So I stopped writing and went into some different hobbies

such as drawing, music, reading, etc. And then we were asked to write a “Slice of Life”

paragraph (which is a long paragraph that has immense amounts of detail from a short

period of time). I was SO excited! I am a very detail-oriented person so I thought that this

would be the perfect thing to get me back into writing, and that it was. I chose the time that

I was looking around Old Navy with one of my friends. She actually already had bought the

object I wrote about long before we went to the store together, so it was an easy topic to

choose. The reason I chose this piece of writing rather than another, is because I feel that

being so detail-oriented is something to be proud of, or in other words, what I chose to

“show off”. Being a perfectionist is difficult because everything can and will annoy you. But

on the brighter side it helps me critique and perfect my art projects, making me feel better

about whatever I may have created.

Over all I enjoyed writing my Slice of Life paragraph, but there is always more I can

do to perfect it. I added even more detail to elongate it and provide even more

opportunities for the reader to get deeper into the experience of the situation. I find that

the more detail, the better. This is because detail really helps the reader visualize what’s

happening in the situation, and understand the feeling or feelings of the characters and

plot. Because the few minutes that I wrote about was so short, I didn’t really think that a

specific plot was necessary. I added more description and more feeling so that my writing

would seem more realistic to the reader. I debated for a long time whether or not to add

the names of the people in my writing, and decided against it. This is because the reader or

readers may not know the characters and their name would useless to the story, or readers

who know the people in my story may have opinions associated with that person that may

affect how they see my writing or react to it. The reason this took so much debate is

because the characters are real people, not someone I made up. I am hoping that my writing

will be enjoyable for all who decide to read it. I give you my thanks.



4/17/15

Old Navy Sneaker

At first I was just wandering around looking at the cracks in the concrete floor,

listening to the chatter and soft music, and breathing in the freshly-cleaned smell of the

store. And the I saw it. The heel was lined with white double stitching to hold the tiny blue

flower pattern to the edging. My eyes light up with curiosity and admiration for the design. I

notice the little divots and holes punched in the bright white rubber to let the thick thread

through. I flip the shoe in my hands and see the perfectly fitted tan rubber. I breath easy

noticing how well the white and medium tan of the bottom matchup. the bottom is a

criss-cross pattern, like little perfect diamonds cut in the bottom. I flip the shoe over again

and trace my fingers along the puffed cuff of the shoe noticing the little bit of white thread

showing where the fabric was stretched with stuffing, and the obtuse angle decline to the

laces. The holes are a dull grungy copper running almost to the toe. I can feel the rough

woven white laces, almost like sandpaper on my finger tips. I trace the cris-cross pattern until

I get to the toe were I notice small bits of rubber fraying off the edge where it was cut. I

show a slight smirk but feel a pang of annoyance, “why didn’t someone file this?” I think to

myself. A sudden burst of laughter from somewhere on my left takes my attention for a

moment until I realize it was just some teenagers messing around. I turn my attention back to

the sneaker. I bend down to examine the blue flower pattern, I can smell that signature “new

shoe” smell radiating off of it. There are tiny flowers scattered randomly in different lights

and darks of bright bleues, almost like splatter paint. Beauty out of chaos. I take a deep

breath and close my eyes, a good designer can always calm my mood. I shift my view to the

front of the shoe, watching the diamond pattern of the edge growing gradually larger as it

reaches the toe. I hear my name and look up almost startled, my friend is walking toward

something she wants me to see. I look back at the shoe and take one long last examination

before turning it in my hands and placing it back on the shelf, where it would stay until

another interested mind came along.

About the Author

I am an artist. Anything to do with art or music, I love. My name is Genevieve Noel

Chase and here is a bit about me. Being creative is my passion, I have always loved the arts

and have always been captured by the creativity of professional artists. I also am in love

with music. A capella is one of my favorite genres of all time. Pentatonix is in my opinion the

best a cappella group ever. They won a Grammy Award this year and have totally incredible

voices. And as my my art, my biggest inspirations come from www.tumblr.com. Tumblr is a

hipster social media and has wonderful ideas. My mind is constantly buzzing with some new

song or craft project idea. Maybe that yet another reason why I have such a hard time

focusing. Anyway everything I just explained is pretty much all I have done with my life. I

have a bold, loud and rebel personality, and a habit of rambling. So thanks for sticking with

me so far.

My English Class last year was just another class for me. Nothing special. Not to say

that I didn’t like it, My teacher had a fun personality and the students where/are my friends.

The projects where not my passion and that was ok, just like many other classes. Last year I

wasn’t a reader, at all. Books where not fascinating to me the same way as art or choir. The

main focus was reading, and it was hard for me. Then I started to realize that books where

kind of like movies, pictures in words. Once I started reading more often I began to enjoy

the experience more and more. Reading for class projects became easier and more

enjoyable. By the end of the year, I still wasn’t reading as much as I wanted to be but I’m

very thankful for my 6th grade English experience.

This year I became an avid reader, always wanting more. I am very thankful to my

teachers and peers who helped me excel in my English journey. This year was more focused

on writing. Writing was one of my hobbies at around my fourth grade year, but I soon

became wrapped up in other activities and forgot about my writing. I never expected that I

would publish my writing or enjoy the final product. But this year, I have. I feel that I have

excelled in vocabulary and effort. I try harder on my writing and actually want to show it. I

feel more confident and less worried about the outcome. I have learned how to enjoy

reading and writing, I feel capable of laughing at my mistakes. Reading and writing are now

a stress outlet for me, I enjoy them very much. The reasons I have improved are mostly just

peers different forms of optimism. I kept an open mind and thought of strategies to

improve my work. Again, I thank my peers and teachers for their very helpful support and

offer mine in return.