Mr. Vanhille's Writing Blog

Although Once Broken

lathvor — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 05:14:44 +0000

This is a poem that I wrote today while I was having writer’s block with my research paper. I have been thinking about this idea ever since Sunday and I feel like I caught the gist of what I was feeling.

AlthoughOnceBroken

The Shedding of a Taeyr

lathvor — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 00:40:49 +0000

Taeyr, the main character, faces a particular dilemma that I wonder if soldiers have faced in war throughout time. I doubt that most soldiers take the action Taeyr does, but I thought this was an interesting idea. Taeyr is called to fight in a war for his nation, Valdrun.

The Shedding of a Taeyr

Song Lyric Imitation

lathvor — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 00:32:40 +0000

This is poetry of sorts, I guess. For a high school class, I had to imitate the lyrics of a song and so I chose to imitate “The Saltwater Room” by Owl City. It is a lot better if you read the lyrics while listening to the song. Enjoy!

The Board Game of Life

4 Poems

lathvor — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 00:29:39 +0000

These are four poems that I have written. Each deals with different topics and feelings.

Tears

lathvor — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 00:25:08 +0000

This is a poem that is about what tears mean to me.

Tears

Music: Another Form of Writing

lathvor — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 20:16:09 +0000

As much as I love to write, I love to listen to music. Music fascinates me, but what amazes me the most is that those creating the music create their own story. All music tells a story of some kind.

In my Creative Writing 2 class in high school, I was required to rewrite the lyrics of a song I knew and liked. I chose “The Saltwater Room” by Owl City and I was amazed at the coherent story told throughout the song whilst keeping the rhyme scheme up and with the music enhancing the words’ power. My song imitation was poor when in comparison to the beauty and flow of Owl City’s song.

The story isn’t always clear, however, and the story isn’t the same for every person who listens to it either. “There Is” by Box Car Racer is, hands down, my favorite song. The meaning and the story that was being told seemed to change over time. While “There Is” gave me hope during a dark time, the song also gives me comfort and self-confidence during this time of happiness. Words always evoke certain emotions, but the experiences of similar and disparate people change the emotions that a person feels.

Music is something that takes a beautiful and gorgeous work (writing) and enhances the words and message through backing the writing with music. Music can anger me, comfort me, amuse me, and even confound me. Music isn’t a different subject than writing, it is a subset of writing.

Mobile communication: a presciption drug with side effects

lathvor — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 19:34:26 +0000

It seems that sometimes a prescription drug successfully stops a pain or problem in an illness, but has a nasty side effect that needs another drug to cover it. Mobile phones, to me, are one of those drugs.

In this world of technological advances that occur every minute, humans are becoming more and more dependent on technology. Although technology has opened up numerous doors in education, with the availability of computers, the internet, and now with classes held over webcam, technology is crippling basic communication skills.

The fact that cell phones are becoming increasingly prominent in elementary schools appalls me. Why do elementary school kids need a cell phone? Why do parents call their child during classes to “check up on their child?” The use of phones is vastly crippling person to person communication. As people are able to call each other more, they are less able to communicate their emotions and thoughts in person. However, as much as phone calls can damage a person’s ability to talk face to face, texting is the real problem in society.

I am known by my friends as one of the best friends to talk to face to face: this is because I didn’t have a cell phone until the last month of my senior year. I never texted my friends to ask, “Hey, can I come over tonight?” or “The meeting tonight is at six:” I always called. I never had text conversations–if you can even call them that–that lasted five days through a series of thirty texts: I always had a phone call that lasted five minutes in which I was able to convey the same thing. I never texted my friends or parents in an attempt to smooth over a conflict or apologize for something: I always talked to the person face to face, and occasionally called. Texting has also affected writing. Essays and letters are becoming riddled with misspellings and acronyms, such as lol, r u, omg, btw, etc.

Texting, and phones in general, are vastly affecting communication, both written and spoken. While mobile phones have purged numerous inconveniences, they have caused innumerable problems.

Halcyon Jealousy

lathvor — Tue, 11 May 2010 03:49:34 +0000

I am completely in love with the ocean and this poem depicts two oceans: one, the cold to the north and the other, the warm to the south. The title brings out so many meanings in the poem. I hope you enjoy it.

Halcyon Jealousy

Bad Chemistry…

lathvor — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 02:00:33 +0000

Random I know, but sometimes there is bad chemistry. It isn’t always obvious immediately, however, and so sometimes it is hard to catch it early. Still, even if it is caught early, sometimes it is hard to even say no.

Bad chemistry plagues everyone from elementary school nemeses to high school cat-fights to NBA teams. It is an inescapable occurrence in life. Sometimes you just don’t get along with someone, but you have to get over it. When bad chemistry arises, I should try to work through it and I am usually and somewhat successful.

It is okay to move past bad chemistry when dealing with friends. If both of the bad chemistry causers are in agreement, your problem is solved. It is, however, terrible when the other person is absolutely in love with you and you can’t stand them. How do you avoid them, yet still be nice? It is a fine line to walk and I most often fall.

Bad chemistry causes chemical explosions.

Simple Mistakes that Make me Wince

lathvor — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 03:01:56 +0000

We are all guilty of it at some point in our lives, but it is especially a problem amongst teenagers. A lot of times teenagers don’t think through what they write, and frankly, sometimes they just don’t care. They’re a few simple grammatical mistakes that your probably making. Did you catch those mistakes? I am talking about mixing up there, their, and they’re as well as your and you’re.

Many people would not think that the sentence above had any errors at all, however, the correct way to write “they’re a few simple grammatical mistakes that your probably making” is “There are a few simple grammatical mistakes that you’re probably making.” It is a simple thing to fix, but people still mix them up.

Think about the meaning and make the contractions two words. If you are uncertain about you’re and your, put in “you are” and see if it makes sense. Or you can see if it should be possessive, and if so, “your” is the one for you. For there, their, and they’re put in “they are” or think if it is possessive for “their.” Finally, you can think if you are talking about if object is placed over “there.”

It only takes a few seconds to check your words (possessive, yes that is correct), but it makes you look a lot more intelligent. And it saves the reader a wince and a stab to the heart that those grammatical mistakes give me.

We all make mistakes, but we just need to strive and work to fix them.