My Musings & More
by Nicole Mathew
Recent Pieces
Rhetoric and Composition: A Class Blog Response
Rhetoric has been one of those topics I have never felt very comfortable with, for as long as I can remember. It just intimidates me and gives me anxiety! Perhaps it’s because I never fully understood the term, or that it is associated with thoughts bigger than what...
Revising As I Go
Freewriting, to me, is the ultimate way to begin any piece of composition. It prompts the writer to get their thoughts out and on to the paper. Freewriting helps the writer to organize their thoughts before starting the final draft. The key to freewriting is to not...
How Do We Teach Genre?
Genre is defined as a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content. Although this might be the dictionary definition, how can we extract an actual, physical definition of genre? It means a lot of things...
Journal: Theory & Writing
I began working on my graduate degree in January, and the following journal is based on the first class session for Theories and Applications of Teaching Composition. We started our semester by discussing the relationship of theory and teaching composition. If you...
The Power of Proofreading
It's no secret: I have always enjoyed writing. During the past few years, I've discovered I have a knack for professional and technical writing. I know, it seems kind of boring at the surface... but I love it. I enjoy creating how-to guides, drafting emails to...
Write a Stellar Résumé
Résumés. We all need them for one reason or another. Whether you have found a wonderful job and have no intention to leave, or you are looking for a career change, it is always a good idea to keep your résumé fresh and up-to-date. Websites like LinkedIn make it easy...
Writer Wednesday
For Writer Wednesday, I wanted to share a poem I wrote a while back with you. As always, feedback is encouraged! Make Yourself Make yourself – no one else can. Run away if you must, with intentions to move forward, never looking back. Let your dreams be snatched away....
Literacy and My Life
Since I was young, I have been in love with books.I began reading when I was very young, right after I turned three. By the time I started kindergarten, I breezed through every book at a quick rate. From then on, I could hardly be found without a book in my hand....
A Writer’s Nightmare
I won't lie. I groan, wince, and kind of die a bit inside when I see those three little words when I'm looking for feedback on a piece of writing... “That Sounds Good!” Ugh, what a nightmare. Reader response sessions, or peer workshop days, often make me excited for...
Why I Blog
Why do you blog? Does it really matter to you who reads your blog? Inspired by something I read through 20sb.net - Why You Should Blog, Even if No One is Reading - I wanted to share with you all why I blog, and why it's important to me. I have written since I was a...
Homecoming
John went to the airport with his older sister, Eleanor, to pick up her grandson. He was arriving home today from his second tour in Iraq. Eleanor had always been uneasy about Nick being overseas - she practically raised him. She felt more like his mother than his...
“Better Days”
I have become obsessed with the song "Better Days" by Eddie Vedder lately. The lyrics really spark something inside of me - makes me want to further explore my beliefs. I have been struggling with trying to figure out what I believe in (religion-wise), because I'm...
Writing… for me.
Taking classes this semester while working full-time is killing my writing schedule. I'm anxious for May to get here so I no longer have to worry about writing papers for class, but rather write journal entries, poetry, flash fiction, and blogs! This semester has been...
“The Burning Desire to Write”
Writing has been a part of my life since I was very young. I can remember when I would seclude myself in my bedroom as a kid, lock the door, and sit at my desk to write for hours. I would write what I called "songs" (now I look back and realize they were actually...
A (Very) Short Novella
Ethan trudged through the several inches of freshly fallen snow, as he passed the church. He was bundled head to toe, his body attempting to avoid the arctic wind coming from the lake. Sarah was a few steps behind him. She was weaving through people like a taxi in a...