My Musings & More
by Nicole Mathew
Recent Pieces
Goodbye to the Grove
Orange groves garnish the south Florida countryside, so far and so wide. A girl of ten plays hide and seek with the trees north of Lake June Road. Running through the dirty blonde sand, she stops to grab a fresh bite. The juice trickles down her chin… she tosses the...
Writing for the Workplace
No witty introduction to this one - we're diving head first today! I work in Corporate America… and I can’t tell you how many times I want to claw my eyeballs out of their sockets with the nearest sharp utensil when I read a terrible email from a colleague. Why does...
Wind Tankas
Tankas are a form of Japanese poetry, with a structure very similar to a haiku. Instead of stopping at 5-7-5, we add 2 more lines, making it 5-7-5-7-7. Below are some I composed for my poetry class about wind. We are collaborating with the Herron School of Art at...
Revision & Poetry
Well, this is embarrassing. I haven't been updating like I should. I have let things get in the way of writing for me again. That changes today. For those who know me, I'm somewhat a perfectionist when it comes to sharing my writing. I need to work on being more...
Reflection: Theories and Applications of Teaching Composition
When I began this course, I feared I did not have enough experience as a teacher like my fellow classmates, as I have only tutored in the academic setting. In fact, until this class began, I did not believe that I had a pedagogical background. I discovered that it has...
Personal Literacy History Prompted by Discussion
Since I was young, I have enjoyed reading and writing. What I didn’t realize until recently is that throughout my childhood, I was on the path to become literate. To me, literacy has changed a great deal since I was young. For example, my family did not have a...
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...