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

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

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...

Revising As I Go

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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