Warrants: Sure I have warrants. They just may not be as cool as Dr. P.’s warrants. I have never done any drugs, I have never been in any really cool situations. But I am the granddaughter of a woman who loved me very much. Who fought for her life several times and made it through all of those hard struggles to die silently when she was sitting back down in her favorite chair. My grandfather was a World War II veteran who died a slow, sad death. Plagued with both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. I have watched my parents kiss and make up for twenty – two years. And then I watched their marriage finally dissolve just recently. In the past three years, I have watched my family almost lose our house because we did not have the money to pay our bills. I have watched my Dad struggle with his new job as a truck driver. I watched my parents fight more than ever. I listened to them tell me on the day after Christmas that they were going to get a divorce. I watched my mom as she started dating her high school boyfriend. I watched as she embraced his two sons, and as our relationship started to weaken. I sat at home alone for two semesters while my boyfriend of five years moved to Texas to co-op so that he could start a life for us. So, even though my warrants aren’t as extreme or as cool as some people’s, I still have a lot to write about. When I write for myself, I usually find that my writing is angry or sad. But I guess that’s just because my warrants are taking control. I agree with Mark … that your warrants do not necessarily have to influence your writing. That plenty of people write about things that they have no idea about. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. However, I also believe that if people stick to writing about the things that there warrants allow, the writing will be better, More pure. More honest.
When looking at warrants from another direction, they are physical pieces of paper that allow unwanted authority to invade your home legally. The catch is that there must be probable cause for such a warrant to exist, there must be personal information on the suspect; that is to say research must go into a warrant. Could the same be said about writing warrants? I may be able to copy Charles Dickens style by doing research on Dickens in general. I may even be able to come up with a believable facsimilie of his style. But does that mean I am warranted to talk in Dicken's voice? I would actually say that yes, I am. I have warranted my actions through a lot of research, that is solid, just like a police warrant. I have earned the right to invade Dickens mental home and search around it and put my own spin on his little world. Is it right to do such things? Probably not, but in a legal sense we allow such things to happen everyday. Just look at Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, it may be a travesty, but legally it is solid in this society.
“We, as writers, NEED warrants – situation determines which warrant we need.”
Looking back at my warrants post, I feel a light bulb go on in my head. My thought, a few weeks ago, was that everyone has a bunch of warrants. I talked about a few different warrants that permit me to write about a few different things, and I talked about the way that warrants aren’t just what we can write about, but how we write about it. Mostly true.
But, one of things this class has helped me to do is consolidate all of my warrants into one big warrant.
I call it, Kristin.
See, it’s not that I have a bunch of warrants – I don’t. And I don’t have to pick and choose this or that warrant for this or that topic. Rather, I have this huge warrant that I can bring to the table every time I sit down to write, and I can reshape it and rearrange it to produce the voice that I want, but its all just me. It’s freeing, being able to come to every paper knowing the components of me, and knowing who I’m writing as. Because it’s always me. I’m writing as me.
It’s not about faking. It’s not about hiding one warrant and showing another. It’s about embracing the big bad warrant of YOU.
I like what Catherine Wright said last time:
“…we all have images to maintain but at some point or another the real us is bound to come out.”
It’s true. We’re bound to break free, or sneak out, so why don’t we just go ahead and unlock the cage.
“ Just look at Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, it may be a travesty, but legally it is solid in this society.” Not just Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but also Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. How about Abe Lincoln, Vampire Hunter? I was at Wal-Mart, glancing through their book section and they had a similar publication which twisted several other classic novels by adding sparks of horror or fantasy. Is this Mash-Up Genre a good thing? Probably not, but who am I to judge. I think the author had fun. Man, I bet he had so much fun. And, to be honest… I don’t think I would ever have read Pride and Prejudice without Zombies. I gained absolutely nothing from that book or from Abe Lincoln, Vampire Hunter except a few moments of joy, grinning at the situations created. But I didn’t want anything more from it either. I reckon that makes me a bad English major. Back to Warrants and an interesting idea from Luke “Our own personal backgrounds seep into our subconciousness and dictate the voice. That isn't to say we aren't fully cognizant of the voice we are trying to get across. This subconcious/voice is dynamic because it is unique. It is how we (the writers) see the world like politics, music, sport, girls, videogames. Our own personal histories dictate a lot in our writing.” I’m down with that. Sometimes you can’t help but reveal the true you. No matter how hard you stifle it, your true voice may still break through.
Morgan Birdsong brings up a interesting point with the genre thing. While genres make it easier to organize writers with similar warrants, it can still be harmful.
It can be harder for writers to experiement with new warrants because:
a.) Their publisher might not approve of this new soul searching warrant writing. Money is a big issue,and I'm sure a lot of Publishers are like if your writing works don't try to change it up. We all gots mouth to feed.
b.) Their fan base might not like it.
But as writers we aren't just one warrant. We possess many warrants that make up our voice. I mentioned I write as a Southerner but I also write from:being an Auburn Student, a son of a two-parent home, and a wannabe actor for example.
I think sometimes our warrants are like golf clubs. We have to pick certain warrants (club) to peform certain jobs in our writing. Sometimes we want to entertain our audience, inform them of some important reform that is happening, or sometimes challenge their thinking.
As writers we should polish up our current warrants but not be afraid to try out new ones. I feel like that was what Dr. P was doing when she asks us to try using footnotes, and wit in our papers.
In my previous post I talked about writing from the different voices or perspectives that I own as my warrant. Writing outside of your areas of “expertise” is considered bad, but I like the ideas about fiction writing and genres that some brought up. One – If we as people and writers are individuals and unique, then our warrants are unique and should not be generalized. But without placing writers into some sort of generalization would make bookstores very difficult to navigate. Also, the various perspectives that we write from lend themselves to various topics that may also fall under a different category/genre. So can any one person have one warrant? I still believe no. I think we have many and they can be natural (culture, family), developed (life experience), or adapt (style) over time, but as long as they’re honest (ding ding ding!!) Two- Fiction is dangerous territory for me because I have little experience in it. Fiction writers do not lack warrant merely because they write fantasy or science fiction; it’s about the honesty of it- the human connection, which we should all be honest about. Connections are what make writing possible, effective, believable, and great.
Many of my own warrants will always be the same, but I will also gain new ones throughout my life that I can write from. This is how we grow as writers. We change as people and therefore our writing needs to change with it.
I caught a warrant in bnp0001's comment. I liked it. I want to use it. Simplicity and repetition to hammer in the feelings. I used to be afraid to take chances in life. And that encompassed my writing. I want to take chances now. Not just because it sounds cool, but because it opens my writing to so much more. It is like a mime built an invisible box around my thoughts. Silently laughing, he kept the box visible to everyone and constantly reminded me of my restrictions. Is the mime a creepy metaphor? Sorry, I was taking a chance with that, maybe it didn't work. But I am glad I tried it.
I too, like --ferrell have always been afraid of writing, speaking, anything really that could possibly show my deep down core. But, like I said in the Shooting Match blog, I've started just going for it. Screw the warrants, screw the what ifs. Do I have warrants? Of course everyone does whether they know what they are or not. But I've decided that it's no use sticking to my warrants to write about something - from now on I'm writing about whatever the Hell I want and you just try and stop me. Like I said before, as long as I act confident in what I'm saying and act like I do have a warrant for it, people will accept it.
Ferrell, I love that you addressed that taking chances sounds cool.Because I agree, they do sound cool. Really cool.
It makes me think of a quote I read on someone's Facebook status earlier today, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
I look back on the last 6 months of my life and I have tried playing it safe. Trying to become more responsible and more adult like. That's what I am told you are supposed to do when you turn 22. Apparently, being a wild child is only acceptable your first 21 years of life. Or so I'm told.
But because I have been playing it safe the last half year also really makes me have a lot of regrets. Why didn't I go out that night? Why didn't I get the tatoo when I had the chance? Why? Why? Why? I keep asking myself.
And I am tired of doing that. I am tired of asking questions. I just want to do it and regret it in the morning. If nothing else, it makes for a good story. There will always be a silver lining.
The same goes for writing. Why do I always have to play it safe? Because Professor so and so told me that I had to? Who died and made them the all knowing power that controls what is and isn't good writing. I know for a fact that some of the things I write for this class would be trashed immediately if I had submitted them for any other professor other than Dr. P and vice versa.
While I do believe in writing for your audience, especially when that audience controls whether you graduate or not, I also believe in writing just to write. Take chances. Cause a stir or a shock of disbelief in your audience. If they don't like it then they can put it down. As long as you have no regrets, then that's all that matters.
I don't know about everyone else, but when I take my final breath and I want to lay to rest knowing I lived with no regrets.
At the end of the day, all we can be is ourselves.
Why try and be anything different? Steve (yes, I think he would allow me to call him Steve…maybe even Stevie…) knows that at the end of the day he is a sarcastic, arrogant, asshole. There may be moments of redemption (however brief), but for the most part he stays true to this. It would be weird if he wrote some sort of sappy, Nicholas Sparks-esque love story. I wouldn’t believe him if he did.
SO at the end of the day, what am I? I’m a snarky, conceited, suck-up, geek. Nice to meet you. Dry humor, self-praise, and weird pop culture references are my ammo. If I were to right something deep and philosophical contemplating the meaning of life you wouldn’t believe me. Hell, I wouldn’t believe me.
I can try and extend myself beyond my comfort zone, but at the end of the day it just seems silly and unbelievable.
What can I say? I yam what I yam and that’s all that I yam.
Like most of you, I’ve also been afraid of taking chances… especially in my writing. Academia is a world where conformity is the only approved method of composition (if you see an A paper…mimic it!) After years of doing this my true voice as a writer has been muffled, hidden so-to-speak, under the standards set forth that make a good paper. I loved Ferrell’s metaphor of the mime, spot on! That’s exactly how I feel. Warrants aren’t seen as being valid reasons for straying beyond the “box” in most academic settings but damn it makes the world so much more vivid and colorful when we write with our own voices. Shades of grey and black are replaced by colors like yellow and orange. To explain it further it would be like switching from a black and white TV set to an HD LED TV.
Everyone has warrants... but you have to know who you are to use them and use them well. I recently had a conversation where I was told that I am at the age where I will have a revelation. Apparently... your early twenties is a decent time to find yourself. Which is what I did about a year ago (well I started the process at least). There were so many things about me that weren't me at all. I grew up Southern Baptist... and as negative as the connotation is that is attached to those words these days, I am proud of it. I still believe all the things I was taught, and for the most part my beliefs are parallel to those of my parents. However, over the past couple of years I have really come into my own about religion, and many other things. I found me. On another note... I also decided to stop doing what everyone else wanted or expected from me, and to truly figure out what I wanted for me. That was a tough one. But I think that knowing all the things I do now, gives me a warrant to not only write about my experience, but any and every subject that has to do with the real me.
I used to desperately want to move out of the south... seemed like everyone was saying how dumb and redneck everyone down here is. I was hearing all of these things about country music not being cool, and have a southern accent was unprofessional and lame. Well... I'm calling bullshit. I love it here. I love the country songs about love and trucks and cornbread and chicken. It's great down here. It's home, and I shouldn't have let anyone make me feel like I was raised somewhere that made me less fortunate than those who grew up in cities. I love the south, and I don't want to leave anymore.
See... it's warrants like that. I can talk about being raised here, and what I believe having grown up baptist. I can talk about sweet potato pie and tea that comes already sweetened. Know why? Because I know who I am and where I'm from, and that gives me a WARRANT.
Honestly, my first run with warrants was a terrible loss. I tried to muzzle through and make it to the finish line, warrant in hand, but unfortunately I tripped on the way. I had this preconceived notion that warrants were too complicated and not for me, but after reading what Grafft had to say about it, I realized that warrants are what you make them. Like he said, they are your fingerprints and it's up to you to decide where to use them.
As a writer I often try to take my own experience into account. I dive deep into the heart and soul of my writing and pick up pieces that scream, "DAMN! THIS IS GOOD STUFF!" My warrants come when I find real emotion. They come to me in my darkest hour of writing.
I wrote about my house flooding when I was five years old and as I wrote I picked up emotions I never thought I had. I used my fingerprints (warrants) to mold my writing into a masterpiece. I will be forever grateful for the real event and warrant that helped me piece it together.
Catherine Wright mentioned in her post about preparing students for real life. That the things they can’t write about in class are the things that students need to know. I agree that students should be exposed to as much as possible in the classroom. It’s just that we have to follow the state course of study. What future teachers can do is teach what the course of study allows to the best of our abilities. I feel that the course of study is a warrant for teachers to follow…a compilation of guidelines. Students do need to be exposed to the things that are not allowed to be taught in school. How can they learn to stay away from what is wrong if they have no knowledge that it is wrong? Whatever that “wrong” might be.
Warrants are like rights that we have as students…future educators…citizens…people who just want to have fun. We all have different warrants depending on what role we are in at the time. Sometimes those warrants might be stricter than others.
Love those warrants. Kristin, I love what you’ve said about your warrant being you! Yourself making up your warrant is beautiful. I don’t know that it’s possible to actually name our warrants. They’re just there. They don’t direct what we write about; rather, they explain where our writing comes from. Steve Almond was never a politician, a pro-baseball player, or a rock star. But through the warrant of just being Steve Almond, he went ahead and wrote about these things with his own individual voice. He writes as Steve. And it was damn good honest writing.
I like the concept that eponymous brought up about how we can use our warrants in an invasive way. Write like Dickens? Sure, with enough research. A lot of great literature (and I mean a LOT) references other literary works. As writers, we all consume and take upon ourselves the warrants of our mentors and idols. Warrants aren't just what you're born with, but what you choose to take on, how you strive to be, and what you want to do. You're not only warranted by the things that you have achieved but those that you strive for as well. For Zeke, he has the warrant of an aspiring actor, (maybe not the full blown Morgan Freeman warrant) but his own take on the same situation. In the same way, none of us are Charles Dickens, but we ARE writers. Without those warrants waving high in the sky that we strive to attain, we could never validate ourselves as more than anything but "aspiring". And although thats a good warrant, to become your own kind of Charles DIckens is even better.
When we first started discussing warrants, I thought that in order to have a warrant to write about a certain topic you had to experience it first. Dr. PD wrote about how she had a warrant to write about 1984 because she had experienced it firsthand. Furthermore, I found her writing about the 80s extremely believable. The sentence where she writes about Marlboro cigarettes and other things that have a grassy, smoky aroma, Jordache perfume, diesel fuel puts me in that place. These specifics of the 80s make her writing about this time period come alive, and also make her writing very credible. My first post highlights this idea. It states that in order to have a warrant, you must have this kind of firsthand experience.
Now, after completing this course, I must admit that my view on warrants has changed. I still believe that credibility is still linked to experience. However, I do not still believe that personal experience is the only way in which one can receive a warrant.
I have really thought about Kristin Michelle wrote in her blog on this topic. She made the statement that “your warrants don’t determine what you can write about; they shape the perspective from which you write”. I had never thought about warrants in this perspective, but the more I think about it the more I agree with it. As long as we acknowledge that we are not experts at all subjects, what is the problem with writing about topics that interest us? I mean yeah, if I wrote about the 1960s without doing any research, then my writing would have no credibility whatsoever. But if the 1960s interests me, and I do backup research that allows me to be knowledgeable about the topic, what would be the problem of me writing about the 1960s? There wouldn’t be one. If we were limited to only writing about time periods that we lived through, then literature today would seriously be lacking. So, now after taking a further look into the idea of warrants, my perspective has totally changed. Warrants are not meant to determine what we can write about, but how we write about the topics that interest us.
My first attempt at warrants was misguided and, to be honest, just incorrect. After reading everyone else's responses I am freshly inspired. I think of that book A Million Little Pieces. The author passed off something that should have been fiction as a real piece of fact. In his writing, he claimed that these events were true to him. It goes back to the example about writing a book about decades we weren't even alive for. We can do research, we can conduct interviews, we can watch films and listen to music, but we can't speak first hand. Laura M. said that we use warrants to explain where our writing comes from. In the case of A Million Little Pieces, I'd say he faked a warrant. He pretended to have knowledge of something that he couldn't possible know about. So then, this version of a warrant becomes only giving us permission to write what we know. This type of a warrant means that you have to know it, have to had eperience to write it. And, while this came out a little muddle and fuddled, I mean that a warrant is like a Monopoly Card. You pick them up as you go through life. Your experiences transform into your own personal truths which allow you to pass Go and collect $200.
Our warrants are us. They are the air we breathe, the thoughts we produce, the experiences we have and the interactions with our peers. Warrants are what shape us as writers they are our voice, our eyes, our ears. Our experiences are the driving force to what we can write about, what we want to write about. I'm mostly at a loss other than that. We can't do anything with a warrant if we haven't felt what it can do to us.
I respectfully disagree with what Kristen says about it not meaning to determine what we can write about, because if we are unable to inject ourselves somehow into the piece, it becomes inauthentic.
I thought I knew what warrants were and meant, but the more I read about them and the longer I stare at what I wrote previously, the more confused I get. Who’s telling me I have to have a warrant to begin with? Do I really need your permission or approval to talk/write about something? I could tell you an elaborate story about the hard times I grew up in and I could make it sound realllly good, but you won’t know if it’s true unless you actually know m,e and what’s it matter anyway? If you believe me and I lied then where is the line drawn? Are you wrong for believing me or am I wrong for making up some story that may or may not have actually happen? See what I’m getting at here? Warrant…shwarrant. I do what I want.
I guess with a warrant we shouldn't be focusing on a "target audiene" because if we do how are we going to write? When I sit down to write I try not to think about the people who will eventually (hopefull) read the piece. I'm not trying to please them, in fact I don't even read the reviews (not that I've written anything review worthy). As writers we are supposed to step on peoples' toes, if we are not getting under someone's skin we are not doing our job. Inversley that isn't to say that we should congnizantly write things to piss people off like "ALL republicans are war mongering fat asses who live cupcake to cupcake type lives, while the rest of us grovel on our knees in the streets." I'm not going to write that. I'm going to write about music, sport, and life. Politics is not my arena. I know that, I think we utilize our warrants best when we are writing naturally. Write what comes to mind; it doesn't have to be politically correct or politically incorrect nor does it have to be edgy and fun, but it must be real. If it is real/convincing I am all ears.
Writing, to me, is a mad dash to truth. How can it be true if we are faking the subject matter? It's impossible, so drop the sharade and write what you know. It's cliche but there is a reason why cliches are cliches, it's because they work.
I swear (and I’m pretty sure I’m gonna have to say it in every Final post, but I really do mean it) this class changed my writing, if not my life. You know that person who claims they have nothing to say? Nothing interesting to write about? That was me. Hi I’m Beth and I’m unwarranted.
But the more I dove into the class the more warrants I unlocked about myself. It was almost like a video game. Every level I unlocked something else. Something worth sharing. Something I was warranted to talk about. As Andrej said, “Sometimes you can’t help but reveal the true you. No matter how hard you stifle it, your true voice may still break through.” Well I’m guessing my “true voice” saw the opening that this class was making in the construction of the wall I had built and started jumping up and down for joy. Through that revelation of the “true” me, I became more warranted, and hopefully more believable.
I know I already posted, but looking again at everyone else's idea of warrants, I have more to say. And it is simply that I am confused again. Warrants allow us to write what we know. They are the product of our experiences and thee give us permission to speak out concerning subjects that pertain to us.
Ok. But what else is a warrant?
"Your warrants don't shape the direction you write, but the perspective that you write from." "Do I need your permission and approval to talk about what I want?"
So which is it? Truthfully, I have no idea. I like to think that my warrants are drawn from my insides. To me, it exists as a maze. I know the beginning and I know the end, but the path I choose to get there is my own warrant. Maybe. If this were a war I would totally be Switzerland.
When I first posted on this topic I talked about having your own warrant and making sure you speak from the heart and the true you. That is still true today, but now it has become a little more insightful. And I hope it has shown up in my blogs and papers over the past few weeks.
It's important for us as writers to be real and let our true voices be heard. Warrants help us do that. I've discovered that I don't just have one warrant, that I have multiple warrants that I can pick and choose depending on the topic and situation that is at hand.
Even if you don't know about a subject you can still research it and write about the topic from your own warrant...as long as you're real with your audience and yourself about your warrant and point of views no one is stopping you.
I really liked what Elisa said about this topic, "looking again at everyone else's idea of warrants, I have more to say. And it is simply that I am confused again. Warrants allow us to write what we know". People tend to get a little frustrated when people test those warrants. I dont remember the guy's name, but a few years ago there was a fellow who wrote a story about something who eventually wound up on the Oprah show talking about his book that he had almost entirely made up. Naturally the American pubic hated him after finding this out and chased him into obscurity with pitchforks and torches. America hated being played like a fiddle by authors. Im not sure if the backlash would have been as severe if he hadnt talked about his book on the Oprah show because Oprah has this tendency to whip her fans into a frenzy over the smallest things. However, the point remains: you're always better off if you write what you know.
I am introverted. I am a lover of words. I am a maker of music. A baby hog. A mean chef. A foodie. Fragile. Hurt. Unforgiving. Republican. Christian. Daughter. In love with love. Anxious. Longing. Bitchy. Loving. Witty. Depressing. Intuitive. Inquisitive. Jealous. Honest to a fault. Romantic. Clingy. Independent. A best friend.
At one time or another, I may find myself being all of these things, or only a few of them. Some days the worst ones, and some days the best - However you define them. Does this give me a warrant. Maybe in some eyes. Do I care? Not a bit. Warrants are wonderful, and they gain you respect. But this life and this country give us permission to write whatever we want, warrant or not. (Much like Steve Almond did with his exploits, rants, and obsessions.) And we read it anyway. And while warrants are wonderful, and I do hope to aquire a few in my time, I don't especially care about them. Because just as I read Almond, he may read me. And we can both bask in our pointless opinions written in wildly artistic fashion, warrant in tow or not.
Warrants:
ReplyDeleteSure I have warrants. They just may not be as cool as Dr. P.’s warrants. I have never done any drugs, I have never been in any really cool situations. But I am the granddaughter of a woman who loved me very much. Who fought for her life several times and made it through all of those hard struggles to die silently when she was sitting back down in her favorite chair. My grandfather was a World War II veteran who died a slow, sad death. Plagued with both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. I have watched my parents kiss and make up for twenty – two years. And then I watched their marriage finally dissolve just recently. In the past three years, I have watched my family almost lose our house because we did not have the money to pay our bills. I have watched my Dad struggle with his new job as a truck driver. I watched my parents fight more than ever. I listened to them tell me on the day after Christmas that they were going to get a divorce. I watched my mom as she started dating her high school boyfriend. I watched as she embraced his two sons, and as our relationship started to weaken. I sat at home alone for two semesters while my boyfriend of five years moved to Texas to co-op so that he could start a life for us.
So, even though my warrants aren’t as extreme or as cool as some people’s, I still have a lot to write about. When I write for myself, I usually find that my writing is angry or sad. But I guess that’s just because my warrants are taking control.
I agree with Mark … that your warrants do not necessarily have to influence your writing. That plenty of people write about things that they have no idea about. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. However, I also believe that if people stick to writing about the things that there warrants allow, the writing will be better, More pure. More honest.
When looking at warrants from another direction, they are physical pieces of paper that allow unwanted authority to invade your home legally. The catch is that there must be probable cause for such a warrant to exist, there must be personal information on the suspect; that is to say research must go into a warrant. Could the same be said about writing warrants? I may be able to copy Charles Dickens style by doing research on Dickens in general. I may even be able to come up with a believable facsimilie of his style. But does that mean I am warranted to talk in Dicken's voice? I would actually say that yes, I am. I have warranted my actions through a lot of research, that is solid, just like a police warrant. I have earned the right to invade Dickens mental home and search around it and put my own spin on his little world. Is it right to do such things? Probably not, but in a legal sense we allow such things to happen everyday. Just look at Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, it may be a travesty, but legally it is solid in this society.
ReplyDelete“We, as writers, NEED warrants – situation determines which warrant we need.”
ReplyDeleteLooking back at my warrants post, I feel a light bulb go on in my head. My thought, a few weeks ago, was that everyone has a bunch of warrants. I talked about a few different warrants that permit me to write about a few different things, and I talked about the way that warrants aren’t just what we can write about, but how we write about it. Mostly true.
But, one of things this class has helped me to do is consolidate all of my warrants into one big warrant.
I call it, Kristin.
See, it’s not that I have a bunch of warrants – I don’t. And I don’t have to pick and choose this or that warrant for this or that topic. Rather, I have this huge warrant that I can bring to the table every time I sit down to write, and I can reshape it and rearrange it to produce the voice that I want, but its all just me. It’s freeing, being able to come to every paper knowing the components of me, and knowing who I’m writing as. Because it’s always me. I’m writing as me.
It’s not about faking. It’s not about hiding one warrant and showing another. It’s about embracing the big bad warrant of YOU.
I like what Catherine Wright said last time:
“…we all have images to maintain but at some point or another the real us is bound to come out.”
It’s true. We’re bound to break free, or sneak out, so why don’t we just go ahead and unlock the cage.
“ Just look at Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, it may be a travesty, but legally it is solid in this society.”
ReplyDeleteNot just Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but also Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters.
How about Abe Lincoln, Vampire Hunter?
I was at Wal-Mart, glancing through their book section and they had a similar publication which twisted several other classic novels by adding sparks of horror or fantasy. Is this Mash-Up Genre a good thing? Probably not, but who am I to judge. I think the author had fun. Man, I bet he had so much fun. And, to be honest… I don’t think I would ever have read Pride and Prejudice without Zombies.
I gained absolutely nothing from that book or from Abe Lincoln, Vampire Hunter except a few moments of joy, grinning at the situations created. But I didn’t want anything more from it either. I reckon that makes me a bad English major.
Back to Warrants and an interesting idea from Luke
“Our own personal backgrounds seep into our subconciousness and dictate the voice. That isn't to say we aren't fully cognizant of the voice we are trying to get across. This subconcious/voice is dynamic because it is unique. It is how we (the writers) see the world like politics, music, sport, girls, videogames. Our own personal histories dictate a lot in our writing.”
I’m down with that. Sometimes you can’t help but reveal the true you.
No matter how hard you stifle it, your true voice may still break through.
Morgan Birdsong brings up a interesting point with the genre thing. While genres make it easier to organize writers with similar warrants, it can still be harmful.
ReplyDeleteIt can be harder for writers to experiement with new warrants because:
a.) Their publisher might not approve of this new soul searching warrant writing. Money is a big issue,and I'm sure a lot of Publishers are like if your writing works don't try to change it up. We all gots mouth to feed.
b.) Their fan base might not like it.
But as writers we aren't just one warrant. We possess many warrants that make up our voice. I mentioned I write as a Southerner but I also write from:being an Auburn Student, a son of a two-parent home, and a wannabe actor for example.
I think sometimes our warrants are like golf clubs. We have to pick certain warrants (club) to peform certain jobs in our writing. Sometimes we want to entertain our audience, inform them of some important reform that is happening, or sometimes challenge their thinking.
As writers we should polish up our current warrants but not be afraid to try out new ones.
I feel like that was what Dr. P was doing when she asks us to try using footnotes, and wit in our papers.
In my previous post I talked about writing from the different voices or perspectives that I own as my warrant. Writing outside of your areas of “expertise” is considered bad, but I like the ideas about fiction writing and genres that some brought up.
ReplyDeleteOne – If we as people and writers are individuals and unique, then our warrants are unique and should not be generalized. But without placing writers into some sort of generalization would make bookstores very difficult to navigate. Also, the various perspectives that we write from lend themselves to various topics that may also fall under a different category/genre. So can any one person have one warrant? I still believe no. I think we have many and they can be natural (culture, family), developed (life experience), or adapt (style) over time, but as long as they’re honest (ding ding ding!!)
Two- Fiction is dangerous territory for me because I have little experience in it. Fiction writers do not lack warrant merely because they write fantasy or science fiction; it’s about the honesty of it- the human connection, which we should all be honest about. Connections are what make writing possible, effective, believable, and great.
Many of my own warrants will always be the same, but I will also gain new ones throughout my life that I can write from. This is how we grow as writers. We change as people and therefore our writing needs to change with it.
I caught a warrant in bnp0001's comment. I liked it. I want to use it. Simplicity and repetition to hammer in the feelings.
ReplyDeleteI used to be afraid to take chances in life. And that encompassed my writing. I want to take chances now. Not just because it sounds cool, but because it opens my writing to so much more. It is like a mime built an invisible box around my thoughts. Silently laughing, he kept the box visible to everyone and constantly reminded me of my restrictions.
Is the mime a creepy metaphor?
Sorry, I was taking a chance with that, maybe it didn't work.
But I am glad I tried it.
I too, like --ferrell have always been afraid of writing, speaking, anything really that could possibly show my deep down core. But, like I said in the Shooting Match blog, I've started just going for it. Screw the warrants, screw the what ifs. Do I have warrants? Of course everyone does whether they know what they are or not. But I've decided that it's no use sticking to my warrants to write about something - from now on I'm writing about whatever the Hell I want and you just try and stop me. Like I said before, as long as I act confident in what I'm saying and act like I do have a warrant for it, people will accept it.
ReplyDeleteFerrell,
ReplyDeleteI love that you addressed that taking chances sounds cool.Because I agree, they do sound cool. Really cool.
It makes me think of a quote I read on someone's Facebook status earlier today, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
I look back on the last 6 months of my life and I have tried playing it safe. Trying to become more responsible and more adult like. That's what I am told you are supposed to do when you turn 22. Apparently, being a wild child is only acceptable your first 21 years of life. Or so I'm told.
But because I have been playing it safe the last half year also really makes me have a lot of regrets. Why didn't I go out that night? Why didn't I get the tatoo when I had the chance? Why? Why? Why? I keep asking myself.
And I am tired of doing that. I am tired of asking questions. I just want to do it and regret it in the morning. If nothing else, it makes for a good story. There will always be a silver lining.
The same goes for writing. Why do I always have to play it safe? Because Professor so and so told me that I had to? Who died and made them the all knowing power that controls what is and isn't good writing. I know for a fact that some of the things I write for this class would be trashed immediately if I had submitted them for any other professor other than Dr. P and vice versa.
While I do believe in writing for your audience, especially when that audience controls whether you graduate or not, I also believe in writing just to write. Take chances. Cause a stir or a shock of disbelief in your audience. If they don't like it then they can put it down. As long as you have no regrets, then that's all that matters.
I don't know about everyone else, but when I take my final breath and I want to lay to rest knowing I lived with no regrets.
At the end of the day, all we can be is ourselves.
ReplyDeleteWhy try and be anything different? Steve (yes, I think he would allow me to call him Steve…maybe even Stevie…) knows that at the end of the day he is a sarcastic, arrogant, asshole. There may be moments of redemption (however brief), but for the most part he stays true to this. It would be weird if he wrote some sort of sappy, Nicholas Sparks-esque love story. I wouldn’t believe him if he did.
SO at the end of the day, what am I? I’m a snarky, conceited, suck-up, geek. Nice to meet you. Dry humor, self-praise, and weird pop culture references are my ammo. If I were to right something deep and philosophical contemplating the meaning of life you wouldn’t believe me. Hell, I wouldn’t believe me.
I can try and extend myself beyond my comfort zone, but at the end of the day it just seems silly and unbelievable.
What can I say? I yam what I yam and that’s all that I yam.
Like most of you, I’ve also been afraid of taking chances… especially in my writing. Academia is a world where conformity is the only approved method of composition (if you see an A paper…mimic it!) After years of doing this my true voice as a writer has been muffled, hidden so-to-speak, under the standards set forth that make a good paper. I loved Ferrell’s metaphor of the mime, spot on! That’s exactly how I feel. Warrants aren’t seen as being valid reasons for straying beyond the “box” in most academic settings but damn it makes the world so much more vivid and colorful when we write with our own voices. Shades of grey and black are replaced by colors like yellow and orange. To explain it further it would be like switching from a black and white TV set to an HD LED TV.
ReplyDeleteEveryone has warrants... but you have to know who you are to use them and use them well. I recently had a conversation where I was told that I am at the age where I will have a revelation. Apparently... your early twenties is a decent time to find yourself. Which is what I did about a year ago (well I started the process at least). There were so many things about me that weren't me at all. I grew up Southern Baptist... and as negative as the connotation is that is attached to those words these days, I am proud of it. I still believe all the things I was taught, and for the most part my beliefs are parallel to those of my parents. However, over the past couple of years I have really come into my own about religion, and many other things. I found me. On another note... I also decided to stop doing what everyone else wanted or expected from me, and to truly figure out what I wanted for me. That was a tough one. But I think that knowing all the things I do now, gives me a warrant to not only write about my experience, but any and every subject that has to do with the real me.
ReplyDeleteI used to desperately want to move out of the south... seemed like everyone was saying how dumb and redneck everyone down here is. I was hearing all of these things about country music not being cool, and have a southern accent was unprofessional and lame. Well... I'm calling bullshit. I love it here. I love the country songs about love and trucks and cornbread and chicken. It's great down here. It's home, and I shouldn't have let anyone make me feel like I was raised somewhere that made me less fortunate than those who grew up in cities. I love the south, and I don't want to leave anymore.
See... it's warrants like that. I can talk about being raised here, and what I believe having grown up baptist. I can talk about sweet potato pie and tea that comes already sweetened. Know why? Because I know who I am and where I'm from, and that gives me a WARRANT.
Honestly, my first run with warrants was a terrible loss. I tried to muzzle through and make it to the finish line, warrant in hand, but unfortunately I tripped on the way. I had this preconceived notion that warrants were too complicated and not for me, but after reading what Grafft had to say about it, I realized that warrants are what you make them. Like he said, they are your fingerprints and it's up to you to decide where to use them.
ReplyDeleteAs a writer I often try to take my own experience into account. I dive deep into the heart and soul of my writing and pick up pieces that scream, "DAMN! THIS IS GOOD STUFF!" My warrants come when I find real emotion. They come to me in my darkest hour of writing.
I wrote about my house flooding when I was five years old and as I wrote I picked up emotions I never thought I had. I used my fingerprints (warrants) to mold my writing into a masterpiece. I will be forever grateful for the real event and warrant that helped me piece it together.
Catherine Wright mentioned in her post about preparing students for real life. That the things they can’t write about in class are the things that students need to know. I agree that students should be exposed to as much as possible in the classroom. It’s just that we have to follow the state course of study. What future teachers can do is teach what the course of study allows to the best of our abilities. I feel that the course of study is a warrant for teachers to follow…a compilation of guidelines. Students do need to be exposed to the things that are not allowed to be taught in school. How can they learn to stay away from what is wrong if they have no knowledge that it is wrong? Whatever that “wrong” might be.
ReplyDeleteWarrants are like rights that we have as students…future educators…citizens…people who just want to have fun. We all have different warrants depending on what role we are in at the time. Sometimes those warrants might be stricter than others.
Love those warrants. Kristin, I love what you’ve said about your warrant being you! Yourself making up your warrant is beautiful. I don’t know that it’s possible to actually name our warrants. They’re just there. They don’t direct what we write about; rather, they explain where our writing comes from. Steve Almond was never a politician, a pro-baseball player, or a rock star. But through the warrant of just being Steve Almond, he went ahead and wrote about these things with his own individual voice. He writes as Steve. And it was damn good honest writing.
ReplyDeleteI like the concept that eponymous brought up about how we can use our warrants in an invasive way. Write like Dickens? Sure, with enough research. A lot of great literature (and I mean a LOT) references other literary works. As writers, we all consume and take upon ourselves the warrants of our mentors and idols. Warrants aren't just what you're born with, but what you choose to take on, how you strive to be, and what you want to do. You're not only warranted by the things that you have achieved but those that you strive for as well. For Zeke, he has the warrant of an aspiring actor, (maybe not the full blown Morgan Freeman warrant) but his own take on the same situation. In the same way, none of us are Charles Dickens, but we ARE writers. Without those warrants waving high in the sky that we strive to attain, we could never validate ourselves as more than anything but "aspiring". And although thats a good warrant, to become your own kind of Charles DIckens is even better.
ReplyDeleteWhen we first started discussing warrants, I thought that in order to have a warrant to write about a certain topic you had to experience it first. Dr. PD wrote about how she had a warrant to write about 1984 because she had experienced it firsthand. Furthermore, I found her writing about the 80s extremely believable. The sentence where she writes about Marlboro cigarettes and other things that have a grassy, smoky aroma, Jordache perfume, diesel fuel puts me in that place. These specifics of the 80s make her writing about this time period come alive, and also make her writing very credible. My first post highlights this idea. It states that in order to have a warrant, you must have this kind of firsthand experience.
ReplyDeleteNow, after completing this course, I must admit that my view on warrants has changed. I still believe that credibility is still linked to experience. However, I do not still believe that personal experience is the only way in which one can receive a warrant.
I have really thought about Kristin Michelle wrote in her blog on this topic. She made the statement that “your warrants don’t determine what you can write about; they shape the perspective from which you write”. I had never thought about warrants in this perspective, but the more I think about it the more I agree with it. As long as we acknowledge that we are not experts at all subjects, what is the problem with writing about topics that interest us? I mean yeah, if I wrote about the 1960s without doing any research, then my writing would have no credibility whatsoever. But if the 1960s interests me, and I do backup research that allows me to be knowledgeable about the topic, what would be the problem of me writing about the 1960s? There wouldn’t be one. If we were limited to only writing about time periods that we lived through, then literature today would seriously be lacking. So, now after taking a further look into the idea of warrants, my perspective has totally changed. Warrants are not meant to determine what we can write about, but how we write about the topics that interest us.
My first attempt at warrants was misguided and, to be honest, just incorrect. After reading everyone else's responses I am freshly inspired. I think of that book A Million Little Pieces. The author passed off something that should have been fiction as a real piece of fact. In his writing, he claimed that these events were true to him. It goes back to the example about writing a book about decades we weren't even alive for. We can do research, we can conduct interviews, we can watch films and listen to music, but we can't speak first hand. Laura M. said that we use warrants to explain where our writing comes from. In the case of A Million Little Pieces, I'd say he faked a warrant. He pretended to have knowledge of something that he couldn't possible know about. So then, this version of a warrant becomes only giving us permission to write what we know. This type of a warrant means that you have to know it, have to had eperience to write it. And, while this came out a little muddle and fuddled, I mean that a warrant is like a Monopoly Card. You pick them up as you go through life. Your experiences transform into your own personal truths which allow you to pass Go and collect $200.
ReplyDeleteOur warrants are us. They are the air we breathe, the thoughts we produce, the experiences we have and the interactions with our peers. Warrants are what shape us as writers they are our voice, our eyes, our ears. Our experiences are the driving force to what we can write about, what we want to write about. I'm mostly at a loss other than that. We can't do anything with a warrant if we haven't felt what it can do to us.
ReplyDeleteI respectfully disagree with what Kristen says about it not meaning to determine what we can write about, because if we are unable to inject ourselves somehow into the piece, it becomes inauthentic.
I thought I knew what warrants were and meant, but the more I read about them and the longer I stare at what I wrote previously, the more confused I get. Who’s telling me I have to have a warrant to begin with? Do I really need your permission or approval to talk/write about something? I could tell you an elaborate story about the hard times I grew up in and I could make it sound realllly good, but you won’t know if it’s true unless you actually know m,e and what’s it matter anyway? If you believe me and I lied then where is the line drawn? Are you wrong for believing me or am I wrong for making up some story that may or may not have actually happen? See what I’m getting at here? Warrant…shwarrant. I do what I want.
ReplyDeleteI guess with a warrant we shouldn't be focusing on a "target audiene" because if we do how are we going to write? When I sit down to write I try not to think about the people who will eventually (hopefull) read the piece. I'm not trying to please them, in fact I don't even read the reviews (not that I've written anything review worthy). As writers we are supposed to step on peoples' toes, if we are not getting under someone's skin we are not doing our job. Inversley that isn't to say that we should congnizantly write things to piss people off like "ALL republicans are war mongering fat asses who live cupcake to cupcake type lives, while the rest of us grovel on our knees in the streets." I'm not going to write that. I'm going to write about music, sport, and life. Politics is not my arena. I know that, I think we utilize our warrants best when we are writing naturally. Write what comes to mind; it doesn't have to be politically correct or politically incorrect nor does it have to be edgy and fun, but it must be real. If it is real/convincing I am all ears.
ReplyDeleteWriting, to me, is a mad dash to truth. How can it be true if we are faking the subject matter? It's impossible, so drop the sharade and write what you know. It's cliche but there is a reason why cliches are cliches, it's because they work.
I swear (and I’m pretty sure I’m gonna have to say it in every Final post, but I really do mean it) this class changed my writing, if not my life. You know that person who claims they have nothing to say? Nothing interesting to write about? That was me. Hi I’m Beth and I’m unwarranted.
ReplyDeleteBut the more I dove into the class the more warrants I unlocked about myself. It was almost like a video game. Every level I unlocked something else. Something worth sharing. Something I was warranted to talk about. As Andrej said, “Sometimes you can’t help but reveal the true you. No matter how hard you stifle it, your true voice may still break through.” Well I’m guessing my “true voice” saw the opening that this class was making in the construction of the wall I had built and started jumping up and down for joy. Through that revelation of the “true” me, I became more warranted, and hopefully more believable.
I know I already posted, but looking again at everyone else's idea of warrants, I have more to say. And it is simply that I am confused again.
ReplyDeleteWarrants allow us to write what we know. They are the product of our experiences and thee give us permission to speak out concerning subjects that pertain to us.
Ok. But what else is a warrant?
"Your warrants don't shape the direction you write, but the perspective that you write from." "Do I need your permission and approval to talk about what I want?"
So which is it? Truthfully, I have no idea. I like to think that my warrants are drawn from my insides. To me, it exists as a maze. I know the beginning and I know the end, but the path I choose to get there is my own warrant.
Maybe.
If this were a war I would totally be Switzerland.
When I first posted on this topic I talked about having your own warrant and making sure you speak from the heart and the true you. That is still true today, but now it has become a little more insightful. And I hope it has shown up in my blogs and papers over the past few weeks.
ReplyDeleteIt's important for us as writers to be real and let our true voices be heard. Warrants help us do that. I've discovered that I don't just have one warrant, that I have multiple warrants that I can pick and choose depending on the topic and situation that is at hand.
Even if you don't know about a subject you can still research it and write about the topic from your own warrant...as long as you're real with your audience and yourself about your warrant and point of views no one is stopping you.
I really liked what Elisa said about this topic, "looking again at everyone else's idea of warrants, I have more to say. And it is simply that I am confused again.
ReplyDeleteWarrants allow us to write what we know". People tend to get a little frustrated when people test those warrants. I dont remember the guy's name, but a few years ago there was a fellow who wrote a story about something who eventually wound up on the Oprah show talking about his book that he had almost entirely made up. Naturally the American pubic hated him after finding this out and chased him into obscurity with pitchforks and torches. America hated being played like a fiddle by authors. Im not sure if the backlash would have been as severe if he hadnt talked about his book on the Oprah show because Oprah has this tendency to whip her fans into a frenzy over the smallest things. However, the point remains: you're always better off if you write what you know.
I am introverted. I am a lover of words. I am a maker of music. A baby hog. A mean chef. A foodie. Fragile. Hurt. Unforgiving. Republican. Christian. Daughter. In love with love. Anxious. Longing. Bitchy. Loving. Witty. Depressing. Intuitive. Inquisitive. Jealous. Honest to a fault. Romantic. Clingy. Independent. A best friend.
ReplyDeleteAt one time or another, I may find myself being all of these things, or only a few of them. Some days the worst ones, and some days the best - However you define them. Does this give me a warrant. Maybe in some eyes. Do I care? Not a bit. Warrants are wonderful, and they gain you respect. But this life and this country give us permission to write whatever we want, warrant or not. (Much like Steve Almond did with his exploits, rants, and obsessions.) And we read it anyway. And while warrants are wonderful, and I do hope to aquire a few in my time, I don't especially care about them. Because just as I read Almond, he may read me. And we can both bask in our pointless opinions written in wildly artistic fashion, warrant in tow or not.