Athena - week 3

On the plane home from France, I overheard a conversation between the people sitting next to me about us. The majority of their conversation was about how silly teenagers are. As a teenager myself, who tends to overreact, I began to wonder how I’m perceived by adults. I often feel out of place amongst people my age, choosing to enjoy the company of adults over “children”. I often write about people my own age taking on adult issues, so listening to their conversation helped me realize that as teenagers, my characters shouldn’t always take themselves too seriously and neither should I.

Athena - week 2

When my article came out, I was terrified about the headline. What if I offended someone? What if someone didn’t read it, simply because I referenced Planned Parenthood? Now that days have passed, and numerous people have reached out, letting me know how impactful the article was, I want to feel terrified again. Because I have found that topics/times like that, that make one fear they’ve gone too far, are when a person is truly taking risks, and writing from the heart.

Aastha - Week 3

It's a little strange being in a place where being American seems to define me. Where my accent makes me different. In America I am mostly defined due to my brown skin, my being Indian. But in India I am American. So the question is what am I? 

Caitlin Week 3

There comes a time when the student no longer needs the teacher”. I heard this quote in a criminal mind episode. I think it’s interesting how students, with the guidance of teachers, can grow to use their knowledge in all aspects of their life, in a mature and impressive way. This relates to the current situation in town regarding the school budget, as many students have become increasingly vocal in these debates. I am impressed at how students have been able to express their opinions on the matter at hand and it speaks to the great abilities of our teachers. 

Lea Mezz - Week 3

People who are disorganized often irk me. It baffles me how unaware those around me can be. In my mind it is never okay to make excuses when one had all of the resources given to them in a timely manner to complete a task, yet they just did not do it. So neglectful. Especially when this behavior continues and these kinds of people continue to ask for forgiveness for not completing their tasks. To those that continue to give these useless beings chance after chance, shame on you. You are just as low as those you vouch for.

week three

It's interesting how people can have vastly different lives but can still end up in the same place or situation. Over break, I went on a few accepted students days at colleges and got the chance to meet people who were planning on pursuing the same major as me. It struck me how all of these people came from different places and had lived through different experiences but somehow came to the conclusion that they wanted to do the same things with their lives. I was curious as to what drew them to this specific major, and what had caused them to feel that this major was right for them. I wonder if some of them have the same motivations as me, or if they chose to pursue this field based on some other reason or experience they had that impacted them profoundly.

Week Three

Had a great day In Boston, a spontaneous adventure with a friend. One of those days that I will remember forever.

Week 3

"Stop Understanding Yourself" I saw this quote on a sticker at a college I visited. I really liked it because it is so short, but very complex.

Week Three

The mind is a powerful tool. If asked how far someone can run before stopping to walk, their answer would likely be far less than what they can actually accomplish. What stops them is their mind telling them that pushing themselves is dangerous and painful.

Cole - Week 3

 I sometimes question myself how much of a right I have to write about people who are part of groups or cultures that I myself am not. Perhaps there are stories I'm simply not meant to tell, but I'll still do my best to use my sense of empathy to it's fullest extent while writing. The real world is diverse and alive, and I want my own worlds to reflect that as well.

Lea Mezz - Week 2

People often say, “actions speak louder than words” however we as humans continue to pursue, love and care for others that constantly say one thing and never do it. These kinds of people consistently hurt themselves and those around them by harming their own credibility and creating a distrust between themselves and others. Unfortunately sometimes the other people who become the victims, remain blind to what they do not want to see and will continue to expect the wrongdoer to do what they say. The reality is: they never will.

Mehlhorn week 2

I went to Market Basket to pick up some groceries on Saturday afternoon. I walked into the aisle with all the soap to find face wash. In that aisle stood a couple. They were engaged in what seemed to be a very intense conversation in Spanish. I think they were speaking in another language to keep their conversation private, due to the fact that they were looking at pregnancy tests. The man looked to be around 40 or 50 years old. The woman, on the other hand, looked much younger, maybe mid 20s. I walked away, after finding my face wash of course, wondering how the two were connected. Was he her husband? Her father? A friend? I’m not sure the gravity of the situation but I see a story in that.

week two

I wish I could turn my brain off for a period of time and not have to think about anything for a while. My brain is always so busy with a million thoughts racing through it, and I can't seem to focus on anything. I end up hyper-fixating on unimportant things, and spending time doing these things to distract myself from my other distractions, which makes it worse. I feel as if I am always thinking too far ahead in the future, worrying about all the things I need to get done, but never spending enough time just enjoying the moment and thinking in the present.

Cole - Week 2

I'm honestly not entirely sure it's possible to "separate the art from the artist". The artist, to me, is part of the art. Whenever I recognize some graphic I see on a board at school, some design on a shirt, or whatever else is someone's creation, it adds an integral layer to the piece that gives me a sense of connection to it. It's what separates the individual creator from the faceless corporation.

Scott Week 2

I saw this cool animated wallpaper on reddit, It was a clip from a tv show I like. I wanted to remake one for my phone, while making it I had to cut parts of the clip from the show, while rewatching it I could really see how much a small change to a clip can change it. It made me think how different some movies could be if they were edited by a different person if just a small clip changed the scene a lot.

Aastha - Week 2

My dad made me watch a documentary with him today. I had a story idea. I guess it could be a movie idea too. It's interesting they use similar things to describe the people and the animals of areas unbeknownst to us. What if I made a story or idea following the 'American teen' in the way they followed people in other countries. People who live in places and did things that we had never experienced. I could have the cliche narrator and everything. 

Week One

I was reminded about the importance of family this weekend, it brought me to memories of my late grandfather, he was amazing. And with his children and grandchildren, he left momentos to live by, they were called the ‘Poppa Commandments’, one of them is to ‘Never Give Up’ and it is my favorite one.

Caitlin: Week 2

I heard this quote today: “Without heroes we are all plain people and don’t know how far we can go” - Bernard Malamud. People need role models and heroes in their lives to push them to be the best version of themselves. I want to write a story where the hero is the best version of themself, however, their flaws are realistic and relatable so that readers can see themselves in this character. His flaws should also enhance who he is and make him more human and vulnerable. 

Week Two

"Life lived for tomorrow will always be just a day away from being realized".

Week 2

Procrastination is a demon that many face and few understand. It's the idea that one always has time to complete a task later. Some advice to self: You have time to complete whatever you need to as soon as your thoughts turn to avoidance. Don't let your present self's temporary satisfaction facilitate your future self's anxiety.

Week One

I watched a show today where there was a line that I really enjoyed; “only boring people get bored”, I think this is an interesting way to live by.

Week 1

Tonight my thoughts turn to the city. It’s midnight as I stand in my room, in the dark, shadows retreating as my pupils dilate. The floor creaks as I push past dark navy shades and step into the moonlight of the window. The frame stands strong, green, cast of iron. It’s tall, taller than myself, giving me a wide view of the landscape in front of me. My building is one of three, condominiums from converted mills of a bygone era. Our apartment is on the east wall, facing building 2. Thus, the sight that awaits me is not that of a sprawling metropolis of life and culture but rather the walls and roofs of the three brick structures most immediate. Some might find this view displeasing, deeming the buildings obstacles. But Lowell is the city of brick, and I look out to the other dozens of windows laid out before my eyes and I hope that there is another who shares my perspective.

Aastha - Week 1

Anthropomorphize. It’s my new favorite big word and actually kinda beautiful. How powerful, how kind, our brains are. It’s hard to tell then why people are so terrible sometimes. But I guess that’s just life, there has to be a balance. For every amazing person out there, there is an equally terrible person. The worst part is everyone in between often follows the evil person. So...anthropormorphize. I name everything. Turns out, I'm not the only one. That's what NASA did to the robot on Mars, Opportunity. NASA made it a soundtrack, tried endlessly to wake it up. It’s a little heartwarming. Or maybe, they’re trying to cover their bases. Just in case they turn animate, they won't attack us. Cause we were nice.

Athena - Week 1

I had this idea for a story about a girl who could communicate with her inner critic. Not much past that, but I think there’s something there.

week one

I hate the feeling you get after a fun time ends; a sinking feeling that it's gone and will never come back. All the elation you felt in the moment is gone, and you're left missing it, knowing you will never get that same exact feeling back. Time is always moving, sometimes way too fast, and each moment is so brief and unimportant in the grand scheme of things. One can think back on what happened, but it can never be recreated in its entirety ever again.

Scott Week 1

During movie making my partner and I were spitballing ideas to each other until we found one. We had an assignment to make a genre film, and we choose to do an action film. We then eventually settled on an inception type movie but with our own spin on it.

Cole - Week 1

I believe that no matter who you write about, no matter how weird or broken they may be, someone somewhere will thank you for writing about themselves.

Week One

Short Story Idea- My attention span is super short which can be awfully irritating sometimes. I will just zone out during class basically and miss parts of the lesson. It especially happens during classes that are hard to concentrate on, because of a lack of interest in the subject, unfortunately. Today while my geometry teacher was going on about the difference between ASA and SSS postulate I zoned out. During this unplanned zone out it made me think of a short story idea. Someone that is constantly zoning out during there life. As they zone out they see someone else’s life through their eyes. Whether it’s walking down the street, reading a book or skydiving the person can see it all. 

Week 1

I read today: "When you don't have inspiration, you must have discipline." Hm. What if you're a writer? Can discipline produce good writing when you lack inspiration?

Lea Mezz - Week 1

The definition of manipulate is as follows, “to handle or control, typically in a skillful manner” (Oxford Dict.). The act of manipulation is very powerful. People interpret this as both a good and bad thing, however I believe that often times the person that is the best manipulator is the smartest man/woman in the room.

Week 1: Caitlin Greene

1/30: Not everything in life requires all of your attention and effort. Sometimes, it’s best to focus your attention to other tasks that you deem are more important, and to overlook tasks that are just not worth your time. Not everything in life needs to be perfect. It’s better to put more effort into tasks that will have a greater impact on your life. Prioritization is key.