Draft #2

The Stone of Abicore

 

There was a dull, grey mist in the air as Cyrus the elf moved quietly down a dimly lit, stone corridor in the cave of wonders. Thoughts put in place by old tales and gossipy hearsay reminded him of the dangers in this bleak place. A noise drifted around a corner, which brought Cyrus to a stop. Holding his breath, he silently and swiftly drew his blade and gathered his strength. Encarthara, his sword, had been passed down through the generations of his family. It measured 3 feet in length, and was engraved with carvings that told the story of his family’s history. The sword was enchanted, and the carvings changed as time moved on into the future. A thought passed through his head as he wondered what the sword would show after this adventure.

The noise was growing louder and Cyrus could now sense that there was a group of beings traveling at a trot in his direction. His elf ears had the magical ability to sense sounds hundreds of miles away, but he could tell the growing noise was now within one mile. The noise was unmistakably the pitter-patter of uncovered feet. This meant that whatever was coming his way was an uncivilized creature, such as a troll, goblin or orc.

The corridor Cyrus stood in was a quarter-mile long with no turns or places to hide. Battle was about to ensue; there was no other way around it. Moans and groans could now be heard from the monsters that approached, and Cyrus positioned his feet for the first clashes with these deviled beasts.

In the dark distance their blurry silhouettes were now visible: three goblins, each over 6 feet tall. Dark green abused bodies with the scars of one hundred battles covered the goblins, and each of them held clubs and shields in their massive, bulging hands. 

The first Goblin sprinted towards Cyrus without caution, like a wolf taking advantage of an injured fawn, but undermining his enemy proved to be a fatal mistake. Cyrus dropped his blade on the goblin’s cranium, putting an immediate stop to the other two goblin’s trots. With his black eyes wide open, the first goblin fell to his knees and eventually the ground, his head split in two. Before the other two goblins could raise their clubs, Cyrus jumped up with all his might screaming, “vengeance!” and tackled one of the remaining goblins to the floor. They tussled and turned, grappling with each other on the dusty floor. The goblin that was on his feet raised his club and slammed it down narrowly missing Cyrus’ head. Cyrus now saw an opportunity, and rolled to his back, pulling the goblin he wrestled on top of him just in time for the standing goblin to club his ally in the head knocking him out cold. Now it was one on one.

Cyrus returned to his feet and the large, green goblin slowly made it’s way toward him, smacking his bat into his hand, as if to say, I’m coming to get you! Cyrus did not flinch. He picked up some dirt and pebbles off the ground and threw them right into the goblin’s face. The goblin leaned back in pain for a fraction of a second, and Cyrus knew just what to do. In a barely audible tone, Cyrus began to chant the song of his fathers. His family’s spirits came to his aid bringing Encarthara to a cool, blue glow. He thrust his sword into the goblin as he went down on one knee and whispered under his breath, “Now I have paid my respects, father.” and with that, the three guards of the Stone of Abicore had been slain.

Cyrus went forth cautiously even though he heard of no other obstacles in obtaining the Stone. At first, he thought the twinkle he saw in the corner of his eye was just a flicker of light from a torch, but he knew well that this could be the sign he was waiting for. Cyrus the brave went forward and saw with his own eyes the most beautiful stone he had ever seen in his short life. The stone resembled a circle with a diameter of about 1 foot. On it was a sketching of the old world Cyrus was raised in, while the perimeter was encrusted with precious jewels and gems. Even though this stone would guarantee Cyrus would never have to worry about money again. He planned on returning it to the museum from which it was stolen so many years ago.

Cyrus reached out to grab the tablet and felt a strange electricity when his fingers touched it. He quickly put it in his leather sack and was amazed at what happened next. The wall had seemed to turn to liquid. Was this a portal to another world? There was only one way to find out…

 

Fantasy Modeled Writing

The following bullets are the outline/plan for my writer's workshop, modeled piece of writing. They could be used on a story mountain to illustrate "the way stories tend to go". 

1)    Cyrus travels through a dark corridor

2)    Cyrus encounters goblins

3)    Cyrus destroys goblins

4)    Cyrus sees the tablet

5)    Cyrus obtains the tablet

 

The Tablet of Abicore

 

There was a dull, grey mist in the air as Cyrus the elf moved quietly down a dimly lit, stone corridor in the cave of wonders. Thoughts put in place by old tales and gossipy hearsay reminded him of the dangers in this bleak place. A noise drifted around a corner, which brought Cyrus to a stop. He quickly drew his blade and gathered his strength. He would need all he could muster to overcome the goblins that ran at full speed in his direction.

The first Goblin turned the corner and Cyrus dropped his blade on the goblin’s cranium, putting an immediate stop to the other two goblins trots. Before they could raise their axes, Cyrus jumped up screaming, “vengeance!” and tackled one of the remaining goblins and putting a quick end to its existence. Now it was one on one.

The large, green goblin slowly made it’s way toward Cyrus smacking his bat into his hand, as if to say, I’m coming to get you! Cyrus did not flinch. He picked up some dirt and pebbles off the ground and threw them right into the goblin’s face. The goblin leaned back in pain and Cyrus saw his chance. He thrust his sword into the goblin as he went down on one knee and whispered under his breath, “Now I have paid my respects, father.” and with that, the three guards of the Tablet of Abicore had been slain.

Cyrus went forth cautiously even though he had heard of no other obstacles in obtaining the tablet. At first, he thought the twinkle he saw in the corner of his eye was just a flicker of light from a torch, but he knew well that this could be the sign he was waiting for. Cyrus the brave went forward and saw with his own eyes the most beautiful stone he had ever seen in his short life. The tablet resembled a circle with a diameter of about 3 feet. On it was a story of the old world drawn in jewels and gems. Even though this tablet would guarantee Cyrus would never have to worry about money again. He planned on returning it to the museum from which it was stolen so many years ago.

Cyrus reached out to grab the tablet and felt a strange electricity when his fingers touched it. He quickly put it in his leather sack and was amazed at what happened next. The wall had seemed to turn to liquid. Was this a portal to another world? There was only one way to find out…

Inspiration

    Without inspiration, writing is meaningless. This week professor Wallace wrote about finding inspiration in everyday activities and routines, so I wanted to do some introspection about where my motivation for writing comes from.

            Last week I commented on someone’s blog and wrote that I usually, simply put my “pencil” onto paper and begin jotting down ideas that come to my head. For two years I was a professional copywriter, and had to write in this manor everyday. This skill has proved to be a big help in our grad. school classes, since the majority of our assignments involve writing, but perhaps there’s more to it than “in-the-moment” writing. What I like to do is begin by writing off the top of my head, and later come back and revise. The “later” is a key element to this process, because that’s where inspiration comes into play. The “in-the-moment” writing is important as well, because it serves as a foundation for any writing that I do, but it’s the revision that brings my writing to life. I often will write the majority of a paper in one sitting, put it down, and think about it for a day or two, come back to it, and make it three-dimensional by adding ideas that have come to me over the course of the 24 hours or so. These ideas are sometimes sub-conscious, and other times I am aware of my cognitive thinking. Either way, it is an important aspect of my writing. Sometimes I will completely scrap a piece of writing I’ve done a day later and begin again. I often find that writing about something a second time is much easier.

            I can’t say for sure where my inspiration comes from. Music, love, pain, nature… Inspiration comes from anything, even a cat falling into a toilet ;-) The important thing is tapping into that inspiration and making it a part of your writing. If you’re not passionate about what your writing, your readers will not be passionate about reading it either. For me, inspiration comes naturally. This is why you can’t force REAL QUALITY writing. It’s got to come from your heart. Just be open to all the things that make up you and surround you. Take mental notes in your head of what makes your heart tick. Close your eyes and envision for two minutes before you begin writing. These are all methods I use to tap into my inspiration, and it makes writing amazingly painless. Natural is better! Always is, always will be, and writing is no different.

What Teaching Means To Me :-) a poem

Smiling faces, eager hearts

Trusting souls

Increased smarts

 

Every morning they appear

Ready to listen, ready to hear

 

What it is I’ve got to say

They know that now’s no time to play

 

Pencils down, pencils up

All their thoughts to say what’s up

 

Telling me what’s wrong and right

Trying their best with all their might

 

This is my life, my mission, my plight

To shape their minds, and fight the good fight

 

To teach is to love     - M. Cole

My Biggest Success This Year

With all the focus on standardized testing these days, it can be a breath of fresh air to have the opportunity to teach students something other than the core curriculum subjects. In my school P.S. 5 in the bronx, we had the opportunity to participate in a ballroom dancing program that was a smash hit for students and teachers alike. The program lasted 20 weeks and included 2 sessions per week with a ballroom dancing professional instructor. I knew nothing about ballroom dancing before we started, but I was just happy to be doing something with my fourth grade students other than test prep. The ballroom dancing classes ended up being the best parts of my week. It was fun learning the dances with the students, and amazing to see how fast they could pick up the moves. We learned the Merengue, Tango, Waltz, Swing, Foxtrot and more. Even though the students were hesitant at first, by the end of the 20 weeks, they were practicing the dances they loved on all their free time. The program ends with a big extravaganza that parents and other grades are invited to watch. The performance was spectacular, and an experience that my students and I will likely never forget. Below you will see some pictures that capture what fun that day was, and I'm happy to share them with all of you. If your school ever has the opportunity to partake in a program like this, I recommend you take full advantage of it. Enjoy the pics!