The Perks of a Video

Here is my introduction video of my final paper. I summarized what my paper mainly focuses on and how I supported it. I uploaded it to YouTube which does scare me. There are a lot of people (nice and not so nice) on there but I'll get over it. I also circulated it by tweeting and posting it on my personal blog on Tumblr. Also, am I the only one that gets uncomfortable watching their own video? I'm super self-conscious....

The Perks Of Writing

This video clip is the end of the film adaptation of the novel I wrote about, The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I wanted to share this scene with you all because it ends the movie and is also the conclusion of the novel. The main character, Charlie, has a line which says "...you helped me. Even if you didn't know what I was talking about or know someone who's gone through it, you made me not feel alone" which I think describes my semester. So many of you in this class gave me so much feedback and suggestions for my paper and it helped me tremendously. I'm so glad we were able to do things like peer evaluations, blog posts comments, and chat sessions because they were the biggest influences on my writing. I know now the importance of social proof when writing important things like this.

Keep On Keeping On

Creative Commons 1.0

That picture is basically me throughout most of my writing process....like really. I find myself thinking way more than I should and not writing/researching as much as I need to. My status report so far is a little over satisfactory. Honestly, I can feel myself starting to get a bit complacent in my paper and not pushing for making that brilliant paper. Although, my ideas are flowing and I am getting more comfortable in my topic. Improvements are being made with all of the feedback and suggestions I have been receiving. I just have some things to work out and couple more steps to complete. These include:

1. Consult Professionals - I plan to talk to Professor Cutchins who knows a lot about film adaptations and literature. I'm glad he is a BYU professor and father of one of my peers. This way it makes it a lot easier for me to consult him in regards to my paper. He can definitely help with the mechanics and content of it.

2. Better Rough Drafts - my drafts need to be taken more seriously on my part. It feels like I complete them just to get it done instead of significantly flushing my ideas out and doing it as a preparation for the final one. A lot of that probably has to do with how much time and effort I actually put into doing them.

3. WORK HARDER - this would probably be my greatest challenge. I've done so many papers they are sort of like an exercise that I've grown to shortchange and not give my all. This paper is probably one of the more important ones I'll do here in college so I need to step it up. As a recently accepted English Teaching major, I need to be a paper expert and this is the only way I'll get to that level. Practice makes perfect!

Process of Perks Paper

We've come a long way folks. We are getting closer to our goal which a well written and supported paper. It's incredible how all of these steps we have taken toward writing this final draft have really improved our process. With all the feedback, revisions, and suggestions, it has made it a lot easier to finalize my argument. I have a few things left to do. First, I plan to talk to an expert about my paper. Professor Cutchins, also known as Kate's dad, is an instructor here at BYU. He knows a lot about adaptation theory and he even wrote a book about it! I will be contacting him and sharing how far along I am. I think he could really enhance my paper in many ways. Another thing I plan to do is incorporate the primary text more. I have been rereading The Perks of Being a Wallflower to become more familiar with what I had read before. I'm almost done with it again and I have been taking notes on what passages are strong enough to use as evidence. This will definitley help me sort out my sources as well and see which I can incorporate more. Of course, I also want to give way more time to this paper and really focus on developing everything I have been working on. The more time I give, the better this paper will turn out. I can do this! 

Perks of Public Speaking

Took this picture myself....I'm awesome

This was my first time attending a session of the BYU English Symposium. It was a really good experience because I realized a lot in terms of writing papers. The speakers were very articulate in their papers and I think this added to the way they spoke on the panel. The session I attended was called "A Whole New World: Disney, Adaptation, and the Americanization of Fairy Tales" and the topics included were very interesting. The first speaker talked about Walt Disney and argued how much of the criticism aimed toward him was false and misinformed. Her points actually gave me a lot of insight on how to accurately discusses false accusations or beliefs in a way that will support a paper. The second speaker was probably the most relevant in terms of my paper concept. She discussed book and film adaptations and how the father figure image in many disney tales was portrayed differently. This was helpful for my writing process because I really paid attention to how she managed to compare all the adaptations and successfully support her thesis without going off topic. Finally, there was the last speaker who I think was the most proficient when discussing her paper. She came off as very knowledgeable and well prepared for her turn on the panel. She talked about the way fairy tales are portrayed differently in social media frames. She used the website Tumblr as her biggest example with fairy tales and their portrayals. It was interesting to hear her argument because it relied a lot on relation to the readers and their understanding of how social media works. Nonetheless, her explanation of her paper was convincing and made me reflect on my ideas.

After attending the English Symposium, I definitely think I will submit one of my papers in the future. It also made me to realize that you don't have to be an exceptional writer and speaker to be part of it. There is a way better chance of me being chosen to share at the symposium. All you need is a well done paper.

#Enthusiasts

Better late than never but never late is better... 

Since I am still a bit reluctant to messaging strangers online, I decided to reach out to enthusiasts in person. For my enthusiasts, I decided to use fellow English majors and lovers of writing. I consider them to be enthusiasts because they have the same passion of research and analysis that I do. I had an electronic version of my draft in hand to every enthusiasts I talked to. Most of the English majors I talked to gave me similar advice. They had great advice about formulating the paper and how the structure could be improved to help fluidity. One enthusiast I talked to was a Writing Fellow here at BYU. They're advice was very useful because they have a lot of experience with guiding other in their writing processes. In terms of ideas, I got way more points to discuss and ideas I hadn't thought of before. I really like sharing my drafts with others personally. It's probably the most useful practice we have done in this class, in my opinion. Yay for enthusiasts!

Perks of Finding New Sources

Each time I go to the library, I spend more time in there than I originally planned. There are so many options to choose from and it takes a while for me to narrow down my choices. I'd also like to thanks the wonderful librarians who have helped me along the way. Without them, I would still be pretty lost. Searching for more sources can be difficult but that's how you know you're getting somewhere. Trying out different ones to see if they work or not is part of the process. Familiarizing myself with the library has also helped me tremendously in my researching. The more I visit, the better I get at this!

Here's my updated thesis statement: (still want to change it a bit...)

The concepts incorporated in the novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower are equally expressed in the film adaptation which was directed by the author Stephen Chbosky, making the film and novel necessary to each other for the complete experience of the story.

Perks Of A Possible Paper

Creative Commons 2.0

I'm still hoping this paper will come along as I keep writing it but for now, it needs more work. There's also something in the back of my head telling me that I might have trouble writing a long, well-supported paper about this topic but I guess time will tell. Some of my ideas are still growing so they aren't as well developed. I'm really glad we are doing many small drafts as builds for our full paper. I feel like this really allows me to flesh out my ideas and work on my editing, which I need. Without any further adieu, here's my rough (but improving) build for my final paper. Suggestions are always welcome!

Perks of Publishing

From Wikipedia

One of my new favorite things to do is sharing my work, or work in progress, with others. Whether they may be interested or not, people are prone to give useful feedback that will benefit you. Many of the people I've talked to have definitely improved my process. I decided to share my draft with some of my peers from my dance technique class. I see them everyday for two hours so they are peers I am pretty familiar with. It was so satisfying talking to them about my paper because they reacted exactly how I intended: they related to the idea. My teaser discusses how The Perks of Being a Wallflower involves the concept of loneliness. The author, Stephen Chbosky, says this story is very autobiographical in terms of how much it relates to his life. This is the purpose of the book, to allow audiences to relate. When I shared this draft with my peers they began telling they're stories of loneliness and how they experienced it but overcame. This reassures me that the topic is supported and easily understood.

Now its time to start thinking about not only sharing my work but publishing! At first, it sounded a bit intimidating. Thinking about strangers reading my work and critiquing sounded scary. Now I'm thinking "Read my work, rip me apart, make me better!!!!!". This process is for sure to help me improve.

1.The publication I think would fit my paper the best would definitely be Digital America. Since I'm focusing on the novel and film, it goes with their interests and would make a good argument to them.

2.The conference I'd like to submit to is the BYU English Symposium. I feel more comfortable here at my own school because I know my peers are supportive. The due date might have passed but it still sounds fun.

3.For the guest blog post, I am stealing the one I read on Kate's post which McKay used as well. The blog is called New Directions in the Humanities and it seems very modern which I appreciate. The name describes it perfectly "New Directions" so it focuses on fresh ideas and topics that have not been commonly discussed. My paper would fit pretty well into this. They even have a promotion on their home page about a book that discusses the transition between literature and cinema....BINGO!

Perks of Being Conflicted

Which aren't many....

Wrestling, sorry about my handwriting

The more research I do, the more ideas seem to arise. This would be great if I could incorporate all of them into one thesis but that would be insane. As posted in my first tweethis statement, I wanted to compare the relationship between the Perks of Being a Wallflower movie and the book. Doing this would allow others to see how motion pictures can work hand in hand with the novels they are based on. What I did not realize was that looking at both the book and the movie, there would be a lot to compare....

On Your Own

“It's strange because sometimes, I read a book, and I think I am the people in the book.”

The Perks of Being A Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky

Charlie is a teenage character who was not very outgoing. It was his first year in a new school which can be pretty intimidating. He didn't really have friends and kept to himself. Who could blame him? Being a freshman in high school is tough. It's hard trying to make friends among so many different people. It may be easy for some but can be difficult for others. Not being able to find where you belong usually leads to loneliness. Being alone is something all of us are probably familiar with. Like Charlie, we have all been at one point on our own. Reading this book, Charlie seemed like a past version of myself: introverted and conflicted. He was so easy to relate to and I could really feel his struggle. Why is it that being alone is such a common feeling? Why do we feel lonely even if we have others around us? Can this feeling be amended?

I plan to talk to peers from my other classes in person. I rarely talk to them but I'm curious to see what they have to say. I like discussing this with strangers and acquaintances because it helps me get a sense of who they are. It also bring up so many unique insights and opinions that I had never heard before.

Perks Of The Process

Usually, people say that the motion picture versions of movies are not as accurate or "as good" as the book. I actually am guilty of thinking this before. I thought how can I argue this is not true when looking at The Perks of Being A Wallflower? Is the movie as accurate as the novel Stephen Chbosky wrote? Does it matter if they correlate or not? I wondered what significant relationship do the two forms of the story hold.

Key Passages:

• "So, on Friday, I went to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I waited until the movie had already started before I went into the theater. I didn't want to ruin the show for everybody. I just wanted to see Patrick play Frank 'n Furter just like he always does because I knew that if I saw that, I knew he would be okay. Just like my sister getting mad at me for smoking cigarettes. I sat in the back row and looked on the stage. It was still a couple of scenes before Frank 'n Furter enters. That's when I saw Sam playing Janet. And I missed her so much. And I was so sorry about how I messed everything up. Especially when I saw Mary Elizabeth playing Magenta. It was all very hard to watch. "
• " I drove home listening to some of the songs we listened to those times when we were infinite. And I pretended they were in the car with me. I even talked out loud."

Analysis:

Focusing on what the main character Charlie describes, a lot it has to do with what he sees and hears. He describes all of his experiences with his senses. Listening to music, watching things, etc. all contribute to what he is going through. I think as the reader it is important to experience what he is experiencing as well. With the movie, they play the music he is obsessed with and show Charlie and his friends dress up for the event. The visuals and sounds of the movie enhance the understanding of what he is describing to be so great.

Synthesis:

What I am thinking about doing at this point is focusing on the physical/sensory details the novel incorporates and the movie also depicts. I'll touch on how motion pictures don't have to stay completely dependent on the novels they are based on. As long as they get the same message across, it is accurate. I haven't done much thinking in terms of comparing it to Alice in Wonderland but that novel also has a movie based on it so it will work. Chbosky was inspired by music and physical things so I believe the motion picture of The Perks of Being A Wallflower complements the novel.

We Accept The Feedback We Think We Deserve

From Wikipedia

I always find it kind of fun to talk to different people on things I'm working on. It's usually very beneficial feedback. I decided to share my tweethis statement with others in person because I feel like social media isn't very intimate. Talking to others face to face allows me to see how they actually react when they first hear or see my thesis. First, I went to my roommates. They're typical guys and science majors so I didn't really expect them to give me any profound thoughts. Surprisingly, they we pretty interested in the topic. They have never read the novel or seen the movie but have heard of the title. The idea of comparing novel and movie intrigued them and they thought it would be an interesting paper. It was cool to see how it really provoked them to think about it and discuss. Then, I decided to go over an apartment in the complex I live in. I chose a random apartment that I have never visited and started to talk to them about my thesis. Fortunately, one of the girls that lived in this apartment is an English major and gave me great feedback. She had read the novel and seen the book and thought there were awesome points to be made about the relationship between the two. I really appreciated her support because I was unsure if this thesis was strong enough to pursue. This also occurred when Sophie and Chelsea commented on my post. They both expressed their agreement with my argument and posed more questions and points I could bring up. This movie and novel comparison is seeming more interesting thanks to the social proof I have been getting!

Thesis In the Works

Here's what I have so far. It's very likely to change but we'll see where it goes. Help me out!

The novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower can be better understood when comparing it to the motion picture because of the musical implications and visual relationships depicted in both the book and movie. When does not work without the other which is why they should both be experienced by the audience.

I'm going to talk to my "homies" in person as a way of circulating it.

The Greatest People You Will Ever Meet

Third wheel status

10pts if you get the movie reference in my title

I would not be the person I am today if I didn't have my friends. I consider them family because they are such a strong support system in my life. I value their honest opinions so much that it does get difficult at times. We are always giving each other advice, whether it may be what we want to hear or not. We're constantly looking out for each other which makes us even closer. Since we are all BYU students, our lives are very focused on our grades and classes. Even though we all have different majors, we somehow find a way to help each other study and get things done. I've realized that friends aren't just there to hang out with you on weekends or entertain you when you're bored. They're genuinely interested in helping you and want you to succeed. I've shared a lot of my English assignments with my friends and we always end up having a great discussion of what I brought up. You wouldn't believe some of the things we end up talking about.....

Perks of Reading Perks

Memories of high school are still pretty fresh in my mind, seeing as I graduated about two years ago. In my case, I can still remember what it was like: classes, friends, clubs, hanging out, etc. Of course, we all have unique experiences at this time in our lives. I actually learned this when I first read Perks. I didn't fully realize that not everyone is a social butterfly in high school and it wasn't a complete breeze for all. This story of Charlie and his freshman experiences really made me think....

Is it really that hard...?

Yes and no. The novel describes Charlie in a way that depicts him as the "wallflower" which his friends later kindly name him. He is a kid that keeps to himself but wants to venture out. His character is great because it doesn't make him seem like just another "loser" or "loner" in some school. There's something interesting about Charlie, like a secret or something that isn't being said, which is what pulls you in (or pulled me in at least).