I have to admit, coming into this class I was worried about the focus on gothic and horror. I have never been a fan of horror movies and books, and I was not looking forward to reading them. However, I am very glad I did, because I thoroughly enjoyed reading Maledicus. For me it was one of those books that forces you to keep turning the page, and that was for a few reasons.

The most important of these reasons was the characters. Each and every character got a thorough background which helped me connect with them. Each member of the Investigative Paranormal Society (IPS) has a very tragic background. From traumatizing wartime experiences to equally traumatizing experiences at home, it is hard not to root for the success and well being of the IPS. The same is true for Helena and her late mother and father. Overall, the author does a great job of forming a bond between the characters and the reader which makes you feel as though you are battling Maledicus right alongside them. 

Reading this story, along with some of the discussions we had in class, made me reevaluate what it means to be a friend and a family member as well. The theme of family and brotherhood was so pronounced throughout Maledicus that I decided to make it the topic of my second essay. What really moved me was Sam and Roosevelt’s willingness to rush to help Jeremy in the middle of the night when he fell and hurt his ankle. Although none of them are related, each one of them would do anything for the others. Reading that made me think about the type of friend I am to the people I am closest to. I sincerely hope that they know I would be willing to answer that 3 am phone call, and I believe they would answer that call for me. Having friends and family in your life who you can trust like that is something everyone deserves. Not only can those types of relationships save your life, they make everyday much more enjoyable.

Frankenstein Response

After finishing the second half of Frankenstein I was excited to watch some scenes from the movie adaptations of the book. These opened my eyes to how much different the book is compared to the movies. One thing I noticed in particular was the interaction between the monster and the family. In the book multiple chapters are spent on this and they really get the reader to sympathize with the fiend. Through his own dialogue the reader is almost forced to feel bad for the monster, since all he wants is to interact with the family, even if it is just with the blind man. This works because interaction with people is something we take for granted, sometimes to the point that we often wish to avoid it. I definitely found myself feeling bad for him after his plan to make friends with the family failed to materialize. However, while watching the movie I did not develop these feelings as quickly since the old man takes him in immediately. Instead I found it humorous as Frankenstein gets around his fear of fire and learns to communicate with the old man. Then, when the hunters come by and take away his dream I did not feel as bad for him as I did in the book. Overall, I believe this is a testament to the ability of written stories to fully develop the characters and fully engage all of the audience’s emotions. Without scenes such as these, I believe the story loses part of its impact.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

Why do this?

• Because it gives new readers context. What are you about? Why should they read your blog?
• Because it will help you focus you own ideas about your blog and what you’d like to do with it.

The post can be short or long, a personal intro to your life or a bloggy mission statement, a manifesto for the future or a simple outline of your the types of things you hope to publish.

To help you get started, here are a few questions:

• Why are you blogging publicly, rather than keeping a personal journal?
• What topics do you think you’ll write about?
• Who would you love to connect with via your blog?
• If you blog successfully throughout the next year, what would you hope to have accomplished?

You’re not locked into any of this; one of the wonderful things about blogs is how they constantly evolve as we learn, grow, and interact with one another — but it’s good to know where and why you started, and articulating your goals may just give you a few other post ideas.

Can’t think how to get started? Just write the first thing that pops into your head. Anne Lamott, author of a book on writing we love, says that you need to give yourself permission to write a “crappy first draft”. Anne makes a great point — just start writing, and worry about editing it later.

When you’re ready to publish, give your post three to five tags that describe your blog’s focus — writing, photography, fiction, parenting, food, cars, movies, sports, whatever. These tags will help others who care about your topics find you in the Reader. Make sure one of the tags is “zerotohero,” so other new bloggers can find you, too.