Works That Inspire Me.
I’ve read many works in my life. Reading was one of my huge past times as a kid. The first thing that came to mind as something I enjoy a great deal was the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Stephanie Plum is a young woman from New Jersey who found herself working for her cousin Vinny’s bailbonds office as a bounty hunter. The thing is she’s not very good at her job. She regularly has to call for help from a more experienced bounty hunter named Ranger. Her boyfriend, a New Jersey homicide detective, wants her to quit her job to become a housewife even though that isn’t what she wants from her life. Stephanie is determined, and even though she’s not very good at her job, her determination, help from her friends and sheer dumb luck make up for skill and she always gets her man. This series taught me to keep going even if it looks hopeless and not to settle for anything less than what you want.
As a twenty four year old, I am a card carrying member of the Harry Potter generation. Harry Potter was a huge part of growing up for me. I loved the magic and the wonder of Hogwarts as well as the adventure that came with wizardry. I waited for my owl from Hogwarts until I was sixteen, if you must know.Harry Potter taught me to step up to my responsibilities and accept them. It also taught me that not all adults know what is best and some people only look out for themselves.
I’ve always loved the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice because Lestat, her main character, was so human even though he was a vampire. Lestat was made when he was a young man and then left alone immediately after. He had to learn the rules of vampirism all by himself and his driving force throughout the series seemed to be his own lonely heart. He only ever wanted companionship and that seemed to be the thing that drove everyone away. He often broke the rules because he didn’t know of them and would step on the toes of the older vampires. In doing this he would bring the older vampires into modern ages and in some cases he would save their lives. This series taught me that sometimes it is okay to go your own way and be nonconforming. It also taught me to enjoy the things that I have when I have them because they can, and do, go so quickly. It’s ironic that a vampire was instrumental to teaching me how to be a human.
One of my favorite mediums of fiction is FanFiction. Fanficiton is a fan based adaptation of an existing work that has been rewritten or continued on from the ending point of the original work. Sometimes, the writer of the fanfiction will write a prequel to the original work. What I love about this medium so much is that, to me, it feels like my favorite stories never have to end. While I realize that it isn’t the author of the work doing the continuation it is still so fun to pretend that the story never has to end. There are literally billions of fanfictions on the internet and sometimes you find one that can be life changing. There are so many good writers in the world and this is an excellent way to read their work while still enjoying the characters that you fell in love with. I have made friends with people all over the world through this medium and everybody has a different interpretation of the original work. It’s fascinating to see how different people think and learn.
For all that I read alot music has been one of the most influential things in my life. To me, music is emotion made tangible. I have been a musician for sixteen years and one of my biggest inspirations is my dad. He was in rock bands the whole time I was growing up and I have always looked up to him. My dad has supported everything I’ve ever wanted to learn how to play or do and without his influence I feel like I would be lost. I’m listening to music as I write this now. Music is one of my favorite forms of communication because it feels like raw emotion. I feel like I can get all of my feelings out through song and it makes me feel lighter and happier. Music is critical to my survival.
As a twenty four year old, I am a card carrying member of the Harry Potter generation. Harry Potter was a huge part of growing up for me. I loved the magic and the wonder of Hogwarts as well as the adventure that came with wizardry. I waited for my owl from Hogwarts until I was sixteen, if you must know.Harry Potter taught me to step up to my responsibilities and accept them. It also taught me that not all adults know what is best and some people only look out for themselves.
I’ve always loved the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice because Lestat, her main character, was so human even though he was a vampire. Lestat was made when he was a young man and then left alone immediately after. He had to learn the rules of vampirism all by himself and his driving force throughout the series seemed to be his own lonely heart. He only ever wanted companionship and that seemed to be the thing that drove everyone away. He often broke the rules because he didn’t know of them and would step on the toes of the older vampires. In doing this he would bring the older vampires into modern ages and in some cases he would save their lives. This series taught me that sometimes it is okay to go your own way and be nonconforming. It also taught me to enjoy the things that I have when I have them because they can, and do, go so quickly. It’s ironic that a vampire was instrumental to teaching me how to be a human.
One of my favorite mediums of fiction is FanFiction. Fanficiton is a fan based adaptation of an existing work that has been rewritten or continued on from the ending point of the original work. Sometimes, the writer of the fanfiction will write a prequel to the original work. What I love about this medium so much is that, to me, it feels like my favorite stories never have to end. While I realize that it isn’t the author of the work doing the continuation it is still so fun to pretend that the story never has to end. There are literally billions of fanfictions on the internet and sometimes you find one that can be life changing. There are so many good writers in the world and this is an excellent way to read their work while still enjoying the characters that you fell in love with. I have made friends with people all over the world through this medium and everybody has a different interpretation of the original work. It’s fascinating to see how different people think and learn.
For all that I read alot music has been one of the most influential things in my life. To me, music is emotion made tangible. I have been a musician for sixteen years and one of my biggest inspirations is my dad. He was in rock bands the whole time I was growing up and I have always looked up to him. My dad has supported everything I’ve ever wanted to learn how to play or do and without his influence I feel like I would be lost. I’m listening to music as I write this now. Music is one of my favorite forms of communication because it feels like raw emotion. I feel like I can get all of my feelings out through song and it makes me feel lighter and happier. Music is critical to my survival.
Theoretical Approaches That I Value.
The theoretical approach that I think is the most important to me is the Reader-Reaction Criticism. This is a type of criticism based on the way the reader interprets what they’re reading and how it affects them. I tend to use this approach to everything I read. I like to internalize the things that I read and learn from them. Some call it living vicariously through the characters, I call it enjoying a great read.