final finale

The year has come to an end!!! I'm gonna miss you during summer Sutherland we can e-mail, but it'll be scarce since im going to indonesia!! If after/before i come back from indonesia you need help with your house, i would love to be of service!

3.Explain one or two ways audience feedback helped you grow over the semester. (It doesn't have to be stuff Sutherland said.)
One of my favorite aspects of blogging is how people give you feedback; it's a real eye opener. When someone posts a comment onto your blog, I can't help but get a little giddy when someone took the time to respond to your own ideas. Once someone does post a comment you get to start a conversation on something you know the other person is interested in, or at least has some knowledge in. It's an amazing feeling when you blog about a certain subject and a professional in that area tells you what they think. A couple months back i did a book report on an amazing book called American Shaolin. It was an amazing read and it was stuck in my head so i decided to blog about it. Admittedly i didn't really put as much effort into the book review as i should have, but his(the author) reply made me feel amazing. Here i am, a high school student, receiving feedback from an author who doesn't even know me!! Receiving comments from friends and Mr. Sutherland is a good feeling also, but just isn't quite the same as the author of a book you read. Comments really make you put more effort into what you write about. I found myself writing for people who i knew would read it; trying my best to write in such a way that they would definitely respond. This would either turn out in a good way or completely horrible. Best case scenario i would write specifically to one person, and having several people comment back with their own ideas creating a whole new chat. The worest thing that would happen is you write for one person, and no one finds it interesting besides the ONE person.
Something i found a little hard to do was actually have a conversation through comments. I had no idea if someone commented on old posts and what not so i wasn't sure if a conversation was actually in the process. In the end i pretty much decided if I would continue the conversation I would do it in person. Sadly, that only works if ALL of your friends are in one town, which mine are not.
4.How do the things you read influence what you write about or how you write it?
Things i read heavily influence the way i write indefinitely. When I'm reading a specifically interesting book I cant help but reflect that style in my own blog/writing works. When i was reading Unwind The writing style was so amazing i tried to do it in my own creative writing. It was completely new to me, and very confusing for readers, but it was still a fun experience. With this style you jump back and forth between perspectives each chapter. I took it into my own way and used it each paragraph, which is a lot more confusing. Unwind was also a pretty dark book and my zombie post was quite the match.
I've noticed that as i read more my writing style and subjects have been broadened. I'm just like a sponge, and books are my dirty water that i must, MUST, absorb. Reading books is not only reflected in my writing, but with everything i do. It is dramatically changing the way i write from week to week and month to month. I believe writing reviews and letters about books you have recently read is good as making the book solid in your head. I understand and retain more from a book after i read it AND wrote a hefty some about it. This is a major key in how i understand and connect with material i read.
I was kind of hoping to read more class books; as in the whole class read the same book. I know not everybody will like the book as much as if they chose their own, but i think the responses would make up for that. 30 different minds all analyzing a single book in way, how could that not be interesting? I believe strong discussion can teach us more then any lecture.
8.For the second semester only: Do you plan on continuing to publish writing on your blog this summer, next year, or beyond? If so, what are your writing goals and how will you use your blog in the future?
Of course I'm going to be blogging when this is all over. Granted i will undoubtedly take a rather long break, but everyone needs to recharge after school right? Blogging has been a wonderful experience that i don't want to let slip away just because it's no longer an assignment. Blogging has been an amazing outlet to release everything in one place. Where friends ( I consider you a friend...if thats ok(?)) can scan over whats on your mind and learn a tad more about you. I'm very interested in the future things i will write as i go through high school. I am very hopeful I will mature in my writing in subject and structure.
This year I have been pretty laid back with my writing. Subjects that i found off the internet and my wandering mind were the main focus. I think i would love to get prompts online from website and dedicate a month to only blogging about that particular subject. I believe it would help me focus my mind. I would also be forced to go in depth with the prompt that i chose, which i think would be an amazing feat.
Another reason why I would continue my blog throughout high school and perhaps even further then that, is to show off what is IN my head. I have quite the imagination, and i love writing stories. I love getting feedback on anything i write. What easier pace to receive feedback then at a site dedicated to public posts?

Sutherland, I'm gonna miss your class so much. If your still here next year ill be looking forward to seeing you walk around or even possibly get inside your class. The year has been full of interesting conversations and life skills that i will cherish. I hope next year will be full of knowledge and even more engaging students then this year. See ya later~