My Writing Metaphor

I am a creative writer. I am not a painter, although the process is quite similar. Every painting starts out with an idea or inspiration: A beautiful landscape, an intriguing exchange on the street, a glamorous lady, or just a simple thought that burrows into your head. Writing in this way is very similar: it starts with an inspiration, an exchange, a thought of “how would something like this go?” that sticks with you until you get it out on paper. My ideas usually spawn from other inspirations; people, images, costumes, or just the want to combine several interests. I think and think and think on it until it begins to come together and demands to be laid out in front of me. 

This is the next step, the outline, or in the painter’s case, the sketch. The beginning of a creation. The painter lays out the scene, begins to create the outline of her vision just as the writer lays out the points of her story, the ups and downs and paths her story will take. After the outline is done comes the base. This is usually the most intensive process when you really get everything out. The painter puts the paint to canvas, shaping everything out, creating the mix of colors and lines that are most pleasing to the eye. The writer sits down and fleshes out the story with characters, dialog, and plot. 

After the base is finished, for the painter comes the details: perfecting the shading, working with the background, making sure her vision is complete and dynamic. To a writer, this is the editing process. The writer scours over their work, reading, re-reading, and re-reading again, making sure that there’s no plot holes, mistakes, and making sure that the product is exactly as imagined. This is when they each take a step back and admire their work. Sometimes the process takes hours, sometimes days, and sometimes longer. They admire the time they’ve spent on it and the passion they’ve put into it. When I finish a piece of writing that I love, I really do feel like I’ve created something as beautiful as a painting. It’s just beautiful in a different way.

Games are good for the brain... right?

Games have always been held as an important part of children on the path to learning, increasing their brain function and skills. Within the past decade or so, though, Video Games have been targeted as harmful to children, creating violence and hostility within them. I believe that video games can do more good than the harm that people spew out. Most researchers proclaim that the content of video games is increasingly harmful to children, while other disagree and claim that video games are actually beneficial to children, increasing their critical thinking skills among other things. I believe that as long as a child is playing the correct video games (i.e. a 9 year old playing E rated games as opposed to M rated games) they can be incredibly beneficial to children.

The research I'd like to read about is more about the benefits of video games because I've read enough about the detrimental effects of video games on children thanks to the media.

Summary of my article

Opens with a note to the editor, essentially stating that although there has been much research behind the effects of video games on children, the research has been not compelling and flawed.

The article states that there have always been topics that are purportedly harmful to minors, although over time, none of the fears materialized. The data collected from the modern day claims of video game violence affecting minors is increasingly flawed.

The data is currently starting to point away from their idea of harmful effects, and it is being realized that the original data was never consistent. The flaws in design of the experiments to collect data included lack of valid aggression measures, the inability to control other variables, and interpreting weak results in order to support their ideas. There is little evidence for long term harm. People are more up in arms about violent video game effects, although we’re experiencing declined youth violence, now at a 40 year low.

Controversial topics

I've decided for my controversial topic to cover video games, specifically the controversies surrounding violence and content. I chose it because I've always been interested in Video Games and the controversies surrounding them. I know that people believe that Video Games breed violence, and the controversies surrounding the content of games themselves, like in M rated games. I want to read more about it and find out where all of the ideas grew from, and mostly just read more about peoples ideas.

About me!

I guess I'll tell you a bit about myself. My name is Kelly Surmann and I love movies... and television, internet, gaming, music... I love media. My goal is to work in the media industry, and to do that I'm currently attending Specs Howard for Digital Media Arts along with OCC. My parents and I agreed that along with my one year degree from Specs, I should also try to get a four year too, so I'm getting as many credits out of the way at OCC before hopefully transferring to Eastern for a degree in Simulation, Animation, and Gaming. My big goal is to work for a company like Pixar, Rooster Teeth, or Nerdist Industries.

Anyway, that's my life goals. Current goals just include getting good grades and being a happy person. Pretty easy goals, I'd say. In my down time I like to watch movies, play video games, write, draw, and go online. I have a 14 year old cat that I love dearly although he's quite whiny some days. I think at this point I'm just rambling, so I guess I'll sign off for now.