Teens Writing for Teens, the 5th

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Zoealea

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Tally, it totally would.
Karla, can you find a medium between what you want to do and what he wants you to do?
 

Kyrie

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Can you talk to him face-to-face, Karla? Explain your point of view and ask him what exactly he wants you to do? Sometimes professors make suggestions and they don't necessarily demand that you follow them to the letter in order to make the grade. If you feel like you can calm down enough (and believe me, I understand why you're upset :( ), I'd talk to him about it as soon as you can.
 

Thalia

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Karla, aren't you in all these courses because you want to improve as a writer? I mean, you're in these courses for you, right? Because you love writing? You shouldn't... what's the word? Oh yeah. You shouldn't compromise your passion at someone else's whim.
 

KarlaErikaCal

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Zoe - I don't think there's a middle between bad coincidences and good coincidences, which was the issue...

Ky - Yeah, with my experiences in the past, there was no way of getting any creative license.

Tally - Oh Tally...you haven't been in college yet. Academia seems to think that literary fiction is the only way to go. Did you see my issue a couple months ago with the prof. who said some icky things about what YA, romance, and paranormal fiction can be? Yeah, that's pretty much a whole lot of prof.'s beliefs.

ETA: I meant to add that I will try and talk to him about it. And see if I can find some more good film examples where good coincidences aren't bad, to help prove my point.

ETA 2: Just realized now that I sounded super blunt in thsi post. Sorry guys...Just really upset/angry and all that comes out is harshness. GAH. I'm gonna write a journal entry in Caden's POV from CMRH about him taking out his anger at his dad belittling him by bullying others.
 
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Thalia

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Well, if the professor's got a job as a professor, clearly he's not managing to make it on his own as an author.
 

Kyrie

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That's not necessarily true, Tally.

Did this happen with the same professor, Karla?

I understand completely why you're upset - it's really rather awful that writing professors think that literary fiction is the only way to go, when 80% of the time literary fiction is not going to get you a job, and isn't that the point of college?

I still think you should talk to him if you can. If you're still really upset about it next class, then write your script for you and make it awesome and hand it in, but if you think you can calmly discuss it with him I would, especially if it's not the same professor as it was the last time this happened to you.
 

KarlaErikaCal

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The script is due in 2 weeks, so I still have time to talk to him.

And no, it's not the same professor, Ky. It's a screenwriting professor. But what upsets me the most I guess is the fact that he originally really liked the idea and suddenly he was swayed by his writer friend's generalization.
 

Kyrie

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Maybe he just got an idea from his friend and thought he could use it.

And maybe he is a jerk who just randomly changed his mind on you.

Either way, lots of hugs. And talk to him if you can. :)
 

Thalia

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Hey! I reserve the right to insult Karla's jerkass teachers even though I've never met them!
 

KarlaErikaCal

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Yeah, he is a really great/funny/laid back kind of guy. So I was caught so off guard.

And I posted in the screenwriting forum place and someone made a GREAT point I could use (I also got three great examples of films too - and will probably get more). The person said, "I think the exception to the "good coincidences are bad" rule is the inciting incident. It isn't really an exception, of course, because that "good" thing still sets a story in motion, and a story comes from complications."

That is SO TRUE. And I'm sure that'll really really help my professor see that he was wrong to change his mind :D
 

Bookgirl2021

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I may be, Zoe. At least I'm registered there.

And I guess I've lucked out with my English professors. One of them has a DW shirt (and many others), and, although in his beginning CW class didn't want genre fiction, he's not opposed to it in any way. Another one did his dissertation on Zombies. :D
 

KarlaErikaCal

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I guess it's because DePaul is a private school and they hire snotty professors that are sticklers for their beliefs. I'm thinking their reasoning might be that it's important for professors to have strong beliefs so they can give their students a new perspective besides students' own beliefs, which ultimately don't matter to those biased professors (woops, run-on).

But that really makes sense to me actually LOL

ETA: But I'm probably completely wrong...
 

Zoombie

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Me: No, I remember hating her, but I forgot the WHITE HOT FOUNTAINS OF RAGE that FLOWED OUT OF MY BRAIN AND DIRECTLY AT EVERY LINE OF DIALOG SHE UTTERS

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Zoealea

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hahaha :D

I've come to the realization that half of my WIP can be put to the soundtrack of various Selena Gomez songs. *headdesk*
 

Zoombie

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Most of my book is set to the tune of anime theme songs.

That's all well and good EXCEPT IT TAKES PLACE IN CHINA.
 

Zoealea

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I have to walk my dog to the groomers today, and I have a migraine and am nauseous. Yay, me.
 
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