Creepy. Spooky. Ect.

1. I normally do like to be scared, I think it's the excitement that comes with being afraid of something that I love so much. As for setting, anywhere is cool to be scared.

2. I used to be really afraid of a huge list of things, bugs, especially spiders, clowns, dummies and snakes. Personally, I've never really liked big houses, and when I'm in them I need them to be filled with company. I just don't like the idea of so much space for stuff to happen and for me not to know about it.

3. To be considered mad by me someone would have to completely lose their mind. I'm pretty crazy as it is, so someone would have to do something extremely out of the ordinary and unforgettable for me to consider them mad.

4. I think what drives people to madness is a combination of things, or any one of many things. It could be normalcy, life becoming to routine and eventually causing them to reach for something unexpected. It could be something as simple as a build up of stress. Or just be something wrong with their brain entirely.

That's my thoughts on fear. You can go back to doing what you were doing before now.

Alternate Beginnings

Here it comes. The corner I've grown to increasingly detest over the past few months.

I'm worried that this will be the last time I walk this way.

I can't take it anymore, this is the day I take a stand.

That mans face lingers in my thoughts as I approach the final corner.

Its impossible to fight it, I have to walk this way home.

Not Sure Where I'm Going, Don't Know Where I've Been?

To start off I thought this story was really creepy. I think that the setting in the second half of the story is important because it sets the mood and shows her solitude well. Connie's character draws the reader in because shes a victim. But it drives the reader crazy because she just won't smarten up and listen to common sense. In the story Joyce Carol Oates seems to be adressing the vunerablity of teenage girls and how easy it is for stalkers to victimize people in this day and age. This story appeals to so many people because we sympathize for her and her stupidity, she is a victim, and we naturally feel bad for the victim no matter how stupid or ignorant they are. After she leaves the house I think she is taken advantage of and then killed, I only think this because I was told the story is inspired by a killer in Arizona. The man is very creepy and disgusting here because he lies about his age, stalks young girls, and takes them away. In our society today I think he represents the number of stalkers in our society today. That is all.




Okay now that I am done ranting about the stalker story. Here is my list of 10 things that I think make a short story great.

• A strong story line
• An obvious conflict
• Characters that are easy to relate to
• Characters that are unique and not just generalizations of personality types
• An underlining morale of the story
• A good choice of words(not too long not too short)
• Action packed stories
• Stories with good jokes and punchlines are good too
• A plot that has alot of surprises as you read
• Characters that you sympathize with'

Thats my whole list, love it or leave it.

Tyler OUT-