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Kindness is free

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Being kind is absolutely free, but it holds the power to change someone’s whole day - for better or worse. So this is probably something everyone has heard about before, but it is still really important and relevant. In a time and age when people are unapologetic about being themselves, it is still crucial to remember that other people have feelings too. That doesn’t cover what you want to say or express, but it’s about basic courtesy and manners. Right? Picture this: there’s someone in your class, and they were completely relaxed and chatty with you and the rest of the class for the first month or so. Somewhere along the line, they turned rude. By this, I mean doing things like not looking at you when you speak or snapping at you to grab your attention. Now, imagine if this isn’t just being done to you, but this person does this to the whole class. Some of you might be telling me that this person might have something else going on, but when asked over and over again, they don’t say an...
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Read to be a Writer

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Here’s a very simple thing to remember: your connection with books will enhance your writing. The better reader you are, the better your writing will be. Let’s take me as an example. I’m a fantasy writer who loves using supernatural and mythological references as I write. Where do you think I got these ideas from? From Percy Jackson I got my mythology. From Twilight came my first introduction into supernatural. From Harry Potter I learned that magic and the real world could exist next to each other. The list goes on and on but it was only because I made it my mission to read these great books that I learned how to craft a fantasy novel. As you read, you’ll also observe the writers’ styles. As you reread a few times, you might even be able to choose certain things from the other writers that you would want to write like. Your style would evolve out of the authors you read. Reading isn’t just about collecting ideas, either. It teaches you how stories work. You start noticing why a partic...
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Plagiarism, Influence, and Tribute

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These three terms are sometimes confused in academia, and I think it’s important to be able to distinguish between them. Okay. I’m going to make this pretty simple. Being influenced by something does not mean plagiarising. Let’s unpack that a little. Plagiarism is directly copying someone else’s work without giving credit to the author. It’s when someone steals someone’s intellectual property without permission or credit. An easy way around that is just to cite one’s sources. Influence, on the other hand, is when someone has been impacted by earlier writers, books, or artistic movements so much that it spills into the style, themes, and creative choices of later authors. For example, someone who writes fantasy - like me - might be influenced by Rick Riordan and JK Rowling. In addition to that, since I like supernatural stories, I’m influenced by things like Twilight, The Vampire Diaries, and Teen Wolf . I draw from these works without copying from them. There might be similar themes be...
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Reading and Recitation

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Today, my professor conducted an activity where we had to read a poem out loud. Now, a little context about this poem… we were asked to write a sonnet to share in class. Anyway, we were asked to read these sonnets out loud. We didn’t have any theme that we were supposed to follow, just a fixed rhyme scheme. The first time we read them out loud, our professor fixed us with a glare. “You sound dead!” he said. (Something along those lines). He told us that we were just reading the poems and not feeling them. He told us to talk to the text, to feel it, and interact with it. He told us to speak to the poem when we read it, and that would make it sound so much better. The next time, we recited the poem rather than just reading it. That brings me to the main point here. There’s a difference between reading and reciting. Reading is just… reading. Using your eyes and forming the words with your mouth. Reciting, on the other hand, is when the words take a detour through your heart on the way fro...
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Music

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A couple of days ago, there was a flash mob in college. It was apparently to promote the college’s Onam celebration. Here’s the thing, though… I had a really bad headache, and the music was very loud, and the ground almost vibrated under my feet. It didn’t help matters. I was trying to stay as far away from it as I could, but it was right near the dining hall, which meant I had to go there anyway. I was also exhausted from all the assignments and things I’d been up to all day. As I went towards the dining hall, I could finally hear what the music was. They were dancing to the Tamil songs I hadn’t heard in so long. In that moment, it was both rejuvenating and heartbreaking. It made me feel like I was home, and like I had never been farther away at the same time. Sure, I ended up smiling and vibing to the music, but the effect it had on me lasted. Music is really powerful. Another example I have to prove it is my morning alarm. I wake up every day to a Taylor Swift song. I feel like it’s...
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Choices and Voices

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This is my first attempt at a sonnet. It is not in any particular meter, but it does have a rhyme scheme. I hope you like it!  Extending towards me is your hand You meet my eyes and let me be You pause with a smile that understands Leaving the final answer up to me An evil touch is rushing to take  But isn't asking just kind  Touching without asking is a mistake In contrast, respect my body and mind  In your arms, I feel safe enough to breathe Yes or no, the choice is mine to say  No longer am I crushed underneath  Your question pushes away my fear  Your ask was more than a question but a choice Your question recognized my voice
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A Trip to the Moon

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 Let me get one thing clear. I’m not really a girl who watches black-and-white movies. I very rarely watch movies from before 2000 (Disney is sometimes an exception). I find old movies kind of slow. I know that sounds weird. It’s not something people admit, but right now, I think it’s only right if I do. Also, I don’t analyze films. I usually stick to books. Today, however, I watched a short film called A Trip to the Moon by Georges Méliès. I was trying to watch it from the lens of a fantasy writer. First of all, this is a silent movie. There’s no dialogue whatsoever. It’s full of silent action. One thing I noticed is that there were no words at all. I don’t mean just dialogue, but there were no boards or signs with words on them either. The very first thing I noticed was that it looked like Harry Potter in a way. There were old men in pointy hats like Dumbledore wears. The room at the beginning of the film looked like the Great Hall. The architecture reminded me of it as well. Th...
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Is There a Text?

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So, what is a text? Is it a prose piece? Is it poetry? Is it anything that is written and can be read? According to the dictionary, text is “the main written part of a book, newspaper, etc.” or “the written form of a speech, interview, etc.” In colloquial contexts, it could mean anything written. However, let’s go a little deeper. What do you do with a text? You read and understand it. Right? If a poem or story is a text, it is meant to be read and analyzed. It can have multiple different meanings, and people understand and interpret it in different ways. There isn’t just one way to read a text. Similarly, let’s look at other things that can be interpreted. What about a painting or photograph? If your answer to that is yes, that means paintings and photographs are also texts. An image is a text. So is a piece of furniture, if it makes you feel and think. Anything that you have to think about to understand can be called a text. Since a text, in its rawest meaning, means something that c...
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