Blogging Tips

     Blogging and I have a love hate relationship. I like to blog about certain things like experiences I have had and books I have read. The part that I don't like about blogging is actually writing the blog. I have been blogging for about 3 years now and I still don't have the hang of writing them. I definitely have my strengths and weaknesses when it comes to blogging.

     Two of the things that I have to work on is allotting time and showing my voice through my writing. I have been so used to writing like a computer and not having any emotions. This is year is actually the first time that I have tried to show who I really am through my writing. Before, my blogs were so objective. Sticking to just the facts and not showing any signs of opinions and feelings. I even knew that to others my posts were probably boring to read, but this year I want to change that.

      Another thing I struggle with is allotting time just for my blog. I do my blogs whenever I have time and if that is at 10:00 pm at night then that is when it's getting done. I'm not going to say that I'm busy more like the internet takes control over my brain. This year I am going to try to make time just for my blogs so they aren't being done in the middle of the night.

   

Where Do I Want to Go

     I enjoy traveling but I haven't been to a lot of places. The only places I have travelled to are New York, Tennessee, Texas, and Mexico. When I went to those places I was little so I don't remember much. Instead I am going to tell you about some of the places I want to go.

     One place that I really want to go to is Germany. I have loved Disney ever since I was little, specifically the Disney princesses. When I found out that the Neuschwanstein castle was the inspiration for the castle in Sleeping Beauty I got excited. I think that the Neuschwanstein castle looks better than the castle in Sleeping Beauty because the architecture looks so much better than in the movie. I also like how real castles look, I think it brings some of those medieval times feels back into our time period. Another place in Germany that I would like to go is Munich. I want to go to Munich because it is very cultural and architecturally interesting.

       Another place I would to visit is Budapest, Hungary. It has buildings that you can't find in America. It doesn't have huge skyscrapers or a McDonald's on every street corner. It is something different than what I grew up with. I want to have different experiences than staying with the same old things that I grew up with. I just think it's a very interesting place that a lot of people don't think of when they think of traveling somewhere.

                                                   

Paper Towns Blog

     The book Paper Towns by John Green, is fast pace with many exhilarating things happening in just the span of a couple of chapters. We have met a good variety of different characters like the main, Margo Roth Spiegelman and Quentin Jacobsen, and many supporting characters. Even though the book is based on the relationship and journey of Margo and Quentin, the supporting characters have a big impact on the story. All of which at some point, in the book, face issues. Most of those issues revolving around relationships with other characters or where they live, Jefferson Park in Orlando, Florida. Understanding these characters is a huge part of understanding this book.

    Margo is one of the main characters in the book, Paper Towns, alongside Quentin. Those who are around Margo considers her a mystery, including Quentin. Due to childhood experiences, she has grown to love mysteries eventually becoming one herself. A mystery that no one can figure out. The book states, “Margo always loved mysteries. . .I could never stop thinking that maybe she loved mysteries so much that she became one.” (page 8) She considers herself a “paper girl”, a girl who has been formed by the people around her but is not really her true self. The book states, “. . .I thought about I was made of paper. I was the flimsy-foldable person. . .People love the idea of a paper girl. . .Because it’s kind of great, being an idea that everybody likes.” (page 293-294) In school Margo is quite popular, she has many friends and even a boyfriend who is popular himself, Jason Worthington. Nobody really knows who Margo is behind her appearance. She is an insecure teenager who would rather hang out with Quentin and his friends than the friends she has now. She enjoys living on the edge and in the moment.

    Margo’s outer looks are a big part in her school life because that is what made her known throughout their high school. To Quentin, Margo wasn’t too skinny or fat, she was right in the middle. The book states, “. . .you could not say that Margo Roth Spiegelman was fat, or that she was skinny. . .” (page 50) She has blue eyes and chestnut hair, when she ran away to Algoe, New York, she cut her hair. The book states, “. . .and Margo’s blue eyes were staring back at me…Her chestnut hair, stick straight…Her hair is much shorter she has choppy bangs above her eyebrows. . .” (page 25-281) The book doesn’t state a lot of her appearance but with the information they do give us we can picture somebody in our heads.
 
     Quentin is the other main character of the book, Paper Towns. For almost his entire life Quentin has been in love with his neighbor Margo, but she doesn’t know it. He is a quirky, nerdy, geeky guy who hangs out with his school’s band members, Ben and Radar. Sometimes Quentin doesn’t have a lot of confidence in himself and with some of his actions. The book states, “I woke up late, took too long in the shower. . .enjoy my breakfast in the passenger seat of my mom’s minivan at 7:17. . .” (page 11) He is really unpunctual and doesn’t get to places on time most of the time. In some aspects, Quentin can be the complete opposite of Margo.