Blog 7

• What is your story about? Are the details you selected true to that focus?

My story is about how short life can be as opposed to how long it actually is for individuals. The details I chose for the focus relate to near death experiences, so yes they are true to it.

• Are there any "facts" which you are uncertain of which you have set forward as true?

Any details I relish on in my story aren’t so in-depth as to make me doubt the reality and honesty of them.

• Have you made changes in setting, time, or sequence which are unacknowledged?

No.

• Have you fabricated dialog which you cannot remember (without acknowledging that you do not remember exact words)?

Of the very little dialogue, I had…no.

• Have you written your experience - or does your story cast you in terms of a "type" (like Frey)?

No types here.

• Are there relevant details which you deliberately left out? Why did you leave them out? Anything you are trying to avoid?

Any details that I left out weren’t done so intentionally nor do they take away from the story and what it is I am trying to focus on.

• Do you suspect any resort to psychological defense - representations which may help you to deny or evade feelings/beliefs/ representations/ actions you may not be proud of?

No. In fact, the story begins with an embarrassing account.

• Can you detect any hedges, evasions, revisions which represent the self as more sophisticated, experienced, thoughtful, etc than the self at the time of the writing?

No. Once again, the beginning of the story is quite discreditable if I do say so myself. Although I was just a kid. I don’t make myself Superman however.

• What is suggested by what you selected to represent, and what you chose to leave out? Have you selected details to make your story more dramatic, more persuasive, or more "profound" than it merits? Does it need to be balanced by the addition of other selections in order to make it "true"?

Nothing needs to be added to make it “true”. The story is true as is and is a blend of drama and philosophical matter.

• Does the tone of your essay reveal anything about your relationship to your material? Why do you think you chose the tone you take in your essay (humorous, ironic, serious, self-righteous, respectful, lyrical . . . .)

The tone of the essay makes me seem untroubled and relaxed in regards to the material. The tone I took with my essay was serious with a slight bit of humor. I did this because I want it to be enjoyable yet thought provoking.

• Have you demonized or idealized any of the people in your story? If so, what was your motive? Why do you think you wrote to that particular need?

I didn’t defame any individual in my story profusely.

• If there are some pieces of the truth that you intend to hold back, can you tell this story "truthfully" despite those missing pieces? What might you need to add to make sure you do not misrepresent what your story is about?

Lying and leaving things out are two different things. Telling the truth does not always mean going into every little detail.