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- Reading responses must be AT LEAST 200 words.
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- Reading responses are due by midnight on the night PRIOR to our discussion of the required reading.
When reading "Fiesta", all the characters are distinctly different. The author really didn't need to describe them physically but rather through their actions and what they say. Mami and Papi were two very different individuals as well as Yunior and Rafa, the two brothers. There was obviously a conflict between Mami and Papi since the dad was cheating on the mom, (chapter 4 makes reference to story building). When I was reading parts of Papi, his character was someone I really wanted to punch in the face, which is a good thing meaning, I felt some sort of way about the character.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 4, the formula "ABCDE" was something for writers to keep in mind when writing a story with conflict in it. It is also suggested to start the story off in the middle of the action which is something I would've never thought of. However, if the writer is going to start in the middle of a conflict, they must paraphrase throughout.
-illiana luna
LaPlante’s “Chapter 4, The Short Story”, explains the various ways we could write our own short stories and if they are even considered a short story. In order for us to make this type of comparison, models are introduced, such as the conflict-crisis-resolution model. Despite, LaPlante explains that while these models provide a simple skeleton to follow when creating a story, they do not need to be followed. Overall, the chapter itself was interesting as while these models were explained to be accurate, LaPlante suggests that these models do not need to be followed. This idea gives the thought that whatever we create as a writer is not invalid if it does not follow a set model.
ReplyDelete“Fiesta, 1980” is a story that follows the life and actions of a young boy. While it seems that he lives a regular life, various things are introduced that play deeply into his character. The main catalyst of these actions is the fact that he has seen his father and his mistress, and is aware that his father is cheating on his mom. This feeling is brought up by the repressed feelings that he experiences, which comes in the form of car sickness. Overall, the story is a deep story on the psyche of the young boy as he experiences the events that occurring within his family and he doubts on whether their family can endure it.
David Leal
In this chapter with every paragraph I read I felt the tiniest sense of relief at what the main point appeared to be on how short stories should or can be written. The main source of my relief comes from the repeated idea that there is no wrong way to write a short story. Conflicts do not always need to be resolved, and the story doesn't need to follow the typical rising action, climax, falling action template that longer pieces of fiction tend to lean on more heavily. I liked that this called- in the chapter- the conventional story template. I often find in my own short story writing that I don't want to give the satisfying ending, no epiphany or resolution or character change, and I doubted whether this was something that should be done at all. I don't know whether I planned on changing the way that I wrote stories, but this definitely gave me a little reassurance on the stories that I've written that don't quite meet the typically expected template. It may have even empowered me to challenge myself into writing more stories that don't follow the conventional template, and do so in more interesting ways.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to Fiesta, 1980 the story has very striking characters in very different ways. The author is able to accomplish this diverse cast of characters, from the young troubled boy whose story we are following, to the easily hate-able character of the father and even the mistress has distinctive characteristics of her own. Though the chapter that preceded this talked more about structure, the characters that made up this family and all of its troubles drew me into the mindset of the chapter where the difference between round and flat characters is the focus, simply in that there were more round characters than flat.
Lauryn Flores
After reading chapter 4, I was glad to realize that their is no need for “real rules” when writing, as I had been previously taught throughout all my countless years of school. Personally I had always wondered if I had to adhere to these common rules in writing,(climax, character growth, certain types of structure) and most of the time I was to apprehensive, to try and write my short stories any other way than the typical blatant beginning, blatant middle, and blatant end setup. But after reading chapter 4, I got the answer I was looking for. “[Art] lives upon exercise, and the very meaning of exercise is freedom.’(Henry James). Which ,in my interpretation, is that short stories can be in any shape, form or fashion, as long as it is interesting in some way, then there is no real “right” way of writing short fiction. Like when reading the story “Fiesta, 1980” it wasn’t organized from start to finish, it seemed to change to a new scene every once in a while. But as a reader, I wasn’t bothered by it, it just seemed to be how the narrator was trying to tell a series of events that happened to him. It was a good story overall, a little depressing for my taste, but still good in the end.
ReplyDeleteAll in all, I really liked reading chapter 4 surprisingly, since this is probably the first time I read a book that basically states that their is no “real” rules to follow, only similar(or traditional) forms of writing systems that seem to work for most readers and writers, and just because their are these “rules” out their in the world, how to write, what to write, when to write, the most important thing in the end is that you, as both reader and writer, find the piece interesting.
-Kathleen m. Salinas
Chapter 4 tells us many ways of defining a fiction short story. After a month when we were asked how we would define it, we get the answer a bit late. Yet we were exploring on our own with our perception of how or what a short fiction story is. I’ve seen that plot mountain so many time in my English classes back in grade school and I followed it a little bit. I put that chart within the “brainstorming” section and never bothered with it again. What I never heard before was the modular story, which looks like a string of spaghetti on page 101 (and I was spaghetti). I want to know more about the modular portion and a piece to read to get a better understanding it. And then you have these “epiphanies,” which so far in my writings, I’d say, nope! You stay with your struggles because that who you are! Or…you can’t get away from what has occurred or what you have done. Or maybe I’m just confusing myself once again. I get notion of “Oh my gosh! What am I doing with my life? I should be doing something better than [insert character’s action].”
ReplyDeleteReading Junot Diaz once again! And a big surprise that it is one of his short stories from his book, Drown. I’ve read certain stories from his book and one of them was “Fiesta, 1980,” and I recall some of the characters from his book. I hate two of them from the story(ies). If anyone is reading this, just know that Rafa is a dirty older brother who loves chasing girls for his own entertainment and talks a lot of crap to his little brother, Yunior. And it’s sad that in previous stories before “Fiesta, 1980” that Yunior finds Rafa as a role model. Anyway, read Drown, it’s a great book to read. Don’t worry, you have to read the previous stories to understand what’s going on (but you’ll get a better understanding of the characters in this one). Just know that the father is an abusive prick who left the rest of his family in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, who turns out to be cheating on his wife. There is consequences that would occur if Yunior were to tell his mother about what his so-called father has been doing, thus holding back. There is no end to the situation because of this, and nope! Don’t expect there to be a story about this affair in Diaz book… if I can recall.
Hector Dimas
Writing is just that, writing is an action and if you aren't doing that action, you aren't writing. In early grade school we receive these frameworks, we learn the alphabet, a framework for language and writing. Then we learn frameworks for writing different types of essays and they teach us techniques on creating ideas, paragraph spacing, general information that are never concrete directions. Writing, the action, improves the skill and style. To me the art of writing anything is very personal to the writer, we all deal with our feelings differently and our minds create unique thoughts that we organize on paper. I personally just try to find inspiration, I also find that my best writing is very slowly thought out and then typed, others may write everything then revise it, as for the epiphanies that chapter 4 talks about, I get those all the time and I think it's because I'm just fascinated with my own way of thinking, so I don't necessarily always follow that epiphany feeling of having a great idea but I do take it as a clue that I am heading in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteAs for the story "Fiesta" by Junot Diaz, I found the story very relatable to the traditional setting of a mexican/Hispanic gathering or party. This piece seems to target a very specific group of writers, the style and word choice is grasped in context with the Spanish communities we are surrounded by. It makes me feel like this story isn't for everyone, I think that someone who doesn't have the background of living in the valley or is familiar with mexican culture, this story could come off as just odd and confusing, but there is something about the originality that Junot Diaz outputs that stands out and makes the story generally understandable and relatable however if I judge this story by the purpose it serves I don't know if it strongly accomplishes a purpose or if the author intended anything for this piece other than just being another well written short story.
Mark Benitez
In, “The Short Story” LaPlante talks about short stories and how to go about writing them. She mentions that there are rules that one can follow but you as a writer don’t necessarily have to follow them. She talks about conventions and how there are no set rules when it comes to writing. She also mentions an ABCDE format that one can use to write but to no over use it, like the epiphany section that talked about the “Suddenly I realized” and how it’s becoming common and overused and does not have the same effect. Now, the story ‘Fiesta” by Junot Diaz really struck a cord with me. It made me remember things I’ve tried to forget. Even so I enjoyed reading it, seeing conflict like this from another person’s perspective. I really liked the dialogue between the brothers, it sounded realistic. I also really enjoyed the use of Spanish throughout the story. I liked all the characters that were presented and I found myself feeling sorry for “Mami” I too wanted to hug her. I liked how in the story they never fought, for example the part where Yunior was expecting a “You’re a cheater” I didn’t want it to happen. The way that scene played out made me remember the calm before the storm.
ReplyDeleteAlejandra Rodriguez.
"Fiesta, 1980" by Junot Diaz
DeleteChapter Four indulges the reader in figuring out how to formulate their story. It helps them decide how to best shape their story. The chapter touches one various techniques such as the Conflict-Crisis-Resolution Model and the differences between linear and modular stories. Personally, I tend to write linear stories, but writing in a modular, block technique would be more interesting to try out. Lastly, the ABCDE formula is explained. This helps us learn that missing one can make the whole story fall apart. How can someone have ABCD and totally forget an E?
ReplyDeleteAs for the short story, Fiesta, 1980, addresses another side of domestic violence, child abuse. Yunior is has become the common victim of circumstance. He is stuck in between a rock and a hard place. He hold fear and anxiety when it comes to his father and his violent tendencies. His father starves him, beats him, and scolds him over his motion sickness during car rides. This story sheds a different light on masculinity on Hispanic families. It depicts the sometimes hard, cold truth behind our community and how at some times child abuse is okay and seen as discipline. The child's condition is not his fault therefore, the notion of discipline has passed. The father's tone of power seeps through the story.
Pedro Trevino
I found it very interesting that even though LaPlante went and explained all these different things you could use to write a short story, she made sure to stress that none of them are necessary. I really liked how she made sure to say that there is no set or “official” way to write a short story, because while the conflict-crisis-resolution model may work for one scenario you wish to write, it might be better to use a nonlinear structure for another scenario. I enjoyed the chapter as a whole because she really helped settle some worries I had about my writing.
ReplyDeleteFiesta was really interesting in the sense that it basically followed everything LaPlante was saying. There wasn’t a resolution, there wasn’t an epiphany, however, it was still well rounded and had an ending. It might not have been a happy ending, and there might not have been any closure (because Yunior’s dad doesn’t get exposed as a cheater) but there definitely is an ending. I think this definitely fits into what LaPlante concluded what a short story was, and that it was really enjoyable as well (while the subject matter wasn’t entirely pleasant, it did make for a good short story.)
Ayesha Crutchfield
I liked how the chapter basically stated that there is no wrong way to write a short story. How over the years many writers have formed their own theories, definitions, models, and rules to guide them when creating short stories, but it there is no definite proof that any of these things are what makes a short story. I think the quote that LaPlante includes in the chapter from Rick DeMarinis captures this idea perfectly, that "the hard truth is that there is no system, no set of rules that guarantee able composition or abundant production. There is no magic formula that will make hard work, commitment, inspiration, taste, and good luck unnecessary."
ReplyDeleteFiesta, 1980 is probably one of my favorite short stories that we've read so far this semester. I liked everything about: the back and forth banter between Rafa and Yunior, how the parents were described and portrayed, the incorporation of the language within the dialogue and story, everything that happened at the party, etc. Having Yunior as the narrator created a certain impact on the story - here is a young boy who knows all these things about his family, both good and bad, and he can't really do much about it except be there witnessing it all happen. Overall, it was an interesting story and I'm definitely going to look into Junot Diaz's other works.
Karla Olvera
Chapter 4 poses the great question, what makes a short story? Similar to the great question, what makes great writing? The idea of a short story encompasses the idea that it can have several definitions depending on the writer, genre, etc. This is a very rich and interesting topic, because I am sure in class we all have a different idea to what makes a short story. It is also interesting when you reverse the question, What makes a story short? This demonstrates the literal sense of the term short story. Which actually coincides with my belief of what a short story is. But then we get to what a short story should do, rather than what it is? That’s where it becomes complicated.
ReplyDeleteFiesta was a pretty good story. I would say although its good, it is probably my least favorite of the fiction stories we have read. I do like that it seems to touch on some deeper conflicts. I got the sense that our main character is not very close with his dad. In fact it seems like the dad is the antagonist of the story, which says a lot. The family seems to be quite intimidated by him a bit. There are some signs of character abuse too I guess. Dialogue was good, nice mix of language and stuff. Other than that, I would a say it was a pretty normal piece of fiction for me. Unless I missed something.
-Mykle Angelo
“Fiesta, 1980” by Junot Diaz is centered around a family gathering and yunior's perspective on the situation of his parents - his father’s infidelity and the relationships between himself and each of the characters at the party. The story’s present is set at said “fiesta”, but interspersed throughout are flashbacks and back stories that detail what's really going on behind the scenes of his family member's lives as they drunkenly dance, keeping it all in; yunior, a witness and keeper of secrets.
ReplyDeleteAs Laplante explains in Chapter 4, there are no formulas for writing short stories; no set foundation for the way your story should play out. “Knowing the so-called rules about conflict, crisis, and resolution doesn’t help you write a good story. It may even impede you” (102) “Fiesta, 1980” doesn't seem to follow a formula but it's an effective short story that drew me in from the start. I liked the chapter because I could nod along and say, yes, there are no numbers to paint by when writing; pre packaging your work might end up with you shaving too much off the sides of a good thing, or adding a forced dose of conflict and a quick resolution to fit the criteria.
Robin Turrubiates
In chapter 4, the “conflict-crisis-resolution model” was a great point of view that allowed me to explore central conflict in my writings. The examples of the connection to the Freitag triangle, helped me put the concept into a better from of understanding. Granted our stories must have a climax that leads to a resolution, but in many cases, especially when forced to produce, it’s easier said than done. Especially when the execution is blotched or the story was unable to flow as smoothly as we’d prefer it to. The “Linear versus Modular Stories had a relatable platform when it references points like “pockets of tension built up and tension released, all of which contribute to the story’s culmination.” This is helpful when developing a story because it aids the writer in maintaining a level of fluctuation in a story as long as the pieces can be tied together. The section on not becoming a slave to theory was also very helpful. I saw connections to the chapter in the reading. More specifically, the ways the narrator brings up specific occurrences of her childhood. The speaker allows the reader to talk a backseat view to her memories in a rollercoaster ride of memories. The dialogue was an interesting change as the characters communicate without quotation marks and in English when it’s assumed that the language is Spanish or code-switching between the two. The taboo subjects like physical abuse and how common physical correction techniques were in 1980.
ReplyDelete-Amanda Gonzales
What I really enjoyed about "Fiesta, 1980" is that we're given a large amount of characters, but we're not necessarily given a long and detailed description about who every character is and what their personalities are like. Instead, we get to know them through dialogue and the narrative of events. This is the right way to tell a short story. There's nothing wrong with having a large number of characters, but it only works if each of these characters have a clear identity. Obviously there is only so much description you can give for characters in a short story. A Backstories should not take up a good portion of the story if the story is meant to be simple. With short stories, the overall idea must be simple. But even then, you can still write distinctive characters. "Fiesta, 1980" really works in this aspect.
ReplyDeleteMichael McCormick
I found LaPlante's Chapter 4 "The Short Story: Defining and Shaping" to be sort of a back and forth between formatting a story and letting it flow as it goes. Although there was plenty on specific how to's of a short story, I found there was more of an emphasis on not following the conventional template. LaPlante eased my mind by saying that there's no right way to write a short story. I find that a lot of people look for the perfect ending with an amazing resolution or an epiphany from the main character and that's not how I tend to write.
ReplyDelete"Fiesta, 1980" by Juniot Diaz was one of my favorite short stories so far. I liked that it emphasizes the not conventional template of a short story. Contrary to the template, the story didn't need a resolution or confrontation because as a reader and maybe even just as a person who's experienced things similar to the story we know that the characters' revelations will come sooner or later. That part didn't need to be written for that reason.
Diana Gonzalez
ReplyDeleteGreat information on this post and all the details are in this post is awesome.
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