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Tanya Sykes Lens 3 Michael Sherry 2/25/11  Reader as a Writer: True Notebooks For many young adults, writing is a tedious process. At least that is what some young adults believe. Most young adults are very creative, but when it comes to articulating their thoughts on paper they struggle, which can make the writing process intimidating for middle and high school students. // True Notebooks, // by Mark Salzman is not just a great catalyst for teachers to get young students excited about writing, but it introduces students to new forms of writing, which students have probably never witness before. Many young writers believe writing is prescriptive, which means to be a writer, one must follow strict rules and guidelines on how to write. During middle school, young writers are taught writing must be structured, which means that there are a set of guidelines writers must abide by, in order for them to create great works of literature. The writing students in Salzman’s novel displayed that writing is arbitrary and any form of writing can be considered great. One example of great writing in Salzman’s novel is the short story written by Francisco, which was called Collision. “Collision” is a very descriptive story and it shows that creative stories do not always have to fit into the traditional modes of writing. In his story, Francisco wrote about a dramatic confrontation between heaven and hell and he believed that metaphorically the battle was going on inside him. Francisco’s story was unique because it did not stick to the conventional style of writing. Francisco’s story demonstrates that a story does not have to be extremely lengthy to convey a powerful message. Another work from the writing class which was exceedingly creative was Hall’s narrative: “Twenty-four Hours Left,” in the chapter called “Prisoner or pumpkin.” Hall wrote down an imaginary story about a drug dealer, his story was innovative and creative, and Salzman writes in his novel how impressed he was with Hall’s story. Hall’s story did not fit into the conventional way of writing, but it was unique and different and his story will show students of middle and high school that writing is not only about sticking to conventions. The inmate writers are a perfect example of how writing can be a creative process for everyone. High schools students often feel sometimes that writing is a difficult process, especially when they have to write about subjects in which they do not have interest in. In his writing workshop, Salzman allowed his students to write about whatever they wanted, and by allowing his students to write about anything they wanted, it gave them the opportunity to be creative, and when people are able to be creative they are able to produce great works of art. Some of the best works from the writing class were when Marks allowed the inmates decide the topic for specific days. In the chapter called “Buster,” the boys decided to write about the meaning of a Buster. The best story about the meaning of a Buster came from Benny, who believed a Buster is anyone who is put in a scary situation. His story was very compelling because it showed that when the inmates were given the chance to be creative they were able to think in complex ways. // True Notebooks // will influence so many young adults to encourage themselves to be creative in their writings even though creative writing is not encouraged in many middle or high schools. // True Notebooks // is the perfect catalyst for introducing students to the creative writing process. Inmates at a juvenile facility were able to challenge their emotions and produce amazing works of literature in a creative writing workshop. First, the book teaches young students that a person’s trouble background should not conflict with their ability to produce amazing writing. Second, the novel shows students that any form of writing can be considered good writing and writing does not have to always fit into conventions. Lastly, writing is about expressing oneself in a unique way. // True Notebooks // captures the authenticity writing and will show students that writing is from the heart and the best writing comes from there.