Q: Angelou says she doesn't even like to talk about her bad dreams because talking about them "gives them too much power." Do you think talking about bad dreams or bad news or other bad things (or feeding into the "drama" at school or in life) gives those bad things more power? When have you known this to happen?
A: I do believe that talking about bad dreams or news of any sort does give it some power. When you talk about these sorts of events, you tend to dwell on them and over-analyze them, essentially giving them power over your life. (So, what I'm saying is: Don't dwell on the little things, enjoy and take not of all the good things. :-D)
As for drama, I don't enjoy it (unless we are talking about the class). I tend to stray from anything that causes drama, since nothing good usually comes from it.
I tend to dwell on the little, bad things in my life from time to time, but most of the time I try to avoid doing this. However, a recent example would be this: I have been practicing driving since I don't have my license yet. I haven't been needing one until recently, and also as a high school senior, I should probably have one. Anyway, I was practicing driving and I didn't do as good as I hoped. There were a few things were I cut things to close or I wasn't close enough, etc. and when I got back home, I sat in my room, feeling a bit bummed, dwelling on it. However, after think about it and listening to some good music (IM5 ;]), I felt better and let it go.
Q: Angelou and many others suggest that dreams "tell the truth" about us. Do you think dreams reveal things about us that we may not realize or that others don't see? Can you recount a dream that revealed something about you that you were surprised, ashamed, terrified, etc. by?
A: I think that dreams reveal things about us that either we don't know or others don't. I had a dream once about the guy I like and in the dream, he had asked me out. Now I know what you're thinking: How did this reveal something about you? Don't worry, I'm getting to it. So we were "dating" in this dream and things were going well. But then out of the blue, he just "breaks up" with me and I was very confused. There was no obvious reason and I had no idea why. But its a dream. Who knows why? This dream tends to reveal my fear of rejection. I know most of the time you would think it would be a scenario involving asking someone out and then being rejected by said other person. But I don't know why it was the other way around for me. I honestly am still confused by it to this day, but I feel it is related to my fear of rejection. I don't know how to quite explain it in to terms that you could possibly understand, but it is related.
Q: Angelou quotes Nathaniel West as saying, "Easy reading is damned hard writing" and says that writing is "just hard work, you know?" Do you agree with this? What is easiest and hardest to you about writing? Is writing hard work?
A: I do agree with both of these quotes. I personally have writer's block for what seems like every time I want to write. However, I tend to have great ideas and awesome thoughts on stories I want to write or are currently writing. I have to say this would be the compromise I have with writing. In order to have great ideas for stories, it has to just be out of the blue. I also have to agree that writing is hard work. It itself is not hard, but it requires a lot of effort and time for a GREAT story. I mean to some people, it comes naturally. But I believe that most people struggle with writing and have to put in a great deal to get the great work that results from all their hard work.
Q: Angelou plays solitaire with a deck of card to occupy her "small mind" when she is trying to get focused to write. What things do you do to occupy your small mind in a positive way? What are your biggest distractions when you need to get something done?
A: When I am trying to occupy my small mind in a positive way, I tend to go listen to my music (which usually includes a lot of IM5- there's other artists in my music library too :-P). Music can clear my head and help me calm down and go to my "happy place". However, sometimes I can get lost in some of my music, and it can be a distraction. Most of my distractions are Twitter, my friends, and just the internet in general. Music can be my distraction but it usually is my positive thing to occupy my mind.
Q: Angelou says she is comfortable using six or seven languages, has spoken at one time or another as many as twelve, and has been a teacher in at least three. Are you comfortable using another language? Which languages would you like to be fluent in? Why those? Or do you think speaking English is good enough because you live in America and that's all we soul need to live here? Why?
A: Personally, I would have to say I am pretty comfortable speaking another language (Spanish). I would love to be fluent in Spanish, French, Italian, and Korean. I want to travel the world one day, and I would love to see Spain, France, Italy, and South Korea (even though I don't like seafood, which happens to be their main food source). I feel that if I would like to venture out in the world, I should learn the languages of the countries I would like to travel to. Knowing other languages, can help with language barriers and is somewhat essential to travel, so I think that just because we live in America, doesn't mean we should just know English. I think you should just learn another language of your liking, just because it's fun and good to have experience with another language, even if you plan to never leave the United States EVER.
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