PB3A

And The Next Writing Project Begins...

In my WP3, I would like to broaden my ability to creatively write an authentic piece concerning bullying in schools. As I searched through scholarly and peer-reviewed articles pertaining to bullying, I am looking in particular for papers that address how to reduce bullying in schools and regulations that should be implemented to stop bullying all together. These articles relate to a wide variety of audiences- those who get bullied (children) and those who parent bullied children and take action (adults/parents).

            To first address the younger audience, I was thinking of either making a children’s book or a children’s magazine article. Although most children’s books have little to no words and contain mostly pictures, I hope to make my children’s book similar to a colored comic. Each picture frame would have enough words to perfectly suit to a child’s interests and fascinations. Due to the fact that this would be read by children aged around three or four to nine, all the vocabulary words used will be clear and easy to comprehend. Depending on how much time I have to commit to the pictures, I will either hand draw or use digital imaging. My purpose if for children to get the right idea of what bullying entails and steps they can take to be kinder, more well-mannered individuals. The colors might not be bright, since this topic is rather depressing and gloomy. The text will be larger than academic pieces. There will be a story-line described behind this that will contain 2-4 characters, a problem arising, and a solution that will teach a moral lesson. An example is Billy bullied Tom, Tom got badly injured, and Billy got expelled learning how his actions affected not only another individual, but his well-being as well.

            If I go with the direction of a children’s magazine article, I will refer to magazines such as, “TIME Magazine,” “KIDS Magazine,” and “Disney Magazine.” These three magazines are read by adolescents all over the country, so theses references are reliable and dependable. The diction of these articles are simple, so elementary and middle schoolers would be able to comprehend the information. Additionally, the cover page of each of the magazines does a great job as drawing the audience in, so if I go with this route, I will most likely make a cover page along with the article. I will also add multiple pictures throughout the article for the readers to refer to. Since bullying is a sensitive and touching issue, the pictures I use will affect the audience emotionally. This article will not be extensive or long, because children do not voluntarily read articles that seem extensive (they will get the impression that this would bore them). Rather, I would like to have an equal balance of pictures and information/analysis.

            I will address my older audience through an extensive Facebook rant made by a mother of a bullied child. Most individuals who are fervent and passionate about a subject turn to Facebook to notify the public about the importance and “essence” of their topic. This mom will post a picture of her bullied son’s bruised eye and will rant about how the school is not doing anything, there is no justice, there should be stricter bullying rules, etc. Just like most Facebook users who post long rants she would most likely start with, “I do not usually do these longs posts, but…” or “PLEASE READ AND SHARE!” In referring to this Facebook person, I will most likely make a fake Facebook account and after all is said and done, I will screenshot all the information, so it is displayed in the exact Facebook format. Additionally, a lot of this fake mom’s family and friends (who also have children and are within her similar age group) will comment, display anger, concern, show support for the mom’s decisions, and continue on with the rambling. Some will even share this post. Hopefully, like most important and touching posts, it will then become viral.

            Although I am not certain with the exact decisions I will make concerning this WP, I have a good idea with the genres I would like to use, the age groups of my audience, which articles I will most likely refer to, and how much work I am willing to put into this to perfect it.