The Son of Sam and Terror of New York essays

The Son of Sam and Terror of New York essays The Son of Sam and Terror of New York "At one a.m. on July twenty-ninth a man was cruising in the Bronx when he spotted two young women sitting in a parked blue Oldsmobile. He swung around a corner and abandoned his car, pushing the bag-covered pistol into the waistband of his trousers. With his characteristics gait he shuffled back toward the women, Donna Lauria, eighteen, a medical technician, and Jody Valenti, nineteen, a student nurse. They were parked in front on Lauria's home; her parents had just returned from a restaurant and had spoken to their daughter before going into the house. Donna had promised to follow in a minute. At 1:10 a.m., the man walked up to the passenger side of the Oldsmobile Cutlass, pulled his revolver from the paper bag, and assumed a semi-crouch. He pulled the trigger five times. (True Crime 1992, 164) As the car window shattered, Donna Lauria raised her hands to protect herself. One of the .44 caliber bullets struck her in the right side of the neck, killing her quickly. Another bullet hit Jody Valenti in the thigh. She screamed and fell forward, landing on the car horn. The man dashed back to his car and drove away"(True Crime 1992, 164) This was the start of a terrifying year for New York. A demon was among the city. This demon possessed the mind of a twenty-three-year-old pudgy Jewish man. The demon was a six thousand-year-old spirit, which communicated to him through his neighbor, Sam Carr's Labrador retriever. (Reicher 1996) Born Richard David Falco but better known now as the Son of Sam or the .44 Caliber killer had no real sense of identity from birth. The result of an affair between his mother and her married lover he was unwanted even before birth. As soon as he was born adoption papers had been filed. Unlike many children stuck in the system for years, the baby was adopted. Pearl and Nat Berkowitz, a Jewish couple, adopted him and changed his name to David Berkowitz...

How I Won a Scholarship to a Writers Retreat

How I Won a Scholarship to a Writers Retreat Time to write- who doesnt want more of that? I certainly did. But as a full-time freelancer with no paid vacation days to subsidize professional development, paying to attend a writers retreat was not an option. After unsuccessfully applying for scholarships, I tweaked my approach- and won a full scholarship to the  Writers Winter Getaway. Here are four strategies that helped me find success. 1. Read the Guidelines Carefully   Before writing my application, I read both the scholarship guidelines and event details looking for keywords. What made this event unique? What were their core values? How did they market this event to writers? I found three concepts to emphasize in my application: Community, supportive workshop environments, and time to write. I made sure to touch on each of these in my application. For instance, my rural community doesnt offer many opportunities to connect with writers, so the community aspect of the event was important to me. This research was time-consuming, but it helped me organize my thoughts and outline my application. It also cut through self-doubt. I didnt ask myself What should I say? or How can I convince them to pick me? I let my research guide me in writing a strong essay. 2. Research the Honoree My wife, who reviews thousands of scholarship applications in her job, offered valuable insight. Many scholarships are given in honor of someone, but few applicants connect their story to the honoree. Those who do stand out to the scholarship committee- and often go on to win. Before completing my application, I looked up the honoree, poet Toni Brown. Not only could I connect personally to Toni, since we were both LGBTQ writers, but I found ways to touch upon her story in my application materials. While I never mentioned Toni 3. Use Details to Create a Sense of Urgency I almost didnt apply for this scholarship, because applications closed the day before I left for a two-week vacation. With my bags packed, I found time to review the application and pull something together quickly. With no time to stress- if I didnt finish this now, it wouldnt get done- I found urgency that allowed me to be transparent in expressing my need without feeling the shame or embarrassment that can come up when asking for financial assistance. My application explained what I wanted to work on at the retreat (a new novel), where I was in the work (10,000 words in), what specific goals I wanted to accomplish (which tied back to their guidelines), and why now was the ideal time for me (I was facing burnout). My time constraints helped me demonstrate urgency to the scholarship committee. When I received a phone call that let me know I was a finalist, they said as much, telling me It sounds like you could really use this opportunity. 4. Send Your Best Work   Even though I planned to work on a new project, I sent my strongest work- in my case, five pages from my polished novel. A committee member sought me out at the retreat to let me know how much she enjoyed my writing. While it was a true gift to receive a scholarship to a writers retreat, the process I developed to handle applications is what Im most proud of- and hope to put to good use again soon.