Vivian Gornick’s Process of Writting

Vivian Gornick’s Process…

• Think back to an early moment in your life
• Point of realization; event or moment that changed you
• Analyze how that moment or event significantly impacted your life
• How has had that moment affect you negatively?
• How has had that moment affect you positively?
• How has that affected the people around you?
• How has it affected your self-esteem or view point on yourself as a human being
• What goal do you want to achieve by writing this piece or story?
• How do you want it to affect your readers?

An early moment in my life that has significantly changed me as person was the first time my mom took me to Madison Square Garden. After wrestling practice my mother completely surprised me with New Yorks Knicks tickets and from then on it felt like it was meant to be because they had just acquired All Star Forward Carmelo Anthony.  To this day I can still remember the atmosphere and feeling of pure excitement of everyone who was around New York City. If I were to pinpoint a moment that made this day truly special it had to be when I met Walt Clyde Frazier for the first time before the game. This was extremely important to me since it was the first time I have ever met a sports celebrity let alone a New York City legend and basketball hall of famer.

From that game on I knew I was hooked and every year since then I made sure to go to a New York Knicks game with my mother. I strongly believe this affected me positively because now each year I have made it a tradition to spend more time with my mother by attending these Knicks games and is something I hold dear to my heart especially as I get older. Honestly, I cannot think of a way that this event has affected negatively other than watching the Knicks lose every now and then, however that is neither here nor there as the experience alone is well worth the price of admission. Thanks to us going to see the Knicks games every year my mom has an extensive knowledge about basketball and can not only name every single player on the team, but the entire league as well. Also, I cannot emphasize enough how refreshing it is to go with someone who knows about the game as much if not more than you do.

Finally, going to these games have improved my self-esteem in leaps and bounds to say the least. Throughout my high school career I’ve realized that I have stressed myself out too much  about getting good grades, achieving a high score on the SAT’s and being accepted to an excellent college to the point where I haven’t been able to relax. Going to the Knicks game every once in a while with my mother has given me the outlet to escape from the everyday stresses of life even if it is only for a couple of hours. Furthermore, I’d say that this experience has allowed me to give myself credit as a human being and not give certain failures or mishaps that much importance because there are things to life then getting good grades. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying to get F’s on your report cards, but it’s important to smell the roses and go out with some friends. With that being said, if I were to affect my readers and send a message to whoever comes across this blog I would to take advantage of the time you have with your parents or loved ones because you don’t know how long they may be on this earth.