kati+leigh

Kati Bailey [|Thornapple Kellogg Schools]

__**Readers Profile**__ Kati is a reader. She believes that people read because it makes it possible for them to escape to another place where they can relax and be themselves. Kati herself reads because she likes reading. She likes hearing new stories and thinking of new ideas, and she likes the surprise of a story’s ending. She loves trying to guess what is going to happen. It is hard for Kati to remember a time when she didn’t read; it seems like she’s been reading forever. One of her memories of reading is reading aloud to her little brother. Her favorite genres of reading are mystery and romance novels, but she actually likes almost all genres. Her favorite books are the kind that don’t have cruelty and sadness in them, but instead leave the reader feeling happier. Kati gets really into a story and feels like she becomes a part of it, and by the end of it, she’s gotten to know the characters very well. Kati says that to be a good reader, you must “have good comprehension skills, because you have to take what the author writes, understand it, and then apply it to your own life”. She says that people like stories because of the way they can take them and relate them to their own lives and if someone says they don’t like to read, it is only because they haven’t found their kind of story yet. Kati reads for enjoyment only 3-4 times a week, because she gets tired from long days of school and homework and all her energy is used up. But if she could, Kati would love to read every day.

__**Writers Profile**__ Kati is a writer. She thinks that in order to capture an audience, an author has to write about a topic that interests the audience, or the reader. She also thinks that in order to be successful, an author has to think from the readers point of view. She thinks the reader will not stay interested if they can’t figure out what’s going on, or they don’t understand why an author would say what he does. Kati believes an author can only be successful if they are brave and humble. People constantly critique and edit an author’s work. She also believes that an author has to have a way with words in order to entice the reader and make the piece flow. Kati thinks the reason people write is to express themselves. People write in order to educate an audience on a subject, as well as to become educated on whatever they are writing about. Kati likes to write when she is angry or when she has an important decision to make. Seeing her thoughts written out on paper helps her sort her thoughts, make decisions, and figure things out. Kati learned to write throughout her school career by taking many English classes and taking elective classes such as journalism and creative writing. Kati thinks she is a decent writer, but she thinks there is definitely room for improvement. She doesn't think she is a bad writer, but she doesn’t think she’s a fantastic writer. Much of Kati’s writing takes place in school. When she writes outside of school, she writes in her room before she goes to bed. She finds it necessary to write before bed in order to organize her thoughts. She also likes to write everything down if she has a bunch of stuff to do. She loves to write everything down in lists. Since most of Kati’s writing is done inside the school walls, she often doesn’t get much inspiration outside of the prompt she is given. Outside of school, she is inspired by her feelings. Kati writes by jotting down notes and later going back through and organizing while she edits. Her editing often consists of adding the extra “fluff” that makes a piece sound enjoyable to read, as well as adding detail. When Kati writers, she makes a list of what she wants the reader to see, and in what order she wants them to appear. Then she actually writes her story, adding a ton of detail.

__**Assignments**__
 * Goodnight and Goodluck-mini paper
 * Poetry