Round Four= Marni Gillard

When I read the High Dive story, I liked the constant use of dialogue, because it shows how vivid the memory is to her. " He honored the scary feeling of facing a new dive. 'Sure, Marn, I'll watch.' He pointed to the long line at the high board. 'Call me when you get up there.' He gave me his thumb-up sign for luck. 'Go for it, Babe!' ". It shows more of the personality of the characters than if she just told us what they did. I also like how she puts her personal thoughts in italics, so that we can differentiate between the thoughts and the narrative.. " To the left I spotted West First Street. Hey, that’s our house! Where's Mom? I don't see her out in the yard, puttin' her feet up." These thoughts in the italics show how differently she thinks now from when she was a child.

In the journey piece I really liked her observations on how an audience affects how you tell the story. " I soon realized that my listeners’ laughter, even their silence, affected the way I told... I learned that the art of storytelling means letting the audience co-create with you." It shows the reader how this piece evolved because of the audiences. I really enjoyed reading this piece, but one thing I would take out of it is the last two paragraphs in the section A change brings resolution. " I still rely on audiences to listen the deep truth of this story out of me. Some days "High Dive” is still a light-hearted "scar" tale with an exciting crash-landing and surprising end.  Parents and teachers often hear it as a cautionary tale. It helps them remember their own hidden fears and notice the quiet determination of the children in their lives. I hope it helps us all admire and support the young learners in our lives.I’ve come to see “High Dive” as a heroine’s journey, the child finding her courage, accepting her wound, and looking to the future. This story still helps me wrestle with fears as well as dance with the past’s sorrows and joys. It teaches me to dive deeply into whatever memories call me. Even in this writing I’ve learned things about “High Dive.” It’s still one of my greatest teachers." This seems to only reiterate the message about the piece that she has been saying throughout the journey piece. I think everything else in the piece brings up a new point about how she feels in the piece, and the rest of it should be left alone.

1/12 Speaker= 4 stars