McNulty 1

Shannon McNulty
Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1101 - 041
__ September 2014
My writing, to me, is good but not great. I try to be descriptive without overpowering the
reader but cannot seem to be able to do it. I think my writing could be stronger, maybe using
more real life situations. I want to be able to create more realistic imagery; let the reader feel
like they are actually there and are experience it. I think this paper has allowed me to experiment
with the different sentence structures we have studying the first few weeks. I feel that my paper
sounds like Im trying too hard to write a story rather than explain how I got to my level of
literacy.
On my second draft, I took the advice from my peers and incorporated it into my paper. I
added from examples like the little competitions between my cousin & I, what the movies I
watched taught me, and worked really hard on making my paragraph transitions flow together. I
also added a paragraph about my Germany experience and my conclusion paragraph about
where I am now. I also added more quotes throughout my paper to make a common theme in
each segment.
Staircase to Heaven
Its true when they say time flies. It seems like only yesterday I was a little girl playing in
our muddy backyard creek in Matthews, North Carolina. Nearly 6,800 days have past. How
could a childhood be over? How could all those times just be memories now? I proudly give
credit to these memories for helping me mold into my eighteen year old self. Let me take you
back to the beginning.
My cousin, Melissa, and I are nine months apart. We grew up together, played together,
learned together. Along the years we grew as one, reading books on our own for the first time.
A told B, and B told C, Ill meet you at the top of the coconut tree (Chicka Chicka Boom
Boom). Incredible. We accomplished the the biggest hurtle a five and six year old faced, reading.
In our yellow and pink playroom, scattered with books over the floor, we picked up as many as
we could find the show off our adult skill we have, in our minds, mastered. Crazy little girls

McNulty 2
running through the house to catch our parents and screaming, we can read! Look! A told B,
and B told C. We could not be any more proud of ourselves. Shannon and Melissa are now
the newest readers in the family. Whats going to be our next challenge? Completing this one,
we knew a reward had to be coming soon.
YES! The best place a mom could bring their youngster in Charlotte, The Discovery
Place. Growing up in Charlotte, it was still always a treat going to the largest place of learning
and exploring new ideas. My mom, her sister Sharon, Melissa and I always parked on the upper
deck. Walking threw the doors, getting hit by that rush of refreshing air conditioning, we were
there. Down we go, down the spiral stair case running into the grand lobby. Having to wait in the
line to get a wristband was a killer considering the entrance to the place of fun was staring at you
from the moment you walked in. Shannon and Melissa, you need to stay close and stay
together my mother and Auntie Sharon would say as the Giant stuffed Grizzly bears, live
insects, and the mini aquarium was just in arms reach; it was all right there waiting to be
explored. But that was not all, awaiting up stairs was the glorious level of the kids room. Games
teaching you scientific concepts, like gravity, did not even feel like learning. Every kid that
leaves the Discovery Places goes home feeling smarter, accomplished and yet sad that it is over.
The adventure did not end there for us. The greatest trip anyone could after for, two third
graders got it. A three-week vacation was planned for my whole family: my brother, sister, mom,
cousins, aunt and uncle, grandma and grandpa. Notice my father was not mentioned? That is
because he was stationed in Iraq and for his summer time off he got to meet us at our destination.
The thirteen hour flight was over. Driving to the hotel was a blur but there is no way I could
forget the next morning, waking up in the country of Germany. My mother whips open the
curtains. Look at that Speechless. The snow-covered mountains of Garmisch looked like a

McNulty 3
staircase to heaven. Taking in the view, I knew there was a whole other world to experience in
those valleys. Twenty-one days later I came back into the US more educated about culture than a
third grader should be. Man, did I have an amazing summer story to share at school. I knew they
would be impressed with my stories about riding bikes through downtown, road trips in our
rental to Italy and Austria, eating authentic German sausage.
Back at home and its back to reality, movie marathons! Being the youngest child of three
I got all the hind-me-downs but that did not bother me; I quite enjoyed the over indulgence of
everything. My oldest sibling, Caitlin, and I are seven years apart and three years apart from my
older brother, Sean. Because of this, I inherited the library of Disney movies and show series; a
collection of the early 90s movement of Walt Disney to the beginning of the 21st century
movies drowned my house hold. Sundays became my movie day, one after another. Pocahontas,
Lion King, Homeward Bound, A Bugs Life just to name a few. What other life would a ten year
old ask for?
The movies continued. Dinner is over, the kitchen is clean. The buttery smell of popcorn
is wandering throughout the house. My father and I rearrange the couch pillows onto the floor
for a cushioning platform. Beep, beep, beep.. the popcorn is done. The comforters and pillows
are out. The DVD is loaded. My father, mother, brother, sister and I are cozied in the dark living
room with light from the projection of the TV screen. The Princess Bride fills up the screen;
my favorite movie of all time. The creativity, the adventure, the imagination of the movie
attracted me. My childish mind was able to wonder wildly with each scene. The foundation of
The Princess Bride gave me confidence in entering the sixth grade assured me that thinking
outside-the-box, writing outside the norm is acceptable and encouraged in the writing process.

McNulty 4
I continued experiencing writing through mandatory school papers on our summer
reading books. What is the point of summer reading if no one actually reads them? I said to
myself every time we got assignment a new novel. Being a rising senior I was not looking
forward to doing work; senioritis was hitting me too soon. I am not going to read it, I can wing it
like always. But not this time. And Then There Were None was our next and last summer
reading. A mystery book based on an invitation only vacation among strangers. One-by-one
each guest was being murdered? This is something I had to keep reading. Every page I turned
dragged me deeper and deeper into the story. I could not believe it, [Vera] kicked way the
chair (And Then There Were None) and then there were none. I read the entire book. I could
not stop there. I read the epilogue and a manuscript segments. Once the novel was complete
read through, I realized why people have such fascination with books. I am not saying I LOVE to
read now, but I always hope to find a good book that I can get attached to like I was with And
Then There Were None.
Writing this paper brought back many great memories throughout my life. Melissa is a
major part of how I am today. Our healthy competitions have settled down and our nine month
age different has seem to close; its like we are sister, twins, we are one. Although we are a grade
apart, we are hardly ever physically apart. Being together is what you can expect. The weekend
of September 13th of this year, me, her and my boyfriend, Tyler, of 4 and a half years take a road
trip to visit Melissas boyfriend, of 2 years, at Coastal Carolina University. If you are in one of
our lives, there is no doubt that you will know the other. My relationship with Melissa has
greatly shaped my literacy life; we shaped our lives together and still are. That is not going to
stop anytime soon.