Week 12 Story Lab
Why Method Writing Makes You A Better Author by Amanda Patterson
I didn't want to click the first article but it stood out to me because of the title. I consider myself a good writer but not a great one. I can grammatically make sense and use good vocabulary time to time. But there are some works that just captivate you. I actually never saw the "art" in writing before 9th grade of high school, to me words were just developed visual tools to help understand concepts. After reading some of Mark Twain's work (he is not necessarily my favorite author but his style of writing), I really saw how beautiful writing can be. The pattern of consonants, structure of sentences, realistic descriptors, etc. can really transport you. I do not expect myself to be on the same tier as renowned authors even among those who dedicate their lives to studying literature, but I still want to be a better writer. I think anyone can benefit from it- it can help us articulate our thoughts and communication skills. Even if you do not want to be a novelist, effective writing can help anyone.
Improving writing skills requires practice, like so many other activities. I like this article because it gives specific ways to help someone be more descriptive. I liked the list of sub-personalities because I think many people are trying to describe these personalities without knowing it.
Harry Potter and the Not Very Good Writing by Christopher Dean
I obviously was interested in this article because of its controversial title, like most readers probably are. Harry Potter is considered untouchable nostalgia, but realistically, it is primarily aimed at kids for a reason. Dean makes some great points but do feel some of his opinions are pretentious. I think "good' is subjective and if the book is geared towards children, it can't be too complex in themes/writing to go over childrens heads. However, I think his larger point is that it is considered a great piece of literature but we have to realize that "real" literature is capable of so much more in terms of writing style, themes, etc. I think some take-away I get from this is to try to understand my story from the viewpoint of the reader. They want to be challenged, live vicariously through my writing, feel things, etc. As much as I love JK Rowling, I see his points about unnecessary plots. That lead to her main plot having loopholes, etc. It is not necessarily "not good" but can be a an example of standards in writing.
I didn't want to click the first article but it stood out to me because of the title. I consider myself a good writer but not a great one. I can grammatically make sense and use good vocabulary time to time. But there are some works that just captivate you. I actually never saw the "art" in writing before 9th grade of high school, to me words were just developed visual tools to help understand concepts. After reading some of Mark Twain's work (he is not necessarily my favorite author but his style of writing), I really saw how beautiful writing can be. The pattern of consonants, structure of sentences, realistic descriptors, etc. can really transport you. I do not expect myself to be on the same tier as renowned authors even among those who dedicate their lives to studying literature, but I still want to be a better writer. I think anyone can benefit from it- it can help us articulate our thoughts and communication skills. Even if you do not want to be a novelist, effective writing can help anyone.
Improving writing skills requires practice, like so many other activities. I like this article because it gives specific ways to help someone be more descriptive. I liked the list of sub-personalities because I think many people are trying to describe these personalities without knowing it.
Harry Potter and the Not Very Good Writing by Christopher Dean
I obviously was interested in this article because of its controversial title, like most readers probably are. Harry Potter is considered untouchable nostalgia, but realistically, it is primarily aimed at kids for a reason. Dean makes some great points but do feel some of his opinions are pretentious. I think "good' is subjective and if the book is geared towards children, it can't be too complex in themes/writing to go over childrens heads. However, I think his larger point is that it is considered a great piece of literature but we have to realize that "real" literature is capable of so much more in terms of writing style, themes, etc. I think some take-away I get from this is to try to understand my story from the viewpoint of the reader. They want to be challenged, live vicariously through my writing, feel things, etc. As much as I love JK Rowling, I see his points about unnecessary plots. That lead to her main plot having loopholes, etc. It is not necessarily "not good" but can be a an example of standards in writing.
(A photo of preteen Harry Potter. It is crazy to think he would be 39 years old in 2019! Image can be sourced here.)
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