Today, there was an in-class essay :( I was doing fine in my own little world until I looked up at the board: timed writing assignment. NOOO!!! I was now worried because I really hate essays, let alone in-class essays. I just tried to relax though because panicking won't help the situation. The prompt was given and I saw that it was about yourself. I wasn't too thrilled with it. The first thing I always do is think of all the specific things I'll talk about and then wrap all of it up into a nice thesis. Thesis is the most important part of the essay, I would say. I was a little puzzled by the prompt. It asks for strengths, weaknesses and goals to set. I was frazzled because I thought, "how do I come up with a thesis that sums all 3 of the requirements?" They can each be an independent essay but this essay contains all 3. So, I just mentioned my weaknesses, strengths and goals to improve as a writer in my intro & thesis and tried to support it all by my assertions. I don't think I did that great but I guess it was decent. I was under pressure and time so I just did my best. When I feel rushed, I tend to just get something down because I panic about the time limit. I didn't feel that the structure, diction, and intro was AP like. I like to include a nice hook to grab the reader's attention in the intro but I failed to do so. I wanted to add a hook to my intro but I ran out of time and I didn't know how to squeeze it in (which is a reason I like to type essays).
I write better in my house, on the kitchen table, spending my sweet time. But, the AP test isn't like that!!!! My weaknesses of writing are that I'm slow and I could improve my analytical skills. When I say slow, I mean slow. My strengths were that I could come up with theses that could be well backed up and my grammar & conventions(even though I'm sure I mispelled things!). On the STAR test last year, I got 100% on the conventions part of the writing. But, I have a lot to work on as a writer and I'm sure I'll learn a ton in this class.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
My Favorite Book
I read all three books so now, which one is my favorite? I would have to say Into the Wild. It is so interesting because the author, Jon Krakauer, switches up the order of when things happened. He started off the book with a journal entry by Chris McCandless that didn't make any sense at all. Once you read on, you find out that like somewhere in the middle of the book or so, that this was written by him on his trip to Alaska and it all makes sense. He mixes up the order and later on, you find out what it means. I like the author's style of writing, too. It's not all sophisticated and hard to figure out. There were really fascinating parts of Chris's life. He made a story about a hitchhiker who no one paid attention to really interesting. Everyone just thought that it was Chris's stupid mistake to journey alone into Alaska but Krakauer didn't. He wrote a book on him.
On Writing comes next. I think King's language could be cleaner. haha. He cusses a lot and is often inappropriate. I like this book because it has 3 main parts: a memoir, the on writing part, and a part on On Living, about how he almost died in a car accident. The only time I read a book with 3 parts was Oedipus Rex, a summer book for the 9th grade, but that's kind of different. I like his tips, especially that one that bans excessive adverbs, but most of them were kind of obvious. Nonetheless, I liked it.
How To Read Literature Like a Professor wasn't my favorite, at all. Foster used examples from a bunch of books that I never read, or even heard of. It was kind of hard to relate to him because the books weren't familiar. His sentences were pretty long and he used language that was pretty challenging to comprehend. It sure made me use the dictionary a lot! He was pretty funny though, with his little rules. It's never just rain, every trip is a quest(except when it's not), there's only one story, whenever people eat or drink together, it's communion. Creative mind he has there. He made me laugh a few times. I really think he helped with comprehending literature. He got me thinking of different ways I never would've thought of thinking about something. Well, I think that's it for now. Bye!
On Writing comes next. I think King's language could be cleaner. haha. He cusses a lot and is often inappropriate. I like this book because it has 3 main parts: a memoir, the on writing part, and a part on On Living, about how he almost died in a car accident. The only time I read a book with 3 parts was Oedipus Rex, a summer book for the 9th grade, but that's kind of different. I like his tips, especially that one that bans excessive adverbs, but most of them were kind of obvious. Nonetheless, I liked it.
How To Read Literature Like a Professor wasn't my favorite, at all. Foster used examples from a bunch of books that I never read, or even heard of. It was kind of hard to relate to him because the books weren't familiar. His sentences were pretty long and he used language that was pretty challenging to comprehend. It sure made me use the dictionary a lot! He was pretty funny though, with his little rules. It's never just rain, every trip is a quest(except when it's not), there's only one story, whenever people eat or drink together, it's communion. Creative mind he has there. He made me laugh a few times. I really think he helped with comprehending literature. He got me thinking of different ways I never would've thought of thinking about something. Well, I think that's it for now. Bye!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
My 20th Post!!
Yesterday, I finished reading On Writing and this is post #20! It was a special part of the book (On Living: A Postscript) about the time he almost died. It was pretty tragic and sad. He was going on his daily walk and then something terrible and unexpected happened. A man, driving out of control, hit King in his blue van. He's hit hard and when he wakes up or after his break of memory, Bryan Smith walks up to him that help's on the way. He went up to a store to get one of those "Marzes-bars." Strangely, this reminded King of one of his book characters. Funny, isn't it? How characters in books are so much like real people we know. Anyway, he's taken to a hospital to deal with his near-fatal injuries. It turns out that Smith's estimates of injuries were conservative: his lower leg broken in 9, not 5 places. But, things could've been worse, if he landed on the sharp rocks near him.
King started writing this book in 1997 but, he took a break from it because nonfiction isn't really his thing. He finished it in 1999. So, write about what you like. I understand why King loves to write so much. It helped him heal in the hospital. It wasn't life for him but, it was a back to life for him. He wrote and even finished this book in that time. It really helped him because it was fun and it brought him to a fun and brighter place. And, he doesn't do it for the fame or money; he does it for the enrichment of readers' lives and for plain fun. He said something that Foster from HTRLLAP said: if there's an important prop you want to bring up, mention it early on. It was so familiar and then I remembered where I heard it. He gave us a passage and analyzed it(just like Foster did in HTRLLAP. It was called "The Hotel Story", a 1st draft he wrote. After you read it, there's the edited version: 2nd draft=1st draft -10%. First of all, he changed the name to "1408", the name of the "haunted" hotel room. Then he took out an adverb and changed Mr. Ostermeyer's name to Mr. Olin, shorter and better. He took out unneeded details and brought up an important prop(lucky Hawaiian shirt) from page 30 to the beginning. Well, anyway that's about it. I liked the book a lot, mainly because there was a memoir, a "toolbox", a part on writing and a part on how to live by writing, On Living: A Postscript. Bye!
King started writing this book in 1997 but, he took a break from it because nonfiction isn't really his thing. He finished it in 1999. So, write about what you like. I understand why King loves to write so much. It helped him heal in the hospital. It wasn't life for him but, it was a back to life for him. He wrote and even finished this book in that time. It really helped him because it was fun and it brought him to a fun and brighter place. And, he doesn't do it for the fame or money; he does it for the enrichment of readers' lives and for plain fun. He said something that Foster from HTRLLAP said: if there's an important prop you want to bring up, mention it early on. It was so familiar and then I remembered where I heard it. He gave us a passage and analyzed it(just like Foster did in HTRLLAP. It was called "The Hotel Story", a 1st draft he wrote. After you read it, there's the edited version: 2nd draft=1st draft -10%. First of all, he changed the name to "1408", the name of the "haunted" hotel room. Then he took out an adverb and changed Mr. Ostermeyer's name to Mr. Olin, shorter and better. He took out unneeded details and brought up an important prop(lucky Hawaiian shirt) from page 30 to the beginning. Well, anyway that's about it. I liked the book a lot, mainly because there was a memoir, a "toolbox", a part on writing and a part on how to live by writing, On Living: A Postscript. Bye!
Friday, August 5, 2011
On Writing #6
1 more day of reading On Writing and I will be DONE!!!! I have to admit, I'm proud of myself :) Well, it looks like King realizes that he doesn't quite give the most "of high thought" tips. What he says is kind of common sense, he said on page 249. It kinda annoys me that he'd spend so much time writing something so basic. I wish he told me something that I could really benefit from. I do like the memoir in the beginning pages of the story, though. It was funny and he has a likeable writing style and tone (except for the cuss word on every other page). He can be very inappropriate, but funny.
It's important to have a supportive and sympathetic first reader(in King's case, his wife) because they motivate you and give you reliable tips for improving your hard work. He recommends sending stories to 6-8 close friends for constructive criticism(I hate hearing that there's something wrong with my work that I took so long on!). An important part to master as a writer is finding a medium for pacing, the speed at which the story unfolds. If it's too fast, it will be confusing and unsatisfying but too slow, and your readers will be bored, even the very patient ones. He doesn't like the use of flashbacks because he's interested in what's going to happen, not what's in the past. I disagree though; sometimes you need to throw in a quick flashback. Think about, it's essential to some TV shows. The best way to maintain a good pace is to keep "Ideal Reader"(as King calls it) in mind. Ask yourself as you write, "Will I.R. get bored from this long, slow pace?" or, "Will I.R. wish this part went faster?" Good strategy to me.
Books shouldn't be too "puffy". Once, King received a letter from someone concerning his story saying that it was good but puffy. "2nd draft = 1st draft - 10%." was his advice. This changed the way King wrote fiction. Cut out the unneeded details. Every character has a history but, you don't need to tell it all. That would be unnecessary fluff. He also dislikes excessive research. Your story isn't a research paper, it's a story made for entertaining your fellow readers. Readers want to love the story, instead of being bombarded with facts. See ya later, blog!
It's important to have a supportive and sympathetic first reader(in King's case, his wife) because they motivate you and give you reliable tips for improving your hard work. He recommends sending stories to 6-8 close friends for constructive criticism(I hate hearing that there's something wrong with my work that I took so long on!). An important part to master as a writer is finding a medium for pacing, the speed at which the story unfolds. If it's too fast, it will be confusing and unsatisfying but too slow, and your readers will be bored, even the very patient ones. He doesn't like the use of flashbacks because he's interested in what's going to happen, not what's in the past. I disagree though; sometimes you need to throw in a quick flashback. Think about, it's essential to some TV shows. The best way to maintain a good pace is to keep "Ideal Reader"(as King calls it) in mind. Ask yourself as you write, "Will I.R. get bored from this long, slow pace?" or, "Will I.R. wish this part went faster?" Good strategy to me.
Books shouldn't be too "puffy". Once, King received a letter from someone concerning his story saying that it was good but puffy. "2nd draft = 1st draft - 10%." was his advice. This changed the way King wrote fiction. Cut out the unneeded details. Every character has a history but, you don't need to tell it all. That would be unnecessary fluff. He also dislikes excessive research. Your story isn't a research paper, it's a story made for entertaining your fellow readers. Readers want to love the story, instead of being bombarded with facts. See ya later, blog!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
You Can Always Rewrite It!
Today, I read about forty pages of On Writing, again. I'm almost done with it! Slowly getting there! Maybe one more day(if I feel really determined tomorrow). Anyway, King said that description is very important, and I agree one hundred percent. If you over-describe, the reader will feel like they're buried in words but under-describing will leave readers with too little knowledge of characters. Remember, when you describe, you're setting up what you what to be visualized in the reader's head. He used an example where he described a steak house; he only used 4 descriptions. That's all you need, more and you're reader will be bored and the story will drift off topic(when I write short stories and there's food, I tend to describe a lot). I think that's good advice. Not to be mean, I don't think King really helps that much when it comes to improving your writing. I mean, he kind of says the basics: write in a room free of distraction and close the door, keep reading and practicing, rewrite, use good dialogue, don't take too long on one story. I could've thought of this stuff on my own, honestly. But, I appreciate that he took the time to write this for us aspiring writers so, thanks Mr. King. :)
Dialogue is important as well because it tells so much about the character who's speaking. What the person says tells a lot about their personality. So, of course it's better to let your character describe himself, rather than narrate it. He said something that I never really realized that's very true. A character that you create has a part of you in them. You made them. If the character is in a situation, you decide what he/she should do based on what you think is best. So, in a way, they are kinda part writer, part made up person. I thought that was kind of cool. Basic rules:
Dialogue is important as well because it tells so much about the character who's speaking. What the person says tells a lot about their personality. So, of course it's better to let your character describe himself, rather than narrate it. He said something that I never really realized that's very true. A character that you create has a part of you in them. You made them. If the character is in a situation, you decide what he/she should do based on what you think is best. So, in a way, they are kinda part writer, part made up person. I thought that was kind of cool. Basic rules:
- Dialogue is a good way to describe characters, since it's coming straight from them. Make good use of it and try to throw in some thoughtful similes and metaphors.
- tell the truth when you write
- don't go crazy when you describe things but don't under do it.
- write exactly what's in your mind on 1st draft. You can always rewrite it. When it's time for the 2nd draft, fix spelling/ grammatical errors and find connections, patterns, underlying themes and symbolism
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Forget About Plot?
I sat down today in my comfy chair and read forty-six pages of On Writing. King started talking about paragraphs, which he believes is the basic unit of writing(not the sentence). Paragraphs in informal essays should be well structured and should have a topic-sentence-followed-by-support-and-description format, while the paragraphs in fiction stories shouldn't really be too well thought. I mean, you shouldn't have to think too hard about when to start your next one and plus, you can always go back and fix it. It should be natural. He said something that really stuck in my mind: "The object if fiction isn't grammatical correctness but to make the reader welcome and then tell a story....to make him/her forget, whenever possible, that he/she is reading a story at all." I think that is sooo true. When I read, I want to be caught up in a great story, so interesting that you have a hard time putting it down.
I find that King is kind of negative. He thinks that a writer is pretty much born with it and unfortunately, if you're not...you're just not. "If you're a bad writer, no one can help you become a good one, or even a competent one. If you're good and you want to be great....fugeddaboudit." Kinda brings your confidence down. I would expect a writer to really encourage future hopefuls. You have to keep reading, as he says repeatedly. How else can you improve and learn new skills?
Some great advice he gives is to not take too long on a work you've started. Don't go for months, a couple sentences a day. Set a goal of pages per day. When it drags on, the characters seem like characters. You're excitement is lost and you lose your hold on the plot. I feel that way when I start reading a book, take a week's break, and return. I feel lost and the need to restart. Don't procrastinate and finish already!!!!! Tips:
I find that King is kind of negative. He thinks that a writer is pretty much born with it and unfortunately, if you're not...you're just not. "If you're a bad writer, no one can help you become a good one, or even a competent one. If you're good and you want to be great....fugeddaboudit." Kinda brings your confidence down. I would expect a writer to really encourage future hopefuls. You have to keep reading, as he says repeatedly. How else can you improve and learn new skills?
Some great advice he gives is to not take too long on a work you've started. Don't go for months, a couple sentences a day. Set a goal of pages per day. When it drags on, the characters seem like characters. You're excitement is lost and you lose your hold on the plot. I feel that way when I start reading a book, take a week's break, and return. I feel lost and the need to restart. Don't procrastinate and finish already!!!!! Tips:
- read a lot, I mean a lot
- write in a serene, environment free of distractions
- don't take longer than 3 months, a season, on a work
- close the door, you mean business!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
The Good Ol' Toolbox
Hello there! Today, I read about 50 pages of On Writing. One important lesson to be learned from one of King's experiences: never give up. When he was going to toss his story in the trash, Tabbie kept it and helped him improve it. And you know what? The story, which turned into the book Carrie, was worth $400,000! So, just because a story is hard to write or you think it won't go far, think again. That's a lot of money. King told about the time he got his first alcoholic drink. On a Washington field trip, he snook off to a liquor store and bought some cheap whiskey. Well, this little mess-up turned into a terrible lifestyle. One day, he found out that Maine enacted the returnable bottle-and can-law. After disposing the beer cans in a bin, he realized how much had piled. After a while of denial, he realized he was an alcoholic. His wife stepped in and saved him, though. He felt that his writing wouldn't be as good without drugs but, he was wrong. Writing does not depend on that, but on your imagination and creative thinking.
I got to a page that said "TOOLBOX" at one point. He kept talking and finally explained what in the world that meant and how it related to the book. He discussed the handmade toolbox his Uncle Oren crafted himself, something that he's been familiar with since childhood. It had 3 shelves, with the commonest tools on the top shelf. He then said that you, the reader, should have a toolbox, for writing. What a great symbol! The top shelf should house the commonest tools, your vocabulary(along with some grammar). King suggests that you shouldn't force yourself to use "big" words. If you have a point to put across, put it clearly. Use the very 1st word that comes to mind because it will be closest to what you're trying to say. King was going to put a detailed section on grammar in On Writing, but changed his mind(yes!). Grammar isn't really my thing. I mean I kind of like it but I can never remember what exactly present/past participles, simple-complex sentences, compound sentences, appositives, superlatives and a whole bunch of other grammatical terms are! Oh, and he allows incomplete sentences. hehe. As you can see, I do that plenty of times in my blogs!
For some reason, King hates adverbs. I think they add detail and "color", if you will, to sentences. For example, read this example from the book: "Don't be such a fool, Jekyll," Utterson said contemptuously. King would prefer it like this:"Don't be such a fool, Jekyll," Utterson said--without the fancy adverb. He believes sentences are weaker and less bold with them. Another pet peeve is the passive voice; always use the active voice. I think the passive voice should be used sometimes, but I agree, it takes your interest away. I'll be back soon!
I got to a page that said "TOOLBOX" at one point. He kept talking and finally explained what in the world that meant and how it related to the book. He discussed the handmade toolbox his Uncle Oren crafted himself, something that he's been familiar with since childhood. It had 3 shelves, with the commonest tools on the top shelf. He then said that you, the reader, should have a toolbox, for writing. What a great symbol! The top shelf should house the commonest tools, your vocabulary(along with some grammar). King suggests that you shouldn't force yourself to use "big" words. If you have a point to put across, put it clearly. Use the very 1st word that comes to mind because it will be closest to what you're trying to say. King was going to put a detailed section on grammar in On Writing, but changed his mind(yes!). Grammar isn't really my thing. I mean I kind of like it but I can never remember what exactly present/past participles, simple-complex sentences, compound sentences, appositives, superlatives and a whole bunch of other grammatical terms are! Oh, and he allows incomplete sentences. hehe. As you can see, I do that plenty of times in my blogs!
For some reason, King hates adverbs. I think they add detail and "color", if you will, to sentences. For example, read this example from the book: "Don't be such a fool, Jekyll," Utterson said contemptuously. King would prefer it like this:"Don't be such a fool, Jekyll," Utterson said--without the fancy adverb. He believes sentences are weaker and less bold with them. Another pet peeve is the passive voice; always use the active voice. I think the passive voice should be used sometimes, but I agree, it takes your interest away. I'll be back soon!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)