I enjoyed this reading the most so far. I enjoy writing fiction as a hobby, and take to heart things like this passage. I am almost always trying to find more ways to make my writing more appealing, make it easier to relate to.
In this part of the book by Janet Burroway, she discusses detail and how to make your writing more interesting with the use of detail. To illustrate the difference, she uses a passage from a book by Thomas Mann. In the excerpt, the author uses vivid imagery to illustrate both the room that the character is in, as well as the specific traits of the character. Burroway then rewrites this passage in a very dry, boring way in which the traits are merely stated, rather than described. This is helpful to my growth as a writer, as I sometimes have problems using detail to convey the characteristics of somebody.
Burroway also talks about how you shouldn't simply describe the character's appearance and expect them to be liked. An example she gives is a blue-eyed, tanned, friendly, twenty-two year old man. The description is very boring and stereotypical - something an author wants to avoid. Unfortunately, this is the type of character description I encounter in lots of modern-day fiction.
The book discusses how, instead of simply stating that someone is in a hurry, you should use the action to show this detail. I personally find that this tactic makes fiction much more interesting to read - it gives it a certain flow.
Burroway's book on writing fiction is incredibly helpful, whether you hope to write professionally or just as a hobby.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Monday, February 4, 2013
Some poems
.... in response to some of Jennifer K. Dick's poems
THREE
Can
you hold me?
No
Because
I am only color; blues and yellows
Verdigris
on my tongue
Soft
yellow light
I
see you and wonder how you can be so solid
How
you can give form to the color
How
you can be solid and here and not disappearing, like I am
(I have already disappeared)
You
are visible and you are here
Am
I here?
FOUR
His voice: “What is”
The air gone out of the train so that, like fish,
our mouths open-shut
in
a spasmodic desire to
speak
Tell you what it is
The
train
is
on fire
with
feeling
with
fear
Wild-eyed on every side
A wing-flutter snapshot
sinks
to
meet
the ground.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Fluorescence
In the second half of Jennifer K. Dick's Fluorescence, a lot of the poems seem to take on an almost "Alice in Wonderland" type of theme. A lot of the poems are surreal and paint pictures of strange occurrences One poem that is an example of this is Looking Glass.
In this particular poem, the word surreal almost seems inadequate. The poem details a town where an alligator roams free, and a man is vomiting up entire fish that proceed to flop around on the ground, somehow still alive. The other townspeople then try to catch the fish with the hopes that they may eat them. This is a very strange, fantastical image; and not only that, but the people depicted in the poem seem unconcerned by these events!
I feel like this could almost be a commentary on the real world - where people want things and don't care how they come to acquire these things, even if it means taking them after a man vomited them up!
In this particular poem, the word surreal almost seems inadequate. The poem details a town where an alligator roams free, and a man is vomiting up entire fish that proceed to flop around on the ground, somehow still alive. The other townspeople then try to catch the fish with the hopes that they may eat them. This is a very strange, fantastical image; and not only that, but the people depicted in the poem seem unconcerned by these events!
I feel like this could almost be a commentary on the real world - where people want things and don't care how they come to acquire these things, even if it means taking them after a man vomited them up!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Poetry Packet
I greatly enjoyed the poetry packet - there was so much variety, so many different types of poems - there was no strict guideline. I like that about poetry - everyone thinks that poetry has to follow the rules, but it doesn't.
One of Ted Berrigan's sonnets illustrates this perfectly - sonnet XV in the packet. It is a fascinating piece of work - and when you first read it, it makes absolutely no sense. That is, until you read a little closer and realize that the poem is like a mirror; the first line corresponds to the last, and on from there. In the middle of the poem, the "last line", Berrigan says "and the sonnet is not dead". This may illustrate the idea that poetry doesn't necessarily have to follow a strict set of rules - it can be whatever you want it to be.
One of Ted Berrigan's sonnets illustrates this perfectly - sonnet XV in the packet. It is a fascinating piece of work - and when you first read it, it makes absolutely no sense. That is, until you read a little closer and realize that the poem is like a mirror; the first line corresponds to the last, and on from there. In the middle of the poem, the "last line", Berrigan says "and the sonnet is not dead". This may illustrate the idea that poetry doesn't necessarily have to follow a strict set of rules - it can be whatever you want it to be.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Hello!
Hi, my name is Shelby Taylor. This is my blog for Creative Writing class.
My major is in English, with a minor in Communications. I intend to become a copy editor in the future. Presently I copy edit for the Eastern Echo.
My major is in English, with a minor in Communications. I intend to become a copy editor in the future. Presently I copy edit for the Eastern Echo.
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