Showing posts with label Writing tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Writing tips. Show all posts

Tuesday, 7 June 2011

Finding Your Own Writing Style

   English courses in school are the perfect opportunities to find your own writing style mainly because they force you to write in different ways. For example last semester we studied the works of Edgar Allen Poe and then we had to write a couple pieces in the same style as him. Later we even had a competition to see who could sound more Poe than Poe. The English teacher would read a piece written by Poe that he knew no one had read and then he would take the best pieces written by the class and read them all out loud. The class would then vote on which one sounded the most like Poe. this is what young writers need to do in order to find their own writing style.
   In an English course as much as your teacher insists that you are not writing the pieces for them, you are. Last semester my teacher enjoyed seldom used words, so I payed special attention to my diction and always kept a thesaurus handy, while this semester my teacher is more concerned with always proving a point with quotations, so I perfected adding quotations in to sentences. While diction is no longer an important technique for my grade this semester I still use it to some degree. This leads me to my point almost every time a writer goes outside their comfort zone while writing something from the experience stays with them.
   In my opinion all writers should try a variety of styles and techniques and occasionally force themselves to write about things that they don't particularly care about. A good writer writes about things that have meaning to them, a great writer can write about anything and still make it sound meaningful. In school you are forced to write about subjects that honestly you don't care about, but you have to stick it out and try to find ways to add your own personal flair to whatever it is that you're writing. My latest English project is a descriptive essay of where I grew up and either how it is a microcosm of Canada or how it changed my life as a Canadian. To tell you the truth I don't really believe it fits either, and while I don't like to lie in my writing pieces I have now found myself in a position where I have to take a tiny feeling that in some way it may be a microcosm and stretch it out as f I avidly believe this idea.
   While I think it's a good idea for a writer to write about things that don't necessarily mean something to them I believe this should be for practice and by no means for publishing. In a personal essay the feelings written should be true not made up or stretched. A writer should try to reach out to their audience and either teach them something or make them feel something, preferably both. If you cannot be emotional about topics you do not care all that much about then you should probably stick to writing topics of your choosing. While you may find yourself in situations where you have to write not from your heart, but from your brain know that it's an experience that will help you grow as a writer. It doesn't matter how old you are there is always something to learn, and the same goes for writing.
  
Business
All of the topics on this blog are of my own choosing and therefore they are things that I care about, well except for that one challenge post I did I was to excited about that one. I would also like to thank you, my audience for reading my blog. I am now getting new people from all around the world. I'm still 8 posts behind.

Book Review
Recently I have read The Darkest Powers trilogy by Kelly Armstrong. This series is about a girl who sees ghosts and can raise hoards of zombies, but is stuck in a mental hospital being treated for schizophrenia. I absolutely loved the writing style in these books. The main character Chloe Saunders in the narrator, making this series conversational, while at the same time descriptive. Some of the vivid details including maggots I wouldn't of minded being left out but it did add onto the book. It was obvious to me that the author was not writing this for money, because she could have easily made one more novel with all the loose ends she left at the end of the last book. The only real complaint I have with this trilogy is that compared to the rest of the series full of death, destruction, and drama, the ending was a tad bit sappy. For an ending that did not seem to fit the series I give this trilogy 4.8 stars. You were close, but not close enough for my first 5 rating.

Wednesday, 6 April 2011

Beginning, Middle, and I'm Stuck

   Writers block, the thing that all students fear. For some it seems almost impossible to get a writing piece started. Others just can't seem to pad the middle of their essays to make them long enough or put too much information in. Sometimes the hardest thing is the conclusion. You want to leave the reader with something catchy, but sometimes what you put doesn't sound conclusive enough. Today I'm going to help you through the difficulty of writers block.
   Starting an essay can be the hardest part. To start off think of a catchy thesis statement. Your first sentence should be a general statement, but lead into your main point. If you are having trouble thinking of something try re-reading the assignment, or doing something else for a while. After your thesis statement you should mention what will be said in the different paragraphs in your essay, preferably in order. Take a quick peek at my introduction after reading this post. I'm sure you'll find all of my main points were mentioned briefly in my introduction.
    The middle or body of your writing piece is not as important as the beginning and end, and it is usually much easier to write. If it helps, try to make an outline of what you are going to talk about in each paragraph to get started. The main problem students have with the middle of an essay is getting the proper length. If you are having problems lengthening your essay try adding quotes to prove your point. Another option that should be avoided is adding repetitive sentences, editing margins, and separating complex sentences into two different sentences to use more words. If your essay is too long read through it and delete your worst point.
    When ending an essay you should reiterate all of your main points mentioned in your essay. A conclusion should look fairly similar to an introduction, only instead of putting a thesis statement at the beginning of the paragraph you put it at the end. Do not reuse your actual thesis statement for your last sentence. The last sentence should stay in the readers mind. You want to leave your reader with something that makes them want to read more pieces written by you.
     All writing pieces must have a beginning, middle and, an end. It can be hard to get ideas. All you can do is learn the basics of essay writing and try your best. Catch the readers attention and leave them wanting more. Keep on writing eventually you may write something truly inspiring.

Business
Recently I have been noticing that people outside Canada have started reading this blog. I would just like to say thanks for reading to the people from U.S.A, Singapore and Denmark. I am seven blogs behind.

Doctor Who Quote
A quote from the very first Doctor.
The Doctor: What do you think of that, now, eh? A Viking helmet.
Steven Taylor: Maybe.
The Doctor: What do you mean, "maybe"? What do you think it is, a space helmet for a cow?