Beginning with theme, part three of Stephen King's On Writing covers a plethora of literary and personal aspects of King's (and indeed any writer's) career. This final section of my assignment was brimming with vital information, but that did not make reading it a simple task.
At times I wonder if certain skills I am learning in school will be applicable to the rest of my life. Algebra, for example, made me question just how important graduating is. I mean, please, logarithms and variables are not essential to success as a human being. I have lean red through my reading of On Writing, however, that creativity and expression certainly are. Especially as an aspiring writer, I benefited heavily from this text.
King's concept of the Ideal Reader was especially y striking. It made me ask myself whom I wanted to impress and why. I loved the idea that writing can be a noble and powerful means of communication between a writer and his friend, spouse, family member, or God. Additionally, the feww chapters regarding the editing process taught me the value of patience regarding the manuscript. Stephen King gives the eager writer permission and a stern suggestion to take breaks between the first and second draft a d to treat that draft as a newly found piece of his or her former self.
I truly thought that the book would end on a slightly technical note. I expected King to end with an inspiring, informal conjecture about the magic of writing. Instead, he recounts a painful accident that he experienced while writing the book. His realization that writing is a remedy and an outlet for frustration was incredibly poignant. He explains that finishing On Writing was laborious. It was meticulous and daunting, but (like most bold attempts at. Sharing ideas) it was worth it.
Then he goes on to include a technical self-editing example and two extensive book lists in his three "Furthermore" epilogues. very brief. Very technical. Very King.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Obama's Red Tie: a Symbol of Conservatism or Communism? (cue gasp)
The atmosphere surrounding tonight's address was powerful: Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords listened to the last speech she would hear as a representative of Arizona, and Steve Jobs's widow enjoyed the company of First Lady Michelle Obama as well as the moving words of the president. As for my opinion of the 2012 State of the Union address, my thoughts are as divided as the components of our president's speech. By addressing conservative issues with compromise and simultaneous liberal policy, our president's oration made me wonder how our executive leader and nation as a whole will fare in the coming months.
President Barack Obama lent much of his speaking time to fairly conservative issues: changing tax codes, offshore drilling, and industry within the United States. He proposed that tax codes be changed so that businesses would not be tempted or forced to outsource labor. He also claimed that we should increase offshore drilling and begin to use one hundred-or-so years that our nation's natural resources have to offer. Obama added that the recovery of the automotive industry in cities like Detroit will be happening all over the country soon. These conservative portions of the State of the Union address seemed highly conciliatory for Barack Obama. Perhaps I have been ill-informed for the past three years (I probably have been ill-informed; I have fed myself a steady diet of America's Next Top Model), but I thought Obama was an advocate of outsouricng labor, oil, and industry. Obama, I believe, had good intentions for this speech. He wanted to reach across party lines to build a better nation and most likely to secure wavering independent votes.
Of course, the conservative bliss of the State of the Union address would not last. Suddenly, my right-wing ear began to pick up on liberal terms. In a well-intended segment o f his oration, President Obama beings to stand up for the little man by claiming that everybody should play by the same rules in order to keep the economy and the nation a fair place. I'm not on a Communist witch hunt, here. I do see, however, another one of Obama's attempts to secure votes from the lower class by declaring a war on poverty that simply cannot be won. Ironically, towards, the end of his speech, Obama references Abraham Lincoln by concurring with Honest Abe's advocation of a government that will help the people do only that which they cannot do for themselves (and nothing more). This statement was, to me, a direct contradiction of the "fair play" society that our president seemed to support earlier in his speech.
Behind President Obama sat a choir of two: Vice President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Joe Biden. A glassy-eyed Biden seemed to be enchanted by every word of Obama's pleasing rhetoric; whereas, Boehner sat skeptically and pondered the validity of our presidents' words. As for me, I sit between Biden and Boehner, acknowledging the intelligence of our leader but quesitoning his sincerity and leadership skills. Much like his red tie, Obama's State of the Union address could represent either a more conservative or more sharing-based economy. Or perhaps it was just flashy and colorful, the only clean thing hanging in a closet of dirty political laundry.
President Barack Obama lent much of his speaking time to fairly conservative issues: changing tax codes, offshore drilling, and industry within the United States. He proposed that tax codes be changed so that businesses would not be tempted or forced to outsource labor. He also claimed that we should increase offshore drilling and begin to use one hundred-or-so years that our nation's natural resources have to offer. Obama added that the recovery of the automotive industry in cities like Detroit will be happening all over the country soon. These conservative portions of the State of the Union address seemed highly conciliatory for Barack Obama. Perhaps I have been ill-informed for the past three years (I probably have been ill-informed; I have fed myself a steady diet of America's Next Top Model), but I thought Obama was an advocate of outsouricng labor, oil, and industry. Obama, I believe, had good intentions for this speech. He wanted to reach across party lines to build a better nation and most likely to secure wavering independent votes.
Of course, the conservative bliss of the State of the Union address would not last. Suddenly, my right-wing ear began to pick up on liberal terms. In a well-intended segment o f his oration, President Obama beings to stand up for the little man by claiming that everybody should play by the same rules in order to keep the economy and the nation a fair place. I'm not on a Communist witch hunt, here. I do see, however, another one of Obama's attempts to secure votes from the lower class by declaring a war on poverty that simply cannot be won. Ironically, towards, the end of his speech, Obama references Abraham Lincoln by concurring with Honest Abe's advocation of a government that will help the people do only that which they cannot do for themselves (and nothing more). This statement was, to me, a direct contradiction of the "fair play" society that our president seemed to support earlier in his speech.
Behind President Obama sat a choir of two: Vice President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Joe Biden. A glassy-eyed Biden seemed to be enchanted by every word of Obama's pleasing rhetoric; whereas, Boehner sat skeptically and pondered the validity of our presidents' words. As for me, I sit between Biden and Boehner, acknowledging the intelligence of our leader but quesitoning his sincerity and leadership skills. Much like his red tie, Obama's State of the Union address could represent either a more conservative or more sharing-based economy. Or perhaps it was just flashy and colorful, the only clean thing hanging in a closet of dirty political laundry.
Monday, January 23, 2012
On ON WRITING: Part Two Full of Knowledge, Lacking in Previous Anecdotal Entertainment
Part One of my Stephen King reading and blogging assignment for On Writing left me pleasantly suprised. Rather than bloody murder synopses like those found in King novel's, I found myself identifying with the conversational tone of King's roughhewn autobiography, or "CV." Of course, I had to turn the page and find that On Writing was no longer a stroll down memory lane but a trek to literary greatness. Part Two of my assignment was missing the enticing stories from King's past; those were replaced by a thorough introduction to the craft. Even with King's constant wit and striking realism, the pace at which I read On Writing slowed from a carefree skip to a powerwalk in high heels. (Perhaps this had to do with my slight procrastination, but anyways...)
Beginning with a short but highly inspiring section called "What Writing Is", I began to immerse myself into the mind and writing experience of Stephen King. "What Writing Is" managed to describe the craft is a high form of telepathy without sounding like a hippie's guide to literary enlightenment. As King described a table, a cage, and a rabbit in order to convey the idea that writing creates a bond that transcends space and time, I realized that he was not the only one who had the power to relate to readers. In reading this section, I found that any writer (myself included) possesses the ability describe, communicate, and mystify.
The next section of the text, "The Toolbox", was meticulous but worth the effort. By explaining the importance of vocabulary, grammar, and style, I learned that creativity is not an excuse to sloppily splash words onto the page. The page and the craft are sacred and must not be approached lightly. On a sidenote, I particularly detested King's use of the word "Fazza" to describe his maternal grandfather. I'm sorry, but that word is simply treacherous.
The first nine chapters of "On Writing" referenced an entire spectrum of writers (as did "The Toolbox"), both good and bad. I loved King's frank analyses of description, dialogue, and character formation in these examples. This section was especially dense and required extra attention to King's valuable adivce. With each guideline for composition, prose, dialogue, and storyline, I could feel myself becoming a better writer.
Overall, the second section of On Writing required me to pay closer attention to King's advice. No longer did a fluid chronological recount of King's life aid my understanding of the craft; my task was to take notes with an intense reverence to the responsibility of writing. I won't complain about the reading, however. After all, King says reading a lot and writing a lot will eventually make me a better (or at least more experienced) writer.
Beginning with a short but highly inspiring section called "What Writing Is", I began to immerse myself into the mind and writing experience of Stephen King. "What Writing Is" managed to describe the craft is a high form of telepathy without sounding like a hippie's guide to literary enlightenment. As King described a table, a cage, and a rabbit in order to convey the idea that writing creates a bond that transcends space and time, I realized that he was not the only one who had the power to relate to readers. In reading this section, I found that any writer (myself included) possesses the ability describe, communicate, and mystify.
The next section of the text, "The Toolbox", was meticulous but worth the effort. By explaining the importance of vocabulary, grammar, and style, I learned that creativity is not an excuse to sloppily splash words onto the page. The page and the craft are sacred and must not be approached lightly. On a sidenote, I particularly detested King's use of the word "Fazza" to describe his maternal grandfather. I'm sorry, but that word is simply treacherous.
The first nine chapters of "On Writing" referenced an entire spectrum of writers (as did "The Toolbox"), both good and bad. I loved King's frank analyses of description, dialogue, and character formation in these examples. This section was especially dense and required extra attention to King's valuable adivce. With each guideline for composition, prose, dialogue, and storyline, I could feel myself becoming a better writer.
Overall, the second section of On Writing required me to pay closer attention to King's advice. No longer did a fluid chronological recount of King's life aid my understanding of the craft; my task was to take notes with an intense reverence to the responsibility of writing. I won't complain about the reading, however. After all, King says reading a lot and writing a lot will eventually make me a better (or at least more experienced) writer.
Monday, January 16, 2012
On ON WRITING- "CV" Full of Wit and Stylistic Excellence
I must admit, the work of Steven King is typically frowned upon in my house. As the oldest (and by far the most sheltered) of five children, my bookshelves were too full of Dr. Seuss literary magic to house a horror novel or two. So when I received the assignment to read, annotate, and blog about On Writing, I figured it would be one gory ride that would hopefully end in an "A" rather than a haunting mess. Throughout my reading, however, I have come to enjoy not only On Writing, but also the style and personality of King himself. Narratives of his own experiences, descriptions of the characters in his life, and scattered tips for budding writers all made "CV" an exceptional chronicle of a life devoted to storytelling. The first section of On Writing, "CV", provides a pithy outline of Steven King's journey as an author. Beginning in his early childhood, King provides what he calls "snapshots" of his life. His use of parallel structure begins with one word that manifests itself throughout much of the section: pow! This onomatopoeia is first used when King describes his jolly (if not somewhat abusive) childhood babysitter and ends in his creative outburst that inspired King's first novel, Carrie. The witty and vulnerable accounts in between pack quite a punch. King details his trips to the Ritz, a low end movie theater that showed horror and science fiction films. His passion for horror novels obviously stemmed from an early love of the bizarre, the unknown-- the downright scary. Other narrative highlights include a hilarious poison ivy episode, a foreboding account of King's initial experience with alcohol, and an ironically to-the-point chronicle of the death of King's mother. Another enjoyable aspect of "CV" was Steven King's character descriptions. The people in his life become as interesting as his novel characters through sincere (often brutally honest) analyses. Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King, the author's mother, is portrayed as caring yet detached; independent yet pitied; liberated yet fearful. Her influence is mentioned throughout "CV" as a presence that inspired the author. She supported King's writing from his meager childhood beginnings until the day she died (a copy of Carrie sat on her nightstand that day). King describes his mother's battle with uterine cancer with factual disengagement, showing how his mother's motto of "keeping herself to herself" also affected the author. King is cynical towards his own generation as well. His realistic generalization of lazy, middle-aged Americans is convicting and makes the reader feel like a character in the story as well. On the other hand, the character sketches of King's wife are warm and filled with gratitude. Tabitha King is depicted as a source of love, strength, and intelligence. King analyzes each character in his life with imagery, simile, and originality. Even though "CV" primarily provides an account of Steven King's beginnings as a writer, King uses his personal experiences to give direct advice to the reader. The first insight of the craft he offers deals with perseverance. He writes that when, as a teenager, his stories were rejected by publishers, he nailed them to his wall and kept writing. When the nail was too small to hold all of his rejection letters, King bought a spike and--you guessed it--kept writing. He also informs the reader of the editing process, claiming that the first draft is for one's self while the second draft is for the reader. King even uses the extremely personal details from his lengthy period of alcoholism to say that writing does not warrant substance abuse. He defaces the self-serving fallacy that many famous authors have used an excuse to become addicts with cutting logic: "We all look pretty much the same when we're puking in the gutter." "CV" ends with the philosophical conjecture that art supports life (and not vice versa). King tells the reader to put his desk in the corner as opposed to the middle of the room for this very reason. I believe that suggestion was the most important piece of writing advice that King has offered so far.Overall, "CV" used wit and stylistic devices such as parallel structure, allusion, and a conversational tone to narrate and inspire. The author's method of spreading helpful advice throughout a colorful memoir makes for a savory read. As I finished "CV", I reflected on my previous opinion of Steven King. I had initially thought he was a dark, twisted man; however, his struggles and his triumphs are reflective of even those who aren't wildly successful horror novelists. "CV", which stands for Curriculum vitae, is a down-to-earth masterpiece that serves a wide variety of purposes for the aspiring writer.
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