[stylist] Writing Prompt #1: Tapping the Source

Sun Apr 25 03:11:23 UTC 2010

Sorry, it didn't seem to work. I'll try to redo...

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain

Through writing style and immersion, the author draws you into the
life and times of Huck.

How he draws you in:

The use of punction, grammar, and spelling was very unique at the
time. It was one of the first uses of poor spelling, grammar, and
punctuation used as a tool. Prior to Huck Finn, such poor writing was
a sign of the author's ignorance and poor education. Twain used this
to his advantage, persuading the reader that it was not a sign of his
own poor education, but that of the "true writer," Huck Finn, through
whose eyes we see the story. This ploy draws the reader in, creating
assumptions that the reader makes without thinking, but which Twain
intended the reader to make in the first place, that Huck is a
backwater boy with little education and who is ignorant to the world
at large.

Twain also uses description as a ploy to draw the reader in. He
describes things not as they really are, but how Huck sees them. An
example of this can be found near the beginning, when Tom and Huck are
sneaking past Jim to go out with the other boys late at night. Huck
describes it as going on forever, lying in the grass when Jim stirs
until they cramp and they really must be late, but I doubt in reality
it was more than five or ten minutes. To a young boy, however, it was
forever.

Twain also uses descriptions to show people the reality of the world
in which Huck lives. He does not hold back, describing dead bodies,
murder and the work of conmen, starvation and sickness as they were
according to Huck, not according to what readers were used to, the
gentle narration that protected the boys reading. While Jim in the
story spares Huck from the dead body on the floating house, Twain
certainly doesn't protect the readers, the audience intended being
young boys. This draws the child in, as they are too often
mollycoddled and to a child, this book would be a fresh breath of air
after such mollycoddling books of the time.

While Twain draws the reader in, he doesn't write a meaningless book
that only entertains. He sneaks in many life lessons as well.

For example, he describes the life and feeligns of Jim the slave,
showing the harsh reality of slavery as well as the goodness of a good
slave owner who cares about her salve and wishes him well. Jim seeks
all throughout the book to be free, but he mourns for his child and
wife, whom he had to leave behind, a very common occurence for slaves
who ran away. Twain attempts to sway young boys' minds against
slavery, teaching them the sad truth of the slave's life and how they
are treated.

Other life lessons that are snuck in are demonstrated in Huck's
stories about the Duke and the King and their conman workings (showing
the need for careful consideration of people's stories and not to
believe everything you are told and be careful who you trust), the
plot to free Jim that works but doesn't work (demonstrating the
strangeness of life's reality, how one detail can change the course of
many lives), and Huck's relationship with Tom (the blind following of
a leader and that sometimes it's good to think for yourself, but that
friendship is often the best tool of life). Through the story of the
family feud Huck falls upon, the reader is taught about revenge and
the fallacies of refusing to forgive, how one small offense can turn
into a huge problem that causes damage to the lives of many, and in
this case, the death of entire clans.

Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, truly
demonstrates the best practice of capturing the reader's attention
through entertainment, but maintaining their attention through meaning
and not just meaningless entertainment (as we sometimes see on TV
sitcoms).

**So that's my writing prompt response. I hope more people will take
the time to do the prompt. It will really draw your attention to what
makes the best books truly great.

~Jewel

On 4/24/10, Jewel S. <herekittykat2 at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 4/24/10, Joe Orozco <jsorozco at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Alright, I'll give it a try.
>>
>> I thoroughly enjoyed Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind for its
>> ability
>> to call attention to religious and political persecution while never
>> losing
>> sight of the magical realm that makes the story unique.
>>
>> I don't know if one sentence does it justice, but my several reasons for
>> liking the piece include the fact that even though this book is the sixth
>> in
>> an eleven-book series, the book could stand alone for anyone picking up
>> the
>> volume for the first time.  Because it is part of a series, one is tuned
>> into the greater conflict that looms over the series, but the struggle
>> that
>> evolves from this single book does a fine job of summing up the bulk of
>> the
>> story better than any of the other parts and certainly far better than
>> the
>> finale.  I also enjoyed it for its ability to truly cast the characters
>> into
>> a human light.  Faith of the Fallen features one of the story's main
>> antagonists, and despite her evil history, one cannot help but fall in
>> love
>> with her by the end of the book.  The book is the struggle of a few
>> individuals, and yet it is also the struggle of the masses.
>> Interestingly,
>> it is up to the reader's viewpoint as to whether the battle in the book
>> is
>> between good and evil or whether it is simply good battling against
>> itself.
>> I don't know that I've ever read another book where this is so skillfully
>> achieved.
>>
>> Anyway, I hope my response did not spoil anything.  If you're interested,
>> the book is fantasy, very much a story of wizards, though not as colorful
>> as
>> Harry Potter.  This is very much an adult book with mature themes and
>> concepts.  Violence, no strong language, some descriptions of sex.  The
>> series is called The Sword of Truth, and the first book is Wizard's First
>> Rule.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Joe
>>
>> "Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their
>> sleeves,
>> some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org
>> [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jewel S.
>> Sent: Friday, April 23, 2010 3:40 PM
>> To: stylist at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: [stylist] Writing Prompt #1: Tapping the Source
>>
>> A writing prompt for everyone interested:
>>
>> Choose a major work of fiction that you really like. In a sentence,
>> try to state the major reason you love this work.  Then, list several
>> ways in which you feel the author achieved this effect. The reasons
>> don't have to employ any fancy terms and they don't have to make any
>> sense to anyone but you. You're simply trying to tune in to the source
>> of magic.
>>
>> --Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide from New York's Acclaimed
>> Creative Writing School
>> by Gotham Writers' Workshop Faculty
>>
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>>
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