[stylist] Writing Prompt #1: Tapping the Source

Sun Apr 25 17:23:23 UTC 2010

All right, here's mine (no warning needed):

One of the best books I've read recently is Creepers by David Morel. The 
story concerns a journalist following a bunch of urban spelunkers as they 
explore an abandoned hotel.

I liked the fast pacing; once the action starts it doesn't stop. The main 
character is complex and likeable , and we learn slowly that he is not what 
he seems. Morel could have went for the obvious haunted house angle, but he 
doesn't, so I appreciate the thought he put into the story. The author also 
uses ominous sounds and imagery to great effect.

Neil
--------------------------------------------------
From: "Jewel S." <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 24, 2010 11:11 PM
To: "Writer's Division Mailing List" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [stylist] Writing Prompt #1: Tapping the Source

> 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
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Writers Division web site:
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>>
>
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