[stylist] Writing Prompt #1: Tapping the Source

Sun Apr 25 17:52:32 UTC 2010

Hi Jewel,
Good job. The use of vernacular spellings/misspellings in Twain in my 
belief is the single literary feature which justifies his status as the 
father of the American novel. As you point out, in his time, this just 
wasn't done. Other American writers before him chose to write in the 
European style. This is a major change in not only American but world 
lit, all brought about by a man who combined his journalistic background 
with his love of tall tales, humor and the common man.
Donna

Donna's articles on Suite 101:
http://www.suite101.com/profile.cfm/donna_hill

Free Download: "Love of My Life"
http://www.passionsandpossibilities.com/guest-blogger-donna-hill-advocate-for-the-blind/

Read my articles on American Chronicle:
http://www.americanchronicle.com/authors/view/3885

Follow me on Twitter:
www.twitter.com/dewhill

Join Me on LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/dwh99

Or,  FaceBook:
http://www.facebook.com/donna.w.hill.

Hear clips from "The Last Straw" at:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/donnahill

Apple I-Tunes

phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=259244374

Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind
www.padnfb.org

Jewel S. wrote:
> 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:
>>> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>>
>>> stylist mailing list
>>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account
>>> info for stylist:
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/jsorozc
>>> o%40gmail.com
>>>
>>>
>>> __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of
>>> virus signature database 5053 (20100423) __________
>>>
>>> The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
>>>
>>> http://www.eset.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus
>>> signature
>>> database 5056 (20100424) __________
>>>
>>> The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
>>>
>>> http://www.eset.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Writers Division web site:
>>> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org
>>> <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>>>
>>> stylist mailing list
>>> stylist at nfbnet.org
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> stylist:
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/herekittykat2%40gmail.com
>>>
>>>       
>
> _______________________________________________
> Writers Division web site:
> http://www.nfb-writers-division.org <http://www.nfb-writers-division.org/>
>
> stylist mailing list
> stylist at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/stylist_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for stylist:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/stylist_nfbnet.org/penatwork%40epix.net
>
>
>
>
> E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
> Database version: 6.14860
> http://www.pctools.com/en/spyware-doctor-antivirus/
>
>   

E-mail message checked by Spyware Doctor (7.0.0.514)
Database version: 6.14860
http://www.pctools.com/en/spyware-doctor-antivirus/