Where to begin? How about here.
Tips from Carleton College
Some other hot tips from the Stanford magazine
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Week 5 & 6: Getting involved
Excellent posts last week. Loved the words you found in your pieces.
This week try to focus on how the writer involves the reader. Good narrative pieces (this is not to say all of your readings are narrative pieces) engage the reader on some level. How do your writers do it?
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Week 4: Words
Ok, we looked at some sentences, now find some something in the diction that stands out. Maybe it's a word combination, the use of simple words, a word bomb that makes you reach for the dictionary.
Keep sharing your great ideas. LOVE the posts so far. Excellent work.
ps: a reminder — post by Sunday at 11:59.59 (please don't stay up that late, but that is technically the end of Sunday and the end of the week and the deadline for a timely post.).
pps: a sentence I just had to share. From the NYT and Mark Bittman: The food processor replaces the whisk; the pastry cutter; the standing mixer (for which there are still some uses, but only if you’re a dedicated baker); the mandoline (which, to me, remains a fine alternative to the food processor for small quantities); the mortar and pestle, which, no matter how lovely, quaint and authentic, is perhaps the most labor-intensive, primitive and damnable set of tools in the kitchen; and, perhaps most importantly, the grater.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Why I Write ...
Some favorite lines from your work. My goal is to post a great line (maybe its greatness comes from content or form) from each of your essays this semester. Typos are pretty much guaranteed, so my apologies.
1. Unlike many other areas, I enjoy writing because I feel it is an arena in which I can showcase my abilities, a competition in which I can shout "Look at me, look at me!"
2. I don't think I really write for other people or myself, because for me writing isn't a matter of ego or acceptance, it's simply a form of communication.
3. The pleasure in writing, for me, derives from the process of planning, crafting, and revising a cohesive slice of thought.
4. It is the meandering of the pencil that allows my mind to work out exactly what it thinks and how to proceed with a situation, although moments like this do not occur frequently in my life.
5. But because I am rarely in a situation where I feel as though I need to express my full opinion or feelings on something, I rarely write.
6. Sometimes it's cathartic, sometimes I'm feeling lonely, sometimes I'm just so enamored with what's going on in my brain that I want to remember it forever.
7. I love the idea of that little notebook as my own secret archive of subconscious thought and emotion.
8. It might be for lack of an audience, it might be because I have lost all semblance of a love for writing, but all the writing I do anymore is within the realm of academia.
9. The primary reasons why I avoided writing for fun was because I lacked confidence in my own writings, and because I feared public disapproval.
10. I am constantly thinking about, agonizing over, and marinating in my own thoughts.
11. My hope is that when I am asked about how or why I write in my freshman year of college, I will respond that I read and write because it reflects a side of my voice I cannot express in other places.
12. But otherwise, I write chiefly out of obligation.
13. The way my handwriting is, what paper I use, how I seal the letter, and what I write about all make my grandparents happy.
14. I guess that in this sense, writing has the potential of being therapeutic.
15. I also enjoy being in control of my own world, enjoying limitless creation.
16. I love to be able to look back on things I have done, thoughts I have had, or moments that stood out to me in some way.
17. I distinctly remember the small, square journal, the fuzzy green cover, getting it from my friend after she found it in her room and gave it to me because my favorite color was bright green, and now it is in a cabinet under my bathroom sink.
18. I think to myself that if someone really wanted to get to know me, know truly who I am, all they would have to do is read that folder.
1. Unlike many other areas, I enjoy writing because I feel it is an arena in which I can showcase my abilities, a competition in which I can shout "Look at me, look at me!"
2. I don't think I really write for other people or myself, because for me writing isn't a matter of ego or acceptance, it's simply a form of communication.
3. The pleasure in writing, for me, derives from the process of planning, crafting, and revising a cohesive slice of thought.
4. It is the meandering of the pencil that allows my mind to work out exactly what it thinks and how to proceed with a situation, although moments like this do not occur frequently in my life.
5. But because I am rarely in a situation where I feel as though I need to express my full opinion or feelings on something, I rarely write.
6. Sometimes it's cathartic, sometimes I'm feeling lonely, sometimes I'm just so enamored with what's going on in my brain that I want to remember it forever.
7. I love the idea of that little notebook as my own secret archive of subconscious thought and emotion.
8. It might be for lack of an audience, it might be because I have lost all semblance of a love for writing, but all the writing I do anymore is within the realm of academia.
9. The primary reasons why I avoided writing for fun was because I lacked confidence in my own writings, and because I feared public disapproval.
10. I am constantly thinking about, agonizing over, and marinating in my own thoughts.
11. My hope is that when I am asked about how or why I write in my freshman year of college, I will respond that I read and write because it reflects a side of my voice I cannot express in other places.
12. But otherwise, I write chiefly out of obligation.
13. The way my handwriting is, what paper I use, how I seal the letter, and what I write about all make my grandparents happy.
14. I guess that in this sense, writing has the potential of being therapeutic.
15. I also enjoy being in control of my own world, enjoying limitless creation.
16. I love to be able to look back on things I have done, thoughts I have had, or moments that stood out to me in some way.
17. I distinctly remember the small, square journal, the fuzzy green cover, getting it from my friend after she found it in her room and gave it to me because my favorite color was bright green, and now it is in a cabinet under my bathroom sink.
18. I think to myself that if someone really wanted to get to know me, know truly who I am, all they would have to do is read that folder.
Week 3
You all posted some awesome lines and some great comments on why those lines stood out. Now, I want you to focus on sentence structure. Look for a sentence that moves beyond, way beyond, the subject-verb creation and dazzles you with either a fun piece of punctuation or an interesting structure. Then again, maybe your writer has a case of subject-verb-itis and repeats the same pattern so many times it makes you want to scream. Share and amaze .... and remember to post by Sunday.
In other news -- here's a good read about the precision of words. Maybe you're a little obsessed with the English language, too, and would like to learn more. After Deadline, a NYTimes blog, is a great place to start.
In other news -- here's a good read about the precision of words. Maybe you're a little obsessed with the English language, too, and would like to learn more. After Deadline, a NYTimes blog, is a great place to start.
Another great read: Facts Alone Are Feeble Fair
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