"How to Write a Critial Analysis"
In John Trimble's passage he quotes novelist Sloan Wilson as saying "A writer's job is sticking his neck out." I had never really thought about it before, but putting your thoughts down on paper and backing them up is a gutsy task. Once it is written, you must stand behind your position to authenticate its validity. Writing a critical analysis is just that, starting with a strong thesis and providing evidence to back it up. Trimble goes on to explain that a critical analysis and plot summary are not one in the same, however many times they end up being confused into the same category. From a young age we are taught by our professors to imagine our reader has absolutely no knowledge on the subject we are presenting. Through our writing, we must bring them up to speed before making an argument on our position. This no longer holds true when given the task to analyze. We must simply remember to explain and evaluate. I found this passage very helpful because up until this point in my writing, I have be doing the former. The role as a critic is new to me, and will take some trial and error before I can truly feel comfortable with the task. I was relieved to see him expand on examples of varying texts such as poems, plays and novels. These will only help me to better understand my role as a critic and where it is "safe" to begin my work.
"Shitty First Drafts"
Anne Lamott's piece regarding "Shitty First Drafts" is by far my favorite piece so far in this class. I was instantly drawn in by her sharp tongue and witty personality. I agree with her completely that the best way to start writing is by first writing a really horrible first draft. Far too many times I have found myself staring at the computer screen not knowing where to begin. I find that if I just allow myself to type whatever comes to mind first, it is easier to then go back later and make corrections. There would be no way to improve if we didn't first start at the bottom and work our way up. I find it funny how the "shitty first drafts" can sometimes relate to life. We are always being told that we need to start from the beginning and work our way up. We may start as an interns doing "bitch work" making coffee runs and photo copies, but this hard work is just laying the foundation to reach our dream jobs one day as Executive of that same company. I thoroughly enjoyed Lamott's way or wording things, and I hope to be reading something by her again soon in class.
"In Essays, Author Zadie Smith Reveals Her Process"
I found this article very interesting as it was written about an author who was successful very early in her career. Publishing a novel at the age of 25 is no easy task, and the fact that she has gone on to continue to write and become published is very inspiring. Although I have never been a "published" author per say, I can relate to her feelings about the process. It seems to me that the beginning and ending are the most challenging parts to really hit out of the park, while the middle seems like a walk in the park. I feel that once I have my momentum going, I don't necessarily struggle if I am writing about something that i am either knowledgeable or passionate about. Smith reveals to the author in this article that she used writing as a way to cope with her father's death. I believe this was a very good outlet for her, as it was a medium in which she was comfortable using. Grief is a powerful thing, and if you can find a healthy was to deal with the grieving process, you are one step ahead of everybody else.
No comments:
Post a Comment