Yesterday Dr. Persuasion handed back our paper drafts, and although she was pleased with what I wrote, I’m still not convinced of its quality or merit.
I don’t feel moved or inspired when my eyes skim over the page. Is that just because I wrote it, or because it’s really that unmoving and uninspiring? How do writers know when something they write is “good” or “enjoyable” or worthy of “praise”?
It’s the essential rhetorical problem: how do you engage your audience so that they understand the importance of what you are saying?
Back in college, in my Prose Style class, my professor would have us each read aloud passages of literary inspiration and sublime quality to whet our palates, so to speak. They could be from anywhere — newspaper article, novel, encyclopedia, poem, anything. He always told us it was about reading great writers and training your ear. And then, of course, practice.
What have you read that’s been helpful in your writing? Any particular authors or methods of construction? If I get into grad school, I’m going to be reading and writing for, well, forever, so I’d like to get some advice on the subject.
Look for collected letters, essays, etc. by your favorite fiction writers – it’s interesting to see how they construct pieces that they might not have been planning for publication, and how their storytelling skills translate into more rhetorical ends.
I also suggest ‘ The Best American Essays of the Century,’ edited by Joyce Carol Oates.
Allison,
I’m reading Flannery O’Connor’s collected letters (http://www.amazon.com/Habit-Being-Letters-Flannery-OConnor/dp/0374521042) right now. Sublime in a totally different way than her stories. I highly recommend it! I think you might get some very valuable insight into the life of a writer–one of the best, in my opinion.
Something that I’ve done with television scripts (I’m writing some of my own), is to trace what I think the original script outline was…breaking down the story into its smaller components, and noting how story lines evolve and coalesce.
Just thought I’d share some of my experience, even though its from a totally different angle.
Best of luck!
–Crystal