Writing about fiction has always been a part of my career as an English Major. It is required in almost every class I've taken, since my emphasis is literature, after all. I always look at literature differently after I write about it. If I simply read a story, certain things jump out at me, and I either enjoy it, hate it, or feel sick to my stomach after reading it. But when I write about a story, I really start to think about why it gave me such a reaction and I appreciate or hate it even more. Or even better, I change my opinion completely because I find things in it that I never noticed before and fall in love.
When I wrote about the short story "Nurse Cora," I really started to think about it in depth. Who is this boy in the hospital? Why did I look at him differently depending on the points of view? So that is what I wrote about. How we get to know Pablo through different perspectives. And in this way I really started to appreciate the author's talent in writing a unique story.
Writing a creative story is a challenge, I'll admit. But for me, it gives me license to lose myself in the moment. I write whatever comes to my mind and I know its okay because creativity does not have limits, when it comes to reality vs fantasy. Of course if you share this story, you must be mindful that you respect your audience and try not to offend them. I really did not like my creative story at first. I called it names and thought I have to share this? But it really went over well with those whom I shared it with.
Writing a creative story is a very personal thing for me. As a teacher, I will give my students lots of freedom with it. It should have certain criteria, such as character and plot, but for the most part it's all about imagination. I really am thankful we were given prompts for this one. Otherwise, I would have never thought of my story. I will give my students appropriate prompts to work from and also have them illustrate the story with a picture, because I think it will help them visually see what they are writing and make it even more fun.
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2 comments:
I feel the same way you do about both writing about and writing my own fiction. Writing about fiction is far easier because we are so use to it as English majors. Writing our own creation does require the use of our personal experiences and I think that we are more comfortable in doing that. And, as you stated, we can give into ourselves and enjoy our own message to the audience. I also agree with the fact that we should be mindful and respect one another in our writing. A general rule of thumb is good for students when writing a creative piece. Some of them can get out of control, and seriously offend someone else. It's just interesting to see how someone might react to your writing, just as you react to other's. =)
Hi Laura,
Writing fiction was definitely a different experience. I was surprised to find out your thoughts on your own piece of fiction. Reading it, I never thought you would feel uncomfortable about sharing it, but I guess I feel the same way. It is so hard to put wh you wrote out there for others to see. After the experience, however, I hope you are more open to showing others your work. Your story was wonderful. I am glad that you walked away from the discussion period feeling better about your work. I agree that having prompts helped. Providing them for students will be helpful to them. Perhaps you could have them help you create prompts as well. The picture idea sounds neat too. As someone who is not a very good artist, I would feel a little uncomfortable doing this, but maybe I would be surprised with the artwork I create!
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