Another month has passed by, which mean it’s time for another comparison blog. =]
Like I mentioned in a previous post, because I am an English major, a lot of the time I find it easier to write about fiction or poetry or a novel. Since I’ve been “trained” to look for meaning in texts and how to analyze the symbolism and imagery, I am prepared to explicate a story. Although I will admit that the short stories included in the reader were challenging and quite interesting, especially because the stories were so culturally diverse. I definitely feel like the worksheet with leading questions and the information on the cultural background was useful in writing my essay.
On the other hand, sometimes I find it more difficult to write fiction, especially since I am my own harshest critic. A lot of the time I will think of a great beginning for a short story, but then I don’t know where to take it or how to end it. This is exactly what happened when I wrote my fiction piece; I plan to remedy this and successfully complete it for the final portfolio. However, it is obvious how both aspects of fiction inform the other: you have to know about the elements of fiction when you write your own story.
As for the classroom, I would certainly include a fiction exercise into a lesson plan. I always had to do some creative writing in school, but it usually took the form of writing poems. Only recently have I had an assignment to write an entire short story, and that was in an Asian American Literature class. It was a great exercise that allowed me to be creative while forcing me to finally finish a story. Writing fiction gives students an outlet and allows them to be original, instead of just writing about the same standard ideas. I would have few parameters to the assignment (maybe only a minimum page length) and see how the students express themselves.
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Hey Alex!
ReplyDeleteI completely, totally feel you on the ending dilemma. When you're writing an essay, there is a definite end point - or at least, you reach the page limit and figure out a way to wrap that sucker up. A story, however, can only end when it reaches a point where you tie everything together. My stories drag on and on indefinitely, and then I wind up having my protagonists running out of the room screaming (sort of like I wanted to do). It's HARD! But the experience is worthwhile, because you begin to think about what makes a satisfying ending. If students have the opportunity to try to create these endings, it can spur some interesting discussions. Which is more important - that the character get what they want, or what they need? Does the author need to tie up ALL of the loose ends, or can questions be left unanswered? Does the author have an ending in mind when writing, or is the ending an organic byproduct of the writing process? These are all of the things I began to think about when writing my own (poorly ended) story, and I think students would appreciate the opportunity to talk about it.
Like you, I've only recently had the chance to write short stories. It's always been poetry, and usually then in a very structured format. It's nice to try my hand at it, and it has definitely taught me a lot about the writing process (and how to pick it apart in analysis).
See you in class!
- Morgan
Alex,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that as an English major I’ve been “trained” to be a kind of literary detective using all the tools at my disposal to find meaning. Not only have we become skilled at it, but we enjoy it too! I explicated “No Sweetness Here” for my essay and I loved going through, rereading, and finding how Aidoo put the pieces together to form a greater whole. And I also agree that when I write fiction it’s difficult to let down my inhibitions and just write. I would write then backspace and then stare at the screen for awhile. When you’re so used to doing your best work writing explications, it’s difficult to go into unfamiliar turf. I think that’s a great lesson for us to learn as teachers in order to empathize with students. The more they gain confidence, the better they will feel about completing a task.
Denica