Reading is to writing, as writing is to reading: Gail's TED talk
I have no idea how many people in
this class write just for fun, but I sure know I do! Often I’m writing
something that never gets finished, but something I’ve noticed about my writing
is how it changes.
My
writing style changes depending on my mood, the way I want the story to go, and
so on, but it also changes slightly based on books, stories, or podcasts I’ve
read/listened to. For instance, I was once making a chapter book but every time
I felt like that was the end of the chapter, I checked how many pages it was
and forced myself to write more. Then, I found a book where it was a new
chapter every few pages, then it was every 20 pages, then it was one page, and
I realized that I didn’t need super long chapters. If I said that was the end
of the chapter, well that’d be the end of the chapter even if was just one
page.
Then I
listened to a few horror podcasts while riding in my brother’s car and the
details and the feelings it was able to show and not tell was so amazing to me
that I tried being more descriptive in my writing. I tried setting more intense
moods and noticed that my writing improved/changed once again.
But I’ve
talked about how my style changes, so what about what genre? Most times I’ll
write fantasy/horror stories and I think I got that from reading a bunch of fantasy,
thriller, horror, and mystery books. Part of it, could also be the games I like
to play and the movies/ shows I like to watch.
Anywho,
main point is that the way someone writes is often based on the things they
like or things that had a big positive impact on them. For example, think of
when you’re peer editing your neighbor’s essay, think of the way they write.
Have you ever thought, “Why do they write like this?” I’m sure everyone’s had
this thought at least once, and it’s because everyone’s gone through different
things, have been taught differently, and raised differently. No one’s gonna
have the same wrtting style and that’s okay!
(P.S. Let
me know your thoughts on this topic!)
Hey Gail, I totally agree with the point you make here. When I get off from reading something sad, I find it harder to write more goofy. But this also works the other way, where I tend to get more creative writing ideas after reading a book with a ton of creativity in it. I relate to incorporating decisions I see being made in published writing into my own writing, because I quite frequently do the same thing (hence why I often use parenthetical phrases). Overall, very interesting topic and great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Gail! This is a really interesting look into your personal inspiration, and it makes a greater point about inspiration in general. I think whatever media you consume around you inspires you, whether subliminally or consciously, and it influences your style of making media too. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Gail! I totally (not sarcastic, just enthusiastic) know what you're talking about -- I too write independently, just for fun, and I find that whatever I recently read by other authors really strongly impacts not just my writing style when it comes to prose, but also the plotlines and characterizations. On the one hand, it's difficult to feel like a creative individual with a unique talent and ideas which are truly your own -- especially with the way most people think of writing, wherein "copying" is criminal -- but on the other, it's as Picasso said: "good artists copy; great artists steal." Every artist is inspired by some other artist, and is influenced by their works, and I think people need to recognize that more. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more with you! And It's always a risk when an author publishes a story inspired by another because people just don't understand the difference between inspiration and stealing work.
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