Using segments in an essay is something that would take me awhile to get comfortable with. I have never written in segments before, because I have never written anything that it would be helpful to use. However, if I were to write an essay in segments, there are two techniques that I would probably touch upon.
The first one that looks like I could use it easily was journaling. Since I have kept a journal from a very early age, it would be easy for me to adapt that journal writing into an essay form. I could even turn one of my journals into a creative non-fiction story, by changing the names and maybe not telling anyone that it was my journal. Also, I enjoy writing drafts of my work, and taking little notes about what I think about to write. Sometimes i'll even jot notes down in my everyday life when I am not thinking about my piece, because something will come to me. Compiling all these notes will help me write in segmented form.
The second technique that I would use to write in segments would be accumulation. This seems like a very difficult way to write in segments, but very interesting. As was written in Dr. Chandler's blog, it is to write in sections, but each new section adds to the previous one, and may even make the reader re-think what they previously thought. Confusing, right? Yes, but also very thought provoking. I could write like this because sometimes in life, an event may happen but then right after something ELSE happens that changes the previous event. That is real life- and when transcribed on the page would come out in segments.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Writer's Relationship to CNF
What do Kidder and Lopate suggest about the writer's relationship to creative non-fiction? How does Lott define creative non-fiction? How are their definitions similar or different from your own?
Kidder's text is mostly discussing point of view, and also making writing personal and interesting. According to Kidder, point of view "is a matter of finding the best place to stand, from which to tell a story". He says that making the choice of which point of view to use is important because it affects everything else in the story. Anoter important thing that Kidder writes about is that creative non-fiction writing needs to be believable. Although a writer may be telling us a story that is true and actually happened in the writers life, the reader may not believe what is happening. The writer needs to be aware of this as they are writing a story.
Lopate suggests that the writer needs to turn oneself into a character, and gives us ideas on how to do it. In order to make yourself, the writer, into a character, Lopate says that you need to have distance from yourself. You need to see yourself as someone else would see you. We did an exercise in class that helped us develop a character profile of ourselves. We had to write about all the important things about us involving our religion, gender, attitudes, quirks, and many other categories. The part in Lopate's essay that I found most significant was when he talked about how some writers may think that they have nothing to write about because their life is boring, and how some writers may think they have nothing to write about because their life is too weird. However, anything can be turned into a story. Creative non-fiction is called as such because the writer can add things to make it more interesting. Also, if a writer thinks their life is too weird to write about, it would probably make a really good story. Sometimes when people think something about them is "weird", it may be something that a lot of other people are going through.
Lott define's creative non-fiction by saying that creative non-fiction is "a desire to not let slip altogether away our life as we have known it; to put an order, for better and worse, to our days; this is only a test; the self as continent, you its first explorer; is this wisdom, or is this folly?; no self-righteousness, though it is always the first person talking; circle the subject to see it most whole." Those are a bunch of different concepts that Lott goes into detail talking about in his essay. My favorite part of that definition is when Lott talks about how the writer has a need to not let his/her life slip away as they are living it. It is so important to write things down as they happen, so you don't forget how you felt during the event, or how it happened. Everything that happens in a writers life can be turned into a story, and many writers use events from their own life to write about, which is called creative non-fiction.
Kidder's text is mostly discussing point of view, and also making writing personal and interesting. According to Kidder, point of view "is a matter of finding the best place to stand, from which to tell a story". He says that making the choice of which point of view to use is important because it affects everything else in the story. Anoter important thing that Kidder writes about is that creative non-fiction writing needs to be believable. Although a writer may be telling us a story that is true and actually happened in the writers life, the reader may not believe what is happening. The writer needs to be aware of this as they are writing a story.
Lopate suggests that the writer needs to turn oneself into a character, and gives us ideas on how to do it. In order to make yourself, the writer, into a character, Lopate says that you need to have distance from yourself. You need to see yourself as someone else would see you. We did an exercise in class that helped us develop a character profile of ourselves. We had to write about all the important things about us involving our religion, gender, attitudes, quirks, and many other categories. The part in Lopate's essay that I found most significant was when he talked about how some writers may think that they have nothing to write about because their life is boring, and how some writers may think they have nothing to write about because their life is too weird. However, anything can be turned into a story. Creative non-fiction is called as such because the writer can add things to make it more interesting. Also, if a writer thinks their life is too weird to write about, it would probably make a really good story. Sometimes when people think something about them is "weird", it may be something that a lot of other people are going through.
Lott define's creative non-fiction by saying that creative non-fiction is "a desire to not let slip altogether away our life as we have known it; to put an order, for better and worse, to our days; this is only a test; the self as continent, you its first explorer; is this wisdom, or is this folly?; no self-righteousness, though it is always the first person talking; circle the subject to see it most whole." Those are a bunch of different concepts that Lott goes into detail talking about in his essay. My favorite part of that definition is when Lott talks about how the writer has a need to not let his/her life slip away as they are living it. It is so important to write things down as they happen, so you don't forget how you felt during the event, or how it happened. Everything that happens in a writers life can be turned into a story, and many writers use events from their own life to write about, which is called creative non-fiction.
As I have been developing my own definition of creative non-fiction, I would say that I agree most with Lopate. I agree that if we are writing from an "I" perspective, we need to turn ourselves into a character. Sometimes it is difficult for us to see ourselves in a light that isn't so great, and that is hard to write about. However, it is important to see ourselves from an outsiders opinion, even if it is negative, because it makes the story more believable to the reader. That the character of ourselves is not perfect.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
"I" and "Eye" Essays
In the last class, we discussed the three essays we read the previous week, and the three essays we read for yesterday. The first three essays were considered "I" essays, and the last three were considered "Eye" essays. In literal terms, "I" essays are written from the authors memory and their experiences personally, and "Eye" essays are written about someone else's experience, story, or point of view. However simple that may seem, there is much more to that explanation of those two types of creative non-fiction. I and Eye essays can intermingle with each other. For example, a writer could be talking about someone else's story, but putting themselves in the story as well.
One of the texts that spoke to me the most was "Secret Ceremonies of Love and Death" by Beverly Lowry. It drew me in right away because the story was not just intriguing but also left the reader to really think at the end. Something that really irked me about the reading was in the end of the story, we did not know the author's opinion on whether or not Karla should be on death row. I knew that while I was reading the story I was to form my own opinion on whether or not people can change after committing a horrible crime such as murder, however I was very interested in the author's opinion as well. Another thing about this essay, was that it is considered an "Eye" essay, and is the first example in the textbook of what an "Eye" essay is. However, I felt that this was not just a story about another person, but a personal story from the author. Yes, it was about Karla Faye and her tragic story, but it was also about Beverly Lowry and her story as well. We don't know much about the author except that she felt drawn to Karla Faye, and that she had a son that died in a hit and run accident. That background information immediately puts Lowry right into the story, because we as the readers are interested why she put that into the story, and how it will effect the story as well.
One of the texts that spoke to me the most was "Secret Ceremonies of Love and Death" by Beverly Lowry. It drew me in right away because the story was not just intriguing but also left the reader to really think at the end. Something that really irked me about the reading was in the end of the story, we did not know the author's opinion on whether or not Karla should be on death row. I knew that while I was reading the story I was to form my own opinion on whether or not people can change after committing a horrible crime such as murder, however I was very interested in the author's opinion as well. Another thing about this essay, was that it is considered an "Eye" essay, and is the first example in the textbook of what an "Eye" essay is. However, I felt that this was not just a story about another person, but a personal story from the author. Yes, it was about Karla Faye and her tragic story, but it was also about Beverly Lowry and her story as well. We don't know much about the author except that she felt drawn to Karla Faye, and that she had a son that died in a hit and run accident. That background information immediately puts Lowry right into the story, because we as the readers are interested why she put that into the story, and how it will effect the story as well.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Definition of Creative Non-Fiction
What is creative non-fiction?
Before I started this class, I had no idea what creative non-fiction was. That thought was the reason that I decided to take this class. I wanted to find out what creative non-fiction was through the process of reading examples of it, and then trying to write my own. After the first couple of classes, I have found myself in the midst of great examples of creative non-fiction, and I am eager to start writing my own. In my own words, creative non-fiction is writing about an event that may have happened, or will happen, but embellishing on it in your own way. In other words, a person who wanted to write a creative non-fiction piece could write about a memory they had, and although they may not be able to recall every detail of that memory, it would still be called "non-fiction" because the memory happened. It is turned into "creative" non-fiction because every detail of that specific memory cannot possibly be recounted perfectly. I love writing about things that have happened to me, and stories that I have heard from other people. I don't have a very good memory, so I believe that everything I have written about a memory or a story could be considered creative non-fiction. Who knew? When I walked into class, I did not know what creative non-fiction meant, and today I am writing my own definition of it, and also finding out that I have been writing it for years.
Before I started this class, I had no idea what creative non-fiction was. That thought was the reason that I decided to take this class. I wanted to find out what creative non-fiction was through the process of reading examples of it, and then trying to write my own. After the first couple of classes, I have found myself in the midst of great examples of creative non-fiction, and I am eager to start writing my own. In my own words, creative non-fiction is writing about an event that may have happened, or will happen, but embellishing on it in your own way. In other words, a person who wanted to write a creative non-fiction piece could write about a memory they had, and although they may not be able to recall every detail of that memory, it would still be called "non-fiction" because the memory happened. It is turned into "creative" non-fiction because every detail of that specific memory cannot possibly be recounted perfectly. I love writing about things that have happened to me, and stories that I have heard from other people. I don't have a very good memory, so I believe that everything I have written about a memory or a story could be considered creative non-fiction. Who knew? When I walked into class, I did not know what creative non-fiction meant, and today I am writing my own definition of it, and also finding out that I have been writing it for years.
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