One of the articles that I recall, that really drew in my attention was, “The American Man at Age 10,” by Susan Orlean. First of all, Orlean throws us into the story from the very beginning blindsided. She just starts rambling on about a character that wasn’t “formally” introduced, but I think that’s what intrigued me the most. I think she did an excellent job in her introduction and how she connected her own personality to that of the character she is portraying.
Her writing is so playful that I can sense the inner child within her. She portrays the boy’s traits amazingly; she doesn’t simply tell us about his great traits, but actually shows us through his different actions and thoughts. I really enjoyed her piece and I hope to learn from her writing and apply it to my own writing. I tend to list traits rather than prove to the reader that this is how it is, as shown by different actions.
The other essay that I also enjoyed reading was, “Afternoon of an American Boy,” by E.B. White. I easily read through this essay as it was very comical and relatable. At least on my part I can relate to this awkward little boy when it came to the opposite sex. I found it very entertaining. And I don’t think he had too much trouble trying to add humor into it. He just had to create this relatable character in which one could imagine oneself in the situation and laugh it off. I think I can improve my writing by doing the same, sometimes I’m very cautious about what I write about. I need to realize, though, that someone could also share in the same feelings about a certain piece making it all the better for him/her.
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Susan Orleans did a fantastic job with her piece and it is something we should all follow as an example. Describing someone in a unique and interesting way is something that we should really take to heart as it can help us further immerse our readers. You should never be too cautious of what you write; In life people will always find something to disagree with, but writing non controversially is ludicrous. The more open and adventurous we are when it comes to writing the better the odds are that our readers will relate and understand us. I’m looking forward to seeing more of your writing and what it may look like a little less cautious.
ReplyDeleteI also loved Susan Orleans piece. I think the genius does come from the way she makes you see Colin Duffy. Many English teachers have taught me that it is important to "Show us, not tell us." That has been one of the best bits of advice and has greatly enriched my writing.
ReplyDeleteThe best part about writing is not having to be cautious. I realize that in this forum (a blog being graded and read by classmates) you might feel a little more cautious about writing on certain topics. The best practice for that is keeping a journal. That is where I can practice writing beautiful language and write whatever I want. I learned from that that some of the best work I have written is when I was being totally honest in my writing. Good post. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.