Revising and Editing Arguments7/19/2021 I try to be as bold as I can with school-related essays. From comparing countries to selfish men described by Thomas Hobbes to blaming Columbus’ legacy for institutionalized racism, teachers know me to provide the hottest take I can find and cram it into five standard paragraphs. They also know to tell me off when an argument gets too hard to support or too deep for what a class warrants. School often will provide a system for essay management, building, and editing if a student wants it.
Much of the writing I do outside of school doesn’t have that support. So, I have to learn to think critically about my work and understand the nuances of my writing before I show it to anyone.
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The folklore Love Triangle7/18/2021 I didn’t immediately know I wanted to study journalism at college. In high school, all I cared about was watching movies and writing. After graduation, I decided to do a one-year general program in media studies. As the year came to an end and I saw all my classmates going on to apply for various film degrees, I found myself only wanting to write. I had no idea what kind of writing I wanted to do: all I knew was that my high school English class was where I felt most at home. I practiced a script, memorizing how I would disappoint my mom by telling her I was dropping out at the end of the year. Instead, I ended up telling a friend I was going to leave, and he advised me to try journalism. Not expecting to like it, I submitted a portfolio and packed my bags.
We’ve all had his moment: You’ve been writing for months and you come to a stopping point — the end of a draft, or a break in consciousness — and you read back your work. A bad feeling creeps in: This sucks. Am I a bad writer?
And while these intrusive thoughts can feel valid, that doesn’t mean you should listen to them. It’s actually good if you think your work sucks! This means you’re improving and have become a better writer. Yay! It’s easy to compare your work to a book on a shelf and think “I’ll never be as good as that.” But keep in mind that authors have editors, and books go through many revisions before they are published. It can be harmful to compare your unfinished work with a published one. Here are a few reasons why you might think your work sucks. Nonfiction Isn't Boring: True Crime7/15/2021 A theme I notice in writing communities like TikTok, or Instagram is a severe lack of nonfiction acknowledgment. The book recommendations are always filled with fantasy, while the accounts with the most followers post about YA romance. As someone who wants to specialize in nonfiction writing, it’s a little disheartening. It’s not that these places don’t exist for us, but more so that they’re usually overshadowed by the fiction community or filled with already established journalists. Think about it, when was the last time you found a post about a nonfiction book? Exactly.
The Importance of Specificity7/14/2021 With examples from Zugzwang by Shaelin Bishop
My definition of a strong opening scene has always been one that spills out character voice, narrative atmosphere and hints at upcoming fears, desires and conflicts. In Shaelin Bishop’s Zugzwang, the opening scene is but a vague description from an omniscient narrator, breaking almost every rule. And yet, the opening line is as effective as any. What makes this such a hooking opening scene? The answer lies in specificity. Author vs Audience: Who to Write For7/13/2021 My friends and I have very different feelings on the movie Midsommar by Ari Aster. Some of them love it; they think it’s brilliantly filmed and cleverly written. I think it’s a polarizing film with a problematic ending that wants to talk about mental health but devolves into absurd cult fetishism. We all agree that it’s a folk-horror movie centering around a cult called the Harga. But in an interview with Vox.com, Ari Aster revealed that “I never called them a cult. For me, they are a community, and they are a family.”
Aster’s interpretation changes the connotation of the film a bit. But regardless of his intent behind the creation of the Harga family, viewers saw the Harga as a cult. So which carries more importance, the author’s intent, or the viewer’s interpretation? Casey McQuiston broke the literary world in 2019 with top of the charts Red, White, and Royal Blue — a novel that needs little introduction, with two Goodreads Choice Awards and a constantly-growing fandom. Following a relationship between rivals Alex, the First Son of the United States and Henry, a Prince of England, the book had witty writing, one of the best supporting casts in fiction, and (multiple!) swoon-worthy romances.
Two years later, the author is back with their sophomore novel, One Last Stop, and it lives up to Red, White, and Royal Blue in a positively startling, completely different way. Why Summer Nostalgia Hits Different7/11/2021 I can see the sun setting beyond the trees as I write this. Tonight is just one of many sticky summer nights where I find myself wondering how everything has gone by so fast. Maybe it’s because I have a summer birthday, but I always feel like once summer rolls around, I get incredibly nostalgic. And after a bit of Googling, it turns out it’s not just me.
The folklore Love Triangle7/11/2021 Part II: betty
betty Coming from James’ perspective, the song Betty is about regrets and apologies, not to August but to Betty, the girl he had cheated on with August. It is quite ironic that August wishes to write her name on his skin while he writes Betty’s name as the title of his song as well as the first word. This is the second of a four-part series analysing the album folklore by Taylor Swift. Find the first essay here. Categories
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