Blog posts about creative writing process and progress.
12 (and a half) rules for writing. If only I could stick to them.
I found this poster of writing rules elsewhere. It is not mine. I take no credit. It just made me smile.
Thank you to @Quotes4Writers for bringing it to my attention.
And, if you want a framed print, I suggest you visit AllPosters.com
Difficult homework assignment.
How about this for a tricky bit of writing homework:
Rewrite the Hemingway story Hills Like White Elephants in the style of Gabriel García Márquez’s The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World.
Hemingway’s prose is sparse and factual. For the most part, his story consists of dialogue between two people while waiting for a train. Márquez’s narrative is dense and mainly descriptive, told in the style of a fable or legend.
My task, therefore, was a difficult one. However, having spent most of a sunny Saturday afternoon struggling with it, I was quite pleased with the outcome. But my story seemed unfinished. I went back on Sunday and added an extra scene. This gave the story a better ending, but changed the theme into something a little different from the original Hemingway one.
Now, my next piece of homework: to rewrite the Márquez story in the style of AL Kennedy’s story, A Bad Son …..
Who would believe a book on punctuation could be so amusing? If you have ever been stumped by the apostrophe, confused by the colon, or dithered over the humble dash – this book is for you
Just finished reading Lynne Truss’s wonderful book: Eats, Shoots and Leaves.
I wish my English teacher had the same entertaining style and ease of expression. If you have ever been stumped by the apostrophe, confused by the colon, or bewildered by the humble dash – this book is for you. Continue reading “Punctuation made simple (and funny….)”
Open University – Start Writing Fiction Course. Three months of reading, writing and thinking – with two assignments to submit – kept me busy. Some of it was easy. Some of it was challenging.
Yes, I passed the Open University course. Yippee!
This was the Start Writing Fiction Course, A174, and counts for 10 credits. Three months of reading, writing and thinking – with two assignments to submit – kept me busy. Some of it was easy. Some of it was challenging.
Worth doing? Yes. Definitely.
One of the fun things about the course was the student forums. Our own ‘Tutor Forum’ was poorly attended, which was a shame. The course would have been greatly enriched with more active participation. There were four or five of us who regularly contributed and I am sure we got far more from the course by posting work, discussing others’ work, asking questions and sharing difficulties.
There was, however, an active Sudents’ Cafe. This was a forum where everybody from any tutor group could participate and it was a lively place.
Many of the A174 students are going on to do the Open University’s A215 course, Creative Writing, (worth 60 credits). Sadly, I am not one of them. But I hope to keep in touch with the friends I have made. And, I am looking forward to starting at Birkbeck in October.
My final Open University assignment is submitted. Marking awaited. And no, somewhat to my own surprise, I did not leave it up to the last-minute, but submitted with 24 hours to spare.
Feel a bit lost now. What next?
I’m doing a 3 day course in ‘Short Story Writing’ at Knuston Hall in September. That’s next.
In October, I start at Birkbeck. Four years of part-time study, leading to a B.A. degree in Creative Writing. Can’t wait!
Ruth Livingstone 