Comment below this post, indicating in what ways Saunders' advice can assist you with your own writing, whether you're writing an essay, a story, or a text. What take aways do you have after listening to him? What personal challenges for you as a writer resonate here?
Saunders is endearing, heartfelt, and able to truly portray why he likes writing. For someone who loves writing fiction (I'm trying to write a book right now) as well as poetry and nonfiction and reading! There is something special here to take away. Often times in English classes we write essays or short pieces becuase we have to. We don't stop and think about what really intrigues us becuase we find ourselves under the pressure of a deadline. However, the books that we read almost always hold something within them that we can learn to love. Whether that is a discomfort with the way a story is written, and finding an appreciation for the feeling that we can derive from it, or finding an excerpt that exactly describes a scene and falling for the precision of that writing, we can find something to enjoy writing about. I think its important that we are reminded of that, especially as we are about to propel off into the rest of our lives.
ReplyDeleteAfter listening to Saunders' advice, the idea that resonated with me the most was his call to action to go out there and experience the world. However, I think that even if someone has had amazing experiences, it is still up to the writer to use their voice in a way such that the experience is told in a thoughtful, unpredictable way. A personal struggle Saunders also touched on was rewriting sentences so that they are more pithy and concise. I struggle with that because a lot of the time it becomes difficult to edit a sentence time after time without feeling discouraged or discontent.
ReplyDeleteOne of the quotes that struck me from Saunders was him explaining the process of developing stories as he said, "slow discontent urges it to higher ground". This would help me to improve my writing because I always saw my unhappiness with my stories as failure, something to become extremely frustrated over. Yet Saunders sees it as a motivational tool that only encourages you to produce a better story with details that you admire that help to get it to the "higher ground".
ReplyDeleteWhat intrigues me about Saunders is something that a lot of writers talk about -- the idea that stories don't emerge fully-formed, but rather are "discovered," or that the writer can "explore" and "talk to" their own characters. In particular I'm drawn to the idea that writing starts not with certainty but bewilderment -- that a lack of full planning is part of what gives a narrative life.
ReplyDeleteThat said, it seems like this poses a special case of Meno's paradox: how can we ask ourselves what our characters are like if we don't already know? I think there's a lot that goes unexplained when writers "explain how they write" because so much of it simply seems automatic at this point -- things like the way that characters and scenes and situations emerge when a writer interrogates their own settings, whereas someone without that training might find nothing useful while trying the same trick. Saunders paints a persuasive portrait of what it feels like to write, but I'm not sure it yet rises to the level of explaining *how* to write.
I agree with you in that Saunders seems to not necessarily be giving a guide to how writing could work for someone who isn't already an experienced writer. Like sure it's cool when he goes from "asshole" to "guy who lost his true love and is now bitter," but that seems a bit of a leap for most people to take.
DeleteWhile it is true that he is not quite explaining *how* to write to the writer who struggles with creating a world, I feel as though that is in essence an impossible feat. Every person has their own individual way of maneuvering through essay or story writing, and that is the beauty of it! However, I, personally, think that he is giving those who struggle a bit of a foothold to go off of. He is giving those who watch this little clip a reminder that in order to write their own way, they need to explore and experience both the world and different approaches to writing. He is saying that in order to find that style, one must find a way to enjoy the writing they are doing.
DeleteThe main thing that resonated with me from Saunders' advice was the idea of not going into a story or any other piece of writing with the whole thing already planned out in your head. I think this might not apply as much to essay writing literally, because in essay writing it's often helpful to know where you are going before you start, especially for something like the AP test where you don't have time to revise and rewrite the whole thing. However I think it is still helpful when it comes to the process of deciding what you want to say about a book or a poem or whatever-instead of trying to use the text to justify what you want to say, it's often better to start with a vague idea and let the text define your thesis. This is something I personally struggle with a lot, I will decide early on in reading a novel what I think the meaning is likely to be, then spend the whole rest of the novel subconsciously looking for evidence that supports that idea, which may lead to me missing other important things.
ReplyDeleteYeah I agree, it won't help much on the AP test, but in terms of writing for free, and that's what's really important, the "no outline" plan could lead to discovering something new.
DeleteOne of the things that really resonated with me is the idea that disatisfaction is what drives better and better writing. I think that's true for a lot of things in life, but especially in writing. Oftentimes we write in this class until it's "good enough". I find myself revising my writing until I perceive to be half decent and then I move on because I have 1,000 other things to do. Imagine how good all of our writing would be if we raised our own standards, continued to be unhappy with the product until we've maxed out our potential. Saunders remarked that in a way revision is like love in progress, and just like in real life, I think we often settle. Settle for writing that is good enough, that's been revised one or two times and likely won't get any better. I don't love my writing because I haven't spent enough time with it, and I am wondering what my assignments would look like if I gave myself more time to hate it.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point -- i think it's also useful to think about the different roles that dissatisfaction (or self-hatred if you will) plays in the writing process. In the initial drafting stages, it's usually the largest obstacle to being able to write anything at all, and the main problem is convincing yourself to write something, anything. But once revision starts, the issue becomes self-satisfaction and the unwillingness to believe there's more to fix.
DeleteI agree that pursuing better writing until our disatisfaction is gone and not settling is an important standard that we must hold ourselves to. I think one of the most difficult aspects of this challenge is the fact that we must be able to do it in a timely manner given the fact that we are high school students with deadlines and cannot simply let the words roll over in our mind indefinitely.
DeleteI really like your connection to how we tend to settle in life in general. I also wonder what my writing might look like if I allowed myself to be discontent longer.
DeleteDo you think that a writer could love or learn to love their own writing, even if they haven't had the time or effort put in to make it as what they see is perfect or even satisfactory? It seems like one would always be able to find some flaw, which leads to an ever growing time dump of flawed drafts and more and more hours sunk. But it's really, really hard to know when to stop, and I have trouble with the same things.
DeleteI think that is a very astute comparison and in an ideal world we could fully "love" all of our writing, but because time is an ever-present restriction, we have to prioritize what writing to "love."
DeleteI enjoyed Saunder's point about how the underlying basis of a story is the acknowledgement between two human beings that life is complex and confusing, and nobody truly has the answer or knows what they're doing. Too often a reader assumes a writer possesses some higher meaning or truth that will open some sort of Pandora's box. What good writing has the ability to do is point in the direction of something the writer found meaningful or important, and from there the reader can take from it what he/she wishes.
ReplyDeleteI think Saunders is saying to value each new story an author writes in its own way. His examples are mostly inquiry based, or based on his own curiosity and desire to see something he can visualize in his sentences or characters. I believe that his process of editing for clarity is useful for many writers, but the problems I have don't necessarily stem from detail or even prose; I think that Saunders' mindset may not necessarily address how the writer envisions the story they want to play out. It feels like more of a do-as-you-go, where he guarantees that at the end your message will appear in the sand. I think that's great for free-form writing, but I'm not confident in my own experiences yet to be able to draw on them in the same way.
ReplyDeleteI definetely think Saunder's is coming from a perspective of a very gifted, experienced writer, and just writing might not be rewarding for everyone. However, it's possible forcing yourself to not have a plan also makes you a better writer through revision.
DeleteSaunders mentioned that it is important to go into writing story, without a set idea, because that can restrict your writing. He said that you should leave your ideas for the story at the door, and just see where it goes. This idea is important because often times I have a set idea for my writing, and then end up being confined by that idea, which limits my story into becoming "something beautiful". With an open mind, the writing can turn into something you didn't expect, and end up being even more productive.
ReplyDeleteI have the same issue as well with confining my story to a certain path. A lot of the times I'll find myself steering off into something that wasn't part of my original storyline and I try to bring myself back. However, I do think that it's important to maybe follow that unexpected turn because it can turn out to be something meaningful.
DeleteI can definitely relate to Saunders describing the urge to over-control writing out of fear of the unknown. One takeaway that stood out was when he said how rewriting better sentences should come out of our innate discontent with first drafts rather than some contrived outline we try to fit the work into. In my own writing, I'll make sure that I don't wring out meaning from something, but instead develop it the more natural way Saunders described.
ReplyDeleteI also resonated with his point about "letting go" in the process of writing a story or developing a character. Cultivate your muse kind of stuff I dig it.
DeleteI also had that take away from Saunders, when he talked about letting your story evolve on it's own, rather than trying to control it and force it into a certain mold that you had made beforehand. It can get really frustrating when you write a story and a completely new idea pop up and takes precedence over the one that incited you to write the story, but it's kind of interesting and I also need to work on just shifting my perspective to fit with the way the story went and write with that new message in mind instead.
DeleteI think the black box idea is interesting. Having a set structure and idea can sometimes make your story predictable, and therefore uninteresting to your audience. It's like bringing cards to a date, nobody even does that. So I think what I can take away from this is that sometimes it's okay to just start with an idea, rather than an outline.
ReplyDeleteI think that what Saunders is saying applies more to writing stories or poetry than essays, especially OQ essays because OQ's do not allow for revision, which Saunders highlights as one of the primary means to evolving one's writing. That being said, I think it is fascinating how Saunders believes a story can arise purely from changing a sentence because you don't like it. Many authors attest to the fact that you can never fully control a story, but Saunders comments take this to an entirely new level, where an entire story can grow from things as random and seemingly inconsequential as word choice.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it would be hard to use the techniques Saunders recommended on an OQ due to the lack of time for revision. However, in terms of the senior project or other out of class writing pieces, it is helpful to think of sentence structure as a means to further develop a story.
DeleteI really like how Saunders compares a story to a relationship. Instead of thinking of the story as something you're creating, think of it as something you're discovering. Ask your characters questions: "how so?" and "why did you do/say/think that?" I especially appreciate Saunders' idea that if you know exactly what you're doing and exactly what you're writing, it's not a great story. In the past, I've tried to write longer pieces without any sort of organization. I go into it with an idea for a character and a conflict, and quickly lose steam. I hit a wall and get frustrated, and the story falls on the back burner. After failing to let it simply flow, I tried the opposite technique of overcontrolling the material, of planning each step of the book through to the end. Saunders' idea is to find a balance between these two methods; he says to start with a kernel of an idea, but the most important part is to push through the difficult stuff. If you're frustrated, it's a good sign. Like he said, "let your writing bother you." Use that frustration to dig deeper into the character, answer questions you may have looked over, find a way around the block. It's that struggle between the writer and the story that gets the writer to dig deep, discover more, and write well.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea that you pinpointed here, because I too find writing incredibly frustrated sometimes. While the advice he gives to let it be bothersome is good theoretically, it is also really hard to do as a writer. That being said, it goes hand in hand with digging into specific sentences that are not as good, and sprucing them up to be better. I can absolutely see how this would produce strong writing, but it seems like it would be easier said than done.
DeleteAt the beginning of the video he talks about how writing for him helps him continue to explore life. In my mind I sometimes see writing as laborious though very worthwhile in the end when you have a quality finished product. However this video made me consider the fact that writing may in fact be cathardic, a way of releasing emotion rather than a way of creating emotion. I also really connected with the metaphor of the black box. In my opinion, the best writing is writing that you can get lost in. Writing that captures your mind and doesn't let go; you aren't constantly glancing at the page number to see how much more you have left, you aren't letting your mind stray from the story, and when it's really powerful you almost lose your sense of self. This sensation was what I pictured when he talked of the black box: a place for the reader to go where they are completely within the story and get a break from their reality. I think that this level of engagement is something that I should strive for in all types of my writing.
ReplyDeleteAn idea Saunders articulated that stood out to me was that sentences evolve a story. The act of modifying and specifying and revising until satisfaction, he claims, is what makes writing good. No matter how much we plan out a story, an organic & original flow of ideas leads to a better narrative. I'm going to keep this in mind when I work on my senior project essay. It's daunting to go into an essay with just some vague notion of what I want the end product to be, but the outline is not really the backbone of the story, the sentences are. I'm going to try to give myself time for this process of revision to take place.
ReplyDeleteI also really like this idea that sentences are what construct a story and add depth and meaning. I liked his example with the Frank character because it helped me better understand how powerful sentence structure really is.
DeleteSaunders helped me by stating that when you finish writing something, the reader should be able to read it and walk away having been given a glimpse into a deeper truth. I should keep that in mind when writing, and be aware that that's what I should be striving for. A personal challenge that I tend to have is giving enough detail to a person, or situation, which ends up hindering me as a writer and resulting in an under-developed piece. A take away that I have is that personal discontent is really what moves a story or piece of writing forward, so you should always be tweaking your writing, even in the simple ways, and that you have very little control over your own writing, so trying to force a certain message in there isn't necessarily going to work -- your message always evolves once it's actually in the story, and is never going to be what you wanted it to be initially.
ReplyDeleteI like your analysis of your takeaway in which you have very little control in your own writing, as it is true that often the story drives the writing.
DeleteSaunder's advice about making a story that is not cliche is applicable to us with our own writing. With every essay we write we should always try to make it as unique as we can. We saw how he changed sentences for wording purposes and thus he was able to create a different story. Because he was open to changing the words and the story, the story developed and became much stronger. We should also be open to changing things in the story, although often it can be difficult to deviate from the original plan. I certainly struggle with changing my original idea for the story, but when it comes to writing, changing it is often important to making the story stronger.
ReplyDeleteI found that Saunders treated characters and sentences like real people in a way that allowed him to draw more out of them and investigate what he called their "real expansiveness". This is not an approach I have ever tried, because it seems odd to be uncovering information about something that is a figment of your imagination. That being said, trying to discover the depths of whatever it is I am writing about whether it pertains to investigative projects or fictional characters seems like a good way to discover more meaning. He also mentioned that it is scary to go in without a set intention, and try to develop something out of the smallest fragment of an idea. I find this to be true to me, because whenever I write any sort of fiction I do always have a strict plan about who the characters are and what I want to say about them. However, when writing an OQ, I do tend to plan a thesis statement and then write the rest as it comes to me. The idea of going in without a fixed intention is more difficult for me when the writing is fictional than when it is analytical.
ReplyDeleteI found his advice regarding not over-managing a story to be very helpful. I can sometimes want to know where a story is going before I begin, which can be detrimental as it may not allow for it to develop fully. I also thought his idea about writing a sentence and seeing where it goes was interesting, and his example really proved this point.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Anne. I think his sentence editing was extremely effective; as writers we often forget to modify our sentences and word choice our of sheer complacency. But more important, we shouldn't be completely content with our writing after finishing the first draft because there is always room for improvement.
DeleteI really liked Saunder's statement that we all have to keep our eyes open and always be mystified because no matter at what age, life is always fresh and filled with learning opportunities. I think that I have to remember to always write about something I'm really passionate about, and so my own discontent will drive the improvement process. I also really liked his statement about how every story is unique based on each person's experience and perspective, so it's important to let loose and let the story flow. Don't be strict with it because a defining characteristic of a bad story is being able to predict what happens. I think that this is really important for me to keep in mind because it's so easy to write something cliche thinking it's what people like to read - and it's also the easy way out.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree, especially with writing about something that you are passionate about. Personally, if I am not writing about something I´m passionate about I will either a) not write, or b) write something that´s not that great, so I think that the lessons that Saunders taught on this topic are really important.
DeleteI also agree with you about how it is necessary that we are still mystified by the world and how it was interesting that he recognized that each story is different because of the perspective of the writer.
DeleteThis can help my writing be more impactful and have real weight. Although changing individual words can help a story, it is the larger phrases and sentences that hold power and change the tone of the story. These careful selections of how you describe something or someone in a story is how you tell a "good story" in Saunders' definition.
ReplyDeleteGood job Max. I really like the way you said "This can help my writing be more impactful and have real weight." It very much showed me how impactful and weighted your writing can be.
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ReplyDeleteSanders discusses the impact that good writing can have on a reader; not only should a reader be drawn into the text as they begin to read, but they should also resonate with the writing in some way. Although good writing doesn't necessary appeal to each individual, it should leave a reader with a new emotion--whether that be astonishment, interest, or concern. However, Sanders discusses how reaching this apex of writing is no simple task.
Sanders attributes good writing to the editing process. He finds it necessary to write and re-write parts of a piece multiple times until the writer feels a deeper meaning being evoked. The video's segment about fine tuning sentences and paragraphs resonated with me in regards to my senior project. Although I'm currently writing my first draft, I now understand that in the coming weeks I'm going to have to fine tune every sentence, adjective, and paragraph, even possibly changing the structure of the essay as a whole.
Sanders teaches that every piece of writing needs a definite purpose, and in order to achieve that, a writer must be willing to re-write, change, and edit previous drafts. Personally, I find it challenging to spend a great deal of time writing something only to have to change the piece later. For my senior project, I must make sure to allocate enough time to polish every single sentence in order to achieve the most meaningful response from other readers.
I thought that Saunders´ comment that ¨Revision is love in progress¨ is particularly relevant to our Senior Project, because in our Senior Project, most of the work is revision, and often it seems dogged and tiring. Yet, thinking of it like a relationship (which can also be dogged and tiring), helps a lot, because unlike writing the Senior Project (in my opinion) relationships seem like a lot more of a positive thing in my life.
ReplyDeleteThe "diving into the unknown" aspect is a very nuanced way of thinking about writing. It's the fact that my writing can (and should) be unpredictable that's kind of scary. Personally, I'm a very impatient writer; I like to have structure and meaning and really know where I'm going with something the first time I write it out. Having to go back and revise every second - to just grind it out until you have find some new spark to keep working with - is hard. Rewarding, sure, but it takes a certain degree of gusto as a writer, as well as the ability to be consciously IN the story or piece. In a way, writing an essay or story is similar to reading a book; in order to complete understand it and create meaning, you have to imagine yourself in such a setting, as such a character, else you'll lose that creative edge - that's something I'll try to work on until I, like, die.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Although it may be rewarding and will likely create a good story, it is difficult to pull off. Keep at it though, until you...die I guess?
DeleteComing into a story not knowing where it might go or what it might uncover is a challenge, especially for me. But Saunders makes a good point when he says that good stories don't let the reader know what they are right off the bat. A good date is never one with notecards and perfect timing, and a good story is in the same boat.
ReplyDeleteI agree! Allowing myself to let a story take its natural course and develop naturally in the way it is meant to is definitely something I struggle with.
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ReplyDeleteMy greatest takeaway is that writing is organic, so it is changing. Not trying to control every aspect of it right away is something that I struggle with when writing a story or an essay. Along those lines is his comparing revising to love. There is always time for revisions which I don't always get to or spend much time on when writing. The two will come together to increase the quality of my writing.
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ReplyDeleteI agree and I think most of the time we are so focused on writing that we forget to have an experience which could help make the story much more interesting and unique.
DeleteI really liked Saunders' black box idea because I think sometimes its better to just start without planning and just with one idea on your mind. A lot of planning sometimes may make your story boring or uninteresting. Planning will definitely help you produce a great piece of writing, but it may not engage the audience as much as building off of a single idea could.
ReplyDeleteI like this idea! I think it reflects the purpose of the Image/Question journal assignment we have for this novel, which allows us to build off of different ideas we have without limiting ourselves to one question or line of thinking.
DeleteSaunders' advice can assist me in my own writing from the tip of not being overly controlling of the story and letting the story form itself. Writing a story with only some idea of what it is going to say and then forming sentences while in the middle of writing can lead to a much more interest and in depth story. Furthermore, he reminded me of the process and depth that a single sentence can have with his barista example and that you need to be asking for a character's motives in order to make a character three dimensional instead of two dimensional. One personal challenge that resonates with me as a writer is being overly controlling of the story, like being on a date with note cards, because it is hard to let go of that safety and let your words be free.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with this. I always put so much effort into my writing right at the beginning instead of allowing things to develop naturally.
DeleteI definitely relate to this. It's hard to let go of the safety net of over-planning and over-controlling, so it's both refreshing and scary to hear that we have more freedom than we think in our writing.
DeleteI found his idea of letting the story unfold without over-controlling it to be something that really applies to my own writing. In an attempt to play it safe, I tend to be over-analytical in my writing, and a lot of times I try to plan out everything in my head before I even write a rough draft. While this can be helpful in things like OQ's, it's also limiting when it comes to creative writing, or to my senior project. My main takeaway is that I need to be more willing to take risks, and adapt to the random sparks of ideas that come from unexpected places.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was interesting how Saunders treated characters as fully developed characters who had personalities and backgrounds even before he as a writer had figured out what that background is. This is helpful in writing or reading a story where you don't completely understand the character, you can still know that there is more to find out and it is better to keep looking than to resort to oversimplifying your view.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this, how he could expose one character's backstory and reveal the cause behind their behavior from one sentence was interesting to me. It definitely takes practice but is worth it when it results in good writing.
DeleteI agree with you that this is such a fascinating idea. It truly demonstrates the expansiveness of a writer's imagination.
DeleteI really liked how he looked at characters in more depth as well. He focused on the small details versus the large picture with is very different.
Delete"Let a story be free." I think this embodies a lot struggle that I and perhaps many others, have with writing. Often I try to plan things to a great extent, formulating every last detail, and not letting a story flow. Overplanning leaves the final piece perhaps feeling manufactured, or without any sort of spontaneous twist that peaks a reader's interest. Individuals often read stories because of perspective -- they allow us to view a period in time through the eyes of another, whether it be an author or a character. Stories that are over-fabricated probably lose some human-ness that makes them attractive: a lack of random though tangents, a lackluster series of events, or shallow character development that seems to perfect to be relatable. Perhaps that's why Saunders stated that good stories are unpredictable.
ReplyDeleteI really like what you said about "manufacturing" the final piece of a paper or essay. Letting a story roam freely in your mind and on the page can produce some wonderful endings. What's hard is being given a time and space to experiment with that, since most of our writing is timed or tailored to a single prompt
DeleteFrom Saunders, I take away the fact that despite having written the same type of essay, short story, personal narrative, poem, etc. in every English class you have taken, you create something new and fresh every time you put pen to paper, or open a new Google doc. All that you need is an interesting kernel of thought, something that you'd like to explore more. As a perfectionist and someone who wants to get to the bottom of meaning, or symbolism, or anything else that challenges me when reading other works, writing something that causes the reader to probe as deeply as I normally would is the goal. I think that in order to get to those shades of meaning in a work that you are writing, you must constantly revise until you are satisfied. I think that Saunders touches upon this point as well, saying that we have the tendency to be over-controlling, and the goal is to reflect meaning with your writing, not necessarily have it be the "perfect work" you envision. That is the main challenge I face in writing-- when expectation and reality don't quite match up.
ReplyDeleteWhen I write I edit. Before I can even complete a sentence, I have already reconstructed and reworded and second guessed myself to the point where the concept is now left battered and bruised on the page. The hardest thing for me in writing a "good story" is being afraid of writing a "bad story". After hearing Saunders say "defy systemization", I realize I have been trying to fit my words together a certain way to do this instead of just letting them do it on their own. After seeing his "revision is love in progress" of the sentence "Frank is an asshole" which turned into "Frank snapped at the barista that reminded him of his dead wife who he loved dearly", that is the sort of control I wish to have during my writing. I no longer want to be so restricting of myself that my rough draft never reaches completion. I have to let my kernel do its thing instead of being scared of where it will take me.
ReplyDeleteThis video was refreshing to hear, especially now, as we are coming upon one of our biggest writing assignments of the year. Since so much of the writing I personally do is for a grade/within a classroom/to be written by a deadline/meant to be written for a specific purpose, I'd forgotten the amount of freedom that truly resides within writing. Being reminded of this freedom will, I think, free up my work in the future; allow it to explore its boundaries organically rather than remain constricted by pre-existing ones.
ReplyDeleteIt really struck me when Sanders made his point about a bad story having a fixed intention. I feel like throughout our academic careers, most of our writing has this "fixed intention". A lot of times I try too hard to find the one true meaning of a novel or write in the intention of getting a good grade, regardless of whether or not what I say is meaningful to me. Throughout high school, I feel like we are forced to obey this very systematic process, which doesn't always produce the most organic and personally significant stories. I want to focus more in the future on writing for myself, not for approval or a grade.
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DeleteAt first, the idea of "diving into the unknown" when writing a story sounded impatient and lazy to me. However, it might actually make the path a story follows appear more natural. If a writer just records what he/she thinks, those thoughts could create a much more genuine, real story than something that has been analyzed and edited over and over again.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, it's more genuine.
DeleteSaunders explains that a a bad story is a story in which the author already has planned out from beginning to end. In a way, it was relieving to hear that as writers we shouldn't know the exact plot before we begin writing. Without the pressure of following a strict thought process, we have more freedom to build off of a moment or continue to allow new ideas to guide us through the plot. I think our writing would be more organic and genuine this way. Furthermore, his last line, "do something beautiful" really resonated with me. Something that is "beautiful" doesn't have to be well prepared and planned out but, rather, spontaneous and true to the heart.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. It's confusing how in school we learn to construct our essays a certain way, when in reality some of the best writing comes from having freedom and no boundaries.
DeleteWhat stuck with me the most was when Saunders began talking to Frank. I thought that it was fascinating and unique that he dialogue with a fictional character and asked him what his thoughts and feelings were.I also think that the aspect of not really knowing how the story goes but knowing what it's about is advantageous when it comes to writing a story. What also resonated with me was how he states that it's important to go out and have an experience; without an experience, there is no story to tell.
ReplyDeleteOne of the ideas that resonated with me is how when we tend to write better when we are not fully content with our writing. I think that this applies to a myriad of things and not just writing. One of my personal challenges is that I tend to be dissatisfied with my writing. I often feel that my writing isn't good enough, but having more time might allow me to like it a little more.
ReplyDeleteSaunders's advice reminded me that perfection isn't the goal, nor does it signify progress. Like Saunders pointed out, it is scary to start a piece of writing without a solid direction to move towards. It's difficult and awkward, but persevering through the thick frustration is the way the story comes together. Every good idea is the result of modifying a mediocre one. Writing is about trying, continuously, every day, to express your "love in progress" through experimentation and revision.
ReplyDeleteI really love your sentence about modifying the mediocre. A lot of the times we stop too early, before we find something great.
DeleteSaunders urges you to go past the obvious in order to create something unexpected. This can be a shocking character development in a fiction piece or a new interpretation of a novel or other text. While writing,and especially while writing about novels, I find it difficult to make something original or truly my own. Also, when writing stories it is hard to create something that is different and a lot of the time making a unique piece is about revision and reconstruction, and not being afraid of the story not turning out the way you expected. By doing this it allows us to write in a way that is more "real" and can connect deeply with others.
ReplyDeleteSaunders’ advice is very profound. He speaks from the heart and from his soul. He is not just another “writer” he is truly an author that has found purpose in story writing. He said “stories are stand-ins for everyday life” meaning stories can take you to a whole new place of mind instead of just being something that has no value. Stories have the ability to time travel and create almost a fantasy. This idea of being able to go into a whole new world of imagination is something that is very inspiring to many. He has seemed to change his perspective on the way that stories should be told and why. I really enjoyed his last quote of “I don’t care how old you are, do something beautiful” this had a really profound impact on me and made me look at story telling very differently.He also believes in revision and that nothing is going to be perfect the first time it is put down on paper or a document. He said “revision is an act of love”. I took away the idea that my writing is not going to be perfect the first time. There are things that I can change and it is perfectly fine to revise. He made me look at revisions very differently versus something that I believe that I didn’t do right the first time and needed to fix. I do struggle with revisions and thinking that I am not doing very well since it was not the best quality when it is written the first time, but now I am less focused on being perfect and more on making my writing better.
ReplyDelete"It was done because the sentence bothered me".
ReplyDeleteFor that reason, those alluringly unorthodox words settled in my mind. Every night, I find myself constructing sentences from words I had heard, read, or said. I never write those sentences down. I believed them to be one of my many idiosyncrasies. After watching this video, I see that those sentences could be of value. Saunders helped me realize that writing is the ability to connect with other humans. I may not have the most sophisticated diction nor the best handwriting, but Saunders convinced me that my sentences are worthy.
I liked how Saunders encouraged the listener to keep an open mind when writing and to 'keep your eyes open all the time' because a story cannot be systemized or completely structured. I think this is important in writing.
ReplyDeleteSaunders' advice to stray from being over controlling resonates with me because that's the wall I always hit in writing. It's easier said than done, but his naming it as letting go of the fear of not knowing exactly what will happen makes it easier for me to understand what I need to work on.
ReplyDeleteSaunders urges you to go past the obvious in order to create something unexpected. This can be a shocking character development in a fiction piece or a new interpretation of a novel or other text. While writing,and especially while writing about novels, I find it difficult to make something original or truly my own. Also, when writing stories it is hard to create something that is different and a lot of the time making a unique piece is about revision and reconstruction, and not being afraid of the story not turning out the way you expected. By doing this it allows us to write in a way that is more "real" and can connect deeply with others.
ReplyDeleteMore often than not I am as excited as I am scared of a new idea for a concept of a story that I've come up with, especially when the idea is spontaneous. When an idea is so raw and clear I'm sometimes afraid to put it on paper fearing that it won't remain as perfect as I envision it. It was encouraging to hear Saunders say that he starts with "only a kernel" of an idea as he writes, and that he pushes that idea far beyond his original intentions, ripping it apart and remodeling the concept until it is rich and fully developed. He seems to have confidence in his ability to not only to create a good story, but also to remold that story knowing he can't mess up. His freedom as a writer, that seems to stem from being a little unattached from his first idea, is a mentality I'd like to adopt. This mentality could teach me to enjoy the process and journey of writing, and to embrace its unpredictability.
ReplyDeleteSanders placed a lot of emphasis on the editing process, and his video displaying how he developed a simple sentence into a complex one really helped me see that. When I edit, I tend to focus more on my vocabulary and I edit my sentence to make the diction more varied. However, as Sanders showed, I should focus more on developing my sentences rather than fixing the vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteThis fellow Saunders recommends that we should not come into a writing situation with a preset plan on the storyline we desire to create. We shouldn't be obsessed with the fact that we want to write a certain kind of story, but rather naturally work through a beautiful moment or idea that we have and let that story carry itself out. This enhances the authenticity of the piece and allows for a seamless unfolding of events rather than an academic, choppy, boring storyline. We should be left questioning and slowly learning more and more about the characters and the formative forces within the piece rather than sticking to a skeleton script.
ReplyDeleteSanders placed a lot of emphasis on the editing process, and his video displaying how he developed a simple sentence into a complex one really helped me see that. When I edit, I tend to focus more on my vocabulary and I edit my sentence to make the diction more varied. However, as Sanders showed, I should focus more on developing my sentences rather than fixing the vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteSaunders advice will be incredibly helpful to me here in a more fluid writing process. I currently operate under the philosophy that I'm just going to write with only a very brief outline, and see where my writing takes me from there. I've found this to be very helpful and the only way I can really write. When I carve out an outline I end up just wanting to write my paper because ideas lead to more ideas in my mind. What I lack though, is an understanding of why this works or conscious thought during this process. I just write and go back to edit the randomness I just spit out. But I know how now to take my approach and be strategic about it. I can pick apart my sentences and mix and match from there to figure it out. I like to be very methodical in the way I go about my life, and this video can make me take a more "go with the flow" approach in life.
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