English is not one of my strong suits, but I try none the less. I have enjoyed only a small handful of the stories that we were assigned to read in class. One of those stories is called Three Fragments by Charles Simic. This story has a lot of voice, you can tell what is going through the writers head at any moment. Also, this story has a contrast of emotions that area all tied in together. Personally I think that it is a great story. What I would like to take from it is the contrast of emotions. In the beginning he is telling a humorous story about how he once had a helmet full of lice. At the end of the story you realize how he obtained the helmet and the story instantly changes moods.
Another story that I enjoyed reading was The Drama Bug by David Sedaris. This story was refreshing, it was comical throughout and had great voice. Although it was a longer reading, the light comedy and the dialog kept me entertained. From this story I want to take the dialogue. It had such interesting dialogue that kept me interested in what was going on in the story. It also added a sense of personalization, It made me feel like I knew the characters, this is something I need in my blogs.
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I did notice that we chose one of the same stories to discuss. I'm glad you enjoyed it. I like that you picked up on the importance of dialogue in the story to keep the reader engaged. I think you already do use dialogue to communicate humor quite well, but Sedaris's plotting of that dialogue (the way he sets up the interactions in the first place) is certainly something we can all benefit from noticing.
ReplyDeleteThe first story you discuss is a bit different in form than many things we've read, so it's interesting that it was one of your choices. The lines between different emotions in the essay are very important, and the communication of emotion without relying on sentimentality or cliche is definitely something to aspire to.
I think what is most interesting is that you and Kristie chose the same pieces to write about, yet your writing styles are so different from one another. I like how you both interpreted the piece differently and left it with different goals for your own writing.
ReplyDeleteI think by using more dialog as Sedaris did in the Drama Bug could definitely enhance your writing. Your stories are so interesting and I love your topic choices. Using more dialog could help bring your characters more to life.
I thought three fragments was interesting as well. I chose three voices for my own blog and I think I liked these pieces cause of the way they were split up and essentially fragmented. I think it makes the reading a bit more interesting.
Good post!