considerations for writing. what is it? (your own; unique; unlike any other’s) what affects it? ...
Post on 31-Dec-2015
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What is it? (Your own; unique; unlike any other’s)
What affects it? Your own personality Your own experiences Your own perspective
What is it? (Ours, shared, over-reaching all)
What affects it? The human condition The human experience Shared commonalities
By taking one’s own experiences, view, perspective and sharing it—
With an eye/ear to the larger human experience.
Cold hard truth: The reader doesn’t care about you.
The reader cares about himself. If your writing is only individual navel
gazing, it is not good writing. BUT… If your you can share your own
experience to help others see their own lives more clearly, you have accomplished a good and worthy thing.
Learn to capture your individual experience
With an eye to the universal.
Need some examples? Of course!
Individual I couldn’t find my daughter’s shoe before
her Christmas concert. Universal
We all fall short We all need forgiveness
Individual – making a prank phone call to my parents’ home when I was in junior high
Universal – feeling ashamed
Individual – A student looked like she was paying attention when in fact she wasn’t.
Universal – We think we’re a little better than we are, then realize we’re not.
Individual – Helped my husband fix the crossing over a creek (connecting two fields).
Universal – Staying connected in a relationship takes work.
Universal – Choose 3 of the 5 following “universals” and think of individual experiences (your own) that express the theme.
Sometimes we hurt those we love. A small act of kindness can turn a day
around. Overcoming fear can be
satisfying/exhilarating. Regret lingers. Embarrassment is a part of living.
Think of three strong memories. Identify two “universals” that might come from those memories.
Ex: I was called “String Bean” at Girl Scout camp. Embracing a “new” identity Worries about acceptance Value of a close childhood friendship
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