Analyzing The Writing ' The Size Of A Bible '

Immediately after we are born, we start picking up sounds; the sound of our mother’s voice, the music playing in the elevator on the way to the car, and the happy cheers from a small child seeing their new sibling for the first time. We are always listening–picking up on conversations not meant for our ears, eavesdropping on the gossip of the adult world, and finding the meaning in the portentous silence. From all these auditory stimuli, we piece together the world around us to better understand what is happening to us, around us, and the secret happenings that were not for us to know. Great writers are the ones who listen and say nothing–who take it all in and save their classified information for a day when all the right words flow and form one epic story of the wondrous world we live in.

Based on his argument using a piece of story from his past, the writer conceptually supported his explanatory point of views on how skills can be developed with a passion of understanding the writer’s intention. I believe that the writer of this article addressed fundamental thoughts that should be useful in the process of reading as a writer, and on how to become a better writer.

I found “Shitty First Draft” interesting due to humorous tone remains throughout the essay. After reading this paper, I realized how important to convey different tones of writing in accordance with the situation or the story you are telling; it is reflective of your writing style, current mood and even your point of view towards certain subject matters. For example, in “Shitty First Draft”, the author reveals some facet of writers in face of challenging themselves to finish writing. Instead of being calm and relaxed, those writers are anxious and worrisome as the author states, “It is not like you don't have a choice---because you do---you can either type or kill yourself.” By telling the readers a few writing stories in an amusing way, the author successfully makes the difficulty of writing understandable to the readers. It is like telling yes, I understand your pain because I went through it before and everyone did. By doing so, the author makes herself approachable to the students who struggle with writing and those potential readers are now more willing to listen to her advice.

Whether while writing an essay or a birthday card, we have all struggled to find the proper words to illustrate our thoughts or feelings from time to time. Upholding the occupation of a writer would multiply that struggle tenfold. An occupation that depends on interesting, fluid pieces of writing every submission requires an adequate number of attempts and patience. Lamott expresses that writers “all often feel like we are pulling teeth” (Lamott), which proves the difficulty of writing is still there no matter the level of writer behind the work. Lamott also emphasizes that a writer “has to start somewhere” and shares her friend’s ideas in her writing to simply “get something - anything - down on paper” (Lamott). Lamott, and the other writers mentioned in this piece, carry incredible track records, while still admitting that perfection did not come initially, or even easily. Thus, proving that the Shitty First Draft has a place in any writer’s notebook or Word document. Lamott’s admission to struggling to properly begin a piece of writing surprised me, given of her success. I could not imagine a woman of her accomplishments stressing out over a food review, yet I felt relieved that someone of Lamott’s title relates to an amateur writer like myself. I often put off my writing as well when I cannot articulate a proper introduction. I do every other possible homework, or shy away from homework in general because the

The standard impression most people have of writers is that they can sit down and just let a perfect composition flow from their heads onto paper. In her writing career, Lamott has observed how “writing is not rapturous. In

Everyone knows what writing is to one extent or another, but we all have different definitions of how it should be done and varying degrees of seriousness about the art. We all have a process of writing, but each is unique to ourselves and our own experiences. Annie Dillard and Stephen King are two well known authors who have published many pieces, two of which describe how they view the writing process and let their readers get a peek of what goes on through their minds when they write. These two pieces are Dillard’s The Writing Life and King’s “What Writing Is.”

In Shannon Nichols’ “Proficiency”, she bout her dislikes writing due to her experiences. While I was growing up, I never knew I would not like writing. People remind me of how I had great handwriting and loved to write stories. In college, I continue to struggle in writing essays and it is a challenge for me. Although Shannon Nichols and I despise writing growing up, we both have grown to become successful writers.

Anne Lamott, a famous novelist, admits that most writers do not sit down every day with the intention of writing a masterpiece on their first try. In Lamott’s article, “ Shitty First Drafts” she tells her audience the reality of a writer's life. “ In fact, the only way I can get anything

Every writer has a particular way to describe their writing. Whether they describe it as a form of telepathy like the distinguished author, Stephen King, or as a painting like the renowned author, Annie Dillard, an abundance of writers can compare their process of writing to something. Even I have some way to describe my writing, I believe it is like being an architect creating marvelous building and cities made of words. This paper is meant to explain the writing process of the two aforementioned authors as well as outlining my own writing process. By comparing and contrasting the different metaphors used by each author one can see how similar every writer is to some extent.

Writing may be an enthralling experience for one and a clever way to decompress for another. In general, however, writing has different purposes for a variety of people. “Why I Write,” written in the late 20th century by Terry Tempest Williams, describes various reasons for writing narrated from a female’s perspective. The short essay begins in the middle of the night with a woman engulfed in her own thoughts. She abruptly goes forth by reciting the multiple reasons why she continues to write in her life. Through a variety of rhetorical devices such as repetition, imagery, analogies, and symbolism, Terry Tempest Williams produces an elegant piece of writing that offers the audience insight into the narrator’s life and forces the audience to have empathy for the narrator with the situation she is incurring.

Great writing, like anything of real value, does not just happen in an instant. Diamonds take time to form, people take time to grow, knowledge takes time to learn, and good writing takes time to think about1. It should incubate in the mind for a little while until it is ready to hatch, just like an egg.2 In Charlotte’s Web, one of the main characters Charlotte demonstrates that writing is something that takes time to think about. In response to Wilbur’s question, “How are you going to save me?,” Charlotte replies, “I don’t really know. But I’m working on a plan” (pg. 63). Charlotte here establishes that when you come up with an idea, one might not always know where the idea is going to go, or how it is going to get there. Therefore, she shows

I jump back as a black feline shoots across the path in-front of me. I catch a glimpse of its matted fur; a screeching hiss pierces the night air as it encounters a mammal in the undergrowth. They say a black cat at night is bad luck, but I honestly doubt my luck could get any worse in light of recent events. “Get out, you don’t belong here anymore”, “Just looking at you makes me sick. Leave now and get out of our lives”. It’s funny how the ones who are meant to love you the most, can turn on you so easily.

Martha has gone to multiple colleges, therefore to enhance her writing abilities. She acquired her Bachelors Degree and Masters Degree from the University of Maryland. At the University of Iowa, she attended the writer’s workshop, as well as studied poetry. Martha has teaching experience. She is an instructor of English at the University of Iowa, and an assistant professor of English at Frostburg State College. For fourteen years, she taught at Montgomery College, and spoke at at a seminar about detective fiction at John Hopkins University.

“To write to be a writer, I have to trust and believe in myself as a speaker, as a voice for the images. I have to believe that can communicate with images and words that I can do it well. A lack of belief in my creative self is a lack of belief in my total self and vice versa- I cannot separate my writing from any part of my life. It is all one” (95).

As I place my fingers on each of the keys necessary to fabricate a legible word, they weigh heavy on my past. Such past refers to the restricted form of writing I am accustomed to from my prolonged institutionalization, enveloped in my own limits, I attempt to unfasten the belt to my oh-so tight pants. High strung and critical of my mistakes, even now I am on alert for anything grammatically displeasing.