Review EWC4U

Having never taken a creative writing course before, I did not know what to expect when I enrolled in Writer’s Craft. I was simply hoping that it would be a fun way to improve my writing and to obtain a credit over the summer. The course, even though I did not really have any great expectations, was much more beneficial and fun than I had thought it would be. As a result of generating multiple drafts and by constantly reviewing my work as well as the work of others, I feel as though I have begun to learn what it takes to become a better writer. The part of the course that I enjoyed the most was when successful writers came to the class to speak to us about what they do. I found these visits particularly interesting because before this course began, I had never met a well-published author, let alone have one speak to me for a lengthy period of time. When Cathy Gildiner came, I appreciated her method of creating her stories. She showed us her large Bristol board, which outlined the events of the story in order. I thought this method was a very good way to approach creating a story and it made me think about how I should develop my ideas for future stories. When Wayson Choy spoke to us, I learned valuable life lessons as well as how to become a good and successful writer. One lesson that he stressed was that every failure is a learning experience. I found that this relates both to writing and to everyday actions, and can have other applications in life. It was exciting to meet and speak to people who have been at the same stage as we are now, and hear how they decided to become professional writers.

Throughout the course, there was never anything that I disliked; I found that everything we did and accomplished had a goal that could help us improve our writing. I do think that my writing has developed over this month of classes for several reasons. The primary reason is that we constantly practiced writing. There is no substitute for challenging yourself to convert your thoughts into words. I also think that I benefited from Dennis Bock’s comments. He told me how to make dialogue work in a story as well as how to make my words “come off the page” instead of forcing the emotion on the reader through words. Those comments will always be on my mind when I write going forward. Also, I learned from Ms. Somerville certain grammar rules of which I would not have otherwise been aware. One grammar tool that I really appreciated learning was making sure I have nouns to follow whenever I use, “this,” or “those.”

In conclusion, through taking this course I have enjoyed discovering new writing techniques and look forward to applying them to my future writing endeavors.

Jane Tattersall's visit/ American Movie documentary

Through information gleaned during Jane Tattersall’s visit on Tuesday and from watching the documentary, American Movie, I learned a great deal about the process of filmmaking. After we watched Jane’s short film, “Hot Water,” she told us about all the work that was involved in creating the four-minute piece. She explained to us that the requirements were that the piece had to have something to do with water and it had to use a specific camera. When she said that it took twelve hours just to film it, I was astonished. I did not expect that it would take so many hours to film something that was only four-minutes long. She also explained how some of the details such as the pattern of the blood splatter on the wall and making the blood pool form under the victim, were not as easy to create as one would expect. Jane explained how the crew was having issues making the fake blood that they wanted to have run out from under the victim in the bathtub. The film is black and white, so the filmmakers decided to use chocolate syrup, and found that it worked much better. As for the blood spatter on the walls, the crew had to flick it onto the wall with their hands, and then wipe it off and then do it again if the spatter didn’t look quite natural enough. Another aspect of the film that I did not realize took as much work as Jane revealed it did, was the sound that had to be added in after the film has been shot. She revealed that the sounds of the knife against the table, the taps without any water, the stabbing sounds as well as various other noises were added during the post-production phase. I found that the amount of time dedicated to the small details was quite surprising. In American Movie, there were also a few details about the filmmaking process of which I was previously unaware. In this documentary, Mark Borchardt is shown creating his short film, “Coven.” The documentary showed the “behind the scenes” work and how much time is spent creating one scene. In the movie, Mark would sometimes spend several multiple days working on the same scene. Even though the film was only half an hour long, it took him over two years to complete. This was in part because he also tried to start his feature film, “Northwestern.” Although Mark never ended up completing his feature film, he did end up selling 5,100 copies of “Coven” by 2004. The American Movie documentary shows how much passion is required to finish a film independently, especially when faced with difficulties such as insufficient funds.

After hearing about the difficulties of making a film and watching the American Movie, I would probably not be interested in making my own short film. In fact, I doubt I could ever do so anyway without the help of many volunteers. Jane Tattersall, when asked if she would make another short film, responded by saying that she may, after she forgets about how much work is involved in making one. That response, combined with the constant setbacks that Mark Borchardt experienced in the documentary, have probably deterred me from making a serious short film.

In conclusion, I learned a lot about the filmmaking progress from Jane Tattersall’s visit on Tuesday and from watching the documentary, American Movie. Although the result can apparently be very satisfying, I do not think I will be venturing into the making of my own short film.

Blog #7, "Across the Bridge," by Graham Greene

Graham Greene’s story is a great short story model to analyze because of the quickly moving plot and the use of rapid character development. Greene’s plot continues to evolve throughout the whole story, and is constantly building tension. At the beginning of the piece, when the narrator first introduces “Mr. Calloway,” the reader is informed that he is “worth a million.” The reader then quickly finds out that Mr. Calloway made his million through committing fraud. This detail unveils a whole other side to Mr. Calloway’s character. We then see him described as, “an elderly man who kicked his dog and swindled the poor.” The tension in the plot increases when the detectives come to find Mr. Calloway in the town. The entire plot is filled with irony. When the “detectives” come to the Mexican border town to try and find Mr. Calloway, they cannot find him, even though he is the only non-Mexican in the entire town. The detectives can be seen as an imitation of the types of people that exist in our modern society. They are wandering around, constantly bumping into and having casual conversations with the man that they are supposed to arrest. The part of the story that I really admire is how Greene relieves the tension in the ending, “the dog started across the road right in front of the car, and Mr. Calloway yelled, at the dog or the car, I don’t know which. Anyway, the detective swerved – he said later, weakly, at the enquiry that he couldn’t run over a dog, and down went Mr. Calloway, in a mess of broken glass and gold rims and silver hair, and blood.” Through having the detectives accidently kill the man they had been looking for all along, it gives the death a comical outlook, which is curiously satisfying for the reader.

The other quality that I liked about Greene’s piece was the use of rapid character development. The piece is not very long, however it is filled with details that are constantly revealing traits about the characters, most specifically, Mr. Calloway. I tried to input this trait into my short fiction piece, because it causes the reader to become attached and understand the character of the story more clearly. We are shown three different perspectives of Mr. Calloway within the story. These perspectives are the narrator’s, “an elderly man who kicked his dog and swindled the poor,” the people of the Mexican border town, “they respected him too much to talk to him – he was worth a million” and the detective’s who could never identify him. Through reading these different perspectives about the same person, the character becomes visible from all angles and the reader is able to classify them correctly.

In conclusion, through reading “Across the Bridge,” by Graham Greene, various literary techniques may be observed. The techniques that I admired were the quickly moving plot and the use of rapid character development.

ISP Blog #6, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," by James Thurber

In “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” James Thurber exhibits a superb example of the use of the limited omniscient point of view. The contrast of Mitty's thoughts, his daydreaming, with his humdrum everyday life creates the humor and irony of this story; without this contrast, the story would have no meaning. As well, Thurber creates a connection between the narrative voice and the language of that voice; the point of view makes that connection.

Although I did not use this method in my own piece, I found Thurber’s use of contrast throughout the piece to be very effective. While reading, I would sometimes forget that it was simply one of Walter Mitty’s daydreams. I would feel as though I was reading about someone who was actually in that situation, “He began fingering delicately a row of glistening dials. ‘Give me a fountain pen!’ he snapped. Someone handed him a fountain pen. He pulled a faulty piston out of the machine and inserted the pen in its place. ‘That will hold for ten minutes,’ he said. ‘Get on with the operation.’” The reader is reintroduced to his real life in a manner that really underlines the pathetic vibe of his everyday life. When Mitty is daydreaming that, “The District Attorney struck at her savagely. Without rising from his chair, Mitty let the man have it on the point of the chin. ‘You miserable cur!’” he is brought back to his real life when he remembers the “puppy biscuit.” The puppy biscuit is the other item that he was supposed to buy for his wife. His wife, who keeps a watchful eye on him, dominates Mitty’s real life, “You’re not a young man any longer,” she tells him when he complains about getting “over shoes.”

The narrative voice of the story is connected to the language of that voice through the point of view. One example that makes it obvious to see this link is the repetition of “pocketa-pocketa-pocketa,” throughout Mitty’s daydreams. We first hear this sound in reference to the "Navy hydroplane" that Mitty steers through a violent storm; he imagines it's the "pounding of the cylinders". Later, in Walter's fantasy surgery, the "new anesthetizer" gives way and makes the same sound. Finally, when Mitty imagines himself a British pilot, flame-throwers make the same noise. The sound provides a solid link between the real world and Mitty’s fantasies, as well as a common link between his multiple fantasies. It is one of the many comic elements of the story – the same funny sound cropping up over and over again – and it lends a tangible, permanent element to Mitty's various fantasies. The story is told from Mitty’s perspective and it allows the reader to see why he finds himself in the situations that he does. His own life lacks the adventurous aspects that he is unable to attain in his own life. Therefore, he is forced to only daydream about them, unable to put them into action. He can barely remember what he is supposed to buy, let alone perform a life or death surgery. This perspective allows the reader to think, and really grasp the character of Walter Mitty, categorizing him as a “dreamer” instead of a “doer.”

In conclusion, the contrast of Walter Mitty’s thoughts with his actual life, creates a different and interesting element to the piece. As well, the narrative voice provides an understanding of character that would otherwise be lost.

ISP Blog #5, "A Deep Hole," by Ian Rankin

I learned a great deal about short fiction writing through the writings of Ian Rankin. In this particular piece, I learned about the importance of picking an effective title, as well as the importance of a good plot that coincides with good character development.

In my opinion, "A Deep Hole" is a title that I do not think is effective for the piece. There never is a "deep hole" of any importance within the story. The narrator cannot find a hole big enough to hide the body in, so he returns the body back to Daintry's garage. Even figuratively, there is not a "hole" in the narrator's life unless one considers the fact that he does not have a wife as a “hole”. However, I do not think that his single status qualifies as a “hole” in his life. Also, at the outset of the story, the narrator begins by saying, "I still dig up roads - sorry, highways." This statement causes the reader to immediately assume that the reason the piece is entitled, "A Deep Hole" is because of the narrator’s profession. That statement is not only untrue, but could cause the reader to be disinterested from the beginning of the story. Unlike Rankin’s story, “The Hanged Man,” this title is not very effective because it does not cause the reader to become intrigued and to want to read more of the story. I found this particular title less effective because, for me, it did not provide sufficient mystery or encouragement to cause me to want to read more of the story.

Although, I did not like the title, I found the actual piece to be quite helpful in aiding me to write my own story. The plot moves very well throughout, and it has a strong narrative voice. While reading, I forgot that I was reading and actually imagined myself in the story, and in the same position as the narrator. Throughout the story, the reader becomes aware that the narrator does not have enough “gusto,” to carry off the digging up of Daintry’s victim’s body. At first, the reader thinks that the narrator is going to be swift with digging the body as he coolly says to Daintry, “A hundred,” causing Daintry to reply, “All right, one twenty-five. But it’s got to be tonight.” The narrator then says to himself, “I knew just the hole.” At this point in the story, the audience thinks that the narrator has done this before and is good at completing this task. It does not take very long to discover that this idea is untrue. I found that throughout the rest of the story, realizing this detail about the character really came hand in hand with the development of the plot. After realizing that the narrator is not comfortable with this task, it causes the reader to become closer to him, because the reader most likely has not been presented with this task before either and can thus relate to the character. I found that this tactic caused me to continue reading because I was concerned for the character as I was concerned for myself.

In conclusion, through analyzing the title of the piece, “A Deep Hole,” along with the coinciding plot and character development, one can greatly appreciate Ian Rankin’s story.

ISP Blog #4, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish," by J.D. Salinger

In the short fiction piece “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” by J.D. Salinger, the author uses certain literary tools in order to make the story more effective. Through analyzing the structure and the character development, one can determine how Salinger successfully creates a captivating story.

One method that can be seen is the use of balanced structure. The story begins with the description of a girl, Muriel, as she waits in a hotel to get her long-distance call through. We are shown that, to pass the time, Muriel partakes in meaningless activities such as painting her fingernails, “with her little lacquer brush, while the phone was ringing, she went over the nail of her little finger, accentuating the line of the moon.” After this scene, we are introduced to the character of the “young man”. The structure of the piece is balanced when we see the path of the “young man” (Seymour, Muriel’s husband) from that part of the story become intertwined with that of Muriel. As he “got off at the fifth floor, walked down the hall, and let himself into 507,” he notices that “the room smelled of new calfskin luggage and nail-lacquer remover.” Through the young man’s perspective, we are shown that Muriel spent the rest of her time removing the nail polish she had recently just applied. Through reintroducing the first character of the piece with another character, the structure of the piece becomes very balanced and satisfying.

Another tool that can be analyzed is the development of characters in the story. One can learn about a character through what they say, through what others say about them, through their actions and through their personal appearance. At the beginning of the story we are introduced to Muriel who, while waiting to place her call, spends time improving her personal appearance, “took the spot out of the skirt of her beige suit, moved the button on her Saks blouse.” From this detail, we can tell that she is somewhat narcissistic as well as slightly disinterested in the call she is about to place. We learn more about her as soon as her mother begins talking to her on the phone. We learn that Muriel does not feel the need to have her mother completely involved in her life and that she wants to be independent. Her mother repeatedly asks her if she is “alright” to which Muriel responds, “Yes, Mother, for the ninetieth time.” The other main characters in the story (Sybil and Seymour) are introduced as the scene shifts from the phone conversation to the beach. We notice immediately that Sybil is a child because of her words and attitude. The first thing we witness her say is “See more glass.” She wants to see “Seymour”. We learned through Muriel’s conversation that “Dr. Sivetski said Seymour may completely lose control.” We are aware that there is something wrong with him. His interactions with Sybil prove this further. He “picks up one of Sybil’s wet feet, which were drooping over the end of the float, and kissed the arch.” This interaction demonstrates that Seymour is most likely a pedophile. Salinger has created a well-developed character as we can see him from various angles.

In conclusion, through analyzing the character development and balanced plot structure of “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” by J.D. Salinger, one can learn how to create a captivating story.

ISP Blog #3, "The Hanged Man," by Ian Rankin

This story by Ian Rankin is uses good writing techniques that are worth noting. These techniques include the structure and believability of the piece along with the applicability and appropriateness of the title chosen. The structure of the piece makes the reader feel very satisfied when finished the story. This is because the character introduced at the beginning is a completely different character, and can be viewed with a completely different perspective, than at the end of the story. The character first introduced is an assassin, or a “killer,” as he describes himself. He mentions various euphemisms for the same term, however it is concluded that his job classifies him as a killer. The character at the end of the story is different because he finds out that his victim is in fact his mother, and that he was sent to kill her by his own father. Unveiling this other dimension creates a new view for the character who at the beginning was essentially “just” a killer. Although I did not use this tactic in my original short fiction piece, I found it very effective in this work of Rankin’s. It takes readers on a journey, forcing them to change their views on certain characters in an unexpected manner.

The plot is believable because we see how, for the protagonist, killing is simply business. He has no moral standpoint on it, “and for today, the fair was his place of work, his hunting ground.” This lack of morals makes it understandable that he would accept any task, without question, as long as he is promised a relatively large sum. This detail is how it becomes reasonable that he would not realize his relations to his client, as he was simply focused on the task. Also, the discovery that the victim is his mother also makes sense. The killer is used to having the upper hand on his victims, holding their life in his hands. His mother (the fortune teller), begins saying things to him that make him feel vulnerable and exposed, “No, dear, your problems all stem from your particular line of work.” All of these attributes help add to the believability of the plot. As well, Rankin also chose a very effective title. Before reading the story and seeing the title, “The Hanged Man,” you would expect that you would come across a “hanged man.” Thinking that you will come across a hanged man, causes the reader to be curious until the end, wanting to find out why that is the title. When the fortuneteller says, “the final card is intriguing – the hanged man,” the reader thinks that this is why the piece is titled in that manner. I hope to be able to incorporate a title as convincing as that of Rankin’s, “The Hanged Man.”

In conclusion, I found it useful to read “The Hanged Man,” because it demonstrates a superior use of structure and believability of the piece along with the applicability and appropriateness of the title. Through observing these qualities, it becomes easier to apply them to one’s own work.