...My Blog#4 is really creative, I was assigned to read three texts you will see below, where I have to pick three quotes from each author Don Murray, Mary Karr and Anne Lamott. It found this assignment really challenging , because you need to have attention and creativity to put it in a make up story where you meet them and have a conversation. I hope you enjoy my story. Here you can refer to links below:
At the same time, she was in the plane galley unwrapping all the onboard food to be ready once the plane takes off and reach the safe altitude for services. Suddenly she said so happy to her boss Elba that was next to her: Anna: Guess who are coming in this flight? I am so excited. Elba her boss reply, Who? Anna: She said three writers I follow on Facebook and I read their books . You probably know who they are. Don Murray, Mary Karr and Anne Lamott I cannot wait to meet them, I have so many questions to ask. I hope they are friendly. They came to the airplane door and she greeted them with a big smile, walked them to their seats and she started taking Mary Karr order. Anna: I am so excited to meet you, I am so glad to have you as one of my passenger in this flight, I am writing my first book about my current job as flight attendant. Mary Karr with a surprised and interested face looked at Don Murray and Anne Lamott and said, We have our hands full on this flight! Oddly enough all of the authors were sitting together on the flight. Realizing this once in a lifetime opportunity sat across from them to pick there brains, against her bosses wishes. Starting with Mary Karr, Anna: asked the main question that was on her mind since recently trying to write her own book, I am such a fan of your work and I have recently started to try and write my own book and I was wondering about your writing process. "writter have their brain connected to their hands" Mary Karr: looked at her and smiled, "I have been writing for a very long time and have come up with rules to my writing process. The first rule is, Writing is painful—it’s “fun” only for novices, the very young, and hacks." Anna: acknowledged that she loved writing but was not the greatest at it, which made sense because she was a novice, "I always had believe in sitting fifteen minutes everyday to write about whatever is on my mine". Mary: That's wonderful. "This brings me to my 2nd rule I have learned in life, other than a few instances of luck, good work only comes through revision". Anna: how did you become so wise in not only in your process, but your actual writing because it is so descriptive and makes me feel as I am in the book when I read them. Mary said, "This brings me to my final rule, the best revisers often have reading habits that stretch back before the current age, which lends them a sense of history and raises their standards for quality." She advised the flight attendant to read all the old classics from Moby Dick to Shakespeare. Explaining the benefits of packing your mind with as much literary resources as possible. Don Murray: who was sitting in between Mary Karr and Anne Lamont, was smiling the whole time. He finally interrupts and mentions the similarities in his writing process and mentioned how he believes in a 3 system writing process, "The writing process itself can be divided into three stages: prewriting, writing, and rewriting. The amount of time a writer spends in each stage depends on his personality, his work habits, his maturity as a craftsman, and the challenge of what he is trying to say. It is not a rigid lock-step process, but most writers most of the time pass through these three stages". It struct the flight attendant how these amazing authors had these rules of writing and asked him to continue to explain what prewriting was. Anna reply: "I realized everything in writting is a process, dedication and also getting techniques from experts". I am wondering if was it stretching before sitting down to write? Was it having a big cup of coffee next to you as you start to write? Don Murray: I consider, "Prewriting is everything that takes place before the first draft. Prewriting usually takes about 85 percent of the writer’s time. It includes the awareness of his world from which his subject is born. In prewriting, the writer focuses on that subject, spots an audience, chooses a form which may carry his subject to his audience. Prewriting may include research and daydreaming, note-making and outlining, title-writing and lead-writing." Anna understood the 2nd stage, the writing stage, but asked about the rewriting stage. Don Murray: "Rewriting is reconsideration of subject, form, and audience. It is researching, rethinking, redesigning, rewriting—and finally, line by-line editing, the demanding, satisfying process of making each word right. It may take many times the hours required for a first draft, perhaps the remaining 14 percent of the time the writer spends on the project." Anna began to see a common theme in rewriting and editing in both the great authors rules of writing. She asked Anne Lamont, who was seated at the window seat, if she believed in rewriting and revising her writings. Anne Lamont: "For me and most of the other writers I know, writing is not rapturous. In fact, the only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really shitty first drafts.", she very bluntly stated. Anna: that's why I was having a hard time writing my book, because every time I would go to sit down and write I would try and make it perfect instead of going back and editing. "Being a writter is not just inspirations and ideas." Anne Lamont then explained, "The first draft is the child’s draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later." The flight attendant explained how she was writing her book and that she was tying to make every sentence perfect so she would not need to go back and rewrite anything. Anne Lamont: quickly and loudly stated, "Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft." The flight attendant suddenly saw her boss walking towards her, she looked at all of them with a tanksful face for all the help and knowledge. Her boss Elba asked her what she was doing. Don Murray mentioned that she was just helping them with a seatbelt issue, as he winked at Anna. He did not want to get her in trouble. The 3 authors both wished the flight attendant good luck in her writing journey as she quickly went back to work.
2 Comments
Patrick
2/11/2020 02:55:08 pm
I like the fact that yours was like a mini story with the person as the flight attendant meeting the three authors and getting advice from them I thought that was a really cool way of doing this.
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2/11/2020 02:57:40 pm
Lulu, I really enjoy the descriptive language you use. I can picture the flight attendant in her uniform, feel her nerves when she notices who will be on the flight, and feel her relief when Mary gives her the advice about revising!
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Lourdes Seaver
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