Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Essays to Emulate

From the moment I began reading "The American Man at Age 10" by Susan Orlean, I knew it was a piece I wanted to emulate. Her writing was clearly that of an experienced writer, all the while reflecting a young male. Her word choice and pacing allowed us to see that she colored her writing  with the perspective of her interviewee.  Something that I admire in writing is character development. Orlean's dialogue and detailed childhood experiences with Colin Duffy allows us to believe in him--believe he is real. Something I enjoy about reading is that I learn about what other people go through and find that I am not alone in many things that I experience. The vehicle to many reader's hearts is a developed character. That is what I admire most in this piece-- how Orlean makes us fall in love with this little boy, as we read things that make us laugh and things that make us think.
Another essay I loved was "Total Eclipse" by Annie Dillard. I have read some of her other work and I have decided she is a master of detail. Some essays and stories I have read can get heavy with too much "stuff" but I always feel like all that Dillard includes as detail serves a purpose. I have never seen an eclipse but the way she describes this event, I feel like I have. She also has an amazing ability to make the reader in awe of some phenomenon whether it be cosmic, or mental or emotional. I think perhaps because of her intense detail, the readers become so involved as to not be able to escape the world that she creates with her words. A question I would ask Annie Dillard is how she decides what details to include and how much of it if she does.
There are many essays that I have learned from this semester. These two happen to be ones that have stuck out. In order to become better at these two aspects of writing I will need to continue practicing. Hopefully I can incorporate life-like characters and captivating detail in all my writing, not just creative non-fiction. These are just a couple of the lofty goals I have for my future writing.
Posted by at

3 comments:

  1. Tom D.February 25, 2009 at 4:58 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tom D.February 25, 2009 at 4:59 PM

    I would have to agree “The American Man at Age 10” by Susan Orlean was a very interesting essay. I really enjoyed they way she described Colin and how she did it through the perspective of his peer. Character development is incredibility important as well as a good level of detail. I really enjoy the authors that include what can only be described as unique but satisfying detail. It really helps a piece come alive and helps us drag the reader into the writing itself. I think what you took away from these essays is something we could all work on as we progress along the path of writing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. DianaFebruary 26, 2009 at 9:29 PM

    “The American Man at Age 10” seems to be a popular piece among us and I think you are right in saying that Orlean wrote so well that she made us fall in love with Colin. She seemed to know just exactly what needed to be written to let Colin’s personality shine through. And that’s a good question to ask in regards to how much detail is too much detail. One should learn when to tone down on details so that the audience is not left uninterested by the end. Thanks for your opinions!

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)