The Stand by Stephen King has a very developed and interesting plot. However the endless description of irrelevant characters and story lines gets in the way of enjoying it.
I think some writers like to show their opinion on types of people and events in the world through their writing. In some books is shows in subtle ways and for others, like Stephen King, it takes up half the book.
A big part of writing is the plot and the basic storyline or structure, but if your writing doesn't have interesting details or flow or isn't concise, you lose potential for it to be a really good book. For some reason, Stephen King's books are bestsellers anyway.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Saturday, June 1, 2013
The Visiters Finished
I have finished the book "The Visters" by Daisy Ashford, and I realized that when you write a book, you often stress over the ending. But if the story you create has pleasing and interesting characters, your ending doesn't have to be the most incredible thing in the book.
For example, The Visters doesn't exactly have an ending full of plot twists or reveals. The characters change and she tells a bit about what they do with the rest of their lives. But in a way, it was the best way to end the book. Sometimes I feel like writers try to hard to make their endings perfect and it never sounds satisfying.
I noticed that when writing if all you're working up to is the ending, or one specific moment in the story, maybe your work won't turn out well.
For example, The Visters doesn't exactly have an ending full of plot twists or reveals. The characters change and she tells a bit about what they do with the rest of their lives. But in a way, it was the best way to end the book. Sometimes I feel like writers try to hard to make their endings perfect and it never sounds satisfying.
I noticed that when writing if all you're working up to is the ending, or one specific moment in the story, maybe your work won't turn out well.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
The Young Visitors
The Young Visiters is a book written in 1881 by Daisy Ashford, a 9 year old girl. So far, it tells the story of a young man named Mr. Salteena who often has people to stay at his home. He goes to the country to visit a friend with a young lady named Ethel Monticue. At his stay, he realizes he wishes to be more of a gentlemen. The book has a level of innocence and brutal honesty that any grown up writing about the same topic could not be able to portray. I think most children's minds, and they way they carry themselves is very straightforward- because of this, the way they write is very true to life and kind of cuts through all the unnecessary details many adults throw into their work.
For example, in her book, she talks point blank about how Mr. Salteena likes having young ladies stay at his house, and how he wants to become a gentleman, and if he wants to do that he must talk to more higher society people and dress in classy suits and ties to gain respect. Her approach to things that people have a hard time talking openly about is exciting and really interesting to read.
Anyone who has a hard time trying to get their ideas into a book or on paper should read this, because it not only is hilarious, but it goes to show how much honesty and simplicity can improve art.
For example, in her book, she talks point blank about how Mr. Salteena likes having young ladies stay at his house, and how he wants to become a gentleman, and if he wants to do that he must talk to more higher society people and dress in classy suits and ties to gain respect. Her approach to things that people have a hard time talking openly about is exciting and really interesting to read.
Anyone who has a hard time trying to get their ideas into a book or on paper should read this, because it not only is hilarious, but it goes to show how much honesty and simplicity can improve art.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi
The book "Hurricane Song" by Paul Volponi tells about Hurricane Katrina that occurred in New Orleans in 2005. The story illustrates a lot of the social and racial ignorance that effected many during the storm.
During Hurricane Katrina, privileged people were definitely the safest. The wealthier, mostly white people with connections to people outside New Orleans had an easier time getting transportation out of danger zones than poorer, mostly hispanic or African American people who didn't have an easy route to safety. It was an unfair time for many who were stranded by the disaster. The worst part of it was that none of the people with the authority to control the damage had had the foresight to see that the less fortunate people of New Orleans wouldn't have ways to avoid it. This caused many problems, for example, while some people were able to escape the city and stay in safer areas, others were killed by the storm, had their shops stolen from, starved, developed sicknesses, or were killed by gang members.
The government's solution to save the endangered citizens from harm was to keep them in the Louisiana Superdome. They were unprepared for the thousands of people that would need shelter, and soon they were overcrowded, the bathrooms overflowed, people stole from one another, the temperatures were dangerously high, gangs arose, and people were raped and murdered, all in the pitch black dark of the storm.
The mindlessness and ignorance on the government's part led to the deaths of hundreds of innocent people. I think that lack of foresight and consideration of a wider spectrum of people can lead to destruction of many lives, much like how many teenagers don't think about how kids who aren't as cool as others feel about things.
During Hurricane Katrina, privileged people were definitely the safest. The wealthier, mostly white people with connections to people outside New Orleans had an easier time getting transportation out of danger zones than poorer, mostly hispanic or African American people who didn't have an easy route to safety. It was an unfair time for many who were stranded by the disaster. The worst part of it was that none of the people with the authority to control the damage had had the foresight to see that the less fortunate people of New Orleans wouldn't have ways to avoid it. This caused many problems, for example, while some people were able to escape the city and stay in safer areas, others were killed by the storm, had their shops stolen from, starved, developed sicknesses, or were killed by gang members.
The government's solution to save the endangered citizens from harm was to keep them in the Louisiana Superdome. They were unprepared for the thousands of people that would need shelter, and soon they were overcrowded, the bathrooms overflowed, people stole from one another, the temperatures were dangerously high, gangs arose, and people were raped and murdered, all in the pitch black dark of the storm.
The mindlessness and ignorance on the government's part led to the deaths of hundreds of innocent people. I think that lack of foresight and consideration of a wider spectrum of people can lead to destruction of many lives, much like how many teenagers don't think about how kids who aren't as cool as others feel about things.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
A Hat Full of Sky
In "A Hat Full of Sky" by Terry Pratchett, a 12 year old witch named Tiffany goes off to be the apprentice of an adult witch named Ms. Level. A hiver, or an evil spirit, follows after her to possess her powerful body, although Tiffany does not know this. Terry Pratchett does an incredible job of giving characters a very distinct nature.
For example, when the characters speak, they almost never say anything normal, like "hey!" Their convesations always reveal something interesting, and in that way, you learn more about the people in a few sentences than you could in a chapter of a different book. The language he uses is so unique I take note of it to think about how to do what he does in my writing.
"A Hat Full of Sky' portrays a very intricate world of creatures and ideas about the world, all written very fluently and in a way that captures your attention.
For example, when the characters speak, they almost never say anything normal, like "hey!" Their convesations always reveal something interesting, and in that way, you learn more about the people in a few sentences than you could in a chapter of a different book. The language he uses is so unique I take note of it to think about how to do what he does in my writing.
"A Hat Full of Sky' portrays a very intricate world of creatures and ideas about the world, all written very fluently and in a way that captures your attention.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous (SPOILER)
I finally found Go Ask Alice and finished it! It was a terribly consuming and emotional book and I was saddened to know that what was mentioned in the book really happened in real life.
The story is based off the true diary of a 15 year old drug user and the main character, unnamed, starts off a little lonely and insecure. This is common is almost all teenagers, but her case must have been deeper than that, because the choices she ends up making seem to derive from self uncertainty.
For example, she tries LSD for the first time at a party and has a wonderful experience. Then she feels guilty about it, but goes on to try more things like Speed and acid. Her experiences are sometimes bad, but she continues her use, even starts dealing to young kids and loses her virginity at 15. She is a teenager, but people who make those decisions aren't just adventurous, to me, it shows that they didn't have a strongest grip on their life in the first place. She gets in fights with her family and soon runs away to San Francisco with a girl a couple years older, where she lives in a ratty apartment and finds an okay job. Her friend finds a job with a woman who invites her and the main character to classy business parties, where they end up taking hard drugs and being abused by the hosts. However, they become sober and start up their own jewelry shop, but after that she goes home and pursues her chain of drugs, consequences, bullying, soberness, and back to drugs.
My point is, I think the core of most drug users, beyond curiosity and being naive (which is also a cause) is instability, whether it is in self confidence, family, friends or relationships. It was a really good and HEARTRENDING book that will definitely tell you the pros and cons of drug use. (Mostly cons.)
The story is based off the true diary of a 15 year old drug user and the main character, unnamed, starts off a little lonely and insecure. This is common is almost all teenagers, but her case must have been deeper than that, because the choices she ends up making seem to derive from self uncertainty.
For example, she tries LSD for the first time at a party and has a wonderful experience. Then she feels guilty about it, but goes on to try more things like Speed and acid. Her experiences are sometimes bad, but she continues her use, even starts dealing to young kids and loses her virginity at 15. She is a teenager, but people who make those decisions aren't just adventurous, to me, it shows that they didn't have a strongest grip on their life in the first place. She gets in fights with her family and soon runs away to San Francisco with a girl a couple years older, where she lives in a ratty apartment and finds an okay job. Her friend finds a job with a woman who invites her and the main character to classy business parties, where they end up taking hard drugs and being abused by the hosts. However, they become sober and start up their own jewelry shop, but after that she goes home and pursues her chain of drugs, consequences, bullying, soberness, and back to drugs.
My point is, I think the core of most drug users, beyond curiosity and being naive (which is also a cause) is instability, whether it is in self confidence, family, friends or relationships. It was a really good and HEARTRENDING book that will definitely tell you the pros and cons of drug use. (Mostly cons.)
Monday, March 18, 2013
The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost
The setting in "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost hints that the man in the poem is middle aged, and deciding at a later point in his life between two life paths.
The first line in the poem, "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood" made me think of fall, and that the narrator was caught between a decision at mid-age. The rest of the poem describes the man taking one path and thinking about trying the other, and never getting around to it, but in the end, both roads are the same. To me, the author is trying to say that the man is stuck in a kind of minor mid-life crisis.
In the last stanza, it says "I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence" making it clear that he's looking back on his choice years later, and maybe feeling some regret. This isn't completely clear- but the poem clues toward the narrator being somewhere in the middle of his life.
The first line in the poem, "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood" made me think of fall, and that the narrator was caught between a decision at mid-age. The rest of the poem describes the man taking one path and thinking about trying the other, and never getting around to it, but in the end, both roads are the same. To me, the author is trying to say that the man is stuck in a kind of minor mid-life crisis.
In the last stanza, it says "I shall be telling this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence" making it clear that he's looking back on his choice years later, and maybe feeling some regret. This isn't completely clear- but the poem clues toward the narrator being somewhere in the middle of his life.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Bridge To Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
I've recently started reading "Bridge To Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson and I love the way the book opens.
Sometimes books open EXTREMELY boringly and you have to wait till the middle of the book for it to get interesting ((((Andromeda Klein)))) but this one really showed a lot about the boy's life; his family dynamic in a few short sentences, his town, his desire for running. I've only read a few pages and I already am interested.
It also makes me excited to see where the book will turn, because I know something interesting is supposed to happen where him and a girl end up in woods. With that in mind, I have a much better time reading this than Andromeda Klein; (which, as it turns out, is interesting but is still too hard to understand.)
Sometimes books open EXTREMELY boringly and you have to wait till the middle of the book for it to get interesting ((((Andromeda Klein)))) but this one really showed a lot about the boy's life; his family dynamic in a few short sentences, his town, his desire for running. I've only read a few pages and I already am interested.
It also makes me excited to see where the book will turn, because I know something interesting is supposed to happen where him and a girl end up in woods. With that in mind, I have a much better time reading this than Andromeda Klein; (which, as it turns out, is interesting but is still too hard to understand.)
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Andromeda Klein
I have officially decided that I hate the book Andromeda Klein. Which is sad, because other than a few reasons, it could be a really interesting book.
For one, its eXTREMELY boring. There is literally a page about wicker furniture, like no, no one needs to know that. I barely know what the storyline is-if the book is made for kids, at least make it compelling enough to enjoy.
Second of all, the book uses hundreds of confusing terms in every sentence, and I don have time to look them up. It doesn't make it seem smart or intellectual either, it just frustrates me.
So basically I'm never reading this again.
For one, its eXTREMELY boring. There is literally a page about wicker furniture, like no, no one needs to know that. I barely know what the storyline is-if the book is made for kids, at least make it compelling enough to enjoy.
Second of all, the book uses hundreds of confusing terms in every sentence, and I don have time to look them up. It doesn't make it seem smart or intellectual either, it just frustrates me.
So basically I'm never reading this again.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Elsewhere
"Elsewhere" by Gabrielle Zevin explores the question, what happens after we die? And the idea of heaven, or somewhere like it.
Liz Hall, a teenager, is (SPOLER) hit by a car, and dies. She awakes on a ship, and meets another girl around the same age there, telling her she is well on her way to Elsewhere. Elsewhere is the place people go after they die, and arrive at the age they died at. They don't stay there in eternal bliss however, they live there in a town, have a job, live normally, but age backward until they are newborns, and are shipped back to Earth to be reborn again.
The thoughts of Liz Hall, especially considering the young age she passed away at, made me sad when reading the book. I couldn't imagine knowing I had died, that the people on Earth were without me, and I wasn't part of their lives anymore. That along with aging backward and having to start a "new life" in the meantime in Elsewhere would drive me insane. Liz becomes obsessed with looking at Earth and seeing what her friends and family do when she's not there. I think I would do the same thing.
The book "Elsewhere" is an incredible book that everyone should read.
Liz Hall, a teenager, is (SPOLER) hit by a car, and dies. She awakes on a ship, and meets another girl around the same age there, telling her she is well on her way to Elsewhere. Elsewhere is the place people go after they die, and arrive at the age they died at. They don't stay there in eternal bliss however, they live there in a town, have a job, live normally, but age backward until they are newborns, and are shipped back to Earth to be reborn again.
The thoughts of Liz Hall, especially considering the young age she passed away at, made me sad when reading the book. I couldn't imagine knowing I had died, that the people on Earth were without me, and I wasn't part of their lives anymore. That along with aging backward and having to start a "new life" in the meantime in Elsewhere would drive me insane. Liz becomes obsessed with looking at Earth and seeing what her friends and family do when she's not there. I think I would do the same thing.
The book "Elsewhere" is an incredible book that everyone should read.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Andromeda Klein by Frank Portman
I just started the book "Andromeda Klein" by Frank Portman. It's hard to follow in the beginning and I had to keep re reading parts I didn't understand, but basically Andromeda Klein is about an unattractive girl in high school who's life is so muddled that she turns to "occultism" and tarot card readings for salvation.
It annoys me a little how in the beginning of the book the author makes it really obvious that she's an outcast, and that she's "different" from everyone else in her high school and town altogether. I think this isn't necessary, that the reader should be able to obtain this from reading the book. The characters I identify most with myself are characters that aren't over described, because it makes them seem fake. Harry Potter's persona isn't thrown into the reader's face right away, but by the end of all 7 books you feel like he could be a real person.
But on the other hand I really like the world Frank Portman sets up in the first chapter, and how easily someone could get obsessed with something magical or out of the ordinary when reality becomes too hard to deal with. I'm excited to keep reading it.
It annoys me a little how in the beginning of the book the author makes it really obvious that she's an outcast, and that she's "different" from everyone else in her high school and town altogether. I think this isn't necessary, that the reader should be able to obtain this from reading the book. The characters I identify most with myself are characters that aren't over described, because it makes them seem fake. Harry Potter's persona isn't thrown into the reader's face right away, but by the end of all 7 books you feel like he could be a real person.
But on the other hand I really like the world Frank Portman sets up in the first chapter, and how easily someone could get obsessed with something magical or out of the ordinary when reality becomes too hard to deal with. I'm excited to keep reading it.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Danny and His Father's Relationship
In the book "Danny The Champion of The World", Roald Dahl challenges the relationship between Danny and his father.
Their relationship is very important because Danny doesn't have a mom and him and his father rely on each other for comfort. Their bond is very strong, and they would be lost without one another. Danny also needs someone to look up to in life, and his father needs someone to live for.
But then Danny's father gets hurt "poaching" or stealing pheasant game from a nearby private owned wood, and now something bad could happen to his father, like he could get caught, and Danny wouldn't have a father and he would need to save him.
I have to read on to see what will happen to their now shaky bond, but I think they would do anything to save each other and that will pull them through.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
"Danny The Champion of The World" by Roald Dahl
I think the book "Danny The Champion of The World" by Roald Dahl really captures what it's like to be a carefree young boy, like Danny. It also expresses the true relationship between a caring father and a son that really looks up to him.
Danny, a young boy, lives with only his father after his mother died. They don't have much, they live in an old gypsy caravan with no electricity, but a kerosene lamp and a kerosene burner. He goes to school miles away and travels there on foot. He spends his days making machines and repairing cars with his father, yet he seems far happier than hundreds of rich people in the world. He goes to bed every night and his father tells him elaborate stories such as the Big Friendly Giant and helps Danny fall asleep. It showed me that you don't need a lot in life but the caring and love of others to be content.
It turns out Danny's father has a secret that Danny never knew about, and I don't want to give it away, but I wonder how it will affect their perfect relationship so far. His father is a good man, and Danny is a bright boy, so I'm sure they will survive. But it reminds you that the smallest thing can go far in a bond that seemed so tight.
Danny, a young boy, lives with only his father after his mother died. They don't have much, they live in an old gypsy caravan with no electricity, but a kerosene lamp and a kerosene burner. He goes to school miles away and travels there on foot. He spends his days making machines and repairing cars with his father, yet he seems far happier than hundreds of rich people in the world. He goes to bed every night and his father tells him elaborate stories such as the Big Friendly Giant and helps Danny fall asleep. It showed me that you don't need a lot in life but the caring and love of others to be content.
It turns out Danny's father has a secret that Danny never knew about, and I don't want to give it away, but I wonder how it will affect their perfect relationship so far. His father is a good man, and Danny is a bright boy, so I'm sure they will survive. But it reminds you that the smallest thing can go far in a bond that seemed so tight.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Different Books
It can be both hard and educating to read multiple books at a time. I've done this a lot, and now I wonder how it affects my thoughts on the books.
If the books I am reading are intense and hard to follow, it will take me longer to read each book. Also, I mix up the story lines which gets really confusing and I have to keep re-reading, or I even forget about one of the books which I would've enjoyed if I'd continued it.
On the other hand, reading multiple books at a time can help you notice the similarities between them, such as character traits and relationships, and compare the kind of writing. Once you are able to do this, it can be very interesting to follow both books at a time.
So the best way to do this is to see whether or not a book seems confusing and overwhelming and decided whether or not to read another book simultaneously.
If the books I am reading are intense and hard to follow, it will take me longer to read each book. Also, I mix up the story lines which gets really confusing and I have to keep re-reading, or I even forget about one of the books which I would've enjoyed if I'd continued it.
On the other hand, reading multiple books at a time can help you notice the similarities between them, such as character traits and relationships, and compare the kind of writing. Once you are able to do this, it can be very interesting to follow both books at a time.
So the best way to do this is to see whether or not a book seems confusing and overwhelming and decided whether or not to read another book simultaneously.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Confusing Books
When reading V for Vendetta and countless other plot twisting, intense and hard to follow books, I often find that I lose track of what is happening and either lose interest in the book or fail to try to understand what exactly it's about.
I often zone out and have a hard time remembering what exactly is happening in the story. ESPECIALLY in V for Vendetta, God knows what is happening in that book right now. I think I should take more time thinking about being clear on the plot, and asking someone about it. Being ignorant about a book and it's characters makes it so much less enjoyable, and I think i'm missing out on a lot of the novel that I could really love that I don't pay attention to/
Books are similar to music in that way, if it gets boring, you tend to lose sight of the good things in it. Like the meaning of the song/book, and I find that after many repeats of a song I first found boring, I end up loving it. You just need some time and thought.
In conclusion, I am going to try to understand the books I read more, and pay more attention to te plot instead of drifting off into space.
I often zone out and have a hard time remembering what exactly is happening in the story. ESPECIALLY in V for Vendetta, God knows what is happening in that book right now. I think I should take more time thinking about being clear on the plot, and asking someone about it. Being ignorant about a book and it's characters makes it so much less enjoyable, and I think i'm missing out on a lot of the novel that I could really love that I don't pay attention to/
Books are similar to music in that way, if it gets boring, you tend to lose sight of the good things in it. Like the meaning of the song/book, and I find that after many repeats of a song I first found boring, I end up loving it. You just need some time and thought.
In conclusion, I am going to try to understand the books I read more, and pay more attention to te plot instead of drifting off into space.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Complex Characters
In the graphic novel "V For Vendetta" by Alan Moore, it's not really clear whether or not the main character, V, is "bad" or not.
One reason why is because during the time the book is set in England, the government is very corrupt. So when V blows up the Parliament building, it's debatable whether or not this was the wrong thing to do. He reapeatedly kills powerful and evil forces in the government system, which is both good (weakening the dictatorship) and bad, killing humans.
Maybe there's a better or more ethic way to take down the fascist government, but all the same, you can't say he is definitely good or bad. Also, V had a terrible past with horrible mental institutions and mistreatment, so it makes sense that he would want revenge (vendetta).
This is why I think V in V for Vendetta is a complicated character.
One reason why is because during the time the book is set in England, the government is very corrupt. So when V blows up the Parliament building, it's debatable whether or not this was the wrong thing to do. He reapeatedly kills powerful and evil forces in the government system, which is both good (weakening the dictatorship) and bad, killing humans.
Maybe there's a better or more ethic way to take down the fascist government, but all the same, you can't say he is definitely good or bad. Also, V had a terrible past with horrible mental institutions and mistreatment, so it makes sense that he would want revenge (vendetta).
This is why I think V in V for Vendetta is a complicated character.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
V For Vendetta
I'm currently reading the graphic novel "V For Vendetta" by Alan Moore, and as confusing as I find it (I need to learn more about British history) I think it shows a lot about good and evil in the world.
For example, the main character "V" seeks revenge on the crumbling British society of 1997. The country has become a fascist dictatorship and no one is trying to escape it, for fear that they can't. V, a man's code name, is a man who is always dressed in a long black cloak, a hat and a mask. He is one of the only people in Britain trying to gain equality. He performs acts of violence on the people at the core of the evil government. This is both good; for weakening the terrible government; and bad, for murdering many people.
For the entire beginning of the book, I had no idea what V was doing was bad. I just didn't think about it, until someone told me he was doing something wrong. Then I realized, oh yeah! He's killing people! But then again, killing evil people. I'm still caught between the controversy of his character, and his impact on the government.
I am not finished with the book, but I am excited to see what changes V makes on British society, and what happens to the teenager he rescues, Evey Hammond.
For example, the main character "V" seeks revenge on the crumbling British society of 1997. The country has become a fascist dictatorship and no one is trying to escape it, for fear that they can't. V, a man's code name, is a man who is always dressed in a long black cloak, a hat and a mask. He is one of the only people in Britain trying to gain equality. He performs acts of violence on the people at the core of the evil government. This is both good; for weakening the terrible government; and bad, for murdering many people.
For the entire beginning of the book, I had no idea what V was doing was bad. I just didn't think about it, until someone told me he was doing something wrong. Then I realized, oh yeah! He's killing people! But then again, killing evil people. I'm still caught between the controversy of his character, and his impact on the government.
I am not finished with the book, but I am excited to see what changes V makes on British society, and what happens to the teenager he rescues, Evey Hammond.
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