Wednesday, December 7, 2011
The end of creative writing--well the class that is
What I found particularly interesting reading through the last couple of
chapters of "Bird by Bird" by Anne Lamott was her final paragraph of
the book.
"'So why does our writing matter, again?' they ask"
"Because of the spirit, I say. Because of the heart...[Writing and reading]They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul...We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again." p 237.
I found this paragraph enlightening. Not only to writers, but to all really. The last sentence to me describes that writing allows an escape from normal day to day activities. In our stories we can alter our appearance, change events, and most importantly change the outcome. If we were to able to travel back into time and change the outcome of past events that occurred in our lives, it would be extraordinary. If only, if only.
I also agree with her that writing and reading "widens and expands our sense of life." We learn a lot about others and life through reading. Writing about those feelings and experiences helps build a bigger understanding of the big picture. Ultimately, it helps widen and expand our feelings on life.
From this novel, I think the most important lesson Lamott has given me is to get to know your characters. To me this really means to get to know one another. So many times we shoot off our mouths before actually getting to know someone. If we had just taken the time to sit ourselves down and listen to them, we could educate ourselves to our fullest potential.
"'So why does our writing matter, again?' they ask"
"Because of the spirit, I say. Because of the heart...[Writing and reading]They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life: they feed the soul...We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again." p 237.
I found this paragraph enlightening. Not only to writers, but to all really. The last sentence to me describes that writing allows an escape from normal day to day activities. In our stories we can alter our appearance, change events, and most importantly change the outcome. If we were to able to travel back into time and change the outcome of past events that occurred in our lives, it would be extraordinary. If only, if only.
I also agree with her that writing and reading "widens and expands our sense of life." We learn a lot about others and life through reading. Writing about those feelings and experiences helps build a bigger understanding of the big picture. Ultimately, it helps widen and expand our feelings on life.
From this novel, I think the most important lesson Lamott has given me is to get to know your characters. To me this really means to get to know one another. So many times we shoot off our mouths before actually getting to know someone. If we had just taken the time to sit ourselves down and listen to them, we could educate ourselves to our fullest potential.
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