Imagine you get a letter in that mail from a family member. A letter? Wow that’s rare these days. Within the letter, they talk about absolute chaos erupting within their lives. That letter would create a sense of suspense, right? Well, writer's love suspense, and that’s why Mark Dunn chose to write in epistolary format. Writing in letter format allows Dunn to give a twist in a novel in the traditional sense, play with the readers emotions, and letter format requires more work on the readers part. All of these things combined, plus Mark Dunn's writing style, make a novel worth reading.
Mark Dunn writing "Ella Minnow Pea" in epistolary format gave him more control over the reader, and the story. Writing in letter format allowed him to divulge more information between characters, versus a single point of view story. It allowed the reader to find out more, and see how characters acted towards each other, and how they acted towards others. Writing a letter allows more play on emotion. For instance, on pages 32-33, Tassie sends a letter to her cousin Ella, revealing that her mom had accidentally spoke one of the unspeakable letters. She then states that her mom was publicly
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You don't think about books written in epistolary format, you think about books written in various ways, but none are in letter format. That gives a unique twist to this book. It causes Mark Dunn to stand out in literature, but at the same time he gets more criticism than if he were to write a "normally" formatted story. The criticism is usually along the lines of, "This book was boring!" Or, "It was too hard to keep up!" While that may be true, it only requires a little more effort on the readers part, to stay informed. Nonetheless, writing in epistolary format is a less-used form of writing that offers a refreshing twist on your everyday type of
Devin Friedman is a creative storyteller who incorporates observant details in his writings, which makes the readers feel like as if they are part of the adventure. Devin attended the University of Michigan, and he was awarded as the winner of the Hopwood Contest. This contest was hosted by the university committee who appoints experienced judges and the Ann Arbor community to select winners in different writing divisions. In his recent years, Devin wrote for numerous publications such as The Best American Crime Writing, The Best American Travel Writing, The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker, Esquire, People's Stories, and GQ. Out of the many articles Friedman has written in the past, “The Best Night $500,000 Can Buy,” “Famous People: James Franco,” and “The Unbearable Awkwardness of Being” are the ones I have chosen to read because of the interesting subject matters and the different writing styles.
It is one of her main reasons for letter writing and why She does some of the things that she does, because she does not want to lose her grip on her past. Ivy Rowe, in Lee Smith's Fair and Tender. Ladies, uses letter writing to keep a hold of her grip on the past and. where she came from. In Letters from Sugar Fork, Ivy writes for a number of reasons.
...s, and why he writes them at all. Instead of judging him, she tries to understand and fix it her own way, and it affects how he sees his writing:
I think that through the book when Sal is telling the story, her character really progresses to learn how these letters fit in with her life, and how maybe she needs to listen to them. One of the quotes
Renowned economist, Steven D. Levitt, and well-known journalist, Stephen J. Dubner, in their collaboration of the book, Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, write in a mostly inoffensive style about extremely controversial topics. Levitt’s and Dubner’s purpose is to inform readers of frequently disputed topics from a purely economic standpoint. They use second person to directly speak to their readers, an impartial tone to show an unusual perspective, and contrast to provide both sides of an argument.
British playwright W. Somerset Maugham agrees that there are no set standards to writing, and it is up to the author to find which creative elements help them portray their idea in the way they find most effective. With authors Brian Doyle and Anne Carson, both take unconventional approaches to writing to create an effect unable to be explored with a classically styled narrative. In Joyas Voladoras, Doyle uses extended metaphors and seemingly randomly inserted facts to draw importance to certain parts of the essay. Meanwhile Carson uses perspective as a tool to find the meaning of her seemingly random short stories from Short Talks.
Many times it is easy for a reader to identify the specific writing style of a piece, but people rarely analyze how the style is communicated. Style can be communicated through tactics such as juxtaposition. The use of this tactic propels the author’s writing style and many times reveals an underlying message that the writer is attempting to convey to their audience. In Harrison Bergeron Kurt Vonnegut concerns himself with the issue of the destruction of free speech rights by the equal rights movement in the 1950’s and early 1960’s and communicates his feelings toward the issue through a satirical writing style and juxtaposition.
In his report, “Keeping His Head”: Repetition and Responsibility in London’s “To Build a Fire,” Lee Clark Mitchell shares that most naturalist aficionado quiver at the style. This is in part because the enthusiasts thought London’s plot was “childish” and speed was sluggish (76). Mitchell suggests that these readers are ignoring the style and viewing it as irrelevant but he believes the style should be paid attention to because London does not write in the standard naturalist way. He finds London's style rather “compelling” and “curious” and believes other will too if repetition and tenses are accounted for (80, 78).
As Stephen King instructed in his book On Writing, “Murder your darlings” (King 197). This quote has the potential to be deemed as unusual advice, but when seen from the perspective of a writer, it could be very valuable in keeping one’s writing interesting or delivering the unexpected to the reader. Similar to this guidance, King offers many tips and tools to better one’s writing technique and also informs the reader of how his writing career began and thrived. As I reflect on the content found in On Writing, I have discovered that, through this book, I have learned of ways to become a better writer and grow through the lengthy writing process.
I agree with what Allen states in the article “The Inspired Writer vs. the Real Writer” because of how much my writing skills had evolved over the years. When I first started in high school, I believed I was a horrible writer and I struggled a lot just to write a few paragraphs. However, after determination, and several trials and errors, I was able to improve greatly on my skills. In Irvin’s article, “What is ‘Academic’ Writing?” goes over the myths about writing. When I first started to write essays, I believed some of the myths that Irvin talks about in the article. Such myths were the five paragraph essay and the use of “I.” However, the more experience I gained in writing, the more I realized how the five paragraph essay is more of a suggestion. The format might had helped when I first started, but I had grown apart of it now. In addition, I had learned how the use of “I” is situational. In some of my past essays, I have used “I” to help develop my essays. In Bunn’s article “How to Read Like a Writer,” it mentions the importance of Reading Like a Writer. When I first started writing essays in high school, my essays were cookie cutter. The essays were not imaginative and lack literary devices. However, the more I payed attention to how an author writes, the more creative my essays become. I am able to include methods that give creativity in my writing,
Books that are base on letters tells the audience that they will share something personal. It gives some sense of realism in both novels. In Kokoro, Sensei tells the narrator about the relationship with K and his personal view on this situation. Sensei wants to share something personal only with the narrator. As Sensei writes in his letter to the narrator, “To you alone, then, among the millions of Japanese, I wish to tell my past” (Soseki 128). Sensei trusts the narrator and expresses himself through letter. He does not want anyone else to know about his past. In the end of his letter, Sensei says, “I want you to keep everything in secret- even after I myself am dead” (Soseki 248). Sensei discloses his secrets and conveys himself through letters. Correspondingly, the book Frankenstein starts with four letters that Robert Walton writes to his sister. In seventeens century, during Frankenstein period, letters were the only way to send the information secretly, without witnesses. As Robert Walton writes in his letter to Mrs. Saville “I have no friend” (Shelley 19). Walton could share his personal life only with his sister, for that reason he writes letters to her and describes what happens to him during his voyage. Both protagonists share empirical thoughts to their close friend or relative that makes letters valuable and
Personally, I cannot identify my exact writing style. I do write with clear, concise, fluidity; however, I have no sense of “personal style.” I construct each written assignment with the intention of being blunt and supporting my assertions with facts and details that will strengthen my argument. After reading Ch. 1 “The Transaction” I agree with that Zinsser proposes: my writing reflects who I am as a person (5). I am blunt and to the point. I get tasks done in the most efficient way. Maybe my personality does come through in my writing more than I thought.
Many authors have a reason for their writing style. Sometimes their style is due to certain events that have happened throughout their life, where they write to try to prevent the same thing happening or others. The things writers go through and write about may not be “appropriate” according to school boards and “concerned” parents; but they teach lessons and in some occasions, help save lives. Ellen Hopkins, a well-known young adult author, has written many books that have changed the readers paths in life; seeing what the real possibilities are. Many people disagree with her writing style, but she writes these novel so people can avoid and see the consequences of bad decisions.
One must remember that writing style is not something that just happens, but rather something that is developed. With the help of guides like Elements of Style, or books like Style Toward Clarity and Grace, one can begin to develop one.
Austen uses letters to make the novel much more interesting as it is different from constant dialogue. She superbly shows that there are different ways to provide the reader with information other than through dialogue or through the narrator. Letters are important in ? Pride and Prejudice? because they can enhance the plot, change the plot, provide the reader with additional information and can also show character.