Hatrack River Writers Workshop: Emulating other Authors

This is topic Emulating other Authors in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by JBSkaggs (Member # 2265) on :

Do you ever have a problem of trying to study another author but instead being sucked into the story and not resolving what you were trying to do.

This is why I can't try to emulate Card every time I try to look at his writings- I end up reading the whole thing, and then usually forget what I was trying to emulate.

Does anybody else have this problem?

Posted by MaryRobinette (Member # 1680) on :

Read one page. Stop. Reread it. Repeat as necessary. Though, I warn you...breaking down the work of an author will reveal many of the flaws that people warn us about in our writing.

Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :

Type the work you want to study instead of just reading it. Forcing it in through your eyes and out through your fingers gives you a different perspective on it and keeps you from being caught up in the story.

(If you process better by listening than by reading, you may want to listen to it on tape and type it from that instead.)

Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :

I've never had this problem. But I would suggest a different take on what KDW said. Try memorizing a few parts of the text that you want to study. Then try writing with those quotations in your mind. Typing something can be a good way of memorizing it for some people. Others can simply read aloud.

At any rate, you can try this just with the parts that you already know. The particularly memorable bits that end up getting quoted all the time. Those are probably the best parts to study too.

Posted by Somerset (Member # 2277) on :

You can learn a lot by typing it out. I do this often with passages or scenes that strike me as particularly good.

Also try rewriting the passage or scene in your own way. How would you have written it? Try changing point of view? If its written in a terse way, make it more wordy, and vice versa. All these sorts of things will help you get into a passage and understand it from within.

Good luck!

Posted by Robyn_Hood (Member # 2083) on :

There is a difference between reading a book and studying it. At least that is something one of my college profs told my class, and I have to agree. You can read a book without studying it, but you can't really study a book without reading. Often that will mean re-reading it (or at least certain sections) several times.

Did you ever have to do novel studies in language arts or English classes?

Here are a few things I remember:

Chapter Synopses
Character Sketches
Questions, Questions, Questions
Chapter tests
Class Discusions

Something one of my teachers said was to try reading the story from start to finish, before studying it. After you have read the story, go back and look at each chapter or at particular sections. You don't have teachers to write up questions about the text, but you could probably find some things on-line to help with that (since you mentioned Card, here is something from this site: http://www.hatrack.com/research/index.shtml ). If you have particular goals, write them down before you start reading. After you've read the book through once or twice or so, look at your list of things to study and then look for specific examples in the text.

Having someone to discuss with is also helpful. Book clubs are good for this sort of thing, as long as everyone reads the material and participates in de-constructing the text.

I know there was at least one book club here on Hatrack operating out of the Published Hooks and Books section, but I don't know how active they are right now, or if the reading list would appeal to you.

Posted by Netstorm2k (Member # 2279) on :

Read with a pencil in your hand, (not a pen) and don't be afraid to mark in the margins.

It might help to buy a copy in large print if it's available. Those have wide margins and a lot of space.

And then, as you read, read slowly, taking a look at the words, the phrases, the dialogue, etc.
Write out a list of the things you want to study in the work, and glance at it periodically as you read each page.
Also, write questions, like, "Why that word?" and "Why the cut to this, in this place?" You get the idea.
When you see things that stand out, comment on the side of the page. It'll take some practice, but you'll get it.

Posted by Robyn_Hood (Member # 2083) on :

You might also try getting a study book such as Cliff's Notes. While many teachers discourage students from using these kinds of books (usually because younger students avoid reading the book in favour of reading the notes), they can help provide a different perspective to the story and some come with questions to think about.

Also, tracking down movies based on the book you are studying. While most of these are often poor compromises for the story, they do provide a different perspective and interpretation of the text. You can ask things like, Why did the screenwriter do it this way, when the author did it this way? Is there a big difference between how the written characters came across vs. how they were protrayed in the movie? which version seems more reallistic? etc.