tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054081895459294120.post4275516427635308920..comments2024-01-06T02:15:31.671-06:00Comments on Marcia Hoehne: Of Fiction Writers and English MajorsMarciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10006966091789130047noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054081895459294120.post-32254911510950381802013-04-24T09:20:17.211-05:002013-04-24T09:20:17.211-05:00Daisy -- I find that symbols surprise me in my wri...Daisy -- I find that symbols surprise me in my writing. Something will come up and I'll go, "Oh, that's actually sort of a symbol." I find that themes are more planned, and symbols more spontaneous. Marciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10006966091789130047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054081895459294120.post-86465848910266032892013-04-23T11:12:54.230-05:002013-04-23T11:12:54.230-05:00What an excellent point, Marcia. I loved the &quo...What an excellent point, Marcia. I loved the "lit" part of english classes, and I wonder if that doesn't affect my writing sometimes. I don't write page long descriptions of flower petals (yikes!), but I do tend to write with theme and symbolism in mind.<br /><br />As for all the plotting, etc, well, I'm definitely guilty of teaching it over at my blog. But I am definitely a discovery writer during my first draft. I've tried so hard to follow a formula or outline during a first draft, but it always ends up stifling me. So, I write a draft and then implement all of the beats/points/etc. <br /><br />Excellent, excellent post.Daisy Carterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17735098333414333404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054081895459294120.post-23626920778574344892013-04-23T09:00:35.180-05:002013-04-23T09:00:35.180-05:00Medeia -- My daughter double-majored in those same...Medeia -- My daughter double-majored in those same fields. :) I did the same thing as you when I wrote in my teens and 20s! I tried too hard with symbols and themes, because of that influence from English classes even though I didn't major in it. It really turned me into a bad writer for a while. Marciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10006966091789130047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054081895459294120.post-60107543289177309452013-04-23T00:52:09.388-05:002013-04-23T00:52:09.388-05:00I double majored in English and psychology. Lookin...I double majored in English and psychology. Looking back, English enhanced my love for literature but didn't really do much for my writing. Actually, in my teens and early twenties I tried too hard with themes and symbols, which made my writing unrealistic. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054081895459294120.post-48811177192390826222013-04-22T20:29:56.167-05:002013-04-22T20:29:56.167-05:00Carmella -- I also didn't want to read "b...Carmella -- I also didn't want to read "boring classics" or end up with a teacher who asked questions I didn't know how to respond to. Unfortunately, English classes had kind of killed reading for me. Ha -- maybe I just never really graduated past Middle Grade. :)<br /><br />Stina -- Yeah, I was never very good at stating the theme, either. I could probably do better now. But it seems to me that studying both literature and history improves with age and life experience. Marciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10006966091789130047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054081895459294120.post-39310069193666042802013-04-22T18:16:42.156-05:002013-04-22T18:16:42.156-05:00When I started writing, all I knew was you had a b...When I started writing, all I knew was you had a beginning, middle, and end. Now I know it's more complex than that. I don't remember learning it in high school. All I remember was figuring out theme, which I could never do.Stinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11415189347501942340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054081895459294120.post-63032241174366006132013-04-22T15:58:41.142-05:002013-04-22T15:58:41.142-05:00This is precisely why I didn't major in Englis...This is precisely why I didn't major in English either. Great post! Carmella Van Vleethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09986145304172231832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054081895459294120.post-58701531364105309362013-04-20T17:33:23.553-05:002013-04-20T17:33:23.553-05:00Kelly -- I think that opinion about majoring in ma...Kelly -- I think that opinion about majoring in marketing is becoming wider-spread!Marciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10006966091789130047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054081895459294120.post-32183365928137321382013-04-20T05:33:35.018-05:002013-04-20T05:33:35.018-05:00English major here. LOL. I've heard if you wan...English major here. LOL. I've heard if you want to go into writing, you should major in marketing. I think I agree with that.Kelly Hashwayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13936313159809041986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054081895459294120.post-16137036004693997192013-04-19T19:15:15.067-05:002013-04-19T19:15:15.067-05:00Mirka -- Doing is essential; classes are often hel...Mirka -- Doing is essential; classes are often helpful but dispensable in a way that doing is not. I'm all for self-education in something a person is passionate about, though. <br /><br />Andrea -- I do think it's possible to craft the heart out of something. We have to be watchful of that. Marciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10006966091789130047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054081895459294120.post-2462782390731046492013-04-19T05:41:32.725-05:002013-04-19T05:41:32.725-05:00Such a thought-provoking post! I was just thinking...Such a thought-provoking post! I was just thinking about how thinking too much about the mechanics and structure behind the story sometimes seems to take away from the raw emotion of the experience.Andrea Mackhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15250681746122381149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054081895459294120.post-65561143546481009872013-04-18T19:24:11.535-05:002013-04-18T19:24:11.535-05:00This echoes my mind on every level. When it comes ...This echoes my mind on every level. When it comes to art, I think you have to *DO*- not take classes "about," period. But being a culturally literate person is a treasure in itself.<br />This means you don't have to take how-to-write classes. But a curious person would be reading anyway.Mirka Breenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00653086859905415156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054081895459294120.post-14962621397285273702013-04-18T18:19:03.625-05:002013-04-18T18:19:03.625-05:00Laura -- That's so true.
Barbara -- Yes, symb...Laura -- That's so true.<br /><br />Barbara -- Yes, symbols grow organically. I think there are probably symbols in our stories that we don't even catch.<br /><br />Faith -- I think that's a really good point. Some subjects lend themselves better to self-study than others, and I think writing does. <br /><br />Lee -- I think semi-pantsing is actually pretty common. Most pantsers seem to go with some sort of guidelines.<br /><br />Vijaya -- Yes, I think it can take drafts before we know what it is we're dredging up!Marciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10006966091789130047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054081895459294120.post-71246815122679915752013-04-18T15:04:49.668-05:002013-04-18T15:04:49.668-05:00Great post. I would never have dreamed of majoring...Great post. I would never have dreamed of majoring in literature even though I loved it because I was far too practical -- and the love of science was too strong to do anything else really. Win-win situation, I suppose. So I was a scientist who read avidly, and not just research papers :)<br /><br />I think you had it spot on about authors not consciously planting *everything* -- some of it just happens -- and I'm discovering this in my own writing. Now that I'm on my fifth draft of my historical, I think I finally *know* what it's really about. Okay, I'm slow.Vijayahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07876606729146077830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054081895459294120.post-18327753818731490022013-04-18T10:33:17.566-05:002013-04-18T10:33:17.566-05:00Everyone finds what works for them, I guess. I cal...Everyone finds what works for them, I guess. I call myself a semi-pantser because I don't know any other way to describe how I put a story together. cleemckenziehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15456109243453726483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054081895459294120.post-71050301765256361882013-04-18T09:55:35.070-05:002013-04-18T09:55:35.070-05:00I was an English (creative writing) major for a fe...I was an English (creative writing) major for a few weeks...at which point I stopped myself and decided I wanted to spend all that tuition money on something I couldn't learn on my own. I know that sounds arrogant, but I knew I would always be reading and writing and analyzing my own work--on the other hand, I loved languages and knew that I would have a much harder time learning them proficiently on my own. So I majored in Spanish and Education--and learned something that expanded my mind in ways it wasn't already going.<br />I have to say that I love analyzing literature: finding themes, allusions, etc. BUT I totally agree that the author of a great book usually just writes and lets those things happen. Perhaps as a Christian I see this differently than some writers, but I think that if we open ourselves to the work that God is sending, He will make it so much better than we could ever plan for it to be. (You will recognize this idea from Madeleine L'Engle. :)<br />I do outline and plan...but I think plot planning is different than meaning or theme planning. I don't tend to notice themes (other than foggy ideas) until I've finished a few drafts of the book; sometimes I can go through and strengthen them at that point, but I can't imagine trying to pencil them in.Faith E. Houghhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03823750019164801104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054081895459294120.post-22069645707549244462013-04-18T09:15:28.985-05:002013-04-18T09:15:28.985-05:00So interesting! I'm an English Ed major who al...So interesting! I'm an English Ed major who also writes, albeit much more recently I write. The teaching goes way back. And I do enjoy a symbol that's well-developed or a theme that's presented in a way as not to beat the reader over the head. But...when I write I find that symbols (if there are any) grow organically. I don't think about them. And theme is what readers make of my writing. I don't write with one in mind. At least these are my hopes. :-)Barbara Watsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06547166495514562286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9054081895459294120.post-37129870184916347102013-04-18T06:06:53.238-05:002013-04-18T06:06:53.238-05:00Nice point. Just like with anything, we can't ...Nice point. Just like with anything, we can't become too obsessed on one thing to make our stories better. :)Laura Paulinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06503090226508079501noreply@blogger.com