More writing success
I am currently about a quarter of the way through my Master of Arts in Creative Writing course at Tabor university in Adelaide, South Australia. I am undertaking this course to hone my skills in writing and to focus my attention on giving my writing career a solid basis on which to grow. I am tackling writing projects that normally I wouldn’t bother doing, like writing essays on set topics.
A few days ago I received back two essays I wrote last semester. Both were written for the unit of study called Literature and Christian Faith. This study looked at various major English texts ranging from Chaucer to Shakespeare through to Beckett (Waiting for Godot). The tutorial paper I presented was to look at the Christian and Biblical themes of George Eliot’s novel Silas Marner. It had been some 40 years since I last read this novel and I thoroughly enjoyed rereading it and studying it. My tutorial presentation went over well with some good discussion between others in the group. I also enjoyed writing the paper and I received a Distinction for it.
My major essay topic requirement was to pose a question of my own choosing. Because I am a graduate I did not have to address the set questions. I chose to write an essay on the theme of condemnation based on a verse from the Bible (Romans chapter 8 verse 1). In my paper I assessed the portrayal of some of the characters included in the following texts:
- The Canterbury Tales by Goeffrey Chaucer
- Othello by William Shakespeare
- Paradise Lost by John Milton
- Silas Marner by George Eliot.
My main focus was to assess how the characters either condemned themselves or each other through their words and actions. I found the whole exercise both stimulating and inspiring. I was very pleased with the result – another Distinction. This means I gained distinctions for all three papers for the unit, giving me an overall Distinction for the subject. All that effort was worth it.
Writers must also be readers. Writers can gain so much by reading the classics. By reading and studying good examples of writing, especially those that have stood the test of time, writers are able to improve their own skills.
Good reading and good writing.
Writing success – well, sort of
One of the assignments I had to complete last semester for my Master of Arts in Creative Writing was a research paper on some aspect of writing. Graduate students were able to negotiate their own topic.
Point of View
I decided to write my paper on the importance of ‘point of view‘ in any piece of fiction. I also planned to cover the different forms of point of view and the relative strengths and weaknesses of each. An ambitious project; whole books have been written on the subject. I only had 2000 words. I must have sounded convincing however, because I received a Distinction for my paper (and only one mark off a High Distinction).
The importance of Point of View
Here is a small extract from my introduction:
Point of view is of vital importance to all writers of fiction. Point of view may appear to have little to do with plot or structure, beginning or ending and even characterisation, but it can impact upon the effectiveness of those elements. Point of view is how the story is told, who tells the story and how it sounds to the readers. ‘To put this most simply, point of view is merely a decision the writer makes that will determine through whose eyes the story is going to be told’. (Elizabeth George, crime writer) This is a fundamental decision that needs to be made by the writer right at the beginning.
The effects of Point of View
The point of view chosen by the author fundamentally affects the way readers will respond emotionally to the fictional characters. For example, if the story is told from the point of view of rapist, this will differ markedly from the story told by the victim. It will totally change the mood, tone and voice of the writing. It could also impact upon how the characters are depicted by the author.
I may write about this topic in more detail in future posts. Let me know in the comments or via the contact form if you’d like to read more on this topic.
Good writing.
Back at University
I started back at University today for the second semester for this academic year. For new readers to my blog I am currently a quarter of the way through doing my Master of Arts in Creative writing course at Tabor College in Adelaide, South Australia.
This semester I am studying three units as follows:
- Themes in Australian Literature
- Writing Prose
- Writing Poetry
The first lecture today was on Australian Literature and was necessarily an introductory type session. Looking through the lists of texts and topics to be studied I am sure that I will enjoy this unit. It will require plenty of reading as well as writing assignments.
I have to complete three assignments as follows:
- A tutorial paper of 1500 words
- A major essay of 3000 words
- A reflective journal on the reading I do during the unit of study – this is to be a minimum of 2000 words.
I plan to reflect on my studies on this blog – as time allows. Last semester I had intended doing this too, but the intensive nature of study tended to get in the way of too much blogging. We will see.
In the meantime – good writing.
What I am reading: “Paradise Lost”
One of the units I studied last semester included a reading of selected works from the classics of English literature. One of the works studied was John Milton’s epic poem ‘Paradise Lost.’
It had been many years since I’d last looked at this poem. It was like coming afresh to this monumental work of literature. At first I found the going a little tough, but the more I read the more intrigued I became. Over several days I actually read through the whole work. The lecturer and all of the other students in my tutorial group were most impressed. No-one else had read the entire work, including the lecturer. Several students chose to write their tutorial paper on this poem, but they only had to read and study a very small portion of several hundred lines.
I was so intrigued by this poem that I included it as one of the texts I referred to in my major essay. I was pleased with what I wrote in that essay but do not yet know my mark. I should receive the essay back next week.