Yes, this is the correct approach to writing and the idea behind canonized work. Studying, critical reading and practice will result in good, solid work.
But we aren't learning to play writing--that is, our goal isn't to accurately recreate the works of others, not in the way someone learning to play piano is learning to accurately sound the notes determined by the original composer. A closer analogy would be learning to compose music, surely? And based on that analogy, I think it's valuable for people to be aware of great works by other composers, absolutely, just as I think it's valuable for authors to be aware of the writing of others. But actually sitting down and copying the work, like we're trying to learn to "play" the works of Shakespeare or Austen or whomever? I don't think it's necessary. Honestly. "The correct approach to writing." Not "something that could be really valuable" or "a practice I've found useful" or "what I recommend." Do you really think there's only one "correct" approach to writing?
I've started reading books with this exact thought in mind, and I'd say yes. I recently read Dan Brown's latest book knowing how much I love his short, action-packed chapters, but one thing I don't see myself doing in my own writing is head-hopping within a chapter. *I've also read the Twilight books, and I now know what NOT to do as a writer.*
You don't think it's necessary. That's fine; I never said it was abolutely necessary. My first post in this thread stated that reading works and personally, I have benefited most from copywork. The OP asked me to elaborate and so I did; giving him my reasoning behind adopting this method of learning. That's all. You just wanted something to disagree with.
Well, no... I just disagreed, and wanted to express that. I'd have been fine with not disagreeing, if you'd said something I agreed with! And of course it's great if this works for you. I just don't think the analogy works. Do you?
This is not an interview. The man asked me for my advice, and I gave him what I thought to be good advice. He clearly showed his gratitude so my work here is done. You don't get an answer.
I will try to be brave in the face of this disappointment, but it will certainly be a difficult time for me.
I dig the music analogy. You want to find your own style and write original music, but you learn most about your instrument and how to use it through learning how others used it. The more diverse the range, the more you'll learn. If done badly, you can end up over-influenced by one or few artists and people will consider you a rip-off artist, which explains the entirety of Oasis and Muse. So don't do it badly. I doubt there's a great composer/songwriter alive who hasn't been through this apprenticeship. You don't learn to compose just by listening to others: you learn more by doing. It's true of art too. Many artists consider copying the masters a necessary rite of passage, paying your dues. So I can see the sense in taking an analogous approach to literature, again so long as your inspirations are diverse. At the bare minimum, it's an active versus passive way of learning. You can learn a lot by reading, but you can commit more to memory by writing it down.
But producing music written by someone else, and copying visual art, requires substantial skill. Typing someone else's words requires no more skill than typing a grocery list. It may be valuable for some writers for some reason, but I don't see an analogy here.
You're talking about the technical skill in actually achieving the reproduction of someone else's work: that's a whole other matter. I'm talking about what you can learn about composition by doing so. In terms of honing your technical skill, I agree, writing someone else's work will, at best, up your vocab and your spelling.
if you only read then you are a reader and writing is not your passion. Writing is the need to express yourself. It is an itch inside the mind needs to be scratched. If you feel it pulling at you, then just start by plunking away at it without any pressure of self-judgement. You are learning a new language so you cannot expect to be fluent from the start, but with consistent effort over time you can unlock the storyteller in you that is dying to get at the blank page. Happy writing! Mark Lemohr
I have beeen curious about doing thins for a i while a and I hav e decided to transcribe bloood meridian. I thing in the very least it beuilds muscle memory for good writing . Hope it worlks
I'm trying to speed up improving my writing, as I seem to have gotten stuck in a rut. So I was wondering, has there ever been any time when any of you noticed a quick, marked improvement in your writing? What were you doing at the time that you think lead to the improvement? Were you reading more? Analyzing a bunch of stories? I'm just looking for various things to try. I'm curious particularly about prose quality, but if you noticed some activity, or mind set really helped you with say writing speed, or idea generation, I'd like to hear it. I know also that people reach plateaus and that when you break them it can sort of seem all of a sudden when really you've been working past it for awhile and it's all just finally added up. But if there are any specific activities that you found really improved your prose more quickly, that helped you make a breakthrough, I'd love to hear them. Thanks.
I made substantial (and relatively quick) gains in my writing when I started giving critiques and reading critiques from others. Believe it or not, I've learned quite a lot just from keeping tabs on the Share Your First Three Sentences thread.
Immerse yourself in it. Listen to podcasts like Writing Excuses, and read books like On Writing. And write of course. I don’t think there’s an easy button to make anyone a better writer, but it helps to digest as many viewpoints as possible on how to write well, and to of course practice, practice, and practice.
Watch movies and documentary shows in your genre for !Aha! moments. It's a spark that gets the fire going.
Bone2pick - critiques, yes. I've been meaning to do this but forgotten. I'm glad they were so helpful to you. I'm definitely going to give that a try. Thanks! Matt E - Yeah, I know there are no short cuts. I just can't figure out if I'm in a rut or on a plateau. If it's a plateau then maybe I'm doing what I should and just need more time. Like you said, I'm immersing myself in various media about writing. I actually just finished rereading "On Writing" in January. I'm practicing too. I think maybe I just need more time and work to accrue to get over this hump. But I worry it's a rut and that I'm not doing the right things, so asked if there was a way others had gotten better. I forgot about podcasts though. I watch youtube videos but never listen to podcasts, though there's some overlap of course. I think I have a cache of podcasts somewhere even and will have to give them a listen. Thanks for the reminder! Some Guy - Movies are one of my go-tos but I completely forgot about Documentaries and they have helped me out in the past, getting ideas flowing. I even remember meaning to record a few last month but didn't have the DVR space. Now I'm kicking myself. Oh well. I know of others. Thanks for the tip.
So much valuable info out there. I suggest looking up editor tips on writing. Tons of books too. Right now I'm reading Stephen King's "On Writing" and its a fresh look from the other side.
I noticed a big improvement in my writing during and after taking a poetry class. I took a class that was more based on reading poetry and understanding forms. We did have to write in different forms for each week, but it was more about understanding (really understanding) how all these different sorts of poetry are constructed. Not only do I think reading poetry can be a huge benefit, but writing poetry to form really makes you think about word choice and how words sound together and the importance of those things. Try writing a sonnet or sestina every day for a month. It might be a challenge, but I believe there will also be a great payoff.