#14 Lit Book

Actually early in reading about Contemporary Literature, mentioned was one writer name Bernard Malamud. He said," People say I write so much about misery, but you write about what you write best. As you are grooved, so you grieved." Once I read it it was like boom! Stephen King said the exact same thing in On Writing. He said, " Write what you know" So this is a common idea amongst writers. I never really realized myself that I should just write in my comfortable knowledge and not try to impress anybody but myself. Sometimes I would try to put too much info that I don't even know. But that just males the paper not connected to myself which means others won't get it either. I'm not sure if I mentioned this in another post before.

#13 Lit Book

During the Harlem Renaissance there was a total literary movement in Harlem itself. I really envy when people can get inspiration from their past and be so true and loving to the art form that they're presenting it through. It takes a lot of skill in my opinion and that's something that I am still looking to succeed in when I get older. I know back then that certain ethnicity's had to come together to create a movement. But I think now that we should all come together with different backgrounds and the same interests to come as one and create a project that can really send out a message. In the lit book it said the Harlem Renaissance was kicked off at a dinner that showcased new, young, and impressive talent. It was called the "coming out party". I hope one day teens like me will be able to showcase our work in a comfortable environment.

#12 Catcher in the Rye

Why does he get drunk all the time? He even pointed out when he gets drunk that he holds his stomach like he's been shot. I guess when you're drunk we all have this odd thing that we like to do. I don't know cause I personally never have been drunk but I guess that's a new thing I just learned. Like for some they start to cry and be depressed about their life and that's the thing they do while drunk. He was a real meanie when he went to meet Sally and called her a pain in the ass. Who says that to a girl?! Anyways I also learned a new vocab word that Holden likes to use which is called flit. And that's when you know the same gender likes the same gender. I don't know if that is an actual word in the dictionary or maybe just old english but I'm learning alot of new words from this kid.

#11 Catcher in the Rye

He makes a lot of remarks concerning people. And I'm like "hey I think I agree with you there" or "Wait a minute you better watch your mouth." In life we make a lot oh decisions and for some reason don't know what we're doing sometimes so when old Sally said, "Maybe I don't! Maybe you don't know either!" He seriously was talking about some crazy plan to move away together with her, so I understand why she said that. But this really smacked me in the face with reality. Maybe we don't know what we're doing. Like those kids that know what college they're going to and have their whole life planned out. They don't really know what the heck's gonna happen to them. I guess in other words Old Sally meant to say we have a lot of doubt.

#10 Lit Book

Always in literature there is a need to improve on the era before it. Theres always a new transition coming along. As a new growing country America wanted there own type of literature so they kind of combined Old English literature with their own. But still called it their own, which I guess makes them feel more independent. Because that's what it was all about back then. I think back then there was way more room to invent something new. Because there wasn't that much to begin with. For example poets and writers all seemed so new and inventive because people weren't as open to change so they thought everything the writers did was a huge discovery. Now it seems like everyone is doing the same thing because there's alot thats already been discovered.

#9 Catcher in the Rye

Why does he call everyone a phony! or his other favorite word "goddam". So far in the book a stand out point was when he hired a prostitute! Omg what're they making us read in school. But gladly he didn't actually sleep with her, I mean still the thought of him even hiring one is so bizarre. He's a very bad influence too he smokes and drinks 24/7. Maybe that's why it's good we're reading the book so we ourselves can point out the bad and good things ones does. It's that reverse psychology. At first i thought that Holden Caulfield (finally found out his name) was a self-absorbed narcissist but he really is a paper dragon. Which means he's all talk pretty much. The word he uses is to be "yellow". For instance when he talks to the nuns and starts to feel bad about how they'll never have a " swanky dinner", you see a softer side to him and it made me feel like he's an actual human being with feelings now.

#8 Catcher in the Rye

I think so far in Catcher in the Rye, he's still leading up to the big conflict. I feel like he's going no where in the story, but I think it's coming soon. So far he's left Pencey and is heading to New York all depressed. I found a big connection in Catcher in the Rye that relates to On Writing. There's a character in Catcher named Stradlater. When I'm reading that is such a hrad name to say. I literally have to take a couple seconds to say in in my head cause it's just like a block in the road. SO at the end of On Writing Stephen King shows us one of his earlier stories and then marks all the things he wants to change for example this guys name that is super long and his name is Ostermeyer. He ends up changing it to Olin for his own reasons and thankfully cause it is way easier to say. So J.D. Salinger shoulda taken Stephen Kings and changed Stradlater to a easier name thats pronouncible for readers to enjoy.

#7 On Writing

I'd have to say this book is my all time favorite summer reading. It actually relates to writing and I related to it on a teenage level. I heard that Stephen King actually gave the right for other people to write books for him. Well hopefully he actually wrote this one. This book should totally stay on the summer reading list. For my last post on this book i'd like to talk abour IR, " 2nd draft = 1st draft - 10%", and the fact that writers don't think about every detail they put in their book. Firstly he said tht when writitng we always think or some person that we want to impress while writing, and he calls this person his ideal reader (IR). If we come to the fact that we're writing for somebody besides ourselves then it'll help us take the right direction with our story. second, is the equation that I listed above. I really need to follow this rule because I always overwrite while writing essays. I think that no one will undertand me so I end up adding all these descriptions and it just ends up being too much. I just need to maybe start my story from a different angle so I dont have to do that. Lastly, I remember in sophomore year when we were reading Lord of the Flies and how we were looking at every darn thing and saying that they were all different symbols. Well in On Writing he says that most writers don't even think about that stuff. And that they dont make a book JUST for a certain theme or symbol. At school we look into things too critically in my opinion, but that's what schools for to strip away the book till we've understood every little detail.