Greetings! Visitors of my blog, this is my 2nd post and it is reflections on Lamb to the Slaughter. If you have not heard of this story, this is the link if you want to watch it on Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmpY9cpe6g8
I am now going to reflect on a character/a few characters' point(s) of view.
From Mary Maloney's point of view:
While waiting for her husband to return home, Mary Maloney prepared whiskey for her husband to enjoy when he reached home. She might have been the person who cleaned the house to be spick and span, and also forming a cosy ambience. However, when her husband reached home, he looked quite solemn although both of them kissed. Mary Maloney must have felt as though her hard work has not taken its desired effect. Another point to take note of was that Patrick, Mary's spouse, seemed to be troubled. Patrick's behaviour was unusual, he did not usually finish his drink in a gulp but he did on that night, and he declined his wife's offers to cook supper or dinner for him. Mary thought that all these was probably caused by Patrick's fatigue. However, there was more to this than to meets the eye.
And the truth to Patrick's bad mood was revealed after Mary offered to cook dinner or supper for Patrick a few times.
Patrick had an affair, and he wants to divorce Mary to marry his mistress. From Mary's expression, she seemed stunned, and did not seem to accept reality and went on to get her husband's supper. Her husband told Mary that he is going out and gave his wife the cold shoulder by challenging her to stop him. So she did. She took the leg of lamb which she grabbed from the freezer and swung it onto the back of her husband's head. After a few seconds, Patrick collapsed onto the floor. However, Mary did not seem to be shocked that she had just killed her husband! She remained composed and came up with a plan, and of course, the objective of her plan was to cover up her crime.
Now, looking back to what Mary maloney did, I find it quite unusual. In my opinion, she appeared to be such a loving wife in the beginning of the story/video, why did she resort to murdering her husband? Well, from her point of view, she probably was shocked by her husband's words and could not imagine how life would be without Patrick. She might not have wanted other another woman to have her husband, thus she killed Patrick.
Conclusion: Mary must have had her reasons for murdering Patrick, but let's not be like her, love can't be controlled. Before attempting to kill a person, please reconsider: Killing is a sin, you can be hung for that, and when you die, you would most likely go to Hell. Do not act without thinking.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Writing Styles.
Hi everybody,
This is my first post and it is about writing styles.(Reflections)
Beginning of the story
When writing a story, we should make character, setting, and plot important for vivid imagination.
When writing about the characters, you have to make it obvious to the reader who the main character is, one of the most common ways is to state something special or outstanding about that character which makes it stand out to be the main character. Also, we have to write more about the main character, like the obstacles the character faced.
It is important to make distinct differences between the good and bad characters, like elaborating on certain decisions made by the character(s).(e.g. Why did he do that?)
When writing about the settings, remember to show and not to tell. For example, describe the air in Cameron Highlands. Instead of saying that the air is nice, you can say: The fresh air was cooling and was filled with the fragrant scents of the flowers.
When writing, you have to show the risks(e.g. The criminal is putting a dagger to my friend's throat, if I aim to shoot the criminal with my gun, i might have to risk my friend's life).
Establishing the area of conflict: If the setting in the classroom, it might be between classmates.
Foreshadow the ending: If the main character sacrifices himself in a storm, the clouds should be black in the beginning.
In the Middle of the story
Write your story with action, keeping the reader's eyes on the book, to make the reader more enthusiastic to continue reading the book, and as I said, show, and not tell. Make sure the middle part of the story is related to the conclusion of the story. And write the reasons to certain decisions the character makes. As the plot is being develop, create more problems, which are also more serious. Keep the reader in suspense by not making the ending obvious(e.g. In the middle of the story, the main character did not seem to win the battle, but in the end, he did). Before concluding, provide solutions to the obstacles faced.
In the End
End the story by giving a mood to the ending(e.g. sad, happy). To conclude, state the reason to the ending(e.g. They lost the battle all because of......).
Things to take note of
Things in a story do not occur out of the blue, there must be a reason to each decision or fact. Do not confuse the reader, do not suddenly seem to think differently or the situation suddenly changes.
Little guidelines to writing a short story
-Setting(Few examples)
Where did it take place?(simplest question)
How was the surroundings like?
-Weather(Few examples)
How was the weather like?(e.g.If it was raining then how was the rain like?)
What was the impact of the weather on the characters?
-Atmosphere(Few examples)
What was the mood like?
What was the expression on everyone's face?
Was it quiet?
Or was it noisy?
Time(Few examples)
What is the time?
What would everyone usually be doing at this time?
What is the main character or character doing?
Writing a Good Story
Write a story which topic is one of your strongest interests, in this way, you can provide more knowledge to the eader about the story, and you know what you are writing. Did something happen in your life which caused you to remember it vividly?
What approach are you most comfortable with?(Complex, simple)
It should have an impact on the reader, or keep the reader thinking about the story even after he/she has finished reading the story.
Searchong for the potential in you to be a Short-Story Writer:
What do you think of life?(Are you a pessimist or optimist?)
Structuring a Short Story
a) Putting events into sequence
b)Perspective
Narrator's perspective
Every character's perspective
c)Focus
Knowing which part or which character to focus more on.
Reflections:
I feel that writing styles are very important as they can leave a deep impression on the reader, if you are writing a horror story, your story should be commendable if it can keep the reader afraid of certain things for days. When I read Anthony Horowitz's books, I am always feeling the suspense. My heart beats really fast when i read his stories. This proves that he has a good writing style. I am able to enjoy the content of the story without spotting anything questionable(He has good sequencing of elements). So, I hope that my writing style can be more creative to leave an impact on my readers.
Done by: Justin Foo
(I refer to a worksheet given to me for things to reflect on)
This is my first post and it is about writing styles.(Reflections)
Beginning of the story
When writing a story, we should make character, setting, and plot important for vivid imagination.
When writing about the characters, you have to make it obvious to the reader who the main character is, one of the most common ways is to state something special or outstanding about that character which makes it stand out to be the main character. Also, we have to write more about the main character, like the obstacles the character faced.
It is important to make distinct differences between the good and bad characters, like elaborating on certain decisions made by the character(s).(e.g. Why did he do that?)
When writing about the settings, remember to show and not to tell. For example, describe the air in Cameron Highlands. Instead of saying that the air is nice, you can say: The fresh air was cooling and was filled with the fragrant scents of the flowers.
When writing, you have to show the risks(e.g. The criminal is putting a dagger to my friend's throat, if I aim to shoot the criminal with my gun, i might have to risk my friend's life).
Establishing the area of conflict: If the setting in the classroom, it might be between classmates.
Foreshadow the ending: If the main character sacrifices himself in a storm, the clouds should be black in the beginning.
In the Middle of the story
Write your story with action, keeping the reader's eyes on the book, to make the reader more enthusiastic to continue reading the book, and as I said, show, and not tell. Make sure the middle part of the story is related to the conclusion of the story. And write the reasons to certain decisions the character makes. As the plot is being develop, create more problems, which are also more serious. Keep the reader in suspense by not making the ending obvious(e.g. In the middle of the story, the main character did not seem to win the battle, but in the end, he did). Before concluding, provide solutions to the obstacles faced.
In the End
End the story by giving a mood to the ending(e.g. sad, happy). To conclude, state the reason to the ending(e.g. They lost the battle all because of......).
Things to take note of
Things in a story do not occur out of the blue, there must be a reason to each decision or fact. Do not confuse the reader, do not suddenly seem to think differently or the situation suddenly changes.
Little guidelines to writing a short story
-Setting(Few examples)
Where did it take place?(simplest question)
How was the surroundings like?
-Weather(Few examples)
How was the weather like?(e.g.If it was raining then how was the rain like?)
What was the impact of the weather on the characters?
-Atmosphere(Few examples)
What was the mood like?
What was the expression on everyone's face?
Was it quiet?
Or was it noisy?
Time(Few examples)
What is the time?
What would everyone usually be doing at this time?
What is the main character or character doing?
Writing a Good Story
Write a story which topic is one of your strongest interests, in this way, you can provide more knowledge to the eader about the story, and you know what you are writing. Did something happen in your life which caused you to remember it vividly?
What approach are you most comfortable with?(Complex, simple)
It should have an impact on the reader, or keep the reader thinking about the story even after he/she has finished reading the story.
Searchong for the potential in you to be a Short-Story Writer:
What do you think of life?(Are you a pessimist or optimist?)
Structuring a Short Story
a) Putting events into sequence
b)Perspective
Narrator's perspective
Every character's perspective
c)Focus
Knowing which part or which character to focus more on.
Reflections:
I feel that writing styles are very important as they can leave a deep impression on the reader, if you are writing a horror story, your story should be commendable if it can keep the reader afraid of certain things for days. When I read Anthony Horowitz's books, I am always feeling the suspense. My heart beats really fast when i read his stories. This proves that he has a good writing style. I am able to enjoy the content of the story without spotting anything questionable(He has good sequencing of elements). So, I hope that my writing style can be more creative to leave an impact on my readers.
Done by: Justin Foo
(I refer to a worksheet given to me for things to reflect on)
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