To Be or Not To Be...that one journal entry

This week I tried imitation writing. Turns out imitation writing can be really hard when you have a mind voice bothering you every two second. Case in point: the time I tried to imitate Sarah Cowells style of writing using her piece 'The Partly Cloudy Patriot'. This is how it went:

 

I'm pretty sure I was in my living room, trying to take a nap when I heard the news. India had landed a rover on the moon. My first thought was 'They don't already have one there'. Everyone thought I was funny. I did not. Truly, the event felt disconnected to me. I should have felt proud or happy at the least, but no matter what I tried,  found it unsettlingly hard to express my joy.


Now most people don't see what's wrong with this. I clearly can't help but critique my writing (is this something all writers share?), but let's take a moment to discusses the main point of the diction of Sarah Vowell's piece: humor. She tries her hardest to relate to younger audiences. In my case...humor is a far cry for help. In contrast, it scares me how easily my own style of writing has developed. I present an excerpt on what I hope to one day be a book  that I created, once again, when I was attempting to take a nap in my living room:

 

Leaning against the deep brown door to the cottage that I had called my home for the last 10 years, I tried my hardest to hold back my growing irritation at the male who stood in front of me. Truth be told, it wasn’t the male who my irritation stemmed from but rather the shadowed figure that I could feel lurking in my peripheral. The least she could do was say hello. It had been 10 years since they’d last seen each other for gods’ sake and she still had the audacity to hide. 


See the difference? No? Let me explain. The second excerpt of my writing is much smoother. It flows with a destination in mind (and it is NOT because of the hours of plot drafting that went in before). In very clear contrast, the first excerpt is put together as a an attempt to do something that I clearly had no interest in. It's messy -in the nicest way to myself- and does more of a disservice to Vowell's piece anyway. It also makes me realize that I probably shouldn't do any more of this imitation writing stuff and focus more on my own style (disappointing, honestly).


Signing off for now,

Reality Sucks 

Comments

  1. Aleezay AhmadSeptember 17, 2023 at 11:08 PM

    It's so interesting to see how much smoother your writing is when it's in your own style. Also, I would love to read that book someday! It already has me hooked

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sara ZSeptember 17, 2023 at 11:39 PM

    I see what you mean about the second one being more smooth. But still I don’t feel that the first one is bad. I feel like most of us felt out of place when we did the imitation writing. It was definitely my first time doing something like that and we really didn’t get much time to do it. I crossed out over a third of what I’d written as I was writing it. Let’s keep practicing during class and get better at writing in style! I would love to read your book… you should send me a copy :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I Want a Child

Image
Every gathering of Indian aunties somehow winds up on the topic of the success and failure of their children. It was at one such event that I overheard my mother’s friend speaking, once again, of her son’s latest success. I did not miss the bitter look on the others’ faces as she spoke. It then occurred to me that I too would like to have a child. I want a child who is responsible. My child must wake up before me, cook breakfast, pack lunch, wake me up, and ensure I get to work before going to school. However, my child must never be late to school, must stay on top of schoolwork, and graduate high school with at least a 5.0 GPA. My child must go to an ivy league because I have invested too much time and effort for anything less. My child should be invested in at least 15 extracurriculars, speak 5 languages (fluently), start a non-profit that is successful, and still have time to take care of me. I want a child who will take care of me when I am sick. A child who will take care of any...
Read more

The Ocean and I

Image
Where I’m from, there’s this little strip of beach where no one goes. Night after night, I would traverse the same untouched sand and would look up to the same stars shining down at me. On those lonely nights, the very ocean seemed to rage against the confines of mundane life, screaming like a wildcat to be set free. Other nights, it kept me company in silent, warm waves like a tamed house cat. I liked to believe that small part of the ocean was mine to command how I wanted to.
Read more

The Final One

Image
This year has been such a wild ride – both in terms of my classes and my friends. I think the best way to describe it would be to say that there was some drama and there was some trauma. Honestly though, I’m really thankful for so many people for getting me through the school year. First off, my parents. I have no words to explain how grateful I am for you guys. I know I don’t ever really tell you this but thank you so much. Thank you for keeping me accountable with my classes and grades (cough calc cough). Thank you for making sure I ate whenever I forgot to because I was studying. Thank you for forcing me to get involved with things other than school, which led me to making new friends and experience things that I would normally not. You guys are such an inspiration for me and who I want to be. Of course, I can’t forget my friends. Angie: thank you for keeping me company in chem and just for being your regular spontaneous self. You’ve literally kept me grounded all year with your...
Read more