Writing

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When do you write the most?

Different people prefer to write at different times of the day and night, and many believe that they write better or for longer during these hours. Explain if you think this belief is valid or not and if there is any particular part of the day you prefer to write in? Are you a early morning writer or do prefer to write in the afternoon? Are you an evening writer or do you write long into the night? What times do you write the most or the best? AM or PM, explain when and why you write the most then, and if you think writing at this time makes any difference.

  • I always find that I write best late at night. I don't know why, but come late afternoon/evening, I'm the most creatively inspired. I think some people just function differently and are stimulated in different ways, at different times. I think the author of this article might want to consider the psychological aspect of time/environment in creative inspiration, as that's probably the most fact-based perspective to take on this topic. – Christina 10 years ago
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  • You could also consider length of time in relation to time of day to see if there are any correlations - can you write for long sittings at night, but only short ones in the morning? – kathleensumpton 10 years ago
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  • I usually find myself writing better later at night. Consider exploring the relationship between the factors affecting creativity at different times of day. A factor that could affect one's creativity levels in the morning might be that in the morning they drink coffee, etc. – mfazeka 10 years ago
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  • Perhaps some statistics could be made with what people say from these notes. I often hear people write more/better at night, this may be linked to that period just before you fall asleep. You suddenly think of an amazing idea and you just have to make a note of it. This could be because that as you are preparing for sleep your brain becomes more relaxed and more creative ideas seem to flow better. Anyway, I always write between 12pm and 10pm. I don't like writing when I'm tired and I always have lunch/breakfast (depending on when I wake up...) before I start. – Jamie White 10 years ago
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  • This article sheds light on how fame or public recognition does not measure or define the quality of ones work or contribution to society. It’s a shame Gil Scott Heron was not more recognized for his work but your article and more articles of this nature will help his brilliance and talent live on. – arton30th 10 years ago
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  • I find that I write better at night, and that's just how I have always been. I've been an avid reader every since I was a child, and many times I spent the entire night reading under my covers. And I feel like because of this, it has caused me to like writing at night. That's just when I feel most creative because I think about a lot of things. I've always considered myself a night owl, so that makes a difference too. I definitely think that different people write at different times. Every person has to find creativity in their own way, and for some that means writing in the morning for others that means writing at night. – diehlsam 10 years ago
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The Formatting and Style of Writing

Most writers might be aware of the tedious rules that are involved in writing, particularly when they intend to publish in the media. Generally these guidelines are relaxed in the entertainment value of publishing, though there are larger expectations when dealing with other major groups, such as scholarly journals and education platforms.
The subject here pertains to the various formats designated to various organizations, and offers to investigate the reasons/causation for these different writing styles. It is suggested to review the details of what separates one format style from another, and what could it mean about their importance on the academic scale. An idea might also be to argue in favor for benefits to the formatting changes, or perhaps to dispute if a uniform format might serve best in the academic world. What is your contribution to the format standardization in writing?

  • Remember not to discuss the topic itself, but to provide ideas for fixing, expanding or clarifying the topic for others! – N.D. Storlid 9 years ago
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  • We can always use another voice on this topic! I think a focus on the purpose of it all would be very helpful for people. – Ian Boucher 9 years ago
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Writers as Teachers: a reflection of the pros and cons of education and the written word

A reflection about creative writers and their merit in teaching writing. What are the benefits of learning from a seasoned writer, what are some of the negative experiences. Is there exclusion present within the writing classroom, are writing teachers prone to picking favorites. Piece would be part reflection, would touch on the needs of education and those new to the craft of writing.

  • It would also be helpful to consider whether or not writing is an innate talent, and whether or not you can write well or eloquently is not so much a matter of practice as a matter of brain patterns? Or of the nurture your parents gave you in respect to books and the written word? This topic has a lot to explore, and I think all artists, performing or visual, can also chime in with opinions, since this idea of proficiency being an automatic qualification to teach is quickly becoming problematic in the art worlds. Teaching is in itself a skill that not everyone can handle well - what makes a good teacher is an important question that needs to be addressed now that education is becoming a huge factor in determining a person's lifelong fate. It's nice to see some discussion on it! – EulalieS 9 years ago
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  • Interesting topic! I read a piece similar to this issue a while ago on Flavorwire; it was called "Should I Get an MFA?" and consisted of several writers' opinions surrounding current education and the abilities of a writer. Might help anyone who wants to tackle this topic. – emilydeibler 9 years ago
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  • I was a writing teacher for 25 years. First, in literacy for some students who were not literate in their first language and later for academic writing. Having said that, with some trepidation that now my work will be scrutinized more closely, I loved the creative expression of each person developing his/her unique voice within the conventions. Manipulations of traditional methods and acquiring skill in blending in your own narrative or even at times defying conventions to make a point all serve to foster expressing yourself. Learning the basics can help someone get started with a framework and hopefully creativity takes over from there to collaboration. The ultimate piece following these steps can be a rich and rewarding experience if helpful in developing a writer's voice. I have seen the confidence people gain in written communication once a few basic steps are followed, so I am definitely on the side of learning from peers and maybe this article could explore not only learning from experienced writers but collaborating with even younger people. It helps to keep writing fresh, for me at least. – Munjeera 9 years ago
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  • The results of this discussion may be highly opinionated. – T. Palomino 3 years ago
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Prosody; the Real Struggle for Poets

Prosody has become almost a dying art in poetry, both on and off the age. With a rise in spoken-word, modern writing styles has kind of thrown the traditional rule-book out the window. But is proper meter and rhyme scheme a thing of Shakespearean past? Perhaps, by reviving the techniques behind the art form, we can reach a new level of creativity when it comes to poetry.

  • Also, the writer could definitely look into education courses, workshops, etc. to see how they teach the rules before the artist breaks them. – Jaye Freeland 9 years ago
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  • Recently I have started writing poetry as part of my doctorate of Education program where I am using poetic inquiry in an Autoetnograhical Arts Based Research framework. I am finding that, for the most part, the poems have a mind of their own...and while some are free form others take on rhythm and rhyme...with the result that the poem will generally seek unexpected paths... – bdecker 9 years ago
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Ethnic Identity in Contemporary Literature Characters

Do you feel it is important to write to the racial/ethnic identity of a character in contemporary literature, even if the subject of the work isn't directly related to that identity? If so, how much of that racial/ethnic experience is appropriate or necessary to include? How do these levels change if the writer is a different race/ethnicity from the character, and where is the line of insensitivity? For example, hypothetically, a Latinx writer wants to write an Indonesian character in their Young Adult sci-fi novel – how relevant is the character's identity as an Indonesian to the writing? Or, another real-life example, in David Levithan's "Every Day", the main character A wakes up in someone else's body every morning, an identity-less character bodysnatching other characters with numerous different racial/ethnic identities – how important, necessary, and/or appropriate would it have been to include the different racial/ethnic experiences A could potentially go through as these identities, especially considering the race/ethnicity of the author?

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    Kindle vs Print; Spanning the Digital Divide

    How has the rising popularity in Kindle and ebooks hindered the print medium? Will physical hardcover and paperback books someday go into extinction? While Kindles appeal to the younger, hipper audience, paperbacks still seem to retain a sort of traditional class. Why? Even though they both have their arguable pros and cons, what will become of printed works in the near and long-term future?

    • The funny thing is, the content of this article would likely have been different less than a year ago. Kindle sales seemed to skyrocket for a while, but as I understand it, paperbacks are now on the rise again. From my own standpoint, I do better electronically so I wonder if the target age group has an effect on that. – mattdoylemedia 9 years ago
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    • This is such an interesting topic as it becomes increasingly relevant. A lot of people these days have e-readers and a lot of the time ebooks are cheaper. But there is diffidently a core community that love their books more than ebooks. I personally use both. – Hpfan28 9 years ago
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    • On the other end, the sudden rise in the e-reader brought attention to reading in general, so in a sense it helped the book world as a whole, including paperbacks. – LaRose 9 years ago
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    • I personally prefer printed books over an electronic source, but that's just me. My mom used to work for a book manufacturing company and she would often talk about how their business took a hit after the release of Kindles and Nooks. I have a Nook myself, but never use it. I feel like the people younger than me, who grew up with a lot of technology at their finger tips, enjoy eBooks more just because they are used to things like that. – diehlsam 9 years ago
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    • From your particular stance, I feel that ebooks will eventually dominate the publishing sector. Not necessarily because it is the way of the future, but that it is one solution that avoids the destruction of many trees. It is appearing in other parts of life: recycling to regulate waste, solar energy to eliminate detrimental emissions, so on, so forth. I guess: eventually people will just have to use an ear device or eyeglasses of some sort to tune into satellite transmissions as a form of reading material. – L:Freire 7 years ago
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    Entertaining articles vs articles with depth

    Everyday when I log onto Facebook, I see people sharing articles like "10 ways to get the man of your dreams," "Why you aren't happy," "The happiest couples do this to survive…"

    These irk me. Articles like this are polluting your brain. People read these articles thinking, oh THAT'S why I'm not happy and THAT'S why our relationship is so bad. Whereas actual news articles or long, in depth articles do not get as much attention because they're not listed out in a way that people can read quickly and get advice about their lives…a comparison between the two.

    • The most important think to keep in mind when writing an article is 'Who is my audience?' The reason articles like Buzzfeed put stuff on Facebook it to get likes and to have them be shared. More in-depth articles, like content seen on The Artifice, are advertised on Facebook and Twitter, but like you said, they not shared as much as they are with entertaining articles. This is probably because entertaining articles are faster to read, while more in-depth articles take 10-20 minutes to ready, depending on the subject. – Aaron Hatch 9 years ago
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    • How interesting! There's a couple of different directions I could see this topic going in. The author might want to focus on where certain types of articles are advertised, and why they're effective. It also could be discussed how, as you explained, entertaining articles cause people to have this mindset you describe, having an almost impulsive need to become happier people. What might turn someone on or off to entertaining articles, or to in-depth articles? Could in-depth articles also be just as toxic? – James Smith 9 years ago
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    • Can you reflect more on why the articles are irksome? Might there be some benefits to these lighter articles even if they are not deep or definitive? – jaa9n 9 years ago
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    • While it is easy to fall into the pit that is BuzzFeed, I do agree with how sad it is that the average media user cannot stick with a single piece of written content for more than a few sentences at a time. This is obviously a very frustrating ideal for you (among a lot of other people), so it might be hard to keep this from being a rant/stream of consciousness. I would love for this article to come to life, but be clear and descriptive about it! Why is BuzzFeed bad? What is it doing to society? Why are traditional long form articles like The-Artifice better/important! :) :) – madistyle94 9 years ago
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    • I think would also help to consider the popularity of lifestyle blogs--those where the author tells of their experiences and give tips on a happier life. Their content is mainly entertainment, but also has a certain amount of depth as the author truly wants to help readers. – Fox 9 years ago
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    The Efficacy of Prologues vs. Starting in the Middle

    Novels, especially in the genre of Fantasy have long relied on prologues which give exposition for the reader so that they can understand the fictional world's origins and major conflicts. There is another approach which has been used which is to start in the middle of the conflict, and explain origins later as the action is moving.

    Explore the pros and cons of both approaches, and make suggestions for what kind of stories work best with the two approaches.

    • I've been thinking about this in the context of mystery/ thrillers, where there is often a prologue from the POV of the killer, and then the main part of the book is taken up with having the detective catch up with the character with that POV. In both cases, I think the prologue throws up a wall that allows the writer to violate the old rule that you can't switch points of view-- because readers process the prologue and the main narrative as two separate-but-related texts. If that makes sense. – MattDube 9 years ago
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