One of the many gifts of being a beta reader is learning how
a story hits the spot (or doesn’t) on the reader’s end. I have gained as much from being a Beta as from being the one who received feedback from another.
There is another form of reading, one cultivated in
academia, that imposes analysis on renowned books. The philosophies behind
different forms of analysis are super-imposed on the text. I’ve done my share
in school, and have never found it to help my writing. For that matter, I haven’t
found those who excelled in literary analysis to be strong writers of original
fiction. I have personal friends I will never name who fit into this category:
strong academic background, and their original fiction suffered from the
indoctrination.
One may argue, reading this
article, that any analysis of others’ work is beneficial when forging with
your own story. I will not deny this can and does happen. But as a rule, effective
original fiction is intuitive, and the analyzing mind needs to go into lower
gear, like a barely audible background hum, in order to tell a story well.
Another pithy way of saying this, paraphrasing Dr. Seuss: try
to forget what you learned in Rule-going School. Let the intuitive life
force flow. Get on the boat, and let it sail down the river, only occasionally resorting
to use the oars.
©Geraldine Aikman
4 comments:
That academic analysis thing always drove me crazy - I never believed that Charles Dickens gave as much thought to his writing as lit profs seem(ed) to believe:) And I have clear thoughts about what I don't like while reading, but it's tough to pin down why certain pieces of writing are so perfect in all ways. (and how to carve your own words to be that way)
The Suess quote and picture sum it up perfectly for me, even though I tend towards analysis. But a forced analysis is counterproductive--I saw that with my kids being forced to analyze a text and it robbed them of the joy of the story. I encouraged them enjoy the stories and write how it affected them. I think it's the most important thing in a review too--to let potential readers know how they feel about the story. A summary is usually available.
I think the benefit of literary analysis depends on the teacher/professor. High school English teachers managed to kill enjoyment of so much of literature for me. (Shakespeare managed to survive somehow!) But when I encountered the same books and authors in university I really enjoyed them. I give special thanks to Mr. Marinelli's class on Tudor Poetry and Prose. And the prof his last who taught Chaucer. I hated Chaucer in high school and loved this class.
Has it helped my own writing? I think no knowledge is wasted. Maybe what you're really talking about is the left brain-right brain divide. I do have to tamper my logical left brain when I'm writing my first drafts.
I've learned so much about writing and what makes a good story by giving other writers feedback on their stories.
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