Pre-Session Assignment for May 1st
Bring 2 writing excerpts from your Narcissus. These can be short essays, articles, or selections (2-3 pages) from a longer book.
My response: 1. Scott Adams:
The day you became a better writer:
- Why you like these pieces in particular?
- What elements of them you most want to mimic in your own work.
Sample:
Bring 2 writing excerpts from your Narcissus. These can be short essays, articles, or selections (2-3 pages) from a longer book.
My response: 1. Scott Adams:
The day you became a better writer:
- Why you like these pieces in particular?
- What elements of them you most want to mimic in your own work.
Sample:
Business writing is about clarity and persuasion. The main technique is keeping things simple. Simple writing is persuasive. A good argument in five sentences will sway more people than a brilliant argument in a hundred sentences. Don’t fight it
I love this part. Breaking down good writing into basic components of clarity and persuasion. His writing in this piece is an example of his message. I want to be able to keep my sentences short and simple. Avoid the fluff. Keep my message clear.
Prune your sentences.
I have learnt to edit my work. I have to remind myself to PRUNE my sentences repeatedly. It takes more time and effort. The result is worth it.
Scott Adams is from NY US. His experience with corporate America for years before he became a full time cartoonist is what Dilbert is about.
Trevor Noah:
Book - Born A Crime
- Why you like these pieces in particular?
- What elements of them you most want to mimic in your own work.
Sample:
I don’t regret anything I’ve ever done in life, any choice that I’ve made. But I’m consumed with regret for the things I didn’t do, the choices I didn’t make, the things I didn’t say. We spend so much time being afraid of failure, afraid of rejection. But regret is the thing we should fear most. Failure is an answer. Rejection is an answer. Regret is an eternal question you will never have to answer to. “What if…” “If only…””I wonder what would have…” You will never, never know, and it will haunt you for the rest of your days. (pp.143)
Why I love this piece?
It speaks to me. It is exactly how I feel. I find the comedians are the best communicators. They use humor to articulate the things we think about while having our undivided attention and making us laugh. Eternal question - that is a perfect way to summarize regret.
Elements I want to mimic:
I want to think and write about psychology, identity and immigration. Those topics have attracted me forever and I want to understand it and share my thoughts. Since these are heavy topics, humor is a great tool to communicate.
https://tim.blog/2015/09/22/scott-adams-the-man-behind-dilbert/