For PERIOD C- DUE SEPTEMBER 11, 7:00 A.M.
Widely regarded as the greatest American writer of his time, Mark Twain was often asked for advice on the art and craft of writing. Sometimes the famous humorist would respond seriously, and sometimes not. Here, in remarks drawn from his letters, essays, novels, and speeches, are ten of Twain's most memorable observations on the writer's craft.
Widely regarded as the greatest American writer of his time, Mark Twain was often asked for advice on the art and craft of writing. Sometimes the famous humorist would respond seriously, and sometimes not. Here, in remarks drawn from his letters, essays, novels, and speeches, are ten of Twain's most memorable observations on the writer's craft.
- Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.
- Use the right word, not its second cousin.
- As to the Adjective: when in doubt, strike it out.
- You need not expect to get your book right the first time. Go to work and revamp or rewrite it. God only exhibits his thunder and lightning at intervals, and so they always command attention. These are God's adjectives. You thunder and lightning too much; the reader ceases to get under the bed, by and by.
- Substitute damn every time you're inclined to write very; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.
- Use good grammar.
- Damnation (if you will allow the expression), get up & take a turn around the block & let the sentiment blow off you. Sentiment is for girls. . . . There is one thing I can't stand and won't stand, from many people. That is, sham sentimentality.
- Use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English--it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in.
- The time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that time you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is that you really want to say.
- Write without pay until somebody offers pay. If nobody offers within three years, the candidate may look upon this circumstance with the most implicit confidence as the sign that sawing wood is what he was intended for.
Read ten tips shared by Mark Twain during his lifetime. Some of these will not be relevant to you as a freshman in high school, but most of them can directly impact your experience in English class. Which one might you disagree with? Which tip is most surprising? Which one of these are most important to your writing this year and why? ONE PARAGRAPH.
Brandon Kelly
ReplyDeleteI disagree with the 1st statement the most because he stated "Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please." I disagree with that because if you collect facts there real things that actually happened so distorting them would be lying to the reader and not telling them the truth. The biggest tip most surprising to me is where he says "Substitute damn every time you're inclined to write very; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be." I was surprised by this tip but once I thought about it I realized how truthful it actually was. The most important tip that could be used in my writing this year is probably where he says "Use good grammar." I know it's such a simple and obvious statement but grammar is so important to writing that if you mess up on grammar in an article for school your grade will easily be a C or lower.
id have to disagree with ten for two reasons. one, id say not get payed in three months, not years. and two, he doesn't have to saw wood.i would say five was surprising. because i would've never thought of that. and lastly i would say eight. because everyone is using stupid words, like bae and or naw. its very stupid and makes anyone who says it look stupid.
ReplyDeleteSavanna Colpitts
ReplyDeleteOne tip i disagree with is tip 8. i don't completely disagree with it but i feel there's more to writing than short sentences with simple language.
A tip that surprised me was tip number 8. i didn't expect that to be a tip from Mark Twain.
One tip that is most important to me as a writer this year, is tip number 9. I realized that sometimes i really don't say what i want to say so now i will keep that in mind. To always say what i need to say.
"Use the right word not its second cousin." I believe that step number two will be the most important thing to me in my writing this year. Whenever I write a story I usually re use words too much so finding the right word is hard for me. I think that is the best piece of advice/directions the author could give. Rule number five doesn't make any sense because substituting the word very with the word damn doesn't make sense because the word damn might not be appropriate for what you're talking about. The word very might just sound more proper for writing. Rule number 8 surprised me the most because he says "use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences." and I was always taught to make my writing seem interesting and engage people to read. If you just use simple writing and brief sentences it will make your work seem not as engaging to read. Although Mark Twain is said to be a brilliant writer some of his theories do not make sense.
ReplyDeleteStephen Andrews
ReplyDeleteI disagree with rule eight because sometimes it is better to put details instead of just writing plain and simple. Rule five is surprising because it is saying to not use the word very in your book. Rule number one is most important to my writing this year because sometimes I start writing before i have my facts and I get lost in the middle of my story.
Jacob Ribeiro - Class C
ReplyDeleteThe ten tips that Mark Twain shared with us during his life time is useful for writers everywhere because you can improve you writing skills with these top tips from Mark Twain. One of the tips I was surprised with is tip number eight because I believed that I needed to you more complex words to enhance my writing skills. Tip number ten I disagree with because if what you wrote was worthless and made you no money in the three month's you finished your writing piece, at least you have enjoyment writing that work of art. Therefore, the ten tips that Mark Twain shared during his life time is useful for writers everywhere.
Out of these 10 tips I do not really disagree with any. If I had to choose I would disagree with tip number 5. "Substitute damn every time you're inclined to write very; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be." This is not a needed tip and is most likely one of his not so serious comments on writing. The tip that is most surprising is number 8. It is saying to use simple words and short sentences, but throughout the years we have been taught to use more complex and difficult sentences. As in long, more detailed words and sentences. Out of these tips the one that is most important to our writing this year is tip number 4. I believe this because it is saying you can't expect your writing to be perfect right away. You can revise and edit your writing as needed.
ReplyDeleteDante Terrizzi: I would disagree with number seven because there are writers that take years to write books or poems. Number ten was the most surprising to me because Mark Twain is basically saying that the writer should give up. Number four is the most important to me. The tip is saying to get better at writing don't scare the reader into not wanting to read the book or the piece of writing.
ReplyDeleteOne of the many things twain has spoken about is very interesting. One of the 10 interesting facts that he, as a writer, has said is, Use plain, simple Language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English—it id the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don’t let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. This phrase will be important to freshman year for me because everyone says that you should always elaborate on your writing but if you have to many words in a sentence the reader could get confused on what the topic was that you originally started talking about. But if you take those thoughts and turn those into several sentences and making your story longer and having the reader understand more of what you’re writing.
ReplyDeleteAbby Colletto
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Mark Twain’s ten tips the tip I disagreed with was using plain simple language and brief sentences. When writing using plain language is ineffective you’re not going to dumb down writing for no purpose. The tip that most surprised me is to use plain simple language; this tip surprised me because in Mark Twain’s books he uses vast language and lengthy sentences. The tip that most pertained to me as a freshman is use good grammar. No one’s grammar is perfect but in writing grammar and spelling are the most important.
Jayce Beaudette
ReplyDeleteOne tip i disagree with is The tip were he states more to writing than short sentences with simple language .A tip that surprised me was tip number 8. One tip that is most important to me as a writer this year, is tip number 9. I think this because sometimes people just write to the prompt. nothing really surprised me.
Carlin Aguiar:
ReplyDeleteI disagree with how he say "when i doubt, strike it out". I disagree because if your in doubt with a word or phrase or anything like that you shouldn't just get rid of it. That idea or phrase could be an amazing piece of your writing so you should always ask a teacher or your parents if they think it a good idea or not. I think that number one is the most important to your writing. I think that because some people think they know it all and don't look up any fact, and when you look it up you know that you facts will be true. Also you can think your right but your actually just making stuff up the whole entire time. The most surprising tip to me is to yous plane simple language and use short words. Another thing i thought was really important is that " yous the real word not its cousin" because everyone is so used to texting the days so when they type for school they type all of the short cuts.As a kid i always thought that teachers wanted those big words so i would go out of my way just to find bigger words just to impress my teacher.
Felicity Kinsella- Mark Twain is a popular writer for almost all ages. He gives his tips on how to write a book, but not everyone agrees with these tips. I disagree with number 8. I think you have to have different sentence length to make it interesting. If you were to read short sentences from the book out loud you would sound like a robot. Longer sentences don’t just make it sound better but it makes the story flow more. The most surprising one was number 9; you may have to write the article several times to get it to sound good, not just revising actually rewriting it. When it sounds the way it should then you probably have a good writing piece. Number 1 is the most important one. Most people just write down random things where they have no facts at all. You must get the facts before actually stating something or playing around with your writing. With the facts behind your writing then you actually understand everything better. In conclusion, everyone definitely has their own opinions on these tips.
ReplyDeleteCaroline Gibson Mark Twain-Ten Tips 9/10/14
ReplyDeleteAs Mark Twain was an iconic writer, I do disagree with his eighth tip. I do not believe that brief sentences and simple language are good ways in which to write. I have actually enjoyed books that have advanced literature and longer sentences as they contain more information and tend to give the reader a better experience. It was particularly surprising to read that Mark Twain, of all people, would support using simple language and short sentences. His works are held high in the literature society and his exquisite pieces have inspired many to write in such a highly descriptive way. Overall, the tip that is most important for me to remember throughout this year is the fourth tip. I, often times, end up writing a somewhat scrappy piece of work and tend to not want to spend the time re-writing it. This is awful as I end up getting a bad grade when I know I could have done better. So, this tip is particularly helpful to a person like me who is subject to procrastination.
One of these tips shared by Mark Twain that I would say is most important to my writing this year would be the eighth tip because it tells us directly how to write and what not to do. Although it doesn't tell us the precautions it does tell us the best way to write and that is to keep it modern by using plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. All of those things are good because the more modern you are with your writing the more people can understand your writing. One tip of Mark Twain's that I disagree with is his last quote, the tenth quote. I say that the tenth quote is wrong because even though they may not be good enough after three years of being a writer they can still improve on their skills. The fourth tip is the most surprising to me because it talks about how it is a natural thing to not get your book right the first time and to revise your work. He goes on about with a metaphor comparing God being over powering with his thunder and lightening to how your writing could be too over powering for the reader and to fix that you would need to revise and fix it.
ReplyDeleteMichael Brassard
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading Mark Twain’s ten tips I thought all of his tips where all very important, especially number seven, “Damnation (if you will allow the expression), get up & take a turn around the block & let the sentiment blow off you. Sentiment is for girls. . . . There is one thing I can't stand and won't stand, from many people. That is, sham sentimentality.” I can relate with this tip a lot, I get caught up with my writing, getting frustrated because it is not the perfect to me, something I need to improve in order to become a better writer over all. I was surprised to hear tip five. Not understanding the point to it made it very had to interpret. But I am sure almost all these tips to become a better writer.
Gianna Bianchi
ReplyDeleteI think #8 is the most important one to me because he tells me what I need to do to write and what not to do for writing. I disagree with #10 I don't think you would have to wait for 3 years for someone to improve with their writing. They could improve at any time. The one that surprises me the most is #9 why would you have to rewrite the essay or paper 7 times?!
Connor Benbenek
ReplyDeleteWhen I was reading Mark Twain's ten tips I came across tip eight,"Use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English--it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in." I completely disagree with this tip. I believe that using more detail and making longer sentences makes reading more fun and enjoyable. Think about it, if there wasn't any of that fluff or flowers in books than you would basically be taking out all the fun. What I was most surprised with was tip one,"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please." First seeing this tip, I was somewhat confused what it truly meant, but now after reading it several times I understand what it actually means. Tip two will be the most important to me this year. "Use the right word, not its second cousin." Usually when I am writing I tend to repeat the same words over and over since I can't find any other words to use. This tip will be the most important one throughout this year.
Charles morin
ReplyDeleteOne tip that twain wrote that kind of surprised me and that I disagree with is “Use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English--it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in.” A was more expecting “English writing the art of a person who is master procrastination. The more time you send with things that don’t’ matter the less time the read has to recognize that the plot is offal”. Basically all teachers want a landfill of words to have you describe a single irrelevant, animate object. The one that seems most important for 9th grade is… use good grammar. Why, because I have absolutely no grammar skills and I can’t spell to save my life. Now that is what is interesting about mark Twain he is allowed to disagree with the teacher.
While reading Mark Twain's ten tips, tip 8 stuck out to me. "Use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English--it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in." This tip is confusing to me. Every year that I've taken English class I've been told to be "descriptive." I'm not very familiar with Mark Twain's work, but I'm sure his writing is wordy and jazzed up. I think having a writing a piece that has words and sentences to just fill up a page is silly. But you want to use different words and have well thought out sentences. Tip 6 will be most useful to me this year. "Use good grammar." The tip is simple but effective. I tend to use words like "nice", "good" or "pretty," instead of more descriptive words. I don't agree with tip 8 but tip 6 seems like effective and useful advice for starting my freshman year.
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