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Young Writers Society


A Question For All Author's



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Thu Nov 17, 2011 11:28 pm
AngelKnight900 says...



So, we have been reading The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne in English class and I really liked it, minus the language which turned me off. I'm too used to how we talk today to actually have patience for the language they spoke in the 1800's even though the book was based on the 1600's but I can manage because they're language is great for essays. Speaking of essays, we are actually doing an essay on symbolism of the book and I asked my teacher a question on the first day writing it.

I started noticing that whenever we did discussions and while analyzing passages, that whatever the author wrote was perfect to to discuss. For our essay (and if you have read The Scarlet Letter, you probably will get my topic), we had to either write about the symbolism of Hester Prynne's Scarlet A or write about the symbolism of her daughter, Pearl. I picked the first one, and while quote hunting in the book, it was amazing what I could talk about. I used to think that books were just books. There wasn't really anything else to answer except for the obvious but when I went back to look for quotes, I came across so many questions and answers.

But let me get to my main point here. What I really wanted to know is this.

When authors write a book, do they picture it being in a classroom being discussed?

Whenever I write, I picture my novel turning into a movie because that's how I write and read.

This is a question I really wanted to ask. Did Stephanie Meyer picture her book turning into a movie that people will actually make teams for and having shrines in their closets for? Did J.K. Rowling picture her books turning into famous movies and did she know that she was going to have so much fans? Did Edgar Allen Poe picture his poems being analyzed in a classroom?

I ask this question because I remember last year a boy told our teacher that he didn't think the author of a book wrote the book for kids to read and write essays about. But what if they did?

So, to all authors out there, whenever you write a book, where do you see it being read?
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Mon Nov 21, 2011 8:38 pm
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Apple says...



As long as my novel is on a shelf in a book store and I can sit in front of it proudly pointing it out that I wrote it to passerbys then I'll be happy. :D If that makes any sense. Don't blame me for my bad writing, assignments have fried my brain! :lol:
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Thu Nov 24, 2011 12:33 am
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Rosendorn says...



To answer your question about past authors writing for future discussions: chances are, they weren't.

Ivanhoe was written for a serial magazine— like modern manga is published today. Dickens wrote for the money. Most authors of the "classics" wrote for the money (back when reading was the form of entertainment). Poets often wrote for themselves or small audiences. Depends on how popular they were. Some of them could've written for the money, too.

As for myself, no.

I have stories, and symbolism, and little "inside jokes" that I've put in for character development between myself and a savvy reader. But that's not for any future discussion (in fact, I'd rather my books weren't shoved on high school students who disliked the book because they were forced to read it)— that's good writing. I'd rather just be known, and have people who are very picky about what they read (they don't want predictability, but good characterization, plot and accuracy) to like my books. I want them to be accessible but nuanced. And out there. Not stuck in some classroom.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

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Sun Nov 27, 2011 12:01 pm
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McMourning says...



I think Rosey Unicorn has a very thorough and correct response.

I will add that I do not imagine my work being read by schoolchildren or college students. Most books will never make it there. It is very rare that a popular book is read in school. The books read in schools are instead those that can be broken apart and analyzed. (Although, sometimes I disagree with the extent to how they are analyzed. My English professor this year said a woman riding her bike symbolized depression. But I digress...)

You are not alone in picturing your novel as a movie. I think most of us would love to be published and have our work chosen to be turned into a movie. At the very least, we hope that our writing creates a mental picture in the minds of our readers. That is what we are creating in our own heads, after all, not an actual movie.
"One voice can be stronger than a thousand voices, " Captain Kathryn Janeway
  





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Sat Dec 10, 2011 3:19 pm
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Dynamo says...



Speaking as a writer myself, when I write I just think about the world in my story that I'm trying to bring to life. What happens after it's published isn't as important to me, though I'll admit I've had my fantasies about it being turned into a movie. Despite that, I may simply refuse the first movie deal that appears in front of me for the simple reason that not all books are meant to be transfered to the silver screen. If there's propper backing and enough dedication from the people charged with making the movie it's possible to make another Lord of the Rings, even if a few things have to be cut out to fit it in the 2 hour limit. But, if movie producers are just looking for a quick buck the book may turn into the cinematic atrocity that is Eragon, which I feel particularly outraged about since the Eragon series is what got me started thinking seriously about writing.

I think great authors don't think about whether or not their works will be made into movies or discussed in the classrooms. All they really want is for the worlds and people they create to be brought to life, and if they're lucky enjoyed by anyone who decides to read it. Fame and prestige upon the book's publication is just a nice side-benny. :D
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'Hush, hush!' I whispered; 'people can have many cousins and of all sorts, Miss Cathy, without being any the worse for it; only they needn't keep their company, if they be disagreeable and bad.
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