Writing Role Models

     What I looked for in written work as an example of an author was where the writer would be able to express himself in such a way that he/she played with and worked with their words to such a point that it captured you with a breath. I had seen a lot of evidence of this especially at school in year 12. I was fortunate enough to have excellent English teachers in expression and literature. Of the books several authors of course had their differing styles and one in particular detailed thoughts actions and what was expected in a marriage and a sweet shop business. This author took us on a journey that was clever in his way he would produce examples of life in this sweet shop and to my disbelief there was no direct dialogue, but thoughts of what should be the case. Customers would arrive and served as such leaving satisfied with the long established shop. It was portrayed as a good and strong marriage that was content in every way except from the outside looking in it did seem strange.

      There was one that was titled Housekeeping and it detailed a life of death initially with a train wreck sliding into a dark river without any hope of survivors initially where police divers assisted in the search. It centred round a family where three sisters were involved in the core of the story telling. The developments sees the girls become transient as they shift from their grandfathers railway home that was built nearly at ground level. They then shifted to an aunt’s home and Sylvie the eldest led to transient troupe one would follow her as the other would not. The changes placed the younger off side and isolated as she favoured the mean girls at school whilst her sibling trailed her. Yet, she was resilient and showed her strength leaving Sylvie to her devices and she was found sleeping on a park bench with newspapers over her as she played the part. She had connected with nature in her way as the sisters joined up as she expressed the air had become co-extensive with her inner being. The author was poetic in her first book and unfortunately to date her only one. She had received rave reviews including from New York Times.

     It is with writers like this that give a good example of how to adopt yourself, as well as this are the many names listed as poets. There were a few studied and some I had come across in my daily routines. After studies of Shakespeare it can leave one spell bound as well as the romance poets such as Donne. I felt completely transformed after Shakespeare especially the sonnets for my part. I realise the big thing is plays for most and the tragedies involved and at times look humorous, recalling the time I was asked to play Sherlock the Jew in Merchant of Venice. I was totally embarrassed at that experience right in front of the class. It was in this class that my writing took a change as I would include all of these big words that didn’t really belong there. My vocabulary was not good enough and thought I knew it all and the meaning was round about right. Well my Teacher pulled me up as I entered class and instantly captivated my attention as if she knew I could do a lot better, she just knew it! . She took me to one side and explained you don’t need all these big words write more simply, some of the best writers in the world were simple writers and with that I went forward with that advice. I wrote an assignment in a trade subject and recorded a very high result and the teacher had shown it to her which I am sure made her proud. In her English class the class were given a picture of a surfer riding a wave and we were asked to write our stories or poems whatever flowed in an exercise. Mine was chosen and read out to my amazement  and one student commented was that yours he was an athletic sports friend.  There are writers that are eons apart from the norm especially from a little blue book I received from my Father there were literally hundreds and quite an interesting read of time as with poetry one must digest the words in such a way it sits well as if it echoes throughout my mind. I also cannot go without including the work of Salman Rushdie, I had only read one of his books,The Moor’s Last Sigh, I could see a writer who spent time working with the words a true wordsmith no wonder he received the accolades he did and apparently was interviewed although I missed it on that occasion.