Most recent public comments by Katherine Pangilinan https://nowcomment.com/users/12970 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25279?scroll_to=331538 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25279?scroll_to=331538 It was the universe reaffirming in Sylvia that writing is her calling, and that one day she would be as immortalized for her writing as Yeats was on that plaque. In the narrative, it's the first honest glimmer of goodness in her life. Sylvia has mentioned to her mother in so many letters that she is "happy." The narrator colors this particular moment, however, in a different way, perhaps with the intention of making this the first genuine occurrence. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:53 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25279?scroll_to=331537 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25279?scroll_to=331537 I appreciate this brief comedic relief, considering the heaviness of this story and the fact that Assia had a hand in her ruined marriage. As I had read somewhere before--if you do not want a writer to write about you, you should have behaved better. Fri, 27 Mar 2015 23:58:12 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25279?scroll_to=331536 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25279?scroll_to=331536 The metaphor of a siege to describe the winter and Sylvia's mental state is rather fitting. Perhaps she's trying to keep her suicidal thoughts brought on by that winter's "steamroller of decisions and responsibilities." At any rate, metaphors are a great way, I think, to make unique connections that make what's happening in a story come to life. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:52 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25279?scroll_to=331533 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25279?scroll_to=331533 In other words--explaining what is happening is more effective than using adverbs and adjectives to explain how dramatic or how much drama the reader should be feeling during her death. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:52 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25279?scroll_to=331531 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25279?scroll_to=331531 The generalization in the narrative here--saying "perhaps that is what bothered her"--builds upon the idea that of all the terrible things that happened to her, the normalcy of life is what killed her. It doesn't seem unfounded, but upon being asked to analyze the purpose of this sentence, I would say that it adds to the tragedy of her death--regardless of truth. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:52 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25279?scroll_to=331530 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25279?scroll_to=331530 The way it contributes to the narrative is that it builds up the momentum of the story. With each time stamp and date, we draw closer to Sylvia's death. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:52 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327468 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327468 Fri, 20 Mar 2015 23:44:57 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327467 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327467 Fri, 20 Mar 2015 23:44:57 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327465 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327465 The previous paragraphs were a build up to this very sentence. Tucson is physically larger than any of her beloved books, but the worlds she was able to explore through reading completely eclipse her life in Tucson. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:46 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327452 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327452 The desert is dusty, so it allows the reader to imagine the setting. At the same time, it references the psychological haze of this period of her life. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:46 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327451 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327451 It was an interesting word for the author to use, though I personally feel that it is a little disruptive to the flow of the narrative. Fri, 20 Mar 2015 23:44:57 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327450 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327450 Perhaps is polite. Perhaps poses either or. Likely leans more towards a definitive stance. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:46 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327449 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327449 Introducing an interviewer at this point gives credibility to the intimate events that the author describes. It's coming straight from Sontag. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:46 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327448 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327448 The news of the death, the delayed delivery of the information, and the brevity of the explanation are epitomized by the shortness of this paragraph. What it says about narrative management is that the less you say, the more it hits the reader. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:46 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327446 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327446 She has a nanny who cares for her. She has grandparents who care for her. She has relatives who care for her. What about the parents? Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:46 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327445 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327445 This piece starts off fairly innocently--a four year old girl interacts with her nanny, and wonders about what it means to be high strung. Here, the writer dives into an interpretation of what the events mean. Sontag is lonely--her only friend so far is her illiterate nanny--but she is also curious. She wants to learn, she wants to understand, and she wants to know: "Is it true?" Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:46 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327444 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25280?scroll_to=327444 While you did mention that some people have memories that are as sharp as a tac, even at the age of four, an event that is remembered is never the entirety of what actually happened. It poses that the Irish nanny may "remember" events quite differently. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:46 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323550 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323550 I love diary format pieces because I find that they are quite compelling. The narrator is completely candid, allowing readers to really get to know what's going on inside their head. At the same time, much of what is in their head doesn't make sense without context, which is sparsely given. After all, why would someone recount the context of a situation explicitly when they can call it "THAT" event and know exactly what it is the diary passage is referring to. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:41 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323549 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323549 Conductors are human, and when I take the LIRR they're pretty friendly. I think we tend to forget that when we take the MTA and the only thing that makes us aware of the conductor is the garble from the PA system. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:41 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323548 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323548 Yes I agree, and I think its great! Fri, 20 Mar 2015 23:44:57 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323547 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323547 Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:40 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323545 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323545 Fri, 20 Mar 2015 23:44:57 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323544 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323544 The author is allowing the reader to empathize by giving them the opportunity to bring in their own experiences into the narrative. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:40 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323543 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323543 I don't think I could have said it better myself. Fri, 20 Mar 2015 23:44:56 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323541 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323541 Referring back to the previous paragraph where the other person's sarcastic remark about "also being in New York" was lost to the reader, the author is also lost to how perhaps his peers cannot relate or have a healthy discussion regarding people like Sylvia Plath or living/dying in London in 1959. The only place he can have a healthy or fulfilling discussion is in his diar. I would say the author is defining himself as lonely. Intelligent, but alone in his intelligence. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:39 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323540 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323540 The reaction that "a friendly looking chap" had is understandable. It's like being in the school yard in high school after summer vacation, and someone turns to you and says how much "better/worse" it was in Insert Exotic Country here. But to the reader, the vivid picture is welcomed, especially after the first paragraph which was so sparse and choppy. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:39 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323538 https://nowcomment.com/documents/25283?scroll_to=323538 The sentences are choppy and the information is factual, as if recalling what had happened through the course of a day. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:39 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30619?scroll_to=315778 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30619?scroll_to=315778 We have lost sight of what is important to sustaining a civilization, and I think the native realizes it. Instead of conquering and adulterating the earth's "antique brown dress," and "particular formation," we should see ourselves as a part of it, as one of us, as the native has done since the start of this passage. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:24 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30619?scroll_to=315777 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30619?scroll_to=315777 Doomsday could mean world war II. Its usage implies that its from an outsider perspective, and not that of the native's. The first two sentences of this paragraph are two of the few that actually describe the heath as an object, a place, and not a person. This leads me to believe that the furzy briary wilderness is what the world sees. But to those who appreciate the beauty of Egdon, the "area of Egdon has but little diminished. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:24 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30619?scroll_to=315776 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30619?scroll_to=315776 The way this sentence uses haggard to describe the homeand, and then contrasts it with the idea of other lands that are beautiful, charming, and fair, leads me to believe it's supposed to be telling of why the native left. Ergon is the aging wife, and the native is the infidel husband. This chapter is his return home, after recently learning that the native will always love Egdon. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:24 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30619?scroll_to=315775 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30619?scroll_to=315775 The way this is described, these particular lines especially, remind me of how I personally feel when I'm watching a sunset. It's that moment when it's dark enough to be evening, but light enough to still be noon, when the horizon is black and it looks as if the strip of matter holding the sky and earth together has been torn right off. Amid that kind of sunset, I am humbled by how small humanity is, in comparison to the other-worldly, majesty that is the rest of universe. The added bit here in this entry is that Hardy personifies the majesty that is the rest of the universe. Going back to the title, "Return of the Native" it's somewhat arrogant but also natural that the native sees his or herself in the land he or she was born to, or calls home. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:24 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30619?scroll_to=315774 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30619?scroll_to=315774 I think that this is a beautifully written paragraph, and liked the way Hardy structured the simile of the tent. It's cliche to say so, but I really love the way he said it. Fri, 20 Mar 2015 23:44:56 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30619?scroll_to=315773 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30619?scroll_to=315773 I understand and can appreciate that Hardy is perhaps trying to be poetic by personifying the heath. I'm also sure that the mood being set in this first chapter was set up to juxtapose or foreshadow something grander in this book. However, it really is such a drag reading this. And as you said, it reminds me when King said in toolbox. If you're going to say, "they took a crap," don't say "they dropped the kids off at the pool." Just come out with it and say it. "They took a crap." Fri, 20 Mar 2015 23:44:56 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30612?scroll_to=313941 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30612?scroll_to=313941 1) Eliminate distractions 2) Write for yourself 3) The magic is in you 4) You become a writer simply by reading and writing 5) Read read read 6) Write one word at a time 7) Stick to your own style 8) Dig 9) The research shouldn't overshadow the story 10) Don't use passive voice 11) Avoid adverbs 12) Really avoid adverbs after "he said" and "she said" 13) Don't obsess over perfect grammar 14) Take a break 15) Leave out the boring parts and kill your darlings 16) Writing is about getting happy 17) Don't worry about making other people happy 18) The two secrets to success: stay physically healthy and married 19) You have three month 20) Turn off the TV I would only add two things that I do to help me combat writer's block: - Write down ideas as soon as they come into your head. Even if they seem absurd. Keep them in a book. When you feel like you're faced with writer's block, read through this book. - Make a point to always engage in healthy banter/intellectual conversations. It helps to talk within the realm/topic/universe of your story. Interview people in that realm. Avoid asking if anything is a good/bad idea. Fri, 20 Mar 2015 23:44:56 -0400 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30612?scroll_to=313925 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30612?scroll_to=313925 I think this is a fantastic rule. So many publications that I once thought reputable have adapted the "Buzzfeed" list + gif style of writing their articles. It's maddening how watered down abnd replicated "journalism" has become simply because these list-style articles generate more clicks. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:19 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30612?scroll_to=313923 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30612?scroll_to=313923 Many people have said that to be a successful writer, they have to travel the world, constantly expose themselves to new experiences, or pull out the hard truths from the darkness in the world/their lives. Yet when asked the two secrets to success, King says it's staying healthy and happy. This rule really resonates with me, as I am one who is more inspired to write to come to terms with the injustices in the world and hard times in my personal life. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:19 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30612?scroll_to=313895 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30612?scroll_to=313895 I think this is an exaggeration. Maybe it's because I'm in Entertainment Marketing and a lot of what I do revolves around what other people are doing, but I don' see how tuning off the world around us is part of becoming a better writer. I think turning on the TV, reading a newspaper, being in tune with the world around us through this medium is just as important as tuning into our imagination. There is a dialogue that is happening and I think being in tune with that dialogue is a great place to find inspiration for a story. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:18 -0500 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30612?scroll_to=313893 https://nowcomment.com/documents/30612?scroll_to=313893 But is this to say that we should only observe grammar when it's an academic paper, or a report of some kind? I think King chose his words wisely when he said, "don't obsess over perfect grammar." Grammar is something that is (or should be) universal, so I think it helps to ensure that a story is communicated. Then again, I also think that using colloquial grammar is important, and the flow/pace of a piece really adds to the story telling. But overall, going back to rule #1, though I do agree it is important to write a story for yourself and not necessarily for other people, I think that a story that cannot be understood is something that certainly needs to be carefully watched for. Sat, 20 Feb 2016 08:46:18 -0500