The Reals of Writing

I have spent a great deal of time the past many months writing away at anything that I please from books, to school papers.

In my spare time I've been reading Little Women. For the most part it's a bit dull (I read it at night before bed to help me sleep) but it really is a good book and very clever. I just finished reading a chapter called Literary Lessons and it was a very good chapter. The thing about Little Women, is I think that Luisa May Alcott wrote for a news paper so each chapter is a short story in and of itself, so I am basically reading a mini series.

Anyhow, Literary Lessons was very funny. Jo's -how did she put is?- spurts of writing come every few weeks, when she locks herself into her little room (or the "vortex" as some call it) in her "scribbling suit" and writings for hours on end.

On such occasions Jo is not bothered by her family and they judge her mood by the cap with the gay little red bow that she wears. The best description is from the book:

'This cap was a beacon to the inquiring eyes of her family, who during these occasions kept their distance, merely popping in their heads semi-occasionally, to ask with interest, "Dose genius burn, Jo?" They did not always venture even to ask this question, but took an observation of the cap, and judged accordingly. If this expressive article of dress was drawn low upon the forehead, it was a sign that hard work was going on; in exciting moments, it was pushed rakishly askew; and when despair seized the author, it was plucked wholly off, and cast upon the floor. At such times the intruder silently with drew; and not until the red bow was seen gaily erect upon the gifted brow, did any one dare address Jo.'

I just thought that was funny. Also in the chapter she had description of all the people at a lecture about the pyramids that was hilarious -not because it was unique, but because it was so true! Any public event that you go to there are going to be interesting people to watch. For example, I took a note book and pen to a base ball game (I'm not a big fan of base ball, -"Go Auburn!") so I wrote down things about the people I saw and we actually met a really sweet family. It's just something to consider for those who like to write or for those that like to people watch, it's a fun pass time during boring moments either in a parking lot, air port, or the store. (It can be very entertaining to your family when you read it to them later.)

At the end of the chapter, Jo is expressing to marmee all her woes of publishing her book and all the criticism and compliments that she had received back. At the end Jo says, "I've got the joke on my side, after all; for the parts that were taken straight out of real life are denounced at "impossible" and "absurd", and the scenes that I made up out of my own silly head are pronounced 'charming natural, tender, and true."

I read a saying the other day, saying:

"When you put something down that happened,

People often don't believe it;

Whereas,

you can make up anything and people assume it must have happened to you."

~Andrew Holleran~

That was just my funny reading day. It's interesting how God works out our lives.

PS.

I think that all girls -especially those that aspire to be writers, should read Little Women. It's a good really good book, and I think that Luisa May Alcott did a fabulous job of capturing real life into black and white and making it very believable.

I'll have more to say about Little Women later.