Your practice of copying down what others have written sounds like advice from Sacha Black! She advices to notice and pick apart what others do in their writing so you can understand how writers do what they do. Having the knowledge allows you to decide when and in what way to use it for yourself!
I keep forgetting that Sacha Black has a ton of resources out there. I need to get her on my radar ASAP. Thanks for the reminder, as well as her validation of the practice... and the read, of course.
Waaay back in a high school English class, our teacher challenged us to change or add to the ending of a story we'd read in class. I chose "The Old Man and the Sea." I didn't like how it ended, so I gave myself a bit of closure. My teacher congratulated me on copying the pace and cadence of Hemingway. I still do this today. In the form of fan fiction - to sharpen my skills and just have a little fun with my writing...and give myself satisfactory endings.
Love this, Jay! The copywork process can be very illuminating, and looking at a piece of writing in this way -- not as a finished piece, but more like a WIP -- can help us better understand what choices were made (and why) and how to apply those insights to our own work.
Honestly, I believe in any method that leads us to insight on our own work. I'd love to research more methods that are further outside the box. Like I often say, there's more than one way to save a cat.
Your practice of copying down what others have written sounds like advice from Sacha Black! She advices to notice and pick apart what others do in their writing so you can understand how writers do what they do. Having the knowledge allows you to decide when and in what way to use it for yourself!
Happy writing!
Beth
I keep forgetting that Sacha Black has a ton of resources out there. I need to get her on my radar ASAP. Thanks for the reminder, as well as her validation of the practice... and the read, of course.
Waaay back in a high school English class, our teacher challenged us to change or add to the ending of a story we'd read in class. I chose "The Old Man and the Sea." I didn't like how it ended, so I gave myself a bit of closure. My teacher congratulated me on copying the pace and cadence of Hemingway. I still do this today. In the form of fan fiction - to sharpen my skills and just have a little fun with my writing...and give myself satisfactory endings.
I’m impressed. It’s one thing to copy a classic word for word, but rewrite the ending? That’s a gutsy assignment. Love it.
I should post my ending on my Substack. I've been reorganizing my writing desk, so I know I could find it.
Love this, Jay! The copywork process can be very illuminating, and looking at a piece of writing in this way -- not as a finished piece, but more like a WIP -- can help us better understand what choices were made (and why) and how to apply those insights to our own work.
Honestly, I believe in any method that leads us to insight on our own work. I'd love to research more methods that are further outside the box. Like I often say, there's more than one way to save a cat.