The Color of Water: Section I

Initially in Chapters 1-9, I was very intrigued by the switch of point of view in going between Ruth and James' point of view.  It really in the beginning showed an adult and child's opinion, and you could tell by the way that it was written.  I really felt like I learned a lot about Jewish backgrounds and lifestyle's through Ruth's descriptions of her life.  I found the story after her husband's passing about riding through the black neighborhood streets very interesting and really helped me realize toward the beginning how much different Ruth was as a person and a mother.  She even completely turned from her Jewish background religiously and became a rather devout Christian.  I don't feel like I learned as much about James as I did Ruth.  But it was interesting to hear his opinion on how it is to have a mother that was different and how he responded to questions that he faced.  Overall, I saw this section as kind of a stepping stone to the highest and most strong points of the book.  I feel that it is gaining momentum as the book goes on, and leaves me in anticipation of the events to come in the book.

Stephen King - On Writing!

I think anyone that knows me personally would know that reading is not my cup of tea.  However, "On Writing" by Stephen King opened a new horizon on the topic of writing for me personally and changed my outlook on the art of literature.  Stephen King's allusions to writing through his life experiences truly was a different approach than the standard, some would say "textbook" methods of teaching writing skills that one often sees today.

King takes gives each aspect of writing its own personal overview in this book.  He examines the different attributes of a good writer and gave his opinion on what should and should not be used;  Take for example the literary device of passive voice.  King holds a strong and negative opinion of this device, saying that it almost seems fearful and scared to get to the point.  It got me thinking, and he has a very valid point.  The passive voice is rather weak and avoids reaching directly to the core of what one is trying to say.  King is also a stickler for good word choice and using vocabulary wisely.  He doesn't like when vocabulary words are tossed into paragraphs like a football into a crowd;  King strongly believes in having a high vocabulary, but using it in ways that enhance the MEANING of the writing and it doesn't just add unnecessary wordiness.

I really appreciate that early in the book King introduced the reader with his personal stories.  It would have been so easy for him to have just given a list of his qualifications, a quick intro, and then a bunch of writing information.  Yet I think as a great writer himself,  he understood that this was not going to attract many people and could even bore someone that was an aspiring writer.  Even though I am not planning on going into any writing field,  I could relate to his personal viewpoint and enjoyed hearing his stories, even from his early days working with his brother's small town paper.  I am convinced that using this technique that he indirectly sent to the reader would improve anyone's writing, especially if the main topic of the literature is not exactly "attractive".

"On Writing" undoubtedly surprised me when I read the first 25 pages.  I personally had my ups and downs while reading it, sometimes being bored out of my mind.  I think it is partially my fault for being closed off to the topic, but overall I would say that this book gives very respectable and commendable insight into even the slightest of details of how to write in different situations and venues.  If I encounter anyone who is headed into a field in writing or journalism, I will now make sure to recommend this book to them.  In hindsight, I may have not been the most interested in the topic, but I was impressed with the deep evaluation and advice provided by Stephen King in this book.  Thumbs up to King for "On Writing"!