I'm in the process of preparing things for my first week of teaching English 102. I figure to regenerate their passion in reading, I should remind them of the things that were fun to read. What kid didn't like a good story? Read to them or read themselves?
So I figured I would start the class by reading things that I read when I was a kid. Just a few passages. Of course to do this I have to start going through my books. As I do so it becomes so blatantly obvious how much what I read as a kid influenced my writing today.
Sure I was vaguely aware of this. The first full piece that I was proud to put my name on was in the same vein as my favorite book at the time Scruffy's Diary, told from the pov of a little puppy. So I wrote Mysty, told from the pov of a little kitten. I came up with my own events and descriptions and everything, but they were both stories about the exploration of the human world through a different set of eyes.
I'm aware of how easily and subconsciously influenced I am by what I read today. I tend to do imitation very well on a subconscious level.
But the things I am noticing tonight span years. Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger. I loved the wayside school books. They have the same goofy off-beat humor of my silly stories. The same oddness in the ordinary of my more humorous writing. Goosebumps... do I need to say anything about that? Scruffy's Diary is still the biggest influence with the odd point of view...
It really amazes me. I mean years and years passed before I started writing humorous stories for humor sake, and to see that same oddness prevailed after all those years is just fascinating.
I wonder how many other things I have gone about, sucking up without knowing it.
So I figured I would start the class by reading things that I read when I was a kid. Just a few passages. Of course to do this I have to start going through my books. As I do so it becomes so blatantly obvious how much what I read as a kid influenced my writing today.
Sure I was vaguely aware of this. The first full piece that I was proud to put my name on was in the same vein as my favorite book at the time Scruffy's Diary, told from the pov of a little puppy. So I wrote Mysty, told from the pov of a little kitten. I came up with my own events and descriptions and everything, but they were both stories about the exploration of the human world through a different set of eyes.
I'm aware of how easily and subconsciously influenced I am by what I read today. I tend to do imitation very well on a subconscious level.
But the things I am noticing tonight span years. Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger. I loved the wayside school books. They have the same goofy off-beat humor of my silly stories. The same oddness in the ordinary of my more humorous writing. Goosebumps... do I need to say anything about that? Scruffy's Diary is still the biggest influence with the odd point of view...
It really amazes me. I mean years and years passed before I started writing humorous stories for humor sake, and to see that same oddness prevailed after all those years is just fascinating.
I wonder how many other things I have gone about, sucking up without knowing it.
Comments
Post a Comment