Skip to main content

Talent Can't Be Taught

 You either have or you don't.

When I was teaching, I used Aristotle's Poetics as a textbook.

Here's why.

Aristotle, a Greek philosopher and polymath wrote about many topics, including writing. In his work "Rhetoric," he provides some advice on how to write effectively. Here are some key points from his advice:

1.     Start with a clear purpose: Before you begin writing, it's crucial to have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish with your writing. This will help guide your writing and keep you focused on your goals.

2.     Use an appropriate structure: According to Aristotle, the structure of your writing should be based on the purpose of your writing. He suggests using a three-part structure for persuasive writing, with an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.

3.     Use clear and concise language: Aristotle advises writers to use clear, concise language that is easy to understand. This will help your readers follow your argument and stay engaged with your writing.

4.     Use evidence to support your argument: To persuade your readers, you should provide evidence to support your argument. Aristotle advises using examples, testimonials, and other forms of evidence to help strengthen your argument.

5.     Use rhetorical devices: Rhetorical devices are techniques writers use to add emphasis or clarity to their writing. Aristotle suggests using rhetorical devices such as repetition, rhetorical questions, and parallelism to make your writing more effective.

 Research aided by AI.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dealing with Rejection

 Every writer gets rejected. It doesn't matter how many books you've written or how many you've sold. There's no way of getting around it. I remember an interview with Barbara Streisand, and she said if someone rejected her for a project, the onus was on the producers for failing to recognize her talent and ability. Paraphrasing, “What, are they nuts?” I like that. Editors and producers don’t know what they want until they see it. It’s kind of like pornography as defined by Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, “I know it when you see it.” Gatekeepers don’t know what they want until they see it. However, that doesn’t soften the sting of rejection. Dealing with rejection is a difficult skill, but it is essential. Everyone experiences rejection at some point, whether in the form of a job application not being accepted, a romantic interest was not reciprocating feelings, or a friend group excluding someone. While rejection can be painful, it is essential to remember ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meanwhile

 Writing your novel can feel nearly impossible, but many techniques can help keep your readers engaged. One such method is using parallel stories, which writers can use to create tension and suspense. An effective way to do this is to end your scenes so that you cut between them at moments that leave your readers hanging. Writers sometimes call this technique “Meanwhile, back at the ranch.” The nickname dates back to silent movies when title cards between scenes signaled transitions. In the earliest days, studios didn’t make new cards for each movie but used a set of stock cards: “One Year Later,” “Comes the Dawn,” or “Wedding Bells.” “Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch” was the card used most often when the action, for example, cut away from the heroine being tied to a log just as the villain turned on the sawmill. The literary version of this technique dates back to at least Homer. Still, it was probably perfected in the nineteenth century when newly popular magazines serialized nov...
Post a Comment
Read more

These Dreams

Are your dreams trying to tell you something? Dreams are intriguing phenomena that have captivated humans for centuries. Some people believe dreams are messages from our subconscious, revealing our hidden desires, fears, or conflicts. Others think dreams are just random images and sensations our brain produces during sleep. But what does science say about the relationship between dreams and the subconscious mind? And how can we use our dreams to better understand ourselves and our conscious minds? And what can creative writers take away from the idea that our subconscious minds are where we do our best writing? One way to approach this question is to examine the process of dream recall, or how we remember our dreams. Dream recall is not straightforward, as most of us forget our dreams soon after waking up. However, some people can recall their dreams more frequently and vividly than others, and some factors can influence the likelihood of dream recall, such as sleep quality, emotio...
Post a Comment
Read more