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/lit/ - Literature

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15579669 No.15579669 [Reply] [Original]

>While working, he used a typewriter to copy F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms in order to learn about the writing styles of the authors.

Has anyone actually tried this? Did it help?

>> No.15579760

Seems like a waste of time
Write your own stories. Create your own worlds. Find your voice.
Read
Write
Revise
Submit
Repeat

>> No.15579796
File: 15 KB, 231x218, Hmm.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
15579796

>>15579760
What did he mean by this

>> No.15580436

>>15579760
Are you suggesting Thompson didn't?

>> No.15580442

>>15579669
How did it work out for him?

>> No.15581661

I believe the ideia of trying to copy a story from memory to be interesting for you to find your own voice. But literally copying them might be useful to truly understand how the sentences are made and formalities of the stories idk.

>> No.15581828

>>15579669
It is an extremely useful exercise and the most efficient way to learn how to write. It should be part of mainstream education.

>> No.15581850

OP, it's actually a secret that most people don't talk about. The number one way to become a great writer is to type out the entire works of Shakespeare, Cervantes, the Bible, etc etc. If you know anything about mirror neurons, you will understand what I'm saying.

>> No.15581865

Didn't Proust also write a lot of pastiche of great authors as exercise?

>> No.15581882

>>15581850
remedy for writer's block

>> No.15581887

>>15579669

Yes, it is useful, although whether it's the BEST use of time is another matter.

I've written/typed out quite a lot of stuff, although mostly poetry. It's a very different process from simply reading it. It forces you to give it weight of time and attention. It's like anti-skimming on steroids.

>> No.15582101

Sounds like something a person on cocaine would do.

>> No.15582116

>>15581850
>If you know anything about mirror neurons, you will understand what I'm saying.

Yeah, but writing isn't the same as typing. You're implying that Shakespeare, Cervantes, and the writers of the Bible basically sat down and automatically typed out their work. It doesn't work like that.

>> No.15582141

>>15582116
There’s no difference

>> No.15582162

>>15582116
that's a pretty stupid point m8

>> No.15582173

>>15579669
From my understanding a lot of good writing has gone through an editing process, and probably had a different form when it was first put down on the page. So how could it help? You're just copying the finished product, not actually writing as the original authors did.

>> No.15582175

this is actually something that translators do

>> No.15582186

>>15579669
i'm pretty sure this is the meta for aspiring writers.
i remember seeing some people on /lit/ trying it with great personal success with the bible particularly, or shakespeare.

>> No.15582221

if the goal is to publish on the market, don't use the bible or shakespeare. use contemporary writers you admire.

another fun tool is writebattle.com, but not nearly as useful for fiction writers

>> No.15582247

>>15579669
A far better exercise is to translate foreign works into your own language. More than merely engaging in automatic repetition, you're actively engaged in the process in your own terms while still learning and intently studying the writings of those who've made it.

>> No.15582303

>>15582221
shit like writebattle and word correction to have writing be more 'concise' is the death of writing

>> No.15582412

>>15582303
the purpose is to develop an important writing tool. no one is saying that everyone must write everything concisely in the manner writebattle promotes. a writer unable to write concisely is less of a writer than they could be.

>> No.15582420

>>15582412
>a writer unable to write concisely is less of a writer than they could be.
fair enough

>> No.15583176

>>15582412
>>15582221

Original
>Cybercrime is viewed as a serious threat to the prosperity and security of developed states, prompting the adoption of cyber security strategies across a range of countries. Although some malicious cyber activities are carried out in the pursuit of military or political objectives, a high proportion of cybercrime is financially motivated. According to one report, this was the case for 76% of all data breaches in 2017.

Their 'benchmark'
>Cybercrime is a serious threat to states all over the world, prompting many states to get serious about fighting it. Some cybercrime is politically motivated, but much of it is financially motivated: one report estimates that 76% of all data breaches in 2017 were perpetrated by hackers merely looking to make a buck.

What the fuck. Their benchmark reads like it was written by a highschooler. Is that what this game is looking for?

>> No.15583428

>>15579669
Style is unconscious. Analyze a few good books, learn grammar, logic and rhetoric. Read read read and then read some more. My name is Thomas Pynchon, head my advice and you might be able to fill the void in my absence

>> No.15583828

>>15583176
if you don't see the advantage of the benchmark over the original then you have a lot to learn

>> No.15584314

>>15579669
I'm going to give this a try... who knows what I might churn out.

Would anyone say there's been a writer yet who has surpassed Hemingway's influence on style in American literature?

>> No.15584557

>>15584314
me