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/lit/ - Literature

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16823264 No.16823264 [Reply] [Original]

If I copy one consecutive chapter of a great book that I admire, everyday, would it improve my writing?

>> No.16823308

>>16823264
It's better than nothing. But you should be dissecting how and why certain passages work instead of just copying them.

>> No.16823372

>>16823308
how do i do that? I want to copy Count of Monte Cristo

>> No.16823380

>>16823264
Only if you allow yourself to re-write it however you see fit. Otherwise you're just a copyist

>> No.16823654

>>16823372
I don't have a formal system, but I do look out for:
>If an excerpt has good flow and is engaging, I try to figure out why
>If a paragraph breaks my concentration, I figure out why
>If there's good dialogue, I note it down
>If there's a unique way to put feelings to words, I take close attention to it
>Looking for other technical details like variety of sentence length, paragraph length, etc.
Rote copy-pasta-ing can also lead to figuring out the above subconsciously, but it's more helpful to do so deliberately.