As H.P. Lovecraft wrote in his essay Literary Composition, "merely learning rules for writing is not enough. We must all become better readers, as well: No aspiring author should content himself with a mere acquisition of technical rules. … All attempts at gaining literary polish must begin with judicious reading, and the learner must never cease to hold this phase uppermost. In many cases, the usage of good authors will be found a more effective guide than any amount of precept. A page of Addison or of Irving will teach more of style than a whole manual of rules, whilst a story of Poe’s will impress upon the mind a more vivid notion of powerful and correct description and narration than will ten dry chapters of a bulky textbook."
Weekly Story Reading Assignment
Read the story. Write a one page analysis. When you write an analysis, you have to decide what element of the story you are going to analyze. The two main questions to answer for any short story are: a. How does the story element I want to analyze contribute to the meaning or effect of the story? b. Why do I have the response I have to the story--what did the author do to make me feel the way I did about the characters or the ending? You can analyze any element of a short story. For instance, you might decide you just want to analyze a single character and how that character contributes to the meaning of the story to you. It is possible to have multiple interpretations as long as you can find evidence for your interpretation in the text of the story. You support your analysis with specific examples and descriptions from the story. When you write an analysis, you are not writing about whether the story is good or not; you are explaining your interpretation about what the story shows you or how the author gives you some insight about a subject such as growing up, human nature, relationships, and other experiences through the characters in the story. At the end of your analysis, please give a one paragraph opinion of the story. Did you like it? Why or why not? |
Get published!
and paid for your story. Narrative Magazine LOVES FINDING and promoting well-written stories from talented writers. Each week a notable story is selected and featured prominently in the Story of the Week column on our Home Page. An announcement of each new Story of the Week goes out to our readers, and the story is eligible for selection as one of the annual Top Five Stories of the Week. The story is also permanently available in our Archive. They accept fiction and nonfiction manuscripts up to 10,000 words in length, from both published and unpublished writers. Submit your work... |
You may choose to Analyze the Poem of the Week instead of the story.
Analyzing poetry can be difficult and overwhelming. Matrix Education explains in 6 steps things to consider when writing a poem analysis. Use these steps, the article and the slides to help write your 1+ page analysis.
-Follow this link to analyse Narrative Magazine's Poem of the Week. |
(For further information on these 6 steps, click the picture above.)
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Get published! and paid for your poetry.POETRY IS THE HEARTBEAT of imaginative prose, and Narrative Magazine tries to encourage the conversation between poetry and prose. Each week they select a notable poem and feature it prominently in the Poem of the Week column on the home page. An announcement of each new Poem of the Week goes out to their readers, and the poem is eligible for selection as one of the annual Top Five Poems of the Week. The poem is also permanently available in our Archive.
Poetry submissions may contain up to five poems. Your submission should give a strong sense of your style and range. They accept submissions of all poetic forms and genres but do not accept translations. Submit your work... |