My Thoughts on The Radio Essay (so far)
I’ve been writing for a few years now. I started telling stories and jotting them down before I was 10, but by no means am I (or will I ever be) an expert. I’ve taken quite a few writing classes, but they always teach you the same things: “This is an essay. This is how you outline said essay. This is is how you write said essay.” Those classes didn’t teach me how to be a better writer, only a better bull-shitter. Once you’ve mastered the craft of bull-shittery, there’s not a lot that a typical writing classes can teach you. This is why I was very excited to come upon ‘The Radio Essay.’
The concept of transitioning a written piece into an audio recording astonished me. I had never taken a second to actually think about my pieces being read aloud, nonetheless myself being the reader. After the first assignment, I realized just how complex a spoken story is. It’s much more difficult to write a story that’s meant to be heard. I had to think about my word choice, diction, and sentence structure in an entirely different manner. I couldn’t use longer words like ‘postgratification’ because: 1. I wouldn’t use it in real life and 2. It’s too hard to say. I had to focus on my voice (in my writing) because I wanted it to actually sound like me when I read it.
The editing factor with the assignment actually made it easier for me. I have a bit of a background in audio-editing, so I was able to fix mistakes that I made during the reading through my edits. I definitely need a better microphone for next time.
All in all, the assignment was tedious and gratifying. I feel like I did a good job, but I know I can do better. Sound essays are already making me a better writer–both in the way that I write, and the way that I think.
Hi Lainey,
ReplyDeleteI'm sad that I didn't get to hear the final piece (I was absent on Monday)! I'd agree with you that it's much more difficult to write a story meant to be read aloud. I found myself going back through the prose and editing much more frequently and fundamentally than I would do with a standard essay or story.
I'd also agree with you that editing works wonders on recording voice. If the class had heard my unedited piece, they'd hear a sharp sigh at the start, a phrase repeated three times, and some impressive mushmouth from my stumbling over words. It definitely helps to be familiar with audio editing!
Lainey, your last line above really struck a chord with me. I really feel like this assignment is changing the way I think about writing from the very beginning. It really is a different process, one that relies much more on forethought than starting and seeing where it takes you. (Or maybe that's just my chaotic writing style during the beginning process! Haha.)
ReplyDeleteLainey,
ReplyDeleteI thought your statement about how complex spoken stories are hit the nail right on the head. There are a lot of variables that a writer doesn't normally take into account to make something recitable. Those big $5 words that make essays sound so great, are just mush when trying to read them aloud. You mention that the writing courses you've taken all seem to prescribe the same definitions of what makes good writing, and that this course is helping you to see past that mindset. I completely agree with you there, and I feel much the same way.
It is interesting how different from typical academic, or even just written creative writing, radio essays have been. There is so much information in the voice of a story teller, their rhythm, and personal word choice that doesn't come through sometimes in written stories. I like that writing in this style, as you suggested, has kept me honest and helped me think about diction that is personal and conversational. I'm excited to keep using this style and hopefully make my other writing as direct as these radio essay strive to be.
ReplyDeleteI think you do a good job of highlighting why it is useful to take classes in as many different genres as possible. You describe a feeling that, once you'd taken several classes with regular essays, you could bullshit your way through.
ReplyDeleteI think that, while the kind of writing we're called upon to write in this class is a lot more emotionally open, you could probably bullshit here too, if you were to take multiple semesters on it. I know that by this point in my college career, I could fake it in fiction if I wanted to and still be in the upper quarter of the class. But writing radio essays and poetry this semester, and screenwriting (hopefully) in the fall, will force me to keep looking at writing in new and unexpected ways.
You almost learn two lessons concurrently, how different writing can be, and how all writing is the same. Those two things together make it hard to get stagnant.