Lorrie Moore's How To Become A Writer
ENGL 1020 EH3
4 November 2013
How to Become a Writer My goal in this essay is to discuss the lives of world-renouned writers as they relate to Lorrie Moore’s “How to Become a Writer”. Lorrie Moore is an English professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. In 1985, her collection of stories titled “Self Help” was published. “How to Become a Writer” is one of many included stories (Literature, 144). Nicknamed "Lorrie" by her parents, she was born with the name Marie Lorena Moore in 1957 in Glens Falls, New York. Her passion for writing sprang from her academic success. She sprang ahead in school and graduated from St. Lawrence University. She has been writing since the 1980s (pshares.org). “How to Become a Writer” is a second …show more content…
person point of view short story. This point of view helps writer to develop the theme, in this story, which is, as you choose to become a writer, you will probably be isolated from the world Second person point of view writing helps the reader feel as if he/she is actually there witnessing the events taking place. In “How to Become a Writer”, the main character’s name is Francie, but it was written from Lorrie Moore’s personal experiences. When she shows her mom her writing, she describes her mom’s face ‘blank as a donut’, and after, her mom says, “How about empting the dishwasher?” Readers at this time are not only feeling writer’s disappointment and her mom’s carelessness, but they can actually also picture her mom’s face and see it as if they are really there (studymode.com). Lorrie Moore writes using an interesting, soft tone while narrating her life. From her writing, she tries to make it seem as if she does not really care about dropping law school, breaking up with her boyfriend, having meaningless dates, or quitting every job. However, readers still feel a piece of sadness within. This is why she uses of second person point of view writing. Her sort of confusion is what the story is truly about, almost like one’s first semester in college. He/she thinks he/she wants to study one thing and ends up somewhere completely different. In this case, her desire to become a child psychology major takes a weird turn that lands her in a creative writing class. Second person point of view helps the reader to feel like he/she knows the way Lorrie’s character feels: confused, lost, and maybe a slight failure. Other writers surely felt the same confusion - and at times failure - that Lorrie Moore projects in “How to Become a Writer”.
John Steinbeck was born in the year 1902 in Salinas, California as an only child.
He gained a love for literature from his mother, who was interested in the arts. In high school, Steinbeck decided he wanted to be a writer. He moved to New York in 1925 to work on his first novel, Cup of Gold. It was a slightly unsuccessful attempt at a romance. I imagine that he felt a tad discouraged and frustrated at its unsuccessfulness. Regardless, Steinbeck returned to his home in California to focus on writing serious fiction. From 1932 until 1939, he continued writing. Among his published works were The Pastures of Heaven (1932), To a God Unknown (1933), Tortilla Flat (1935), In Dubious Battle (1936), Of Mice and Men (1937), and The Grapes of Wrath (1939). The Grapes of Wrath is about a family of Oklahoma tenant farmers who were forced to turn over their land to banks. The family journeys across the country to the ‘promised land’ of California—only to be met with scorn when they arrive. It is a successful example of social protest in fiction, as well as a convincing tribute to man 's will to survive. The Grapes of Wrath received the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 (notablebiographies.com). John Steinbeck may have began his writing career a little confused, but he definitely figured it all
out.
Another writer figured it all out, too. Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American Transcendentalist poet, philosopher and essayist during the 19th century. Born in 1803, a good hundred years behind Steinbeck, Emerson spent his life in his father’s footsteps as a clergyman. He was licensed as a minister in 1826 and ordained to the Unitarian church in 1829. Emerson married a woman named Ellen Tucker in 1829. When she died of tuberculosis in 1831, he was devastated. Her death and his own recent crisis of faith caused him to resign from the clergy. During the year 1832, a confused and grief-stricken Emerson traveled to Europe to meet with a few literary figures: William Woodsworth and Thomas Carlyle. They encouraged him to keep lecturing and writing, but this time maybe not about faith. Later on when he moved to Massachusetts, he met with kindred spirits and writers such as Henry David Thoreau and Branson Alcott.
By 1840, Ralph Waldo Emerson was back and better than ever. The 1840s were successful years for him. He founded and co-edited the literary magazine The Dial, and he published two volumes of essays in 1841 and 1844. Some of the essays, including “Self-Reliance,” “Friendship” and “Experience,” number among his best-known works (biography.com). My favorite quote of Emerson’s is: “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience” (brainyquote.com). Maybe he believed that his writing would somehow be completed, even if, at the time, he was confused and sad.
Lorrie Moore’s “How to Become a Writer” is hilarious at times. I laughed out loud because it seemed like all of her stories were written with people getting blown up. I liked how the story began with orders to fail at everything else: fail at acting, fail at an early age so as to quickly move on. Be confused. Fail. Fail and be confused, but then move on. Lorrie Moore made it clear that she failed, although this short story sort of dealt more with other people 's confusion about her writing rather than her own. People always asked her questions such as, "You 're a writer? What do you write about?" but no one really understood her.
The story ends with the words "all, always, in the same direction." I thought that meant she was going in a different direction than everyone else. Maybe that is exactly what she meant to say. Maybe she wanted to go in a different direction than everyone else. Steinbeck tried his hand at a romance novel and failed, so he went in a different direction. Emerson was no longer interested in preaching and lecturing everyone about faith, so he turned another way. Success followed each writer that failed at first. I guess this is what a writer must do when figuring out him/herself. Moreover, the main point of “How to Become a Writer” relates well to all writers: fail at first, then succeed. But have fun while doing so.
Works Cited
Benson, Jackson J. John Steinbeck, Writer: A Biography. New York: Penguin Books, 1990. N. pag. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. .
Lee, Don. "About Lorrie Moore: A Profile." pshares.org. N.p., 2012. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. .
"Ralph Waldo Emerson." 2010. The Biography Channel website. 4 November 2013. http://www.biography.com/people/ralph-waldo-emerson-9287153.
"Ralph Waldo Emerson." BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2013. 4 November 2013. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/ralphwaldo106883.html
Roberts, Edgar V., and Robert Zweig, eds. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Fifth ed. N.p.: Pearson Education, Inc., 2008. 144-47. Print.
W., Jim. "Point of View in How to Become a Writer." studymode.com. N.p., Nov. 2010. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. .
4 November 2013
How to Become a Writer My goal in this essay is to discuss the lives of world-renouned writers as they relate to Lorrie Moore’s “How to Become a Writer”. Lorrie Moore is an English professor at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. In 1985, her collection of stories titled “Self Help” was published. “How to Become a Writer” is one of many included stories (Literature, 144). Nicknamed "Lorrie" by her parents, she was born with the name Marie Lorena Moore in 1957 in Glens Falls, New York. Her passion for writing sprang from her academic success. She sprang ahead in school and graduated from St. Lawrence University. She has been writing since the 1980s (pshares.org). “How to Become a Writer” is a second …show more content…
person point of view short story. This point of view helps writer to develop the theme, in this story, which is, as you choose to become a writer, you will probably be isolated from the world Second person point of view writing helps the reader feel as if he/she is actually there witnessing the events taking place. In “How to Become a Writer”, the main character’s name is Francie, but it was written from Lorrie Moore’s personal experiences. When she shows her mom her writing, she describes her mom’s face ‘blank as a donut’, and after, her mom says, “How about empting the dishwasher?” Readers at this time are not only feeling writer’s disappointment and her mom’s carelessness, but they can actually also picture her mom’s face and see it as if they are really there (studymode.com). Lorrie Moore writes using an interesting, soft tone while narrating her life. From her writing, she tries to make it seem as if she does not really care about dropping law school, breaking up with her boyfriend, having meaningless dates, or quitting every job. However, readers still feel a piece of sadness within. This is why she uses of second person point of view writing. Her sort of confusion is what the story is truly about, almost like one’s first semester in college. He/she thinks he/she wants to study one thing and ends up somewhere completely different. In this case, her desire to become a child psychology major takes a weird turn that lands her in a creative writing class. Second person point of view helps the reader to feel like he/she knows the way Lorrie’s character feels: confused, lost, and maybe a slight failure. Other writers surely felt the same confusion - and at times failure - that Lorrie Moore projects in “How to Become a Writer”.
John Steinbeck was born in the year 1902 in Salinas, California as an only child.
He gained a love for literature from his mother, who was interested in the arts. In high school, Steinbeck decided he wanted to be a writer. He moved to New York in 1925 to work on his first novel, Cup of Gold. It was a slightly unsuccessful attempt at a romance. I imagine that he felt a tad discouraged and frustrated at its unsuccessfulness. Regardless, Steinbeck returned to his home in California to focus on writing serious fiction. From 1932 until 1939, he continued writing. Among his published works were The Pastures of Heaven (1932), To a God Unknown (1933), Tortilla Flat (1935), In Dubious Battle (1936), Of Mice and Men (1937), and The Grapes of Wrath (1939). The Grapes of Wrath is about a family of Oklahoma tenant farmers who were forced to turn over their land to banks. The family journeys across the country to the ‘promised land’ of California—only to be met with scorn when they arrive. It is a successful example of social protest in fiction, as well as a convincing tribute to man 's will to survive. The Grapes of Wrath received the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 (notablebiographies.com). John Steinbeck may have began his writing career a little confused, but he definitely figured it all
out.
Another writer figured it all out, too. Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American Transcendentalist poet, philosopher and essayist during the 19th century. Born in 1803, a good hundred years behind Steinbeck, Emerson spent his life in his father’s footsteps as a clergyman. He was licensed as a minister in 1826 and ordained to the Unitarian church in 1829. Emerson married a woman named Ellen Tucker in 1829. When she died of tuberculosis in 1831, he was devastated. Her death and his own recent crisis of faith caused him to resign from the clergy. During the year 1832, a confused and grief-stricken Emerson traveled to Europe to meet with a few literary figures: William Woodsworth and Thomas Carlyle. They encouraged him to keep lecturing and writing, but this time maybe not about faith. Later on when he moved to Massachusetts, he met with kindred spirits and writers such as Henry David Thoreau and Branson Alcott.
By 1840, Ralph Waldo Emerson was back and better than ever. The 1840s were successful years for him. He founded and co-edited the literary magazine The Dial, and he published two volumes of essays in 1841 and 1844. Some of the essays, including “Self-Reliance,” “Friendship” and “Experience,” number among his best-known works (biography.com). My favorite quote of Emerson’s is: “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience” (brainyquote.com). Maybe he believed that his writing would somehow be completed, even if, at the time, he was confused and sad.
Lorrie Moore’s “How to Become a Writer” is hilarious at times. I laughed out loud because it seemed like all of her stories were written with people getting blown up. I liked how the story began with orders to fail at everything else: fail at acting, fail at an early age so as to quickly move on. Be confused. Fail. Fail and be confused, but then move on. Lorrie Moore made it clear that she failed, although this short story sort of dealt more with other people 's confusion about her writing rather than her own. People always asked her questions such as, "You 're a writer? What do you write about?" but no one really understood her.
The story ends with the words "all, always, in the same direction." I thought that meant she was going in a different direction than everyone else. Maybe that is exactly what she meant to say. Maybe she wanted to go in a different direction than everyone else. Steinbeck tried his hand at a romance novel and failed, so he went in a different direction. Emerson was no longer interested in preaching and lecturing everyone about faith, so he turned another way. Success followed each writer that failed at first. I guess this is what a writer must do when figuring out him/herself. Moreover, the main point of “How to Become a Writer” relates well to all writers: fail at first, then succeed. But have fun while doing so.
Works Cited
Benson, Jackson J. John Steinbeck, Writer: A Biography. New York: Penguin Books, 1990. N. pag. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. .
Lee, Don. "About Lorrie Moore: A Profile." pshares.org. N.p., 2012. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. .
"Ralph Waldo Emerson." 2010. The Biography Channel website. 4 November 2013. http://www.biography.com/people/ralph-waldo-emerson-9287153.
"Ralph Waldo Emerson." BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2013. 4 November 2013. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/ralphwaldo106883.html
Roberts, Edgar V., and Robert Zweig, eds. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Fifth ed. N.p.: Pearson Education, Inc., 2008. 144-47. Print.
W., Jim. "Point of View in How to Become a Writer." studymode.com. N.p., Nov. 2010. Web. 4 Nov. 2013. .