After reading Dorothea Brande’s Becoming a Writer, I felt that Brande raised some very important points; for instance, if somebody takes the time to read, repay her/his kindness by giving her/him literature worthy of her/his kindness and time: “The influence of any widely[-]read book can hardly be overestimated. If it is sensational, shoddy, or vulgar[,] our lives are the poorer for the cheap ideals which it sets in circulation; if, as so rarely happens, it is a thoroughly good book, honestly conceived and honestly executed, we are all indebted to it” (Brande, 19). Furthermore, “there is such a magic about writing, and […] it is teachable” (Brande, 23). Brande’s underlying message to the reader is yes, you can “honestly [conceive] and honestly [execute]”(Brande, 19) “a thoroughly good book,”(Brande, 19) and the tools are indeed within your grasp if you think yourself lacking. I found this passage very insightful: “The unconscious will provide the writer with ‘types’ of all kinds—typical characters, typical scenes, typical emotional responses; the conscious will have the task of deciding which of these are too personal, too purely idiosyncratic to be material for art, and which of them are universal enough to be useful. It may also be called upon to add intentionally those special traits which turn too universal a figure into an individual character, to undertake the humanizing of a type-form—a necessity if the fiction is to convey a sense of reality. [Because] of the individual’s history, he will tend to see certain dilemmas as dramatic and overlook others entirely, as he will also have his own idea of the greatest possible happiness and personal good” (Brande, 46). I recognized myself in this, because my goal as a writer is blurring the lines between reality—very individualized as is—and my books’ “reality” while my readers read, perhaps maintaining the “reality-blur” after the readers finish the books. I feel that Brande’s advice is a golden key that she hands a prospective writer, and I do indeed agree with her advice. I tried Brande’s advice (“You are near a door. When you come to the end of this chapter[,] put the book aside, get up, and go through that door. From the moment you stand on the threshold turn yourself into your own object of attention. What do you look like, standing there? How do you walk? What, if you knew nothing about yourself, could be gathered of you, your character, your background, your purpose[,] just there at just that minute? If there are people in the room whom you must greet, how do you greet them? How do your attitudes to them vary? Do you give any overt sign that you are fonder of one, or more aware of one, than of the rest?”) and it felt refreshingly deep and eye-opening. My thoughts after reading this are that I thoroughly enjoyed reading Brande’s tough-love advice, and I definitely consider buying the full book so that I can learn how to use the golden key Brande handed me in the excerpt.
Reference List: Brande, D. (1934). Becoming a Writer. Harcourt, Brace & Company.
Mosaic Ponderings 