blog that nobody asked for

OP

guys I cannot be the only one who thinks Agatha Christie is hella overrated like why are all of the poirot novels just:
crime occured.
sit down with each character in turn and ask the same questions 234823482 times.
solve murder.
have existential moment.
fin.
i was soooo bored reading murder on the orient express, and the movie was sooo much better. i say this as someone who will die if made to watch a movie before reading the book and as a firm believer in book>its movie adaptation. also the murder on the orient express movie was literally crap, the book is still worse becuase it was just that dull, repetitive and predictable. i was really upset about it because obviously everyone's heard of that book and i was just in disbelief at how awful it was after hearing nothing but fanatical praise for it.
however, there must be something about christie's writing that's good. it just cant be the case that all her books are this boring, even if my own experience tells me otherwise- she's literally called the 'queen of crime', so i just feel like maybe im dumb for not 'getting it' or something.
in that spirit, i've picked up And Then There Were None, a non-poirot case that is apparently the best selling crime novel of all time. it's a little bit.... odd, but i don't hate it so far. i actually like the little nursery rhyme that features heavily in it. i just feel like its a bit,, 1940s girl writes a wattpad fic?? like nobodys inner monologue is actually like ỉ͔͖̜͌ ḿ̬̏ͤͅư̡͕̭̇s̠҉͍͊ͅt̲̂̓ͩ̑ ṇ̤͛̒̍o̯̱̊͊͢t̲̂̓ͩ̑ t̲̂̓ͩ̑ḣ̖̻͛̓ỉ͔͖̜͌ṇ̤͛̒̍ḳ̯͍̑ͦ o̯̱̊͊͢f̵͖̜̉ͅ t̲̂̓ͩ̑ḣ̖̻͛̓ẹ̿͋̒̕ ỉ͔͖̜͌ṇ̤͛̒̍c͕͗ͤ̕̕ỉ͔͖̜͌ḑ̴̞͛̒ẹ̿͋̒̕ṇ̤͛̒̍t̲̂̓ͩ̑ but here i am reading that exact thing 3 times in 4 pages from the same character. also there is so much "???" and "!!!!!!" its ridiculous. only 2% of the sentences in this novel end in a full stop. there are SOOOO MANY ELLIPSES ITS DRIVING ME MAD.
i feel like if the prose didnt read like a shounen anime english dub i would like it a lot more. but again, no issue other than that so far, so i'll stick with it. i might even go see a play adaptation of it in early march... now that i bet will be good.

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 22

OP

Original post by Dazza07h

Hii I hear you are good at eng lit- any advice for poetry comparison?

sure thing!
i always ask a few questions about the poems before i start writing- this is definitely one i'd make a few bullet points on the page for before writing my full answer.
1) do the poems have similar themes? if not, i'd pick a different one that does.
2) meter + rhyme scheme- can i say anything about them? often, there's not much to draw from these things, but if you can think of something at all, even if its very minor/ a bit of a stretch, i'd write a small paragraph on it because its specific to poetry, showing that you're not just applying knowledge of prose but that you understand the form of a poem as well.
3) identify language techniques + what they are used for. its all very well that both the poems have metaphors, but why do they have metaphors? do they use them for the same/similar purpose? or are they used to highlight opposing things? i.e, in poem A, [language techinque] is used to illustrate the idyll of the author's homeland and the freedom they have there. in poem B, [the same language techinque] is used to portray the author's oppressive homeland, its flaws, and the fear it incites for the author.

also, for this question i'd write three paragraphs, and each of them would compare a different aspect of A and B. a lot of people just write 2 paragraphs: the themes, structure and language of A, and then the themes structure and language of B with a few comparative statements thrown in. instead i recommend this structure:

•

Introduction- explain which poems you're writing about

•

Themes of A vs B

•

Structure of A vs B

•

Language of A vs B

•

Summary

try to balance the amount of detail you include for each poem. don't write a little bit for A and then write heaps about B, try and keep it level. make sure you're directly and clearly comparing throughout your essay, there's no need to write a point for one poem, even if its a really good one, if you can't link it to the other in a sensible way.

hope this is helpful! if you have any questions, i'm happy to help, and if you need advice on something different in the future, i'll be right here 😊

Reply 23

Original post by x-wing_pilot

sci-fi and fantasy>>>
i really need to read my christie novels but i have no time 😭😭

yesss 💪
aww i hope you're able to find some time to read them soon <3

Reply 24

OP

i haven't got a ton to say lately. i've just been revising like mad because i still feel like i've got nothing actually done even if i am doing work.
one thing i am looking forward to (apart from post-gcse freedom) is Dune: Part Two coming out next weekend!! i will definitely be going to see it asap, but i'll have to do extra revision in the next few days to make up for the time i'll spend at the cinema.
i'll let you know what i think of it!!

Reply 25

Original post by x-wing_pilot

i haven't got a ton to say lately. i've just been revising like mad because i still feel like i've got nothing actually done even if i am doing work.
one thing i am looking forward to (apart from post-gcse freedom) is Dune: Part Two coming out next weekend!! i will definitely be going to see it asap, but i'll have to do extra revision in the next few days to make up for the time i'll spend at the cinema.
i'll let you know what i think of it!!

ME TOO OMG like i've been doing around 4 hours daily recently but i just feel like its not useful revision 😔😔
ooo have fun when you watch it!! is the first dune movie good? i have it added to my list to watch but never got around to watching it

Reply 26

OP

Original post by milktee

ME TOO OMG like i've been doing around 4 hours daily recently but i just feel like its not useful revision 😔😔
ooo have fun when you watch it!! is the first dune movie good? i have it added to my list to watch but never got around to watching it

i really liked dune but i can definitely see that its not for everyone. it's mostly pretty slow-paced, and not action-focused (there is some action ofc and its REALLY GOOD but the amount is wayy less than the current usual). you also need to focus on the movie and pay attention to all the dialogue and detail. my friends that get bored easily and lose focus easily didn't really like it. so if that doesn't sound like your type of film, you'll probably hate it because its 2hours 40 minutes 🥲
but as someone who enjoys character and dialogue driven movies, i definitely loved it. and on top of that its just such a beautiful film. the colour palette, the cinematography, the editing, the general aesthetic, THE MUSICCC(!!!!!) i just loved how every frame was built and every scene was shot so masterfully.
its definitely in my top 5 favourite movies so if you give it a watch do let me know what you thought ^^

Reply 27

Original post by x-wing_pilot

i really liked dune but i can definitely see that its not for everyone. it's mostly pretty slow-paced, and not action-focused (there is some action ofc and its REALLY GOOD but the amount is wayy less than the current usual). you also need to focus on the movie and pay attention to all the dialogue and detail. my friends that get bored easily and lose focus easily didn't really like it. so if that doesn't sound like your type of film, you'll probably hate it because its 2hours 40 minutes 🥲
but as someone who enjoys character and dialogue driven movies, i definitely loved it. and on top of that its just such a beautiful film. the colour palette, the cinematography, the editing, the general aesthetic, THE MUSICCC(!!!!!) i just loved how every frame was built and every scene was shot so masterfully.
its definitely in my top 5 favourite movies so if you give it a watch do let me know what you thought ^^

omg i personally need to have lots of action in a movie for it to be interesting so i mayy not enjoy it as much, but i'll definitely check it out 🤞
oooo it really does sound like a masterpiece and ofc, i'll defo let you know if i end up watching it 🤍🤍

Reply 28

Tatakae L

Original post by x-wing_pilot

heyyy yall i have my gcses like. now. so naturally im giving myself all sorts of irrelevant projects instead of studying

fav subject: english literature
most important subject for me: physics
least fav subject: geography 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮 srsly why did i take it
my worst subject: maths :frown:

(((((

anywayy so i will just be using this thread as a lil blog kinda thing and i'll talk abt school and i read books + watch movies a LOT so i guess i will sort of journal those here too... and just life in general yk because why not
hope some of you enjoy this !! if i forget about it and abandon it after like 2 days im so sorry

girl why did i not know this exists ??!!?!?!!?1?! I am here now tho so if you do update I will know lolol <3

Reply 29

OP

Original post by Tatakae L

girl why did i not know this exists ??!!?!?!!?1?! I am here now tho so if you do update I will know lolol <3

😭😭 thank youuuu
i love your pfp by the way

Reply 30

Tatakae L

Original post by x-wing_pilot

😭😭 thank youuuu
i love your pfp by the way

ah thank you <33333333 And yours is so cute lol, I was admiring it yesterday

Reply 31

Moonand7Stars

3

Original post by x-wing_pilot

heyyy yall i have my gcses like. now. so naturally im giving myself all sorts of irrelevant projects instead of studying

fav subject: english literature
most important subject for me: physics
least fav subject: geography 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮 srsly why did i take it
my worst subject: maths :frown:

(((((

anywayy so i will just be using this thread as a lil blog kinda thing and i'll talk abt school and i read books + watch movies a LOT so i guess i will sort of journal those here too... and just life in general yk because why not
hope some of you enjoy this !! if i forget about it and abandon it after like 2 days im so sorry

Hey, I saw that you asked for creative writing feedback on another thread (i thought it was rlly good btw). im also kind of writing a novel - or trying but life's got in the way - and ive written quite a bit but i feel like the quality of my writing's gone down a lot. like, it's not writer's block, i know what's going to happen, but i just can't get it to come out like i imagine it. does anyone else have this sometimes? what can i do to fix it?

Reply 32

OP

ughhhh today i just feel bleh and i wan to sleep for 4034982 hours
its been a long week

also- i was doing a chemistry paper and i ran into a wall that i've hit a lot of times.
i'm very good with theory and whatnot, but i really struggle with remembering lil random facts like the reactivity series, acid + base and acid + metal and similar kinds of things, and tests like what element produces what colour flame and what + what = what colour precipitate, yada yada.
does anyone have some tips for finally committing these sorts of things to memory??

Reply 33

OP

Original post by Moonand7Stars

Hey, I saw that you asked for creative writing feedback on another thread (i thought it was rlly good btw).

thank you so much!!

Original post by Moonand7Stars

im also kind of writing a novel - or trying but life's got in the way - and ive written quite a bit but i feel like the quality of my writing's gone down a lot. like, it's not writer's block, i know what's going to happen, but i just can't get it to come out like i imagine it. does anyone else have this sometimes? what can i do to fix it?

oh i DEFINITELY have this. i actually think that if you havent experienced this while writing a larger project, it's probably not very good.
as im also currently going through what youre describing with a project of mine, i'm not sure how good my advice will be because im not looking in retrospect. but i'd say, let the project breathe for a while. i've taken a step back from the tricky project, taken a look at some other ones, but also given myself a break from writing in general. i think that if somethings not working out, even though you're trying hard on it, its best to rest and come back with a fresh eye and mind.
i haven't yet had some epiphany regarding that project, but it helped with a lot of stress that was building up over it. i just got so obsessed with getting it done now, getting it published now, that i wasn't even enjoying it, beating myself up over it, etc. so on that point, i will say take a step back from it, work on a different project or just take a lil holiday from writing.

additionally, knowing what's going to happen in your story is great, but sometimes it gets in the way. and that's hard because sometimes you get attached to that inital 'wow! i gotta write this' idea and think it must be done Exactly As It Was Revealed To You or something. again, speaking from experience, you gotta kill your darlings sometimes. i really dont want to, but im starting to think that i might have to just rip off the bandage and rethink my whole premise (for the same project i was just talking about, in fact. real pain in the neck, that one, but remember: the best ideas are the ones that are the hardest to write down). it REALLY sucks and its quite sad, but consider whether your plot:
a) has a theme, a message. what are you trying to say with it? literally, what's the point?
b) is cohesive. do you have too many different answers to a) going on? it's better to write expansively on just one.
c) is based on really nice scenes you thought up, but you don't actually know what the story or the point or anything is???
my annoying project failed on all three counts. that's why i've shelved it temporarily. they might not apply in your case though; sometimes it's just the "ugh why doesn't it translate from my brain onto paper" kinda thing that can lead to this sort of frustration.

just as a lil motivation, here's a quote from George Orwell, who is of course one of the greats and who wrote a LOT.
"Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist or understand."
If it's annoying, if it's tiring, if it's not a walk in the park, that means that your story truly has heart. Because you sometimes wanted to give up but you didn't. You powered through and you made something incredible, because you struggled for it, and you worked hard on it. Just don't give up on it, and you will get where you want to be.

i hope this helps somewhat... im no expert, but i will say its lovely to speak to someone who's also a writer, and is having pretty much exactly the same struggles as me at the same time too 😭 i'd love to talk more, and maybe we could help each other out with our projects? two heads are better than one after all! thanks for reaching out 🫶

(edited 2 months ago)

Reply 34

OP

Original post by Anonymous #1

You’re right. Nobody asked for this blog

so sweet of you! next time don't post this sort of thing anonymously like a coward.

Reply 35

Anonymous #1

Original post by x-wing_pilot

so sweet of you! next time don't post this sort of thing anonymously like a coward.

Womp womp

Reply 36

OP

I have to write up my concept pro forma for A Midsummer Night's Dream tonight 🥲
So far I haven't gotten much done but I have to do it by tomorrow evening sooo
I really wish there were more accessible resources for actors' standpoints on Shakespeare's plays. You'd think there would be loads, seeing as they are plays, but nowhere can I find any resource describing the demands of the text from a performance standpoint, what it demands from an actor in terms of diction, physicality, etc. There only seems to be literary analysis. It's a shame because I'd love to learn more about it, even outside of this assignment.
If anyone knows any resources that can help, I'd love it if you could share. Until then ima sign off and get this done 😁

Reply 37

Original post by x-wing_pilot

I have to write up my concept pro forma for A Midsummer Night's Dream tonight 🥲
So far I haven't gotten much done but I have to do it by tomorrow evening sooo
I really wish there were more accessible resources for actors' standpoints on Shakespeare's plays. You'd think there would be loads, seeing as they are plays, but nowhere can I find any resource describing the demands of the text from a performance standpoint, what it demands from an actor in terms of diction, physicality, etc. There only seems to be literary analysis. It's a shame because I'd love to learn more about it, even outside of this assignment.
If anyone knows any resources that can help, I'd love it if you could share. Until then ima sign off and get this done 😁

lmaoo i could never want to learn anything shakespeare related apart from what's necessary 💀 and omg this is so random but i saw that your profile picture on your user profile is gojo AND I LOVE GOJO SM AHAH so glad to see another jjk fan 🤞🤞
good luck with your work 🤍

Reply 38

stmkcltrs

12

Original post by x-wing_pilot

heyyy yall i have my gcses like. now. so naturally im giving myself all sorts of irrelevant projects instead of studying

fav subject: english literature
most important subject for me: physics
least fav subject: geography 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮 srsly why did i take it
my worst subject: maths :frown:

(((((

anywayy so i will just be using this thread as a lil blog kinda thing and i'll talk abt school and i read books + watch movies a LOT so i guess i will sort of journal those here too... and just life in general yk because why not
hope some of you enjoy this !! if i forget about it and abandon it after like 2 days im so sorry

watch Down With Love 2003 please x thank you

Reply 39

OP