Adopt A Style

[Salinye]

Adopt a Style is a book club with a twist!

 

My thought is that once a month someone will choose a book that they love and post a small blurb on what the book is about. Then that person will give a writing assignment to change/add to/alter the book. However, part of the challenge of the project would be to write the assignment adopting the original author’s writing style as best as you can. So although the piece you’re writing is not actually in the book, you want the piece to flow as if it was written to be part of that book. Make sense? It will be participants job that month to obtain the book and read it and then do the assignment if they want to.

 

Here is an example using the story “Jack and the Beanstalk”. I’m choosing that fairy tale for the example because I think most people are familiar with the story. So, if it were my month and I chose Jack and the beanstalk, I would have posted my little blurb to entice interest before the first of the month along with the title and author. Then I would post my assignment. Here are three examples of what an assignment might be:

 

Example 1:

 

Write what would happen if on page X and Y the giant had gotten down the beanstalk rather than Jack succeeding in chopping it down.

 

Example 2:

 

Write a piece that shows how Jack’s actions affected the household of the giantess leaving her a widow.

 

Example 3:

 

Choose any part of the book and rewrite a piece showing how it would have been different if Jack were a female instead of a male. Please be sure to reference the page number of the scene you are recreating so that we can compare it.

 

I like this idea for two reasons. One it gets us to read books that we might not have ever picked up otherwise. Second, it gets us to analyze how different authors write. I think it will be fun to try to write pieces that will fit in with the author’s original style.

 

How I envision this happening is that people who are interested should post their interest along with at least the title of the book on this thread. Then we will assign each person a month on a first come first serve basis. :0) I’d like to start with September and I’m choosing Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

 

Now, in general, it probably won’t prove fruitful to pick a book that is # 6 in a series. However, I thought I could get away with it with this particular book because there is such a large following of the series here at The Pen. Since so many people have already read it and are hyped about it, I thought it a good first choice. I’ll post the actual thread with the assignment here in the Assembly room before September 1st.

This is a project that people can do some months and not others, or they can come back to later after that month is past, read the book and add their own work to the assignment thread. All are welcome. I’m thinking this will be great fun and even if only a couple of people actually do it, I think it will be worth being part of. Perhaps nobody will be interested and that’s okay too, I just thought it would be fun to try to see if there is interest. :0)

 

I look forward to seeing which books other people will suggest. I love reading books I may not have chosen on my own only to learn how fabulous they and the author are. :0)

 

~Salinye

Edited August 25, 2005 by Salinye

[Katzaniel]

Did I miss the assignment coming through?

 

Sal, I think this is a great idea, but didn't post originally because I didn't know if I'd have enough time after you posted the assignment. I think you might garner more interest from people (including me) if you let people participate if/when they're inspired and not have to sign up (if that's what you were waiting for).

 

Cheers,

Katz

[Sweetcherrie]

I don't know how I missed this idea in the first place because I love it.

 

But yeah, I will try and come up with something that could've been different if something would've been different in your chosen book.

 

I'm assuming that it's not too late to do this

[Sweetcherrie]

(Page 74.)

 

‘Bye,’ said Harry.

 

They walked to the front door, and it closed behind them almost with a bang. It seemed Slughorn had really lost the nerve to teach.

 

‘What will we do now, professor?’

 

‘I don’t know yet, Harry.’ Dumbledore said as they set off down the garden path, ‘but we’ll find a way.’

 

The garden gate swung shot behind them, and the sound made a very final click, almost as if it wanted to confirm the finality of Slughorn’s answer.

 

Harry felt as if he had failed, Dumbledore had trusted him with this, and now he hadn’t been able to convince Slughorn to go teaching again.

 

‘I’m sorry I couldn’t do it.’

 

Dumbledore placed a hand on his shoulder, and smiled down at Harry.

 

‘I’m proud of you no matter what Harry, especially after everything that happened at the Ministery, and permit me to say that I think Sirius would have been proud of you as well.”

 

(continue page 77, top)

 

(until page 81)

 

‘Harry, dear! Gracious, Albus, you gave me a fright; you said not to expect you before morning!’

 

‘Well, we were less lucky then we had hoped we would be,’ said Dumbledore, ushering Harry over the threshold. ‘Slughorn proved less persuadable than I had expected. Harry was great though. Ah, hello, Nymphadora!’

 

Harry looked around and saw Mrs Weasley was not alone, despite the lateness of the hour. A young witch with a pale, heart-shaped face and mousy brown hair was sitting at the table clutching a large mug between her hands.

 

‘Hello, Professor,’ she said. ‘Wotcher, Harry.’

 

‘Hi, Tonks.’

 

Harry thought she looked drawn, even ill, and there was something forced in her smile. Certainly her appearance was less colourful than usual without her customary shade of bubblegum-pink hair.

 

‘I’d better be off,’ she said quickly, standing up and pulling her cloak around her shoulders, ‘Thanks for the tea and the sympathy, Molly.’

‘Please, could we maybe discuss something before you leave?’ All eyes turned to Dumbledore. ‘I say we still need a new teacher, and-‘

 

A little happy ‘yay’ interrupted, and Dumbledore looked at Harry sternly, but his eyes were twinkling, ‘Now as I was saying. We still need a new teacher Nymphadora, and I dare say that you would be an excellent choice.’

 

Tonks looked from Harry’s hopeful face to that of Dumbledore, and already opened her mouth to object. ‘Please, Tonks, you’d be great.’

 

Another stern look, this time from Mrs Weasley, made him stop talking again, but Harry loved the idea of having Tonks for potions classes; with her he would certainly be able to continue with the subject.

 

‘But really, I cant, I couldn’t, I..’

 

‘I’m certain that you can, and could, this is why I am asking you.’ Dumbledore’s eyes smiled, and Harry thought that it was almost as if he was radiating confidence, and some of it seemed to have given off on Tonks.

 

‘All right then, if you say-’

 

Behind the door muffled screams were heard, and moments later Ron, Hermione, and Ginny stormed into the kitchen.

 

(I'm affraid that I chose a change so big, that I could continue changing the rest of the book as well. Enough to know that there will probably be some changes in it with Tonks as a potions teacher

 

Hope this is sort of what was meant to be done)