Writing Compilation and Analysis
4
Masayoshiii
Gone
I am going to compile and analyze all of my stories from all of the threads I've made related to them in this thread, starting tomorrow.
I'll begin with the earliest ones posted and end with the newest ones, and make side-by-side comparisons of each and every story against one another.
I will completely deconstruct every single work and those who manage to sit through it all will realize the following:
"Wow, this guy is a massive dickhead, but he's right! Writing can be measured and analyzed objectively! Oh, what a fool I was."
Those who don't will only be fooling themselves, as I will be using the rules of the English language as the tools for these deconstructions.
Writing can be objectively measured and improved.
Some written works are objectively better than others.
Methods and strategies can be used to learn how to write correctly.
Art itself is something that can be objectively measured.
Three dots on a canvas is a greater number than two, this is a mathematical fact.
However, the volume of paint used could be different, resulting in more factors.
Nevertheless, every single thing in existence is something that can be measured concretely, or at least mathematically to some extent.
I am making a point with this, since simply arguing about it had no effect.
And even if this doesn't make the point I intend to the people I intend it for, I can use it later on as well should the need for it arise.
I will assert my ideas are the correct ones and use facts and mathematics to back that up.
I'll begin with the earliest ones posted and end with the newest ones, and make side-by-side comparisons of each and every story against one another.
I will completely deconstruct every single work and those who manage to sit through it all will realize the following:
"Wow, this guy is a massive dickhead, but he's right! Writing can be measured and analyzed objectively! Oh, what a fool I was."
Those who don't will only be fooling themselves, as I will be using the rules of the English language as the tools for these deconstructions.
Writing can be objectively measured and improved.
Some written works are objectively better than others.
Methods and strategies can be used to learn how to write correctly.
Art itself is something that can be objectively measured.
Three dots on a canvas is a greater number than two, this is a mathematical fact.
However, the volume of paint used could be different, resulting in more factors.
Nevertheless, every single thing in existence is something that can be measured concretely, or at least mathematically to some extent.
I am making a point with this, since simply arguing about it had no effect.
And even if this doesn't make the point I intend to the people I intend it for, I can use it later on as well should the need for it arise.
I will assert my ideas are the correct ones and use facts and mathematics to back that up.
1
FinalBoss
#levelupyourgrind
This'll be interesting. A nice change of pace from the usual garbage in IB. I'm looking forward to it.
0
Masayoshiii
Gone
What are we analyzing now?
So, for the first analysis, I will be deconstructing my first contest submission, since it is the oldest work I submitted the writing forum (That I was able to find, at least) and there are many problems with it to be pointed out.
I will be also taking into consideration the "advice" given at the time and deconstructing those posts as well, and separating what can be used objectively and what comes down to a person's own tastes.
However, before that, we need a way to determine the line between objective and subjective for these analyses.
Some will argue semantics stating that nothing in the world is truly objective--I aim to prove them wrong.
I will provide sources for everything at the end of this post, for now, and later move them to the appropriate parts where they are used.
Subjective VS Objective
In written terms, subjective factors are those that come down to preference or a person's style, whereas objective factors are those that can be calculated with mathematics and follow strict rules set forth by those who created the language.
It is uncertain whether or not subjective factors of the aforementioned kind can be quantified, though I have a theory that it is possible, but we currently lack the knowledge of the human brain in order to do so.
Everything that happens in our brain is a chemical reaction or electrical response, and so they should be measurable as well as strictly quantifiable.
If we are able to later develop a complete understanding of such things, we'll be able to objectively analyze why every reaction and response occurs, and put it into mathematical formulae.
Until then, I will be using what I believe, after doing my own research, is the answer to objectively define writing, whether it be fictional or non-fictional.
Things that cannot be quantified or measured concretely at this time will be expressed, albeit with ample skepticism.
Things that can be quantified or measured concretely at this time will be considered "objective" unless proven otherwise.
Alright, with that, the first analysis begin in the next post.
So, for the first analysis, I will be deconstructing my first contest submission, since it is the oldest work I submitted the writing forum (That I was able to find, at least) and there are many problems with it to be pointed out.
I will be also taking into consideration the "advice" given at the time and deconstructing those posts as well, and separating what can be used objectively and what comes down to a person's own tastes.
However, before that, we need a way to determine the line between objective and subjective for these analyses.
Some will argue semantics stating that nothing in the world is truly objective--I aim to prove them wrong.
I will provide sources for everything at the end of this post, for now, and later move them to the appropriate parts where they are used.
Subjective VS Objective
In written terms, subjective factors are those that come down to preference or a person's style, whereas objective factors are those that can be calculated with mathematics and follow strict rules set forth by those who created the language.
It is uncertain whether or not subjective factors of the aforementioned kind can be quantified, though I have a theory that it is possible, but we currently lack the knowledge of the human brain in order to do so.
Everything that happens in our brain is a chemical reaction or electrical response, and so they should be measurable as well as strictly quantifiable.
If we are able to later develop a complete understanding of such things, we'll be able to objectively analyze why every reaction and response occurs, and put it into mathematical formulae.
Until then, I will be using what I believe, after doing my own research, is the answer to objectively define writing, whether it be fictional or non-fictional.
Things that cannot be quantified or measured concretely at this time will be expressed, albeit with ample skepticism.
Things that can be quantified or measured concretely at this time will be considered "objective" unless proven otherwise.
Alright, with that, the first analysis begin in the next post.
0
Masayoshiii
Gone
Anaylsis #1, Part 1 - [Winter Contest Entry 2015] Priorities:
Here is the link to the original thread.
The following spoiler contains the contest entry's content:
So, to begin, we will quantify this story and show some raw numbers before we individually deconstruct and analyze each paragraph and then sentence:
Paragraph Count: 13
Word count: 893
Word per paragraph average: 68.69230769230769
Sentence count: 37
Sentence per paragraph average: 2.846153846153846
With that out of the way, we will break down each paragraph and analyze them individually.
This may end up being several posts, due to the limitations of posting large amounts of text in single posts on these forums.
I've experienced this problem before, but not since I began cutting unnecessary content from my stories as I write them, so I will attempt to fit this analysis into one post.
Before we begin, however, I will be providing multiple sources to help people understand how I am coming to these conclusions.
Note that I will only be using rules that are agreed upon by more than 2 sources, as they have the most credibility.
If you have a source that confirms a rule or abolishes it, please let me know and it will be taking into consideration for my next analysis:
Source 1
Source 2
Source 3
Source 4
Source 5
Source 6
Now, let us begin.
Paragraph Analyses:
Paragraph 1:
So, first, as it seems to be an agreement by most of those sources, we will note the mistakes in using an incorrect voice.
Actions on individuals or groups are written in the "active" voice, meaning the person or thing comes before the action or situation created by them.
Sentence 1: In this paragraph does not meet that metric, therefore it is incorrectly written. The way it is written, it fails to describe what causes the background noise, so it leaves the reader confused, guessing as to a possible cause. All that possibly implies the cause of such noise is the fact that the noises occur inside a city. However, that is not sufficient cause to leave out the person, people, or objects causing the noise.
Sentence 2: In this paragraph does follow the active voice rule to a major extent, but makes the mistake of changing tense mid-sentence. In fact, it makes this mistake multiple times, so the structure is quite a mess. The sentence begins in past perfect tense and changed to present perfect continuous with the words "I cannot hope to compete". It shifts again to present progressive tense after the second comma and shifts once more to a future simple tense with the words "would be soon".
Sentence 3: In this paragraph, the tense did not shift at all. The active voice was used correctly for both indicated actions. Thus, the structure was sound.
...
It seems I will need to break this analysis into multiple posts after all, so I will be dubbing this post "Analysis #1, Part 1". I will be creating a way to navigate the posts more easily from the opening post in the form of a table of contents at a later time.
I will also be updating this post with additional sources. Look forward to part 2!
Edit: I will actually be continuing this analysis in google docs, since the post word limit is not active there.
Here is the link.
It also allows for more formatting flexibility, so that's a plus.
Here is the link to the original thread.
The following spoiler contains the contest entry's content:
Spoiler:
So, to begin, we will quantify this story and show some raw numbers before we individually deconstruct and analyze each paragraph and then sentence:
Paragraph Count: 13
Word count: 893
Word per paragraph average: 68.69230769230769
Sentence count: 37
Sentence per paragraph average: 2.846153846153846
With that out of the way, we will break down each paragraph and analyze them individually.
This may end up being several posts, due to the limitations of posting large amounts of text in single posts on these forums.
I've experienced this problem before, but not since I began cutting unnecessary content from my stories as I write them, so I will attempt to fit this analysis into one post.
Before we begin, however, I will be providing multiple sources to help people understand how I am coming to these conclusions.
Note that I will only be using rules that are agreed upon by more than 2 sources, as they have the most credibility.
If you have a source that confirms a rule or abolishes it, please let me know and it will be taking into consideration for my next analysis:
Source 1
Source 2
Source 3
Source 4
Source 5
Source 6
Now, let us begin.
Paragraph Analyses:
Paragraph 1:
A multitude of sounds and background noise filled the city, even at night. As I aged, I realized that I cannot hope to compete with the youth of today, entering the workforce and taking up positions that would be soon to threaten my own. Yet, I needed to work hard, as my family relied on my stable income.
So, first, as it seems to be an agreement by most of those sources, we will note the mistakes in using an incorrect voice.
Actions on individuals or groups are written in the "active" voice, meaning the person or thing comes before the action or situation created by them.
Sentence 1: In this paragraph does not meet that metric, therefore it is incorrectly written. The way it is written, it fails to describe what causes the background noise, so it leaves the reader confused, guessing as to a possible cause. All that possibly implies the cause of such noise is the fact that the noises occur inside a city. However, that is not sufficient cause to leave out the person, people, or objects causing the noise.
Sentence 2: In this paragraph does follow the active voice rule to a major extent, but makes the mistake of changing tense mid-sentence. In fact, it makes this mistake multiple times, so the structure is quite a mess. The sentence begins in past perfect tense and changed to present perfect continuous with the words "I cannot hope to compete". It shifts again to present progressive tense after the second comma and shifts once more to a future simple tense with the words "would be soon".
Sentence 3: In this paragraph, the tense did not shift at all. The active voice was used correctly for both indicated actions. Thus, the structure was sound.
...
It seems I will need to break this analysis into multiple posts after all, so I will be dubbing this post "Analysis #1, Part 1". I will be creating a way to navigate the posts more easily from the opening post in the form of a table of contents at a later time.
I will also be updating this post with additional sources. Look forward to part 2!
Edit: I will actually be continuing this analysis in google docs, since the post word limit is not active there.
Here is the link.
It also allows for more formatting flexibility, so that's a plus.
0
Sentence 1: In this paragraph does not meet that metric, therefore it is incorrectly written. The way it is written, it fails to describe what causes the background noise, so it leaves the reader confused, guessing as to a possible cause. All that possibly implies the cause of such noise is the fact that the noises occur inside a city. However, that is not sufficient cause to leave out the person, people, or objects causing the noise.
Even if it gave sources for the sounds, I'd still say it's a bad first sentence. It gives us nothing on what the story's about other than that it takes place in a city.
