Poor Amanda
August 24, 2007
The other day, I found this interesting Wikipedia entry about Amanda Mckittrick Ros, the crowned "worst writer" in recent memory. According to the always-updated-by-those-who-care website, the Inklings even held a competition "to see who could read Ros’ work for the longest length of time while keeping a straight face."
:
Poor woman.
:
However, after examining some of her works, I can see why she’s been held in such low regard. Just take a look at her listed bibliography:
:
- Irene Iddesleigh (novel, 1897)
- Delina Delaney (novel, 1898)
- Poems of Puncture (poetry, 1912)
- Fumes of Formation (poetry, 1933)
- Helen Huddleston (posthumous novel)
:
See the pattern there? According to the site, she also has the tendency to make fanciful interpretations of the simplest of things. "For Amanda, eyes are ‘piercing orbs’, legs are ‘bony supports’, people do not blush, they are ‘touched by the hot hand of bewilderment."
:
I’ve seen this kind of writing when we were in writing workshops back in college, and I still remember someone in our class write something like "hot liquid" instead of "tears" and putting more half-baked ‘word-proxies’ just to make things beautiful, to make things cool — which ultimately became a mess.
:
I guess they’re just afraid of good old simplicity, and they don’t realize that the simplest words are the most powerful. Sabi nga ni Sir, ‘pag nagsusulat ka, tanggalin mo lahat ng flab at adjectives at adverbs. Dun mo malalaman kung maganda nga ang sinulat mo.
:
But hey, I’m not much of a writer these days (and I’ve committed these errors myself), so damn this post and my opinion.
:
August 24th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
para bang, “Hi there prettylicious momma,” he said while gulping his beer. :p
August 25th, 2007 at 12:16 am
haha, si ___ ba ‘yan? ;-D natatawa pa rin ako sa scene na ‘yun.
August 25th, 2007 at 12:16 am
haha, si ___ ba ‘yan? ;-D natatawa pa rin ako sa scene na ‘yun.
August 25th, 2007 at 6:26 am
that couldve been depressing, to be called the worst writer in recent memory (whatever that means) by not-the-best-source-of-information in-the-web website.
her aliteration was funny though. curious to see the works themselves. i wonder why she wrote that way.
theres this thing we call GENIAL CRITICISM wherein we criticize a piece of art in terms of its merit. it shouldnt be supposed to be this and that, for instance, if it’s mere purpose is simply to, say, entertain kids.
*_*
August 25th, 2007 at 6:53 am
hmm, the things you learned in school. which i didn’t.
August 25th, 2007 at 6:53 am
hmm, the things you learned in school. which i didn’t.
August 28th, 2007 at 10:31 pm
and the things i teach hahaha