[A Sip of a Book] Try Writing Like This... Your Life Might Change

Editor's NoteSome sentences encapsulate the entire content of a book, while others instantly reach the reader's heart, creating a connection with the book. We excerpt and introduce such meaningful sentences from books.

This is a book for people struggling with writing. The author, who has worked as a journalist, marketer, and writing instructor for over 20 years, reading and writing as a profession, selects helpful examples for writing and shares the writing know-how honed over time. The content covers the basics of writing, from the process of reflection through walking, methods of collecting words, to writing sentences and paragraphs, and embraces genre-specific writing such as essays, poetry, and editorials. Furthermore, it introduces how to write in practical fields, including self-introductions, reports, and copywriting needed in social life.

Even professional writers who make a living from writing still find it intimidating and difficult. Writing is a task that only I must experience fully without anyone else's help. You cannot lose focus or write while doing something else simultaneously. It is the process of filling a blank page with your story, one letter at a time. The more you write, the closer you get to yourself. <4~5 pages>

So, are you now ready to start writing? If you have opened your mind to the world and unlocked your literacy warehouse, let's go collect materials to write with. Many students come to writing classes and say they don't really know what to write. Especially students with little life experience or those who dislike writing are accustomed to reacting only to stimulating video content and are used to rote writing. They lack the power to observe carefully and discover on their own. Writing is a unique creation that only I can complete. It is the process of transferring what I discover and think, letter by letter, with my own hands. There is no right way to write, but we must now acknowledge that there is no easy way either. Purposeful writing usually comes with a given topic and subject, but if you only write on predetermined materials, your thinking will narrow. It is advisable not to narrow the scope to specific materials or topics but to start short writing in everyday life. <26 pages>

The pain of unemployment in a family is not a distant story. It is something that can happen to any ordinary family at least once, and most Korean workers in their 40s and 50s experience unemployment and retirement through processes similar to the protagonist of this book. However, the weight of life a family bears varies greatly depending on how fair and understandable the process is. It can lead a family to ruin or open a new chapter in life. What did a father's unemployment mean to a first-year middle school student entering adolescence? Reading the honest writing of a teenage boy facing harsh reality made me feel ashamed as an adult. No elaborate rhetoric can surpass honesty. I think the judges selected this piece as a winning work for the same reason.

The idea that children's writing is inferior to adults' is a complete misconception. On the contrary, when we write, what matters is not how well we write, that is, 'writing skill,' but whether we are honest with ourselves and deeply observe our emotions. That might be the closest thing to a correct answer. <113 pages>

When Sentences Change, Life Changes | Written by Na Hyun-yu | Sam-in | 316 pages | 17,000 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.