| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson by Robert Louis Stevenson: this is with an idea of a novel, but in the course of it I made a
very curious discovery. I have been accustomed to hear refined and
intelligent critics - those who know so much better what we are
than we do ourselves, - trace down my literary descent from all
sorts of people, including Addison, of whom I could never read a
word. Well, laigh i' your lug, sir - the clue was found. My style
is from the Covenanting writers. Take a particular case - the
fondness for rhymes. I don't know of any English prose-writer who
rhymes except by accident, and then a stone had better be tied
around his neck and himself cast into the sea. But my Covenanting
buckies rhyme all the time - a beautiful example of the unconscious
|
The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas: Baerle had proceeded step by step towards gaining the prize
offered by the Horticultural Society of Haarlem. He had
progressed from hazel-nut shade to that of roasted coffee,
and on the very day when the frightful events took place at
the Hague which we have related in the preceding chapters,
we find him, about one o'clock in the day, gathering from
the border the young suckers raised from tulips of the
colour of roasted coffee; and which, being expected to
flower for the first time in the spring of 1675, would
undoubtedly produce the large black tulip required by the
Haarlem Society.
The Black Tulip |
The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum: his feet, and after assisting the Pumpkinhead to stand upright Tip whittled
out a new ear and fastened it to the horse's head.
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"Now," said he, addressing his steed, "pay attention to what I'm going to
tell you. 'Whoa!' means to stop; 'Get-Up!' means to walk forward; 'Trot!'
means to go as fast as you can. Understand?"
"I believe I do," returned the horse.
"Very good. We are all going on a journey to the Emerald City, to see His
Majesty, the Scarecrow; and Jack Pumpkinhead is going to ride on your back,
so he won't wear out his joints."
"I don't mind," said the Saw-Horse. "Anything that suits you suits me."
The Marvelous Land of Oz |
