Contemplations of Writing

My honors English class that I'm taking this semester requires us to read Huckleberry Finn. Since I'd never read it before, I was eagerly looking forward to delving into it. Well, I hope no one has a heart attack or anything but I do not really care for the novel. Now, I have not finished it yet; I have roughly 100 pages left.

I can't seem to get "into" the book if you know what I mean. It's slow, boring, and no matter how many "adventures" they have, nothing changes in the. They just go back to the raft and float down the water. Now, Where the Red Fern Grows, is my favorite book and I also really enjoy the book Because of Winn Dixie. Both are slower, country reads...but this? Nope, I can't seem to get into it.

One of the reasons I attribute this to is that satire is completely lost on me. I am a literal reader and a literal writer. I don't put undertones or hints of hidden meanings into my own writing.  Therefore, I don't pick up on it in other short stories, and novels. I know that in literature classes, we study the why of stories so I do try to look for the subtleties in what we're given to read. I just can't seem to ever find it.

I read for enjoyment. I pick up a book and if it interests me, I read it. If it's boring, dumb, or uncomfortable, I put it down. Reading fiction is for enjoyment. That's my opinion. There's nothing wrong with reading for knowledge, though.

Going hand in hand with that idea, I write for enjoyment. My writing is very shallow. It may be a good story or a fun story, but it's not deep. That's for sure. There is no body to my writing; it is exactly what you see on the pages in front of you. Part of that has spread from hating how people haphazardly pour allegories into novels never meant to have hidden meaning. It just bugs me, so I figure if all my writing is just what's on hard paper, people won't really have the option to do that. Also, I really don't feel like being satirical or pointing out the flaws of the government and society. That's not what I think writing is for.

Today, though, something hit me. None of the great novels (like Huckleberry Finn for example) were written for simple entertainment. They all have a point to them. This made me think. Could I write a great novel and still have it be dessert instead of a steak dinner? I don't think so.

Now, I don't know if I can ever truly write a great novel. Or, if I can put enough depth into one of my novels to have it be at least in the entree category. Still, I'm going to endeavor to do it. I don't think I'll write cryptically, 'cause that I flat out don't like. But, I'm going to put more behind my writing: more complex characters, two-sided characters...and other stuff I can't put names to right now.