How to Find Inspiration in a Dull Book:
One of my top students at El Camino asked me how to find inspiration about reading and writing with regard to an uninteresting novel. I consider that an excellent question. I'm sure high school students share that concern. Consider the following:
When you read in a vacuum, sometimes the topic will seem uninteresting because you have no way of connecting. When that happens, take the time to learn more about the author and the era. Writers are often quite interesting people. Learn about an author's life and what he/she writes about will be more interesting because you will have a sense of the personal message.
I find it interesting to know that Shakespeare's only son, Hamnet, died during one of the plagues that destroyed so many lives during that era. Shakespeare, devastated to be sure, named one of his characters Hamlet after his son.
Queen Elizabeth so loved one of Shakespeare's characters that she asked him to write a play specifically about him. Do you know which play that is? Wouldn't it be fun to have the power to assign a topic to a writer or film maker?
Learn about the era and the author and your reading will be more interesting to you as you discover ways to connect outside information to the current reading experience.
Try it.
