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The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula K LeGuin

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The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Ursula K LeGuin

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1. Exposition to setup the scene and the events that are happening.

2. Very hyperbolic and exaggerated vocabulary.

3. Structure: takes us through an event that is happening, then a twist, and then an ending that makes the reader question what they would do.

4. No discernable characters that are named. The character we think most about is the child.

5. Has several identifiable themes that it draws on: suffering, consumerism, the greater good.

6. Takes the reader on a journey and is very introspective (makes them look inward).

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Prose is very similar to regular speech, using words to make phrases, sentences, and paragraphs.

Prose is often used in order to clearly articulate ideas, concepts, events, stories, and ideas.

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What is Prose in Literature?

First, let's define prose

Prose is used in various ways for various purposes. It's a concept you need to understand if your goal to master the literary form. Before we dive in, it's important to understand the prose definition and how it is distinguished from other styles of writing.

PROSE DEFINITION

What is prose?

In writing, prose is a style used that does not follow a structure of rhyming or meter. Rather, prose follows a grammatical structure using words to compose phrases that are arranged into sentences and paragraphs. It is used to directly communicate concepts, ideas, and stories to a reader. Prose follows an almost naturally verbal flow of writing that is most common among fictional and non-fictional literature such as novels, magazines, and journals.

Prose Meaning

Prose vs poetry

To better understand prose, it's important to understand what structures it does not follow which would be the structure of poetry. Let's analyze the difference between prose vs poetry.

Poetry

Poetry follows a specific rhyme and metric structure. These are often lines and stanzas within a poem. Poetry also utilizes more figurative and often ambiguous language that purposefully leaves room for the readers' analysis and interpretation.

Finally, poetry plays with space on a page. Intentional line breaks, negative space, and varying line lengths make poetry a more aesthetic form of writing than prose.

Take, for example, the structure of this [Why] by E.E. Cummings. Observe his use of space and aesthetics as well as metric structure in the poem.

E.E. Cummings Poem

E.E. Cummings may be one of the more stylish poets when it comes to use of page space. But poetry is difference in structure and practice than prose.

Prose

Prose follows a structure that makes use of sentences, phrases, and paragraphs. This type of writing follows a flow more similar to verbal speech and communication. This makes it the best style of writing to clearly articulate and communicate concepts, events, stories, and ideas as opposed to the figurative style of poetry.

What is Prose in Literature?

Take, for example, the opening paragraph of JD Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. We can tell immediately the prose is written in a direct, literal way that also gives voice to our protagonist.
If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.
From this example, you can see how the words flow more conversationally than poetry and is more direct with what information or meaning is being communicated. Now that you understand the difference between poetry, let's look at the four types of prose.

Prose Examples

Types of prose

While all four types of prose adhere to the definition we established, writers use the writing style for different purposes. These varying purposes can be categorized into four different types.

Nonfictional prose

Nonfictional prose is a body of writing that is based on factual and true events. The information is not created from a writer's imagination, but rather true accounts of real events.

This type can be found in newspapers, magazines, journals, biographies, and textbooks. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, for example, is a work written in nonfictional style.

Fictional prose

Unlike nonfictional, fictional prose is partly or wholly created from a writer's imagination. The events, characters, and story are imagined such as Romeo and Juliet, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, or Brave New World. This type is found as novels, short stories, or novellas.

Heroic prose

Heroic prose is a work of writing that is meant to be recited and passed on through oral or written tradition. Legends, mythology, fables, and parables are examples of heroic prose that have been passed on over time in preservation.

Prose poetry

Finally, prose poetry is poetry that is expressed and written in prose form. This can be thought of almost as a hybrid of the two that can sometimes utilize rhythmic measures. This type of poetry often utilizes more figurative language but is usually written in paragraph form.

An example of prose poetry is "Spring Day" by Amy Lowell. Lowell, an American poet, published this in 1916 and can be read almost as hyper short stories written in a prose poetry style.

The first section can be read below:
The day is fresh-washed and fair, and there is a smell of tulips and narcissus in the air. The sunshine pours in at the bath-room window and bores through the water in the bath-tub in lathes and planes of greenish-white. It cleaves the water into flaws like a jewel, and cracks it to bright light. Little spots of sunshine lie on the surface of the water and dance, dance, and their reflections wobble deliciously over the ceiling; a stir of my finger sets them whirring, reeling. I move a foot, and the planes of light in the water jar. I lie back and laugh, and let the green-white water, the sun-flawed beryl water, flow over me. The day is almost too bright to bear, the green water covers me from the too bright day. I will lie here awhile and play with the water and the sun spots. The sky is blue and high. A crow flaps by the window, and there is a whiff of tulips and narcissus in the air."
While these four types of prose are varying ways writers choose to use it, let's look at the functions of them to identify the strengths of the writing style.

What Does Prose Mean in Writing

Function of prose in literature

What is prose used for and when? Let's say you want to tell a story, but you're unsure if using prose or poetry would best tell your story.

To determine if the correct choice is prose, it's important to understand the strengths of the writing style.

Direct communication

Prose, unlike poetry, is often less figurative and ambiguous. This means that a writer can be more direct with the information they are trying to communicate. This can be especially useful in storytelling, both fiction and nonfiction, to efficiently fulfill the points of a plot.

Curate a voice

Because prose is written in the flow of verbal conversation, it's incredibly effective at curating a specific voice for a character. Dialogue within novels and short stories benefit from this style.

Think about someone you know and how they talk. Odds are, much of their character and personality can be found in their voice.

When creating characters, prose enables a writer to curate the voice of that character. For example, one of the most iconic opening lines in literature informs us of what type of character we will be following.

Albert Camus' The Stranger utilizes prose in first person to establish the voice of the story's protagonist.
"Mother died today. Or, maybe, yesterday; I can't be sure. The telegram from the Home says: YOUR MOTHER PASSED AWAY. FUNERAL TOMORROW. DEEP SYMPATHY. Which leaves the matter doubtful; it could have been yesterday."
Build rapport with the reader

Lastly, in addition to giving character's a curated voice, prose builds rapport with the reader. The conversational tone allows readers to become familiar with a type of writing that connects them with the writer.

A great example of this is Hunter S. Thompson's Hell's Angels. As a nonfiction work written in prose, Thompson's voice and style in the writing is distinct and demands a relationship with the reader.

Whether it is one of contradiction or agreement, the connection exists through the prose. It is a connection that makes a reader want to meet or talk with the writer once they finish their work.

Prose is one of the most common writing styles for modern writers. But truly mastering it means understanding both its strengths and its shortcomings.

Up Next

Different Types of Poems

Curious about learning about the counterpart to prose? In our next article we dive in different types of poems as well as different types of poem structures. Check out the complete writer's guide to poetry types up next.

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Prose in Literature - Definition, Types, and Examples

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Prose is a writing style that doesn't follow a structure of rhyming or meter but a structure arranged into sentences and paragraphs.

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1. Salutation, greeting the person I am talking to (myself, however I would like to address myself).

2. Body Paragraph, the point of the letter that I am talking about my current life and questions I would like to ask my future self, my emotions now + more.

3. Closing paragraph, wrapping up everything i've said throughout and wishing myself the best.

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Letter 22 - Letter to My Future Self | Longview, WA

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12.6.2019 I am writing to you from your desk on December 6, 2019. I never thought 2020 would actually get here. That magical year from your younger self where we would be flying around in cars like the Jetsons and the world would look drastically different. The world does look different, but not in the ways we had dreamed about.

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1. details to draw in the reader

2. use descriptive phrases

3. include facts and opinions

4. the magazine article or journalism is structured like an argument

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Read between the lines of a magazine article, and you will see that feature writing is not solely factual, although it is based on hard facts. It is not personal opinion, but it allows a hint of an opinion. It is not fiction, but elements of fiction writing are often apparent. And although a magazine piece may provide social commentary in places, it is also not meant to be a moral essay.

If this sounds like a bit of a riddle to you, here's another way of defining magazine journalism.

Feature writing lies between a work of fiction and hard news reporting. The magazine or webzine article can have all the entertainment value of fiction, using plot, scenes, characters and description. At the same time, the magazine journalist presents interesting, topical information - hard facts gained from research and interviews.

Also known as creative non-fiction, some believe magazine writing to be the highest form of journalism.

To illustrate, here is an excerpt of typical magazine writing:
Are Cell Masts Making You Sick? By Biddi Rorke, Femina Magazine

When Elizabeth Forbes* moved into her beautiful Randburg home more than 10 years ago, she imagined sharing a blissful life with her husband in their semi-rural retreat. The reality is somewhat different.

When a cellphone operator erected a base station just 250 metres from the Forbes' front door a few years ago, Elizabeth started experiencing a host of physical complaints - and she is convinced that they are related to the radio frequency waves emitted by the unsightly cellphone mast. "I've lost almost 12 kg, I feel a constant burning sensation in my limbs and excruciating pain in my muscles," she says ...

Although doctors have been unable to offer a specific reason for Elizabeth's deterioration in health, the 53-year-old is adamant that she is sensitive to the electromagnetic field around her home. "Whenever I am away from my house, I feel better instantly. Just 15 minutes back in my lounge can drain me of all my colour," she says ...

Elizabeth is not the only person to blame her extraordinary symptoms on the presence of a cellphone mast. Last year, six reports found that ...

Let's analyse the key elements of this writing.
1. Feature writing has elements of storytelling
Like fiction (i.e. the novel), magazine writing has an element of entertainment. The magazine writer strives to "show" scenes rather than merely telling the reader the facts. How? By describing people, places or issues.

Scenes created often have dramatic sensory appeal and atmosphere, seducing the reader into finishing the story.

Like fiction writers use characters in their novels, magazine writers use stories from real people (called case studies), as well as dialogue.
2. Feature writing includes detail and description
Feature writing mimics the novel in that it pays close attention to detail that would be considered unnecessary and inappropriate in newspaper journalism.

Details draw the reader in; generalisations keep them out. Yet, the details included are relevant, entertaining, to the point and written in the short sentences that epitomise most good journalism.

For example, see the underlined descriptive phrases in this sentence from the excerpt above, something you would not see in a front-page news report:

When Elizabeth Forbes* moved into her beautiful Randburg home more than 10 years ago, she imagined sharing a blissful life with her husband in their semi-rural retreat. The reality is somewhat different.
3. Include facts and opinions in magazine articles

Newspaper reporting handles hard facts rather than the writer's opinion. Fiction is just that - pure storytelling from the author's point of view. Magazine writing, however, tends to present both fact and a little of the writer's opinion.

This does not mean that magazine writers suck the content for their articles out of their thumb. They must gather everything they write from interviews and research.

What we mean by "opinion" is that in most articles, you could glean the writer's opinion on their subject by paying careful attention to the structure of their argument, and tone of the piece.

In all magazine writing, the writer must strive to present facts that are correct, and an opinion that is balanced and informed.
4. Base your article on a strong angle
An angle is the very specific subject of the article.

For example:

10 Things Your Doctor Wished You Knew

Extreme Sports - Extreme Lives

Revamp your life: Why life coaches work!

5. Feature writing is structured like an argument
The angle, which may be controversial, edgy or sensational, provides the focus of a magazine article. Every line of the magazine article must be congruent with this angle.

Feature writing uses quotations to support or dramatically oppose the argument underlying the piece. Not just experts or authorities are interviewed, but personal stories and unusual, offbeat personalities are frequently cited.
6. It makes use of literary devices
So in the piece, "Are Cell Masts Making You Sick?", Rorke is giving you the facts, and asking you to make an educated choice on the matter.
7. Has a relatively slow pace
Magazine writing makes use of all the literary devices common to fiction writing, including rhetorical questions, metaphors, similes, and bathos. These would be inappropriate in hard news journalism.

Unlike news articles that provide the 5 W's (who, what, where, when and why) and H (how) in the first paragraph, the opening in a feature often withholds this information for later, first hooking the reader with story-telling, and then producing the hard facts later.
8. Feature writing can tell a story from a personal viewpoint
Generally, each paragraph presents one or two hard facts, whereas in newspaper writing you have up to four or five facts per paragraph.
9. It has a m ore informal, even colloquial style 10. A feature article can display a wide range of tones
The point of view taken may be personal, whereas in news reporting, this would be inappropriate. News reporting is almost always in the third person, e.g. He said...; She said.... In magazine writing, the use of first person, "I", is sometimes appropriate, particularly in humour columns. Remember though, that social rants, or opinions on, for example, crime, if they are not funny or satirical, belong in a newspaper "Letter to the editor".

News reporting makes use of a writing style that could be described as factual, formal and crisp. Magazine writing, on the other hand, may be informal, personal, even colloquial. For instance, slang and colloquial expressions are common in this genre. However, the style of writing remains plain and accessible, rather than the poetic, meandering writing that the novelist may indulge in.

Tone refers to the emotional feel underlying an article.
12. Magazine articles can use jargon
In news reporting, most articles have a serious, neutral tone. This is very different from the tone of a magazine piece. Here the tone could be humorous, questioning, persuasive, irreverent, sarcastic, sentimental, heart-warming or informative.

11. Features m ay be controversial
13. Long-form journalism may play with perspective
Whereas news reports present factual coverage of events, the writer of magazine articles is encouraged to be original, creative and edgy. Anything goes, depending on the type of article the magazine is interested in publishing.
14. An article in a magazine may run like a movie
Magazine articles often include jargon pertaining to the subject, where jargon refers to terms that are specific to the subject matter. For instance, an article about trans fatty acids would use "jargon" like "molecular structure", "hydrogenated vegetable fats", "cholesterol", among others.

One way of analysing magazine articles is to see the piece through a camera lens. The writer might start by describing a fine detail (a personal experience or perspective, a specific moment in the narrative), then open up the lens to take in the wide view (the general/global backdrop), then close the piece by narrowing back to the fine detail. Or the writer could go the other way: starting with the wide view, focusing in, then opening up to the wide view again.

Many magazine articles, like the work of fiction, unfold like a movie with characters, plot, dialogue, climax and a sharp ending. The magazine piece often first works to establish setting and character, and then, once the reader is hooked, introduces the facts.

© Nichola Meyer, All Rights Reserved

About the Author

Nichola Meyer is a freelance writer. Her work has appeared in at SA Writers College - and UK Writers College - O Magazine, Femina, Essentials, Baby & Me, Your Baby, Your Pregnancy, Little People and Cape Town's Child. Previously a lecturer in Magazine Journalism at CityVarsity and Boston Language College, she currently tutors the www.sawriterscollege.co.za, NZ Writers College - www.ukwriterscollege.co.uk.
www.nzwriterscollege.co.nz Advanced Freelance journalism Course

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What is Feature Writing in Magazines? - JOURNALISM

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What is magazine journalism? Nichola Meyer discusses 14 elements of magazine writing, from style and tone to perspective and structure.

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1. A type of writing style that conveys a thought, describes a scene or tells a story in a concentrated, lyrical arrangement of words.

2. Structure: poems are grouped by stanzas, which may be grouped by rhyming or rhythmic patterns. White space between lines are a guide for how the poem should be read.

3. Meter is the basic rhythmic structure of a line within a work of poetry.

4. There are many types of poetic form such as: free verse, ballad, epics, sonnet, haiku, etc... Each poetic form has their own formula.

5. Used to create imagery.

6. Elements: alliteration, assonance, consonance, figurative language, imagery, rhyme, rhythm, stanza, enjambment, and tone.

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Adrift in the liberating, late light

of August, delicate, frivolous,

they make their way to my front porch

and flutter near the glassed-in bulb,

translucent as a thought suddenly

wondered aloud, illumining the air

that's thick with honeysuckle and dusk.

You and I are doing our best

at conversation, keeping it light, steering clear

of what we'd like to say.

You leave, and the night becomes

cluttered with moths, some tattered,

their dumbly curious filaments

startling against my cheek. How quickly,

instinctively, I brush them away.

Dazed, they cling to the outer darkness

like pale reminders of ourselves.

Others seem to want so desperately

to get inside. Months later, I'll find

the woolens, snug in their resting places,

full of missing pieces.

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Poems, readings, poetry news and the entire 110-year archive of POETRY magazine.

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A letter to my future self - Samantha Ferrer 

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A letter to my future self - Samantha Ferrer 

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1. Salutation: start the letter with the addressing who you are writing to, for example, dear future self or dear sir/ma'am.

2. Body paragraph: the body paragraph should explain the main point of the letter in a written paragraph form.

3. Closing: the closing of the letter should include words such as yours sincerely, yours truly, or kind regards.

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Storytelling usually involves someone talking about a time in past tense, or telling it as they lived it in present tense. It tends to be told in chronological order.

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Salutations - Greeting the person I am writing to. (how I am going to greet my future self).

Body paragraph - The body paragraph explains the purpose of writing the letter. It includes reflections of my current life, questions that I would like to ask my future self, how I am feeling now, visions for the future, fun predictions, and more.

Closing statement - The closing statement restates the purpose of the letter and wishing myself all the best for the future. Finishing the letter with yours sincerely, yours truly, kind regards, etc.

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1. The importance of traditions.

Sometimes traditions seem like a silly thing, but the fact of it is that it's part of who you are. You grew up this way and, more than likely, so did your parents. It is something that is part of your family history and that is more important than anything.

2. How to be thankful for family and friends.

No matter how many times they get on your nerves or make you mad, they are the ones who will always be there and you should never take that for granted.

3. How to give back.

When tragedy strikes in a small town, everyone feels obligated to help out because, whether directly or indirectly, it affects you too. It is easy in a bigger city to be able to disconnect from certain problems. But in a small town those problems affect everyone.

4. What the word "community" really means.

Along the same lines as #3, everyone is always ready and willing to lend a helping hand when you need one in a small town and to me that is the true meaning of community. It's working together to build a better atmosphere, being there to raise each other up, build each other up, and pick each other up when someone is in need. A small town community is full of endless support whether it be after a tragedy or at a hometown sports game. Everyone shows up to show their support.

5. That it isn't about the destination, but the journey.

People say this to others all the time, but it takes on a whole new meaning in a small town. It is true that life is about the journey, but when you're from a small town, you know it's about the journey because the journey probably takes longer than you spend at the destination. Everything is so far away that it is totally normal to spend a couple hours in the car on your way to some form of entertainment. And most of the time, you're gonna have as many, if not more, memories and laughs on the journey than at the destination.

6. The consequences of making bad choices.

Word travels fast in a small town, so don't think you're gonna get away with anything. In fact, your parents probably know what you did before you even have a chance to get home and tell them. And forget about being scared of what your teacher, principle, or other authority figure is going to do, you're more afraid of what your parents are gonna do when you get home.

7. To trust people, until you have a reason not to.

Everyone deserves a chance. Most people don't have ill-intentions and you can't live your life guarding against every one else just because a few people in your life have betrayed your trust.

8. To be welcoming and accepting of everyone.

While small towns are not always extremely diverse, they do contain people with a lot of different stories, struggle, and backgrounds. In a small town, it is pretty hard to exclude anyone because of who they are or what they come from because there aren't many people to choose from. A small town teaches you that just because someone isn't the same as you, doesn't mean you can't be great friends.

9. How to be my own, individual person.

In a small town, you learn that it's okay to be who you are and do your own thing. You learn that confidence isn't how beautiful you are or how much money you have, it's who you are on the inside.

10. How to work for what I want.

Nothing comes easy in life. They always say "gardens don't grow overnight" and if you're from a small town you know this both figuratively and literally. You certainly know gardens don't grow overnight because you've worked in a garden or two. But you also know that to get to the place you want to be in life it takes work and effort. It doesn't just happen because you want it to.

11. How to be great at giving directions.

If you're from a small town, you know that you will probably only meet a handful of people in your life who ACTUALLY know where your town is. And forget about the people who accidentally enter into your town because of google maps. You've gotten really good at giving them directions right back to the interstate.

12. How to be humble.

My small town has definitely taught me how to be humble. It isn't always about you, and anyone who grows up in a small town knows that. Everyone gets their moment in the spotlight, and since there's so few of us, we're probably best friends with everyone so we are as excited when they get their moment of fame as we are when we get ours.

13. To be well-rounded.

Going to a small town high school definitely made me well-rounded. There isn't enough kids in the school to fill up all the clubs and sports teams individually so be ready to be a part of them all.

14. How to be great at conflict resolution.

In a small town, good luck holding a grudge. In a bigger city you can just avoid a person you don't like or who you've had problems with. But not in a small town. You better resolve the issue fast because you're bound to see them at least 5 times a week.
Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash
15. The beauty of getting outside and exploring.

One of my favorite things about growing up in a rural area was being able to go outside and go exploring and not have to worry about being in danger. There is nothing more exciting then finding a new place somewhere in town or in the woods and just spending time there enjoying the natural beauty around you.

16. To be prepared for anything.

You never know what may happen. If you get a flat tire, you better know how to change it yourself because you never know if you will be able to get ahold of someone else to come fix it. Mechanics might be too busy, or more than likely you won't even have enough cell service to call one.

17. That you don't always have to do it alone.

It's okay to ask for help. One thing I realized when I moved away from my town for college, was how much my town has taught me that I could ask for help is I needed it. I got into a couple situations outside of my town where I couldn't find anyone to help me and found myself thinking, if I was in my town there would be tons of people ready to help me. And even though I couldn't find anyone to help, you better believe I wasn't afraid to ask.

18. How to be creative.

When you're at least an hour away from normal forms of entertainment such as movie theaters and malls, you learn to get real creative in entertaining yourself. Whether it be a night looking at the stars in the bed of a pickup truck or having a movie marathon in a blanket fort at home, you know how to make your own good time.

19. To brush off gossip.

It's all about knowing the person you are and not letting others influence your opinion of yourself. In small towns, there is plenty of gossip. But as long as you know who you really are, it will always blow over.