Hermit Crab Essay - A piece of writing that is not in the form of an essay.
Hermit crab essays can be in many different forms such as lists, a WebMD page, a Wikipedia page, and a syllabus. You can use any style that helps with constructing a theme or increasing readability. Brenda Miller and Suzanne Paola first introduced this concept in their book Tell It Slant. The term was derived from hermit crabs that move from shell to shell, which highlights that the content is still the same; it just changes form.
I have been studying non-fiction in my creative writing class, and this is one of the concepts that we are looking at. As I tested out different styles, the ideas I came up with were much more complex. I was actually surprised. In the practices I've done, I had written about my childhood and experiences, and they came out to be very serious and profound. I usually prefer to write fiction; the idea of building a world and the people in it excites me, but this approach of writing non-fiction has been a very pleasing experience.
If you focus on fiction as I do, I highly recommend trying a hermit crab essay. Writing any other story comes with several regulations and restrictions and can create a tense experience. Luckily, hermit crab essays don't have all the rules of the average college or high school essay. It doesn't have any rules at all. Sometimes we need a "freeing" writing session, and this is the perfect way to do it. There is no right or wrong way to write a hermit crab essay, so be free and have fun!
I hope you found this week's post in good health and if you try a hermit crab essay, please let me know down below. I have also linked a few of the essays that we analyzed in my class. I wish the best of luck to you in your writing and please look forward to next week's post!
We Regret to Inform You, Brenda Miller
Shadow Syllabus, Sonya Huber
The Heart as a Torn Muscle, Randon Billings Noble
The Things I’ve Lost, Brian Arundel
In My Father's Study Upon His Death, Dylan Landis
Comments