Writing Exercise for a Wednesday: Mimicry and Gap Analysis

Evil Monkey says "do this or else":- Choose a chapter or scene from your favorite novel.- Photocopy it so you can easily place it on your typing stand. (For even more interesting results, perform this entire exercise in longhand.)- Now retype the chapter or scene verbatim.- Set aside your retyped version. Set aside the photocopy of the chapter or scene.- Now type the chapter or scene again, from memory. Worry less about remembering the exact words than getting the mood and tone right, but do try to reconstruct it as the author intended it. (This part doesn't work if you have a photographic memory, you freak.)- Compare your reimagined version to the original.What did you learn? Report back between now and Sunday.