It is hard to believe 8 weeks has slipped by and it is time for my final blog.
I especially enjoyed Zinsser's text this week. I really liked what he had to say about making your writing entertaining. It was helpful to see in what ways I can accomplish this. It was one paragraph, but that one paragraph holds a lot of great tips, including how these bits of entertainment become your style. You need to give your reader amusement, and this is usually “an enjoyable surprise” (Zinsser, 297). These amusements become our style and our style is our personality. Through this week’s readings, I have learned you cannot let someone take that away.
The idea of ownership of my own writing, of workshopping, editing and people telling me what to do in my own text...
I found Zinsser and Graham’s words on editing helpful. Being a novice writer, I have no idea how the whole editing process works. Although, I do see now how workshopping was indeed a form of editing. It is good to know that if I am confident in my work, I should defend my work. I learned through the workshopping that it is very helpful to have other sets of eyes looking at my writing. I also found that as a professor, you often gently suggested ideas. There were instances I took your suggestion, and a few that I didn’t when I thought my work said what I wanted, the way I wanted it to, and changing it would have affected that. I think that was one of the points Zinsser was making—don’t “sell out.” Just because you’ve received the payment for your work, it is still your work. It is not okay to allow someone to make changes to the point you don’t even recognize a piece as your own.
I think it’s important to allow an editor to keep you focused, to give you feedback, to have an “objective eye” (Zinsser, 299) that will help you improve your text. As I said in one of my process memos, it is so easy to get too close to a piece of your own writing. It’s an editor’s job to make sure your text has clarity. I found that an important part of workshopping. Even though I thought something made perfect sense the way I had written it, if even one other person doesn’t get it, I need to clarify. A point Zinsser made that stuck with me, is when allowing an editor to do his/her job, it is important not to let someone edit out your distinctiveness. I would think all of these suggestions start making more sense once a writer has entered the world of publication.
To sum up what Zinsser said, and what I will take away from this class--own your work. Believe in yourself and your writing. “You will only write as well as you make yourself write” (Zinsser) How true! If I want to get lazy and skip some revising, it won’t be as good as it could be. Work, and then work harder.
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Saturday, October 25, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
My writing
****I had trouble posting this to the blog last night****It was posted to DDB prior to deadline : )
This is a tough one for me, because other than this class I haven’t done any writing. I love reading, the written word, grammar, all of it—everything about it. To hone in on a particular writing experience and isolate a single experience when I enjoyed the process and the final product will require me to use this class as my foundation.
There were two essays that I enjoyed writing more than the other two. The first essay, my personal essay, was a piece I really enjoyed. I haven’t hammered it out to a final product yet, but thus far in the process I would say it’s my favorite. I think it’s because in writing about me, it is obviously a topic I know well. Having said that, the purse snatching was a traumatic experience in my life that I hadn’t ever put down on paper. I had saved the newspaper articles and editorials, and I thought it was cool to combine how other’s perceived the incident and wrote about it, with my own thoughts and using my style to tell the story. That piece, along with this blog, has given me a push to continue journaling. I have lots of stories, and after finally putting pen to paper and getting it written, I think a few of them would work nicely as essays. What thrills, excites or satisfies me was to see how it flowed, how I told the story from my perspective. For the first time, although it was an assignment, it was my words, without having to research and use others as references. I could use my own thoughts and insights.
The second essay that I really enjoyed was writing about my friend Joanne, a race-walking Olympian. Even though she is my friend, I removed myself enough to write what I thought turned into a solid piece without too much bias. I felt satisfied getting fourteen years of her experiences into a short essay. I am not yet completely satisfied with the piece, I have some tweaking to do, but I feel like when it’s finished it is good enough to share with others, and Joanne herself. I enjoyed writing about someone I know, she has such a great story to tell. I liked that I could put her story into words.
Coming into this class, I was intimated and thought about dropping the course. I felt like I was way out of my league with students who had more experience and therefore “belonged” in the class. I don’t feel like that now. I feel like I can write well enough to put it out there, and I’m tough enough to take any criticism, because it will make my work stronger. My writing prior to this class has only been for assignments, so only the professor has read my work. It is nice to have something I am comfortable with and confident enough to share. For me, that is a thrill and a huge personal accomplishment.
I found I can write and enjoy it! I really get what it means to enjoy what you’re writing about or others won’t enjoy reading it. I can truly say that the vulnerability I felt when I posted my first essay knowing other people would actually read it, has lessened. I still feel it, but I also started getting a sense for when I wrote something well and also when I slacked on a paragraph or two. It’s interesting to see that if you feel like you’re not on the mark, chances are you should re-work it, as others will pick up on that as well.
This is a tough one for me, because other than this class I haven’t done any writing. I love reading, the written word, grammar, all of it—everything about it. To hone in on a particular writing experience and isolate a single experience when I enjoyed the process and the final product will require me to use this class as my foundation.
There were two essays that I enjoyed writing more than the other two. The first essay, my personal essay, was a piece I really enjoyed. I haven’t hammered it out to a final product yet, but thus far in the process I would say it’s my favorite. I think it’s because in writing about me, it is obviously a topic I know well. Having said that, the purse snatching was a traumatic experience in my life that I hadn’t ever put down on paper. I had saved the newspaper articles and editorials, and I thought it was cool to combine how other’s perceived the incident and wrote about it, with my own thoughts and using my style to tell the story. That piece, along with this blog, has given me a push to continue journaling. I have lots of stories, and after finally putting pen to paper and getting it written, I think a few of them would work nicely as essays. What thrills, excites or satisfies me was to see how it flowed, how I told the story from my perspective. For the first time, although it was an assignment, it was my words, without having to research and use others as references. I could use my own thoughts and insights.
The second essay that I really enjoyed was writing about my friend Joanne, a race-walking Olympian. Even though she is my friend, I removed myself enough to write what I thought turned into a solid piece without too much bias. I felt satisfied getting fourteen years of her experiences into a short essay. I am not yet completely satisfied with the piece, I have some tweaking to do, but I feel like when it’s finished it is good enough to share with others, and Joanne herself. I enjoyed writing about someone I know, she has such a great story to tell. I liked that I could put her story into words.
Coming into this class, I was intimated and thought about dropping the course. I felt like I was way out of my league with students who had more experience and therefore “belonged” in the class. I don’t feel like that now. I feel like I can write well enough to put it out there, and I’m tough enough to take any criticism, because it will make my work stronger. My writing prior to this class has only been for assignments, so only the professor has read my work. It is nice to have something I am comfortable with and confident enough to share. For me, that is a thrill and a huge personal accomplishment.
I found I can write and enjoy it! I really get what it means to enjoy what you’re writing about or others won’t enjoy reading it. I can truly say that the vulnerability I felt when I posted my first essay knowing other people would actually read it, has lessened. I still feel it, but I also started getting a sense for when I wrote something well and also when I slacked on a paragraph or two. It’s interesting to see that if you feel like you’re not on the mark, chances are you should re-work it, as others will pick up on that as well.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Learning to Interview
My friends Zinsser and Graham give tips this week about writing about people, using interview techniques, and how to illustrate with anecdotes. I am struggling a bit with this whole interview process. The tips in the book are helpful, but I think until I dive into it, it won’t make sense or be complete. I found Zinnser’s basic advice “Get people talking” helpful. I’ve got to ask the right questions that will in turn give me answers that are interesting not just to the speaker, but to my audience as well. I haven’t done any literary journalism up to this point, so once again I’ll be treading new waters. I think the main point zinsser’s trying to get across is even a topic that sounds incredibly boring can be turned into something special. By pushing ourselves as writiers out into the real world, we can choose a sjbuject who has a job that is important, interesting or unusal will interest the average reader. “Graham tells us that anecdotes are brief factual stories that illustrate some aspect of the article’s thesis. They allow you to put people ionto your article even if you are primarily writing about things or concepts. I would love to be able to incorporate both Zinsser’s and Graham’s tips to come up with an interesting interview.
“I can’t wait to have my own choices to make, my own decisions. I will not ever go to another AA meeting because I have been forced to go. It is degrading to get a signature to prove I’ve been here. I will never again ask to use a bathroom. I’m a 49 year old professional woman who took a couple wrong turns. ” These words echoed in my head as I drove a homeless woman to a local AA meeting. “ I know I screwed up, but I’m tired of being surrounded by people with no ambition and not teeth. That’s not me. I had a good job, making six figures, a husband, a house full of antiques, a car and pets.” “I just want my life back” I picked Mary up from the local women’s shelter, and as always, she was pulled together looking more like she was going out to dinner, rather than into a hall at a local center. We drive, using the 10-minute distance to the meeting as a time to catch up on the week’s events. How did Mary survive being out on the streets every day this week, like every other week, from 8 to 4, as they are not allowed to stay at the Shelter during the day? Mary talks quietly, voice often quivering, but always with conviction. “I just can’t do this anymore. I have had enough of all this. I’ve learned every lesson I’m supposed to learn and now I want my life back. Even though Mary is homeless, divorced, and jobless, has no car and had to give up her cats to the local humane society, she holds optimism about a job prospect. “This is not just about getting the job,” she said, head down, eyes watering, “it’s about getting my life back.”
“I can’t wait to have my own choices to make, my own decisions. I will not ever go to another AA meeting because I have been forced to go. It is degrading to get a signature to prove I’ve been here. I will never again ask to use a bathroom. I’m a 49 year old professional woman who took a couple wrong turns. ” These words echoed in my head as I drove a homeless woman to a local AA meeting. “ I know I screwed up, but I’m tired of being surrounded by people with no ambition and not teeth. That’s not me. I had a good job, making six figures, a husband, a house full of antiques, a car and pets.” “I just want my life back” I picked Mary up from the local women’s shelter, and as always, she was pulled together looking more like she was going out to dinner, rather than into a hall at a local center. We drive, using the 10-minute distance to the meeting as a time to catch up on the week’s events. How did Mary survive being out on the streets every day this week, like every other week, from 8 to 4, as they are not allowed to stay at the Shelter during the day? Mary talks quietly, voice often quivering, but always with conviction. “I just can’t do this anymore. I have had enough of all this. I’ve learned every lesson I’m supposed to learn and now I want my life back. Even though Mary is homeless, divorced, and jobless, has no car and had to give up her cats to the local humane society, she holds optimism about a job prospect. “This is not just about getting the job,” she said, head down, eyes watering, “it’s about getting my life back.”
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Over the hump...week 5
Hmmmmm, I understand the purpose of this blog and realize it won’t be easy. How often we slip into those overused, as Zinsser calls “syrupy words.” Here’s my attempt at describing where I prefer to do my writing and homework. Yes, it is “cozy” and “small” and usually “quiet” I’ll try to give you details without using the overused adjectives. Let me grab a cup of tea and venture out to my writing space. Welcome to my home…
I live in what my kids and I affectionately call “The Mouse House.” Not a lot of extra space, hardly enough needed space. A 900 square for starter house that turned into my finisher house. In order to get away from the din of the TV, white noise from the refrigerator, the sounds of guns firing from the video games, I work on my laptop in the comfortably confined space of my sun porch. It used to be the mudroom, a place to stash cleats and sports equipment, a dumping ground of sorts. After removing all the debris, and slapping on a coat of “tranquility” paint, I had a start to my very own space. My favorite thing about the room is the gliding settee. My son and his friend were unwillingly pulled into an activity they were not familiar with. Dumpster Diving. One Sunday afternoon on the way home from the soccer field, I spotted a must have accessory for my room, best of all, free! After wrestling it into the minivan, we got it home and onto the porch. Perfect!
When I step onto my porch, I get an instant feeling of peace. The windows allow nature to transcend into my space. There are days I have natural light to work in, but some days I’m very content to sit with the sound of the rain running through the gutters, or to be able to look out into a cloudy sky for inspiration. I get to see the seasons change, and notice bits of nature that would otherwise go unnoticed. Like most writers and students, I tend to let my mind wonder and focus on anything but the task at hand. It is a gift from Mother Nature to sit and bask in her beauty while trying to shake off writer’s block, or avoid a mathematical equation.
I usually find myself sitting on my settee, coffee on my side table—another curbside find—working on my laptop. My laptop sits on a table similar to a TV tray, but it can be set at different heights. I tried to find something curbside that would fit my needs. I ended up buying it at Rite Aid for $14.99. That is the most expensive piece of furniture on the porch. There is a single wooden chair, purchased at a yard sale for $2, painted the same shade of “tranquilty” green and matches my dumpster diving items. A braided rug and a spider plant that has outgrown its pot are the finishing touches on my personal writing space.
I live in what my kids and I affectionately call “The Mouse House.” Not a lot of extra space, hardly enough needed space. A 900 square for starter house that turned into my finisher house. In order to get away from the din of the TV, white noise from the refrigerator, the sounds of guns firing from the video games, I work on my laptop in the comfortably confined space of my sun porch. It used to be the mudroom, a place to stash cleats and sports equipment, a dumping ground of sorts. After removing all the debris, and slapping on a coat of “tranquility” paint, I had a start to my very own space. My favorite thing about the room is the gliding settee. My son and his friend were unwillingly pulled into an activity they were not familiar with. Dumpster Diving. One Sunday afternoon on the way home from the soccer field, I spotted a must have accessory for my room, best of all, free! After wrestling it into the minivan, we got it home and onto the porch. Perfect!
When I step onto my porch, I get an instant feeling of peace. The windows allow nature to transcend into my space. There are days I have natural light to work in, but some days I’m very content to sit with the sound of the rain running through the gutters, or to be able to look out into a cloudy sky for inspiration. I get to see the seasons change, and notice bits of nature that would otherwise go unnoticed. Like most writers and students, I tend to let my mind wonder and focus on anything but the task at hand. It is a gift from Mother Nature to sit and bask in her beauty while trying to shake off writer’s block, or avoid a mathematical equation.
I usually find myself sitting on my settee, coffee on my side table—another curbside find—working on my laptop. My laptop sits on a table similar to a TV tray, but it can be set at different heights. I tried to find something curbside that would fit my needs. I ended up buying it at Rite Aid for $14.99. That is the most expensive piece of furniture on the porch. There is a single wooden chair, purchased at a yard sale for $2, painted the same shade of “tranquilty” green and matches my dumpster diving items. A braided rug and a spider plant that has outgrown its pot are the finishing touches on my personal writing space.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Week 4
I re-read Gerard’s “What IS Nonfiction Anyway?” I had a little trouble trying to fuse the two readings and figure out how I can apply them to my science essay. I pulled out a few suggestions I thought were pertinent and might be related to my essay this week. Gerard spoke about forgetting about the creative part of writing non-fiction. Concentrate on telling the story and the art part will happen. I think I did that this week because it was a science essay, so I was more focused on just getting the facts out there, and I wasn’t trying to embellish it. He says the nonfiction wirier should “always reign in that impulse to lie.” Again, I don’t think that was so much an issue for me this week because of the subject matter. Gerard also talked about writing about something when there is an urgency of the event, but also timelessness of its meaning. I think with people becoming more sensitive and having more allergies, my topic was current, but I don’t know about the timelessness part of it.
Graham talked about leads and conclusions. Hopefully I did what she was talkig about by enticing the reader to read on. According to Graham, an option is to lead with a scene. That’s what I tried to do in my science essay. She talked about making sure you go full circle and have a strong conclusion as well as a strong lead. I think it’s easy to get lazy at the end of an essay, and I have to pay attention to working just as hard on a conclusion as I do on the lead and opening paragraph. I know as a reader, if I am not intrigued or interested enough from the lead, I am not going to go any further. Also, there’s nothing more disappointing that an article ending and you’re left hanging. I need to make sure my ending is complete, but Graham also suggests make it quick. Don’t draw your reader into thinking you’re done, and give them two more paragraphs. This is something I’m sure will take a lot more writing before I start to really get the hang of it, but I’m happy to have some references and examples of how to do it. Overall, I think I understood what Graham was talking about in the lead, and I felt more knowledgeable about how to actually write a lead that would grab a reader’s attention after reading all of the supplementary readings.
I chose the “eye” perspective this week. I was a bit confused about the eye versus I, but after reading more examples, I think I understand the differences. The idea of this essay as journalism did not come up for me, I didn’t think about it from a reportage perspective. I did find myself struggling at first to keep it from a first-person essay approach. It helped me to read the other supplementary readings to figure out that I can use myself as an example, just not as the focus. I think I accomplished that.
Graham talked about leads and conclusions. Hopefully I did what she was talkig about by enticing the reader to read on. According to Graham, an option is to lead with a scene. That’s what I tried to do in my science essay. She talked about making sure you go full circle and have a strong conclusion as well as a strong lead. I think it’s easy to get lazy at the end of an essay, and I have to pay attention to working just as hard on a conclusion as I do on the lead and opening paragraph. I know as a reader, if I am not intrigued or interested enough from the lead, I am not going to go any further. Also, there’s nothing more disappointing that an article ending and you’re left hanging. I need to make sure my ending is complete, but Graham also suggests make it quick. Don’t draw your reader into thinking you’re done, and give them two more paragraphs. This is something I’m sure will take a lot more writing before I start to really get the hang of it, but I’m happy to have some references and examples of how to do it. Overall, I think I understood what Graham was talking about in the lead, and I felt more knowledgeable about how to actually write a lead that would grab a reader’s attention after reading all of the supplementary readings.
I chose the “eye” perspective this week. I was a bit confused about the eye versus I, but after reading more examples, I think I understand the differences. The idea of this essay as journalism did not come up for me, I didn’t think about it from a reportage perspective. I did find myself struggling at first to keep it from a first-person essay approach. It helped me to read the other supplementary readings to figure out that I can use myself as an example, just not as the focus. I think I accomplished that.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Science-another first
We were given free reign on what to blog about this week, I chose the text readings to focus on. I was very happy to dig into Zinsser. I’m loving this little book! It’s concise, I don’t get bored reading it, and in a few pages, I have a much better idea of how to tackle an assignment. I was not disappointed this week with chapter 15. I’m glad I read it before I started my essay. It gave me a better foundation on which to start. I could relate from the get go. “No! Not science!” I thought for sure I would rely on what at first seemed like a no-brainer for me, go for the comfort zone, and write about nature. But after reading all the supplemental materials, and Zinsser, I realized science is not such a scary word after all.
“Writing is thinking on paper.” I like that. If I can think clearly about a scientific subject, I can write about it. I need to say goodbye to the fear that because I sucked at biology and never even made it to chemistry, I am not worthy of writing about what is considered a “science topic.” Zinsser says it ain’t so. I found it interesting to read about the other side of writing a science essay. If you’re the scientist, you probably think writing is a scary word! One point of advice I found most helpful was on page 152. “Use your own experience to connect the reader to some mechanism that also touches his life.” I will try that in essay two. I think what he’s saying is start the essay with the human element, grab the reader’s attention with a lead that he can relate too. The reader will connect with that rather than be bogged down right away with some scientific jargon.
Another piece of advice from Zinsser comes on page 148; assume “the reader knows nothing.” “You can’t assume that your readers know what you assume everybody knows, or that they still remembered what was once explained to them.” I appreciate this advice, because I wasn’t quite sure who to assume my audience is. In this case, I am writing an essay not for a specific periodical, but for a class. So I will assume the reader knows nothing. The tricky party will be not to bore them, and not to lose a reader who knows a bit about my subject.
Although the Graham text didn’t give me as much help this week, I was able to pull a few things out of the chapter. I think the most valuable was “mere facts can seem tiresome.” Figurative language “is important to a scientific essay rather than just regurgitating facts. Simple advice, but something I need to remember as I tackle a science topic. Focusing on people rather that statistics and making it into a story will make my reader want to “listen.”
Hopefully, all this comes together in my essay.
Something else I wanted to add, the whole idea of blogging is becoming much easier. I actually look forward to it : ) It is a much nicer way to discuss the text than traditional Q and A.
“Writing is thinking on paper.” I like that. If I can think clearly about a scientific subject, I can write about it. I need to say goodbye to the fear that because I sucked at biology and never even made it to chemistry, I am not worthy of writing about what is considered a “science topic.” Zinsser says it ain’t so. I found it interesting to read about the other side of writing a science essay. If you’re the scientist, you probably think writing is a scary word! One point of advice I found most helpful was on page 152. “Use your own experience to connect the reader to some mechanism that also touches his life.” I will try that in essay two. I think what he’s saying is start the essay with the human element, grab the reader’s attention with a lead that he can relate too. The reader will connect with that rather than be bogged down right away with some scientific jargon.
Another piece of advice from Zinsser comes on page 148; assume “the reader knows nothing.” “You can’t assume that your readers know what you assume everybody knows, or that they still remembered what was once explained to them.” I appreciate this advice, because I wasn’t quite sure who to assume my audience is. In this case, I am writing an essay not for a specific periodical, but for a class. So I will assume the reader knows nothing. The tricky party will be not to bore them, and not to lose a reader who knows a bit about my subject.
Although the Graham text didn’t give me as much help this week, I was able to pull a few things out of the chapter. I think the most valuable was “mere facts can seem tiresome.” Figurative language “is important to a scientific essay rather than just regurgitating facts. Simple advice, but something I need to remember as I tackle a science topic. Focusing on people rather that statistics and making it into a story will make my reader want to “listen.”
Hopefully, all this comes together in my essay.
Something else I wanted to add, the whole idea of blogging is becoming much easier. I actually look forward to it : ) It is a much nicer way to discuss the text than traditional Q and A.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Week two
Jerri Clayton
ENG 330
September 14, 2008
**This is the blog I sent to the DDB for week 2** I was able to retreive my password today--
The Graham reading gave me a better perspective on my essay. I am glad to know I am not alone in my doubts that my personal experiences are interesting enough to write about. I do tend to start thinking about my life as a whole, and at age 46, that’s a lot to process! The advice to “learn to think small, to think specific” is simple, but helpful. I think I did do that in my first essay, but it took me many days of contemplation to even come up with one incident I thought I could make interesting enough that others would want to read it. I now know that is not the case. I have plenty of writing material. I’m still having a hard time, though. I went through the Testing the Topic eval, and I’m still not quite sure how to tell when something is compelling to a large number of people. I think since I’m just starting out writing, it will be a bit of trial and error. Most certainly, the text, professor, and classmates can help me by reviewing my work and letting me know it’s worth reading, or a real bore.
“On Writing Well,” chapter 24, gave me a clue that I was on the right track with Essay one. I didn’t feel like I had to write, “what the teacher wants.” I think I showed individuality in my piece. I have also felt most comfortable writing about what I know, but that has been in my career, and class work. I never took the challenge about writing about what I know on a personal level. My life, my stories.
I ran into an acquaintance today, who brought up an event, an occurrence that involved the two of us. For the first time I thought to myself, wow, that would make a great essay. I was happy to think that was a thought that is finally clicking in my brain. I love to read, love to critique, love to analyze, but never considered myself a writer. After reading Zinsser, I am giving my permission
One thing I’m not sure about, Zinsser mentions “think narrow.” I am wondering if I though narrow enough in my first essay. One of my critiques said I had too many angles, and should try to focus down more. In reading the samples in chapter 24, I don’t see the detail that is shown in the examples in my essay.
In chapter 4, Zinsser talks about style and “stripping down” your work. I find I have the opposite problem. I don’t think I overwrite, I think underwrite. I think I need to add more detail and story, to be able to be at a point where I can really strip it down and re-write. Again, I think this will make more sense to me as I write more.
Zinsser talks about the difficulty some writers have in using “I” in their work. I didn’t have a problem with that, I settled right in to writing in the first person. I think it’s because I’m so restrained from that in all my other writing. It is a release to be able to say “I” this “I” that, and know its okay! It’s good to know that “writing is an act of ego” and that is okay too.
I think I’ve covered the compare/analysis part of this blog. So what am I “itching” to explore? Honestly, I’m excited to revise my first essay using the help from the texts, professor and classmates. I have never really reworked a piece of my own, so it is exciting to think I will have a “finished” personal essay. I’m also “itching” to get on to our next essay, to explore my style and see what comes of it.
ENG 330
September 14, 2008
**This is the blog I sent to the DDB for week 2** I was able to retreive my password today--
The Graham reading gave me a better perspective on my essay. I am glad to know I am not alone in my doubts that my personal experiences are interesting enough to write about. I do tend to start thinking about my life as a whole, and at age 46, that’s a lot to process! The advice to “learn to think small, to think specific” is simple, but helpful. I think I did do that in my first essay, but it took me many days of contemplation to even come up with one incident I thought I could make interesting enough that others would want to read it. I now know that is not the case. I have plenty of writing material. I’m still having a hard time, though. I went through the Testing the Topic eval, and I’m still not quite sure how to tell when something is compelling to a large number of people. I think since I’m just starting out writing, it will be a bit of trial and error. Most certainly, the text, professor, and classmates can help me by reviewing my work and letting me know it’s worth reading, or a real bore.
“On Writing Well,” chapter 24, gave me a clue that I was on the right track with Essay one. I didn’t feel like I had to write, “what the teacher wants.” I think I showed individuality in my piece. I have also felt most comfortable writing about what I know, but that has been in my career, and class work. I never took the challenge about writing about what I know on a personal level. My life, my stories.
I ran into an acquaintance today, who brought up an event, an occurrence that involved the two of us. For the first time I thought to myself, wow, that would make a great essay. I was happy to think that was a thought that is finally clicking in my brain. I love to read, love to critique, love to analyze, but never considered myself a writer. After reading Zinsser, I am giving my permission
One thing I’m not sure about, Zinsser mentions “think narrow.” I am wondering if I though narrow enough in my first essay. One of my critiques said I had too many angles, and should try to focus down more. In reading the samples in chapter 24, I don’t see the detail that is shown in the examples in my essay.
In chapter 4, Zinsser talks about style and “stripping down” your work. I find I have the opposite problem. I don’t think I overwrite, I think underwrite. I think I need to add more detail and story, to be able to be at a point where I can really strip it down and re-write. Again, I think this will make more sense to me as I write more.
Zinsser talks about the difficulty some writers have in using “I” in their work. I didn’t have a problem with that, I settled right in to writing in the first person. I think it’s because I’m so restrained from that in all my other writing. It is a release to be able to say “I” this “I” that, and know its okay! It’s good to know that “writing is an act of ego” and that is okay too.
I think I’ve covered the compare/analysis part of this blog. So what am I “itching” to explore? Honestly, I’m excited to revise my first essay using the help from the texts, professor and classmates. I have never really reworked a piece of my own, so it is exciting to think I will have a “finished” personal essay. I’m also “itching” to get on to our next essay, to explore my style and see what comes of it.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Week One - Learn to Blog
Who knew? Here I am posting my first-ever blog. I knew this course would challenge me, but I am finding in this first week it is a challenge in ways I didn’t expect, and I am up for the challenge. I was intimidated reading the syllabus, and thought I would have to involve my teenage sons in creating a blog. I think I’ve got the basics down, at least enough to begin my blog.
I was relieved when I read chapter 2 in our Magazine Article Writing text. The title alone gave me comfort. “Good Writing from Good Reading.” I’m a good reader, does this mean there is hope I can be a good writer? I was feeling nervous about this class, but this chapter calmed me a bit. “You can profit immensely from reading the kind of writing you admire.” (Graham, 8). Ahhhh, there is hope.
One part of the reading that brought up a simple point, but one I hadn’t thought of, is rearranging your story. A story doesn’t have to be in chronological order, even if it started out that way. Once you’ve got it written, it’s perfectly okay to move it around. If it works better and captures the reader’s attention to flip the end, to the beginning…then do so. However you can best state your thesis and make your point is the way it should flow.
After reading chapter 2, I looked at the prompt question. How does this chapter speak to me as a writer? I realize, I don’t yet think of myself as a writer. What does it make me consider? The importance of the thesis. Without a thesis, my article will be pointless.
“On Writing Well” chapter 11 gave me some insight. I like that I’m not alone in the fact don’t aspire to write a bestselling book. I just want to write, and write well. I want to be able to write and have someone enjoy what I’ve said. I want my point to come across with clarity. I would love to know someone really enjoyed what he or she have read and could relate to what I have written, and it doesn’t have to be “literary” as in the 19th century definition. I don’t have three names, so maybe that’s the first inkling as to why I have no desire to write like the three named authors of the past. I’m an ordinary person and I’d like to write for ordinary people.
I liked Zinsser’s remarks regarding people learning to write most often lean towards nonfiction as a good place to begin. I think writing about something I know or can learn about is less intimidating than throwing myself into attempting to write fiction. Since I am just learning how to write, and hopefully write well, I think this is as good a place as any to start.
I was intimidated by the fact I have never blogged before, but again, I am up for the challenge. If I were a betting woman I would venture to say that even my boring, random thought, disconnected blog will become more enjoyable to both others and me as I progress through the next eight weeks.
I was relieved when I read chapter 2 in our Magazine Article Writing text. The title alone gave me comfort. “Good Writing from Good Reading.” I’m a good reader, does this mean there is hope I can be a good writer? I was feeling nervous about this class, but this chapter calmed me a bit. “You can profit immensely from reading the kind of writing you admire.” (Graham, 8). Ahhhh, there is hope.
One part of the reading that brought up a simple point, but one I hadn’t thought of, is rearranging your story. A story doesn’t have to be in chronological order, even if it started out that way. Once you’ve got it written, it’s perfectly okay to move it around. If it works better and captures the reader’s attention to flip the end, to the beginning…then do so. However you can best state your thesis and make your point is the way it should flow.
After reading chapter 2, I looked at the prompt question. How does this chapter speak to me as a writer? I realize, I don’t yet think of myself as a writer. What does it make me consider? The importance of the thesis. Without a thesis, my article will be pointless.
“On Writing Well” chapter 11 gave me some insight. I like that I’m not alone in the fact don’t aspire to write a bestselling book. I just want to write, and write well. I want to be able to write and have someone enjoy what I’ve said. I want my point to come across with clarity. I would love to know someone really enjoyed what he or she have read and could relate to what I have written, and it doesn’t have to be “literary” as in the 19th century definition. I don’t have three names, so maybe that’s the first inkling as to why I have no desire to write like the three named authors of the past. I’m an ordinary person and I’d like to write for ordinary people.
I liked Zinsser’s remarks regarding people learning to write most often lean towards nonfiction as a good place to begin. I think writing about something I know or can learn about is less intimidating than throwing myself into attempting to write fiction. Since I am just learning how to write, and hopefully write well, I think this is as good a place as any to start.
I was intimidated by the fact I have never blogged before, but again, I am up for the challenge. If I were a betting woman I would venture to say that even my boring, random thought, disconnected blog will become more enjoyable to both others and me as I progress through the next eight weeks.
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