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.