On this Blog Post i will be having a roundtable discussion with Don Murray, Anne Lamott, and Mary Karr about the writing process and the struggles that some students may have when it comes to being able to write a Essay for your classes.
I had just finished school and decided that i have a good amount of time to spare that i'm going to go to the coffee shop sit down and finish this Essay since i feel like i never have time to do so at home. As i arrive at the coffee shop i order my caramel ice coffee grab my computer from my book bag and find a seat. As I'm trying to write my essay i sit with a wondered mind not knowing what to write or how to get my point across. Everyone in that Coffee shop could see how stumped i was on this assignment. Moments later i hear three people coming up to me and introducing themselves. There names were Don Murray, Mary Karr, and Anne Lamott. They told me that they were Professional Writers and saw me struggling and wanted to give me some advice on the Writing Process that they had to go through to get to the end product. "When it comes to writing an Essay for me i always struggle and never know where to start or something always begins to distract me then i find myself staring into space or going on my phone." I start to freak out and feel my anxiety boiling up in me. What are some things you do to try and control that feeling? Don begins to say "Writing is the act of producing a first draft. It is the fastest part of the process, and the most frightening, for it is commitment." Anne joins in and says that she herself even struggles with the same problems when she's trying to write. She says "I go back to trying to breath, slowly and calmly, and i finally notice the one-inch picture frame that i put on my desk to remind me of the short assignments". If you have something that helps you remember that you need to stay on track i advise you use it as a reminder to yourself of what you should be focusing on. "Most of the time i feel like my writing is just scribble scrabble i say and i eventually end up just deleting it and i'm back to where i started with nothing on my paper." Mary told me that i should just go with the flow she says "None of us can ever know the value of our lives, or how our separate and silent scribble may add to the amenity of the world, if only by how radically it changes us, one and by one." She continues saying "Writing, regardless of the end result - wheather good or bad, published or not, well reviewed or slammed- means celebrating beauty in an often ugly world and you do that by fighting for elegance and beauty, reading or cutting the flabby, disordered parts" Anne lamott adds in saying "Almost all good writing begins with terrible efforts. You need to start somewhere. Start by getting something- anything- down on the paper. A friend of mine says that the first draft is the down draft." "Sometimes i feel as though having a certain deadline for a essay just adds more pressure on my plate because i'm struggling on this essay and what i want to say in my head isn't coming out how i want it to come out on paper." Then they just slap a grade on our paper even if i may of tried my hardest it feels like my work isn't good enough. Just keep writing what is going through your head. You can always revise your essay anytime you want to make it better Mary says. "Revision is the secret to their troubles- and yours. That, and a sense of quality that exceeds what you can do - that gives you something to strive for." Anne reminds me that "The first draft is the Child's draft, where you let all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later." Don looks at me with a sad face. I don't agree with teachers giving out letter grades on Essays because a Essay is never done in my eyes. "The students are individual's who must explore the writing process in their own way, some fast, some slow, whatever it takes for them, within limits of the course deadlines, to find their own truth." The problem with some teachers today is that "We have to respect the student, not for his product, not for the paper we call literature by giving it a grade, but for the search for truth in which he is engaged." My eyes wondered over to the window after don finished his sentence and i didn't realize how late it has become. I didn't get much work done but after their helpful advice i feel like i have the confidence to be able to crank out a good essay. I thanked everyone for their great advice and headed out the door home.
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Jada DurhamThroughout my blog I will be sharing different stories from my life with you. Hope you enjoy! Archives
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