Q3. Would you call yourself a writer? Why or why not?
I call myself a writer because I write and I enjoy it. I don't judge my admission to the membership of writers based upon how good my writing is, how often I write, or what I write about. I used to fuss over those details and wonder if I could call myself a writer. That isn't to say I don't worry about my writing and the many things that may make it more compelling. In fact, I think one of the most profound reasons I can call myself a writer is the fact that I have worries and concerns about my writing to begin with. If I didn't care about my writing and revision, then perhaps I wouldn't be a writer. Simply put from the surface, in my opinion, a writer is someone who writes and is open to improvement through revision and collaboration.
Q5. What kind of writing do you find most challenging?
I find all my writing challenging. The challenges vary from piece to piece and I usually write about things that have happened in the past, having had a significant amount of time pass between the event and me writing about it. One of my most recent essays comes to mind when thinking about challenges. Something to think about, which I'd never experienced with awareness, was pointed out to me by Dr. Ballenger. I wrote about an event of significance very soon following its occurrence, and those events involved heavy emotion. He helped me understand that since the events had taken place so recently, it was difficult for my 'now-narrator' to find a reasonable amount of distance from the essay, to which he suggested I take some time to led it cool before picking it back up.
That was a new challenge I'd run into, not realizing just how significantly time and distance can truly impact the then and now narrators in our creative non-fiction, for better or worse, and I think of it as a challenge because it is something I'll need to truly consider with future revision of that piece. I had pondered then and now narrators at length previously, but never in that respect. This particular instance of feedback is a testimony to why having others review and reflect on our work is of importance, as part of a wholly productive revision process. Something I hadn't considered before had become one of my greatest challenges.
When thinking about that essay, I'm reminded a bit of what we briefly discussed towards the end of class on Tuesday - paradigmatic thinking versus narrative thinking in our writing. I think I will indeed be able to tie the two together in that essay after the 'cooling' has happened.
Q6. What parts of the writing process cause the most anxiety and/ or the most joy?
I'm always nervous to show my early writing to anyone. Its disorganized, has random notes and personal thoughts and I usually feel like first drafts or sketches aren't yet deserving of allowing another to see. On the other hand, it is the first revision of such a draft or sketch which brings me joy; an opportunity to take my beloved fresh-eyed view and work with my random notes and thoughts, which usually allow me to look at the paper as if it were someone else's - and in that light I can see so much that is wrong with it, haha! It is joyful because I can immediately begin to make changes I like, whereas I cannot make changes to work that is truly someone else's, no matter how badly I'd like to. Finally, going over a piece for the 'final' time before a submission causes enormous amounts of anxiety because it feels so final. Of course I've finally learned that submitting for a grade doesn't mean I'm done with the piece, but the act still circles back to an anxiety of whether it is worthy of the review of another.
Q7. Are you typically a one-draft or multi-draft writer? Why?
I am mostly a multi-drafter anymore. I used to be a single-drafter, followed by immediate revision and submission. I've realized the value of multi-drafting. Its like a video game, there's so much fun to be had with restarting, or even just significantly revising an initial draft or sketch. Also, multi-drafting and significant revision is about the only way possible to yield good, compelling writing that others may find interesting and truly want to read.
Q8. What would be your dream job after school?
My dream job would be working in the technical communication field. I would love to be an intermediary between two sections of a company, like, say the go-between communicator betwixt the business and the research/ development departments - supposing those two sections had trouble communicating effectively, which I've heard is quite common also enjoy writing user instructions, and I think I'm good at it. One of my old tech comm professors writes user manuals for Trek bicycles, and I would love doing something like that, too.
I really identify with what you said about creating distance between an event and writing about an event. That kind of plays into the idea of multiple drafts & continuous revision -- my best writing seems to happen when I give myself a lot of space from something I've written before coming back to it. When I was younger I also used to put out single finished drafts with minimal revision, but over time I've found the value in working on writing gradually.
ReplyDeleteHi Elise, thanks for your reply. I think it has a lot to do with the conscious. In my mind, the early drafts are about us, to get what we can remember on paper, and the revisions are taking a look with the reader (among other things) in mind. I can understand how your best writing comes from space - you often have had the time to think about all the angles and aspects of what you're writing about and go at it from the best, or worst (for the best) point of view. If that makes sense. It sounds like we agree that good writing comes from a process. Good thoughts!
DeleteHi Jeff,
ReplyDeleteOf course, I'm delighted to read that you're already seeing some relevance in your work to the discussion we had on Tuesday about narrative and paradigmatic thinking, and their connections. I think there is a lot of wisdom here. For years, I hesitated to think of myself as a writer because it seemed presumptuous--I hadn't published enough. But I came to see it as you did--we are writers if we write, and all the rest (the mythology of being a Writer) is bullshit. It also struck me how helpful your view of early drafts is, especially your sense that they are often full of promise, and that this can be a source of joy. Isn't this attitude essential to revision?
Hi Dr. Ballenger,
DeleteThanks for your response. I felt the same way, it would be presumptuous and untrue to call myself a writer. It took me a long time to realize the mythological bullshit bit, and finally concluded that nobody just whips out great writing. They undergo the process. When I question myself as a writer I think about Rene Descartes' philosophy "I think, therefore I am." When I apply this to my writing it means I doubt I'm a writer, therefore I'm thinking as a writer would, therefore I'm a writer. With regard to early drafts, I think they should feel promising, at least when I return to the draft for revision. If I don't feel some form of joy or hope, then I've often written about something blase or phlegmatic, when I should have been writing about something my heart was in to win. Figuring that out is often the trickiest part for me. That reminds me of one of the reason's I don't like sharing early drafts (And I've found that the more reluctant I am to share it, the better), which is that they often contain so much personal detail. I like to get as much detail as possible in the beginning so I have the most to work with in revision, and often I don't care for sharing those personal details until I've formed it into something - and I think that something must have to do with narrative V. Paradigmatic thinking.
I love this conversation about when you're "allowed" to call yourself a writer. I agree that you seem very wise, Jeff. It's important to self reflect and consider priorities and stuff, but honestly, we all just need to stop overanalyzing whether or not we deserve to call ourselves writers, because if you love it and work hard at it, you DO deserve that, damn it. I'm so over this impostor syndrome shit. :) Good post!
ReplyDelete