Questions & Stuff

What one piece of writing did you produce as an undergraduate that you were most proud of? Is is the same one you learned the most from?

2016 and 2017 were the years I think I learned the most about writing and myself at BSU since switching to the Rhetoric and Composition track. I’m really proud of the work I put into my last three big papers, but I’m probably the most proud of the “Choose Your Own Adventure” Rogerian rhetoric essay I wrote for Melissa Keith’s Argument class last summer. We were able to choose any topic we were extremely passionate about, so being a huge horror film geek, I wrote about feminism and horror. We were given the opportunity to work on this piece for most of the (admittedly short) semester and revise it several times. I learned a lot about myself and what works best for me in the writing process - at least for rhetoric essays!

What was your most instructive failure?

I’ve experienced enough failure to absolutely have enough excuses to hide under a rock like Patrick Star and never come out again, but I am still a firm believer that if you want to learn anything, you just have to fail, and keep failing. My most instructive failure in school was attempting to take the previously mentioned Argument class a year before. I loved it and I loved the professor, but I was also in a bad place in my life at the time. I had way too much on my plate. I still vividly remember the week before the final, when I was overwhelmed, depressed, and way behind. I eventually gave up and sent this professor a long, emotional email explaining why I couldn’t finish the class. I didn’t care about my grade at that point. I just didn’t want to disappoint her because she's amazing and she had worked so hard that semester. Luckily she understood, we had a really good talk, and I ended up having a wonderful experience the next time I took the class. I have a long, complicated relationship with academia, and I have failed several classes throughout the years. I have had so many false starts, but what I've learned is that I absolutely should not let that discourage me, and I should never feel ashamed for making mistakes. I'm determined to finish what I came here to do, but my own way, and at my own pace.

Some of my favorite discussions of failure come from Conan O’Brien’s commencement speech at Dartmouth College, and one of Neil Gaiman’s random blog posts. Weirdly, these are both from 2011. You guys should check them out if you haven't!

What particular knowledge have you acquired about writing, rhetoric, or learning that you value the most?

The past two years I’ve reflected a lot on my “learning journey” and where I stand now. For me, the most valuable things I have gained from this educational experience are two very broad, overlapping concepts: love and connection. If I ever start to feel like I'm forcing myself to do something, whatever it is, that doesn’t pull at my heart and my instincts, I’m not going to do it. That’s love. I have to do what I love, and that’s it. I don’t ask for much from life except that. I will always try to persevere and work hard to accomplish my goals, but I can never force myself to do something that doesn’t "speak" to me. Connection is also something I value a lot. Reaching out to other people and working with them closely on things that we're passionate about is one of my favorite things in the world. Working at the Writing Center and studying Writing Center rhetoric has influenced this worldview a lot, but in general, I have always been a very social person. I'm an introvert, but I crave connection, and I believe literally everyone else does too. Connection is everything to me - it’s how I learn, it’s how I see the world, it’s how I grow, and it’s how I relate to and help others. I hope that everything I do in my life reflects that, especially writing.

What parts of the writing process cause the most anxiety and/or the most joy?

Deadlines probably cause me the most anxiety, but I usually work best under pressure. As y’all can see - I clearly have not posted these answers until literally the night before we all meet up again! I won't do that every time, but it's been a rough couple weeks. A lot of my anxiety and procrastination usually comes from not feeling “good enough,” like nothing’s ever going to be as perfect as I want it to be, but that’s for my therapist to worry about. Haha, just kidding, I don’t have a therapist. I have a dog though! AND a cat. That’s just as good, right…?  (I'm kidding.) I also used to worry about being vulnerable, but I don’t have a huge problem with that anymore. Vulnerability is actually one of my favorite parts of writing now. That, and connecting with other people to see how my writing can affect others, as I mentioned in the previous question. My writing process has become very social recently, and I love it! I also love a lot of random little things about the process, like writing dialogue, researching cool facts, finding inspiration in music and movies and games and nature and my friends, that beautiful moment when I’m working on a fiction piece and trying to build a coherent plot and the pieces all just fit together, etc. Also, being needlessly sarcastic in my writing. Now that brings me true joy. 

Thanks for reading! See y’all tomorrow.