Hello this is another blog post for my English Composition class. The assignment was to create an environment where the writing process was discussed with these three writers Don Murry, Mary Karr, and Anne Lamott. I decided to have a little fun with it and set our interaction through text. I also had to read and annotate three quotes from each reading, the links will be below. Also I had to include my own three quotes.
Teach Writing as a Process Not a Product (Don Murray) -- introduction is not required reading Against Vanity: In Praise of Revision (Mary Karr) Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life | pp. 28 -34 | Short Assignments & Shitty First Drafts (Anne Lamott) On my winter break I was starting my written assignment that was due after winter break I didn’t know what to write or even how to start. I told myself often “ writing may suck but once you get going, you write something awesome.” Of course I didn’t know how to apply my own words. I still can’t start my first draft. Then later that night suddenly I heard a loud bang in the living room as I went to my living room I saw my Iphone on the ground. As I picked it up I saw the message app open and there was a group chat with my name in it as well as these three Don Murray, Mary Karr, and Anne Lamott. I was creeped out by this and didn’t understand who these people were but they somehow knew about me and what I was going through during my writing process for this essay I was doing. These were the texts that were exchanged between myself and them. E.A : Who are you people? Why are we in a group chat?!?!? D.M, M.K, A.L : We’re writers that are here to help you and have a discussion about the writing process. E.A : Well I’m gonna need all the help I can get to be honest. E.A : So how do I start my writing process? D.M : First by shutting up. When you are talking he isn’t writing. And you don’t learn a process by talking about it, but by doing it E.A : Well that’s a little rude don’t you think? E.A : But ... E.A : I get it you want me to stop talking about nonsense and collaborate with my author self in order to figure this out and get it done. E.A : But I just want it to be good without any mistakes. E.A : Maybe that’s why I can’t put pen to paper right now. D.M : The writing process itself can be divided into three stages: prewriting, writing, and rewriting. D.M : The amount of time a writer spends in each stage depends on his personality, his work habits, his maturity as a craftsman, and the challenge of what he is trying to say. E.A : I guess that makes sense but still I’m kinda offended by your words but it can’t be helped lol. E.A : You're right though I think too much instead of allowing mistakes in my writing process. E.A : But I still can’t get outta my own way, when I write there are too many distractions in my mind, it eats my time and focus. A.L : The other voices are banshees and drunken monkeys. They are the voices of anxiety, judgment, doom, guilt. Also, severe hypochondria. E.A : You may be right about the anxiety one for sure it sometimes can eat at my mind and make me unsure how to write or what to write. M.K : In the beginning, when there are zero pages, you have to cheer yourself into cranking stuff out, even if it later lands on the cutting room floor. A.L : All good writers write them. This is how they end up with good second drafts and terrific third drafts. A.L : The first draft is the child’s draft, where you let it all pour out and then let it romp all over the place, knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later. M.K : The idea is to get some scenes down. Let your mind roam down some alleys that may land in dead ends—that’s the nature of the process. E.A : Yeah, you’re right. I shouldn't focus on the destination but the journey in my writing process. E.A : In first drafts you're words should be free and should flow through your paper without any worries. E.A : I guess I failed to see and rushed for perfection on the first try. E.A : Thanks guys this discussion has helped me develop a starting point and a guide into my writing process. E.A : Next time don’t drop my Iphone on the floor. I don’t need the headache of fixing it.
4 Comments
Sabatino
2/10/2020 06:58:18 am
CIF
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Erik
2/11/2020 07:03:03 am
The genre you used for this blog assignment is very creative, I would never think about a group chat.
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Catalina
2/11/2020 07:15:12 am
Erik, the scene you created was really fun to read!
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