Both chapter 14 and 24 of Zinnser's book tie directly into my Creative Writing: Nonfiction class this semester. I've written a family memoir and a personal essay and the other forms of nonfiction require me to really dig deep into myself and my memories to write. I have written about things of which I am passionate or have effected me greatly. However, my grades have not been great. Why? Not bad grammer and I'm pretty strict on my use of punctuation. No, my biggest downfall is something else. Something that even my teacher can't put a finger on. I think it is that I don't know myself well enough to say anything.
Zinnser talks about students often feeling like they need permission. I don't. I don't think I need to write what the teacher wants in order to get high marks. I often write what I find out through reading or research even though not all of my papers are research papers. I don't need permission, I need to know something about myself. Am I alone in feeling like I'm a stranger to myself? Is everyone else walking around with a firm grasp on who they are? If that's true, I don't know what I will do.
I know that I've written about this before; the question of how I can write about myself when I don't know myself. I write about it so much because I think it is a real problem for me. I approach writing from a very rigid step-by-step method which sometimes has passion. I don't think I have anything good to say. If I do, when I write it I am so emotional about it that it takes a million drafts to make it clear to other readers. It is importantt to note here that I often don't have the time to do a million drafts and so I receive a lot of remarks from teachers regarding clarity or more detail.
I guess my writing goal is tied very much to this notion of self-discovery. When I finally find myself, which I hope is soon, I will write you and let you know what I find out.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Monday, November 5, 2007
Thrills of the Stage a.k.a. Journal #7
I really enjoyed the series piece by Lane DeGregory. Currently, I am involved in a play on the FPU campus and I was so enthralled with this young girl's story of making it to Broadway. I do not have such high dreams as Michelle but it was like a fairy tale, and what girl wouldn't love to see her name in lights?
Once I realized that the article was actually a series of short stories about Michelle's journey onto the professional stage, I was intrigued. This piece really read like a fiction novel, not something to be read in a newspaper. I thought that the subject matter was handled well in that it broke up the emotion into workable pieces for the reader. What could have been a totally overwhelming article became a saga of highs and lows.
It's hard to think about this piece being only one article. So much detail and character would have been lost. By the time Michelle gets on stage, the reader is right there sharing in her triumph. What if DeGregory had only one chance to get the whole story across? I think readers would have missed the whole plight of struggling actors and the tolls taken on their families.
I really enjoyed the series piece by Lane DeGregory. Currently, I am involved in a play on the FPU campus and I was so enthralled with this young girl's story of making it to Broadway. I do not have such high dreams as Michelle but it was like a fairy tale, and what girl wouldn't love to see her name in lights?
Once I realized that the article was actually a series of short stories about Michelle's journey onto the professional stage, I was intrigued. This piece really read like a fiction novel, not something to be read in a newspaper. I thought that the subject matter was handled well in that it broke up the emotion into workable pieces for the reader. What could have been a totally overwhelming article, became a saga of highs and lows.
It's hard to think about this piece being only one article. So much detail and character would have been lost. By the time Michelle gets on stage, the reader is right there sharing in her triumph. What if DeGregory had only one chance to get the whole story across? I think readers would have missed the whole plight of struggling actors and the tolls taken on their families.
When I was reading DeGregory’s piece on Michelle and Karla, I started thinking about Zinnser and what his response would have been to this series. I think his principles of simplicity, style and voice are definitely a strong part of why I was attracted to the story.
As I was finishing up this reading in the FPU Coffee Shop, I remember looking up with tears in my eyes trying to get my friends to understand how wonderful it was to be part of the moment when Michelle finished her first Broadway performance. For the most part, my friends laughed at how emotional I got over a newspaper article. "But," I thought to myself, "that's the power of words. This is real."
Once I realized that the article was actually a series of short stories about Michelle's journey onto the professional stage, I was intrigued. This piece really read like a fiction novel, not something to be read in a newspaper. I thought that the subject matter was handled well in that it broke up the emotion into workable pieces for the reader. What could have been a totally overwhelming article became a saga of highs and lows.
It's hard to think about this piece being only one article. So much detail and character would have been lost. By the time Michelle gets on stage, the reader is right there sharing in her triumph. What if DeGregory had only one chance to get the whole story across? I think readers would have missed the whole plight of struggling actors and the tolls taken on their families.
I really enjoyed the series piece by Lane DeGregory. Currently, I am involved in a play on the FPU campus and I was so enthralled with this young girl's story of making it to Broadway. I do not have such high dreams as Michelle but it was like a fairy tale, and what girl wouldn't love to see her name in lights?
Once I realized that the article was actually a series of short stories about Michelle's journey onto the professional stage, I was intrigued. This piece really read like a fiction novel, not something to be read in a newspaper. I thought that the subject matter was handled well in that it broke up the emotion into workable pieces for the reader. What could have been a totally overwhelming article, became a saga of highs and lows.
It's hard to think about this piece being only one article. So much detail and character would have been lost. By the time Michelle gets on stage, the reader is right there sharing in her triumph. What if DeGregory had only one chance to get the whole story across? I think readers would have missed the whole plight of struggling actors and the tolls taken on their families.
When I was reading DeGregory’s piece on Michelle and Karla, I started thinking about Zinnser and what his response would have been to this series. I think his principles of simplicity, style and voice are definitely a strong part of why I was attracted to the story.
As I was finishing up this reading in the FPU Coffee Shop, I remember looking up with tears in my eyes trying to get my friends to understand how wonderful it was to be part of the moment when Michelle finished her first Broadway performance. For the most part, my friends laughed at how emotional I got over a newspaper article. "But," I thought to myself, "that's the power of words. This is real."
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