So far, Lamont’s advice to just “trust the process” has resonated with me the most (Lamont, 25). I’m going to be honest and say that I hate writing. I know that it definitely isn’t my strong point academically, and the process I have to go through every time I write a paper makes me have a mini-mental breakdown (I’m only being half-dramatic). That being said, I’m glad that it’s basically acceptable to sit down and not spew out a great first draft. I know that that should be obvious, but sometimes I’m just not so sure, being at a writing-intensive school and all.
In “Perfectionism,” the part that stuck out to me was when she writes that “the truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren’t even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they’re doing it” because it was a huge reality check to the face (Lamont, 28). Also, the fact that Vonnegut feels “’like an armless legless man with a crayon in his mouth’” was just a really funny mental image (Lamont, 32).
I like that we have checkpoints for this assignment, like workshops every few classes and this outline due tomorrow, because it keeps me thinking about my essay and I find myself writing multiple drafts. Even though my “shitty first draft” process is taking a few days, being able to talk it out every so often is really making a difference.
I feel like if you use your method of taking notes as you go along when writing your paper, then you'll get a lot of great ideas down. Even though you hate writing, you can find ways to make it easier and organize your thoughts better. Try just thinking of a topic and writing down everything that comes to mind, just like you did for this reading :) Just a thought!
ReplyDeleteUgh, I just wrote a response and then clicked sign out instead of publish.
ReplyDeleteWell here is round two. (It's like fixing a shitty first draft, except it all erased and now I have to do it over again -_-)
I also really like how we have checkpoints for the essay, because otherwise I would probably leave it until a few days before its due. Having a thesis and an outline already makes it easier to now go ahead and write my essay, and since it won't be as stressful, I will enjoy it more.
I also found that Lamott's advice does not just apply to English essays. I know we are both doing our bio lab reports right now, so that is why I mention this here. I was sitting down, trying to write my report, and then I started pacing the room. I was frustrated because I didn't really know where to begin or how to make it sound good. Then I remembered Lamott's advice. I decided that I can make a "shitty first bio lab report". I'm just going to write down everything I want to say, and then fix it after. I feel a lot better knowing that it is ok to have a really bad first draft of something, and how that actually makes it easier to write a final essay.
Thanks for the sweet little comment Meg :')
DeleteJaquellin: I agree, I would most definitely leave it until right before it's due. I think that's also why I don't enjoy the essay-writing process... because I always procrastinate and stress out when I have a paper due. I'm glad we did the outline because now I at least know that I have a plan, and I find myself going back to my outline every so often and scribbling down a thought or two as I keep reading over it.
I don't know if I'm going to use this same process for other subjects, like this stupid lab report, because it's strictly factual. I can understand why it would work though, because you know that there's certain information you need to include and this way you don't forget any of it. I feel like since there's almost a step-by-step guide of what we need to include, brain-dumping everything I know that's relevant to the report will end up cluttering up my thought process and I'll try to incorporate all of it into my report even if it isn't helpful. I'm pretty sure that didn't make any sense, hmm. (p.s. can you help me with the catalase vs. velocity graph)