The assignment for this blog post is to read Teach Writing as a Process Not a Product by Don Murray, The Daily Writing Routines of Great Writers by Maria Popova, and Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott and choose three quotes from each article that appeal to me as well as incorporate three personal quotes in order to create a scene for a writers’ roundtable discussion about the writing process.
After a long day of painting in my art studio, I decided to take a break from hours of sitting by going on a walk. It was a nice spring day, with a swift breeze brushing my hair to the side. A bright bush of pink and yellow flowers along my path put me in a positive mood, bringing a smile to my face. As I walked through a park, I decided to sit on a blue metal bench to admire the scenery, maybe gain some inspiration for my next painting. Across from me I could hear a group of people chatting and enjoying a picnic. The subject of their conversation seemed to be about the writing process. A man caught my attention when I heard him state, “It is not the job of the teacher to legislate the students truth. It is the responsibility of the student to explore his own world with his own language, to discover his own meaning”. Everyone in the group nodded in agreement, and I even found myself nodding with them. He saw my small gesture and waved for me to join him and his friends. He introduced himself as Don Murray and the rest of the group did the same. Don unwrapped a chicken sandwich and handed it to me with a smile and continued, “No matter how careful our criticisms, they do not help the student since when we teach composition we are not teaching a product, we are teaching a process”. This group was definitely intelligent, they’re obviously professional writers. A woman who had introduced herself as Anne Lamott took a bite of her apple, and in between chews commented, “Writing can be a pretty desperate endeavor, because it is about some of our deepest needs: our need to be visible, to be heard, our need to make sense of our lives, to wake up and grow and belong”. I wanted some insight and learn something for myself. Usually whenever I have to write, I struggle beginning my writing process. I finally asked, “writing can take time and sometimes deadlines can discourage my creativity, how do I start the writing process?” There was a moment of silence, and I waited for a response. Anne swallowed the rest of her apple and looked at me with reassuring eyes and suggested, “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere. Start by getting something-- anything-- down on paper.” I was beginning to feel relieved, and even inspired. It is the process of perfecting and editing that allows me to develop ideas, and experiment what works and doesn’t work for me. She finishes by saying, “Writing is so often making mistakes and feeling lost”. Susan Sontag was sitting comfortable next to Ann and laughed in agreement exclaiming, “I write in spurts. I write when I have to because the pressure builds up and I feel enough confidence that something has matured in my head and I can write it down”. This made me realize that all I needed to do was just write in order to eventually commit to one thought. Don swiped some brie on a water cracker and added, “There must be time for the writing process to take place and time for it to end”. He made a good point, but I was still confused and questioned, “Sometimes I don’t know what to write about, where can I find inspiration?” I was kind of starting to feel embarrassed for asking a dumb question. Ray Bradbury pointing a plastic knife covered in brie at me and said, “my passions drive me to the typewriter everyday of my life, and they have driven me there since I was twelve”. I chuckled a little, just thinking of the fact that he still uses a typewriter. I guess he’s right because it is always easier to write about something that is interesting or remotely appealing Ernest Hemingway passed me a bowl of red grapes and looked me in the eye to make sure I was listening to him. He took a sip of his iced tea and noted, “You write until you come to a place where you still have your juice and know what will happen next and you stop and try to live through until the next day when you hit it again”. I knew exactly what he was talking about. Whenever I am painting, I just drag my paintbrush against the canvas and eventually create a masterpiece. I begin to stand up and say, “but before you finish a masterpiece, you need an unbiased opinion to see if others like or agree with your final outcome”. Writing doesn’t come easy, just like painting. It takes trial and error before getting to your final piece and you can never predict when the creative process will occur. Teach Writing as a Process Not a Product (Don Murray)
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Chrissie FackenthallI will use this blog to write and post weekly assignments for my English Composition I course at Delaware County Community College Archives
December 2018
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