Wednesday, September 28, 2005

on writing (well)

The English department has taught me well that all great acts of writing ought to be accompanied by food. Panera seems to be the ideal choice, but I’m sure anything equally sweet and wonderful would do…

On Tuesday, our first Craft of Writing assignment was due—we had to write a diptych (doesn’t that sound impressive??), which is essentially two pieces of writing that work together somehow. Either they compliment each other, or contrast, or one further explains the other, etc. But they are more meaningful together than separately. Anyway, on due dates (and I remember this from my Creative Nonfiction class last year), we have a “celebration reading,” which means we each read a bit of our writing out loud to the class.

It’s always a little scary, standing up and letting loose with a paragraph or so, but since everyone’s in the same, anxious boat, it’s pretty fun. And I like to hear what everyone else sounds like on paper, what themes they are drawn to, and how they play with language. Panera cinnamon raisin bread never hurts either…

I’m also hard at work on my honors thesis. I’ve finished the rough version of the first story and am about to start editing it; the second one is due Monday!! Augh! I have no one to blame but myself for the deadlines—in my infinite wisdom this past August, these dates sounded like the best possible system. But Monday… that’s awfully soon. I’m hoping my subconscious has been hard at work, because it needs to kick my creativity into high gear!

And I think this Monday is the kick-off party for the writing minors. We’ll be hearing from Professor Schmidt about his book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, and I hear there will be food…

Ah, this business of writing. It’s a crazy thing… fashioning characters and history, dialogue and memory out of ink. And sweat. And time… which I am rapidly running out of!—jl

Posted by Jenn Langefeld on 09/28 at 10:25 AM
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