Telling Me What To Do

I was really worried about the work-shopping aspect of this course. I'm used to teachers and professors telling me what does and doesn't work in my writing, as they've been doing that my whole educational career  However, I'm pretty used to just going back to my work and doing exactly what I'm told would improve it.  I've never spent a lot of time defending my choices, or even politely disagreeing with a professor, and doing what I know is right for the piece.  I appreciate that in this class and in the Zinsser book, I've been encouraged to consider the criticism, and make a good choice on what to keep and what to change.  I'm not bad at being told what to do, but I'm a lot better at being encouraged, and constructively criticized.

I feel that I could certainly stand up to an overzealous editor.  I'm learning that not only do I have to take ownership of my piece of work, but also the entire writing/editing/proofreading process.  Like my children, no one is going to be the advocate for my piece but me.  As a writer, it's my responsibility to nurture and protect my work.

As far as the peer review goes...I've loved it.  What a blessing it is to be in class with kind, patient, talented people. I've been very happy with the feedback and encouragement I've received in the course.  I'm not one to share a piece before it's completely finished, but I think I will give it a go from now on.  Now, to find the right reviewers!

Enjoying Writing

 Can you isolate a single experience when you thoroughly enjoyed your writing--both the process and the final product? Specifically, what was it about that experience that interested you--and which you enjoyed? Why? What about your writing thrills, excites, or satisfies you in those moments?


There are many times that I've enjoyed the writing experience and the fruits of my labors.  My blog, before life got more hectic than I could handle, was the place I spent the most of my writing time.  Once specific piece wrote was after our former church's Christmas Eve service.  It is below:

 

For the first time in our Anglican life, I went to the 5:00 family service instead of midnighht mass on Christmas Eve.  This is, obviously, because this is my first Christmas Eve as a mommy.  Though I had to miss my favorite service of the season, I feel far closer to the Lord and Mother Mary this year than any other.

Soon the Virgin will give birth.  It is but a little less than five months ago that I labored and delivered Adeline.  I labored in a warm, comfortable hospital room.  I had a birth plan that indicated if and what pain medications I may want, what positions I would like to labor in, who I wanted in the room, what liquids/foods I would wish to have.  I had nurses at the push of a call button, medical professionals with sterile instruments, and medical knowledge of what was happening to me.  So, at this hour when when Mary would be laboring with our Savior, I think about the conditions in which she brought him into this world. Suffering and surrounded by animals, most likely without proper sustenance, and definitely without a midwife or doctor.

I wonder if Mary knew the reward that would be the world’s because of her faithfulness.  I wonder if pushing was made easier by knowing that the son of God would soon emerge from her.  I wonder if she was worried that something may go wrong.As soon as she was born, I knew that Adeline was made in the image of our God and that she had been set a part by Him for His purposes…but how would it feel to know that your child IS God?  “But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19)  Man, I know that feeling!

As a new mommy, I must admit I feel a little bit of guilt and regret towards Mary.  I know that this day, as her Son, our Savior, is born, I have already sentenced him to death.  I have sinned against my neighbor, my Savior, and, in turn, His/Our Mother.  And yet, she intercedes for her Son’s murderers. Should someone (God, please forbid it) inflict pain on Adeline, would I be able to ask for his salvation in a court of law?  I cannot think that I would, nor would want to.  But the Blessed Virgin does so for me – and on a MUCH bigger level.

So as the clock nears 12:00 PM, I think of Mary and her labor and delivery more intently and knowingly than I ever have.  I pray that someday my daughter will feel closer to Mary simply by becoming a mother, and as such will feel closer to her Savior…because once He was a baby not so different than she is now.

This piece is very much me.  It is how I think, it is how I feel, it is about two of the dearest things to me; my faith and my family.  What I enjoyed so much about writing this piece was the intimacy of my soul and my words colliding into a piece that others (mothers especially) could understand, and the hope that perhaps it would reveal something to the reader that they hadn't thought or felt before.  

The satisfaction, for me, comes in saying something in a way that perhaps others haven't.  It is being clear, with a balance of conciseness and eloquence in order to reveal something to my reader.  It is being passionate about something, but reigning in that passion and excitement in order to communicate it understandably and as beautifully as possible.

Dialogue

I, as usual, enjoyed the Zinsser reading this week.  I enjoyed the practicality of his advice on not beginning with a notepad, and then bringing it out once the interviewee is comfortable and loosened up.  I was relieved when he suggested that we shouldn't be using a voice recorder, as I think that tenses people up even more than a pen and a pad of paper does.  I appreciated his advice on how to weave an interview into a piece without overwhelming the reader. I'm hopeful to do this in my own piece.

--

My husband, Matthew, has been a stay-at-home dad to our daughter for almost two years now.  He's absolutely wonderful at it, but we've never really talked about what he thinks of it, or how other people view him.  So, I asked him.

"I love being home with her.  I get to see and interact with her in ways other dads don't get the opportunity.  I get to see all the crazy annoying things she does and also get to see the amazing progress she makes daily," he responded.

"What do your friends think?"

"Half of them think I'm lazy and lucky to be home to play video games all day.  Most other dads say, 'Dude, you have a harder job than I do!', but I think the truth lies somewhere between those. I'm definitely not gaming all day, but hanging out with her all day is mostly fun."

"Are you ready to get back to work or classes?"

"Absolutely.  I wouldn't take back this time with her for anything, but you should get a chance.  And, that Master's program isn't going to finish itself,"  he replied.

The Living Room

 When you get finished, write a paragraph of metawriting; what did you find yourself having to rethink? What challenged you, or conversely, what did you find easy?


I plop down nightly to do homework in the same place that my family plays and relaxes in.  Our living room is the hub of our lives. It's my two year old's playroom, my husband's entertainment area, and for the last year-and-a-half, my study room. 


Nightly, after tucking my daughter in bed, I tromp down the stairs, through our dinky dining space and into the dinky living room.  After plucking up blocks, and balls, and books off of the tan, unpadded carpet (rental grade for this rented space), I sit down on the right side of the olive green micro-suede couch, where my pink Dell is perched on the arm with my textbooks on the antique walnut end table next to it.  I stare across the room at the black rectangle of turned off television, constantly convincing myself that the work needs to be done before relaxation can happen. The yellow plastic school bus seems to ram itself into the red wooden barn in the toy basket.   Some nights, my husband sits on the other end of the couch, where his white Mac and textbooks mirror my own set-up.  Between us accumulate stacks of paper, sweatshirts, and forgotten story books from the course of the day.  If I sit back just far enough, I can't see through the dining space to the stack of dishes in the kitchen sink that will just have to wait until tomorrow, but can still see my little one's art easel and her masterpiece production of the day.  All good reminders of why I sit here studying, working, and writing.




This is a very personal place for me. As mentioned, we do everything right here or within sight distance of the living room.  I'm exposed to this area for hours and hours everyday, and it's just plain old commonplace, and hard to see any differently than I usually do.  I'm not great at writing exercises in general.  It's hard for me to get passionate about assigned topics, so that's always a hang-up for me, but having been sick and home from work all week, I've had a lot of time to sit and look at this space. 


Another issue for me is always that feelings are more pronounced to me than physical details, which I think probably showed through here more than I'd hoped.