October 15, 2013
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GOOD WRITING DAY TODAY
Over 1200 words, but I'm still having trouble with chapter 4. I don't know what it is, at this point, but it isn't flowing like the other chapters have. This is becoming a baptism by fire. It is incredibly difficult for me to think of myself as a writer, but that is part of what God has planned. I'm not saying I'll ever be a best selling author. Author is a means to an end, it's about communication. I'm at the door which leads to a complete change of life. I've been holding this off since I was about 16. A 34 year era is ending. I won't be bother with nostalgia, since I don't feel the least bit nostalgic. I'm not feeling nostalgic about leaving retail. I have no idea where God will lead me, but at this point I'm so burned out I'm about to lose my mind. I am ready for retail to go away.
Comments (5)
No promises I can do anything useful, or quickly, but I'm willing to look at chapter 4 with a paragraph description of what you're having trouble with.
Joy, thank you so much! You've already helped more than you can imagine, by offering your advice on the short excerpt you edited. All I have is my subjective view, and a very strong impression and a thought voice continually saying, "WRITE!" That's it, and that is all I've ever had. I don't know that what I'm writing has any promise, and though I've begged for help more times than I can count, the only thing I get is, "WRITE!"
The problem isn't a paragraph. I think the problem is I'm beginning to work in quotes, from sources I've been collecting for more than a decade. I like the quotes I'm sure they'll be just fine, but it isn't flowing the way the rest has. I'll go back and work in quotes in earlier chapters, but this is the first chapter I've got the quotes ready to go. It feels disjointed and feels like it lacks cohesion. Maybe it's just fine, but it feels wrong.
It feels wrong because I'm doing something new, and I don't do new things well. Your comment about the ellipsis was incredibly helpful. I thought I needed it but didn't. I'm flying blind here, and I don't do new things at all well. I think what I need most is to just keep listening when God says "WRITE!" I just need to keep working.
The little bit of help and encouragement you've offered has been so uplifting! It's funny I read your "Teachering" posts and I feel envious of your students. I can't believe they have this spectacular guide and teacher to help them, and they just keep blindly stumbling around until they fall off the cliff into failing grades. I laugh at the stories, but I'd also really like to shake your student's teeth out! I'd give anything to go back to college and take a creative writing course. I work 12 to 15 hour days, and I barely have time or strength to write, most nights.
I am sorry you're students don't recognize the wealth they have in front of them. And I'm sorry you don't have lots of students eager to learn to write better.
I actually have enough students who are willing to learn to keep me pretty happy. But they don't make good stories!
I am most pleased to hear it. I don't know I rather like good stories about good students. It may be more difficult to make their stories interesting. So here's a challenge for you: Take one or more of your good students and write an interesting post about her/him or them!
"Do you ever grade up if people work very hard and earn every inch of ground they gain?"
RYC: As a principle, I try very hard not to, because it is unfair to the student later, and unfair to me if "later" involves a more advanced comp class. Many people (but I find this especially true of our student body) suffer from the Dunning-Kruger effect. They tend to rate their abilties much higher than they really are. Grading up tends to reinforce this delusion, and I've often had students who transfer (or graduate!) from other schools with high grades that do not accurately reflect their competency.
I frequently compliment students on how hard they work (if they are working hard) and sympathize with them. I *never* pretend the work is easy and I try to always make clear that how I feel about them as individuals is separate from how I grade their work. I can teach people I don't like, and I can teach people I do like, and their grades are not tied to how I feel about them.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect