I want to take a minute and comment on what I have learned from my mock thesis defense and from my latest post that goes over a draft of my final essay in my collection, "Snot and Untold Stories." The mock thesis defense was done as a final presentation in my Thesis Writing class. Another student who acted as my representative contacted Professor Burton and received some good questions to ask me, one of which was this: how do I justify spending valuable time blogging and focusing on the digital component of my thesis when I could spend that time doing much-needed revising?
It is a good question, and after my latest post highlighting concerns with my essay I am more equipped to answer it.
Since posting my latest draft, I have received a few great comments with invaluable feedback. While I admit I have not had as many people comment as I would have liked, the comments I did receive were incredible. Shara, who I connected with while in India, took a good chunk of time to give me some much-needed suggestions. Had I not blogged about this draft, I would not have received that feedback. In this case, blogging has actually aided me in the traditional revision process.
A second, less obvious benefit to blogging that I have discovered within the last few weeks, has been that I am held accountable to a "real" audience. Within a day after posting my essay, the German friend I met on the bus mentioned in my essay, who I renamed Charley, contacted me and mentioned he read it. My initial reaction was concern. Had I really represented him accurately? For all of my talk of authenticity, was I holding to it? The truth is I fused a little bit of a later conversation I had with a history major friend to include a few of the Vietnam details. By having this post I am acknowledging the fragile nature of storytelling while also being held accountable to an immediate audience. This is not available in mainstream publishing.
In conclusion, while blogging and adding this digital component of my thesis can be time consuming and daunting, I am glad to have done it. At the end of the day I would rather have my ideas shared and available to read than have them be perfect.
(Photo credit goes to cs.cmu.edu)
Rachel--I'm so impressed and inspired by how you've documented your writing process openly. I think its incredibly brave of you to post your drafts, struggles, insecurities and inspirations. There is a sort of "genius in the attic" myth about writers that paints the creative process as an isolated act of pure inspiration, but I think most writers will admit that it's all a lot messier than that. I usually don't let people read my work until I've taken one pass at a revision--there is a part of me that is scared that if someone sees how messy my first drafts are, they will realize I'm really a terrible writer who works hard at revising. But as I try to remember, and as you've helped remind me here, being a good writer is maybe more about being committed to the process of personal growth, being open and vulnerable, listening to feedback, and being disciplined about working through the tangles than about receiving some sort of perfect muse-like inspiration. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeletei don't know if this is relevant to you
ReplyDeletebut i thought of you and whatever it is that you are doing around here when i saw it
http://toddsieling.com/slowblog/?page_id=10
Thanks Emily! Yeah, what I am doing feels vulnerable and far from the norm, but I've learned a lot by making the process of writing public. I feel like I have gained more than I have lost by a long shot. By the way, how is New York treating you? I'm thinking of heading to the East myself after graduation.
ReplyDeleteAnd Rem, thank you for sharing. I read through and think there are some interesting ideas on that post, though I'm not sure I agree. I'm a fan of raw, and I think there can be benefit to reading someone's half baked thoughts.