Reflections and writings from the week? Share here…
6 thoughts on “Week 3 Takeaways”
With the “best sentence” exercise, I found myself trying to guess at the original author’s context instead of creating a fresh context to be its new home. I think I wanted the transition between my words and theirs to be seamless, but in retrospect that’s probably silly because it’s not like I can mask their voice or change my own. I also think I wanted to avoid misinterpretation, in my borrowing it, especially since it’s such a precious line to the author. All that thinking probably just became a block to the potential creative avenues I could explore. Maybe while writing I’ll have to risk stepping on some toes?
I really enjoyed writing from another person’s “best” sentence. I feel like, even though we’ve talked about it considerably in class, it is difficult not to fall into the trappings of preciousness when it comes to our writing. I often find myself in love with a sentence or something I’ve written even if it’s not particularly “good” or successful in what I want it to do. I thought that even though it could be uncomfortable and difficult to handle another writer’s work, it was integral for me to understand to lose my attachment to my writing, to some degree, and focus on its betterment.
It was almost funny that I really didn’t care that someone used my most favorite line. It was a short line, but I do have an entire memory attached to it. But it was really freeing to have the line taken and reused. I’m always wary of sharing my writing, often because it is such a personal thing, but when someone else uses it, it grows and expands and becomes a human thing and not a me thing. So I guess I want everyone to take every sentence I write, my ideal way of writing. I did have difficulty using someone else’s line. I wanted to get it right, I wanted to get at what they were getting at. But once I accepted that’s not possible, it was a fun. It was my favorite writing exercise so far. It reflects what writing is trying to do, make a connection and understanding, and it forced observation and outward thinking, which are writing skills that can get lost in nonfiction (when you’re almost always writing about yourself). So, thank you Aria for the line on spiders, though I hate them but love the line.
I really enjoyed the workshopping that we did last week. What I found most compelling about our workshops was the ability to have differing opinions on our classmate’s essays. I think it is a helpful reminder that “good” writing choices are not objective. I also like how it gives the author the freedom to go in multiple different directions based on the workshop.
I thought the writing prompt last week was awesome. I was excited to create a landscape from my classmate’s singular line. My imagination brought me to writing about a Creator character. I think this might be an inkling of inspiration for the non-fiction unit.
I enjoyed the general atmosphere of giving and sharing that ruled this past week’s class. Not only did workshopping take up most of the time, but the writing exercise using someone else’s favorite line got us working together immediately.
I was surprised by my own lack of desire to “own” my own words–hearing them integrated so smoothly and creatively into another’s piece solidified my understanding of the huge number of story possibilities. It’s hard to feel at a loss for story ideas when succinct, compelling lines are circling through the room with such openness and curiosity. I’m inspired to look to many sources for inspiration, rather than feeling limited to only my very personal experiences.
With the “best sentence” exercise, I found myself trying to guess at the original author’s context instead of creating a fresh context to be its new home. I think I wanted the transition between my words and theirs to be seamless, but in retrospect that’s probably silly because it’s not like I can mask their voice or change my own. I also think I wanted to avoid misinterpretation, in my borrowing it, especially since it’s such a precious line to the author. All that thinking probably just became a block to the potential creative avenues I could explore. Maybe while writing I’ll have to risk stepping on some toes?
I really enjoyed writing from another person’s “best” sentence. I feel like, even though we’ve talked about it considerably in class, it is difficult not to fall into the trappings of preciousness when it comes to our writing. I often find myself in love with a sentence or something I’ve written even if it’s not particularly “good” or successful in what I want it to do. I thought that even though it could be uncomfortable and difficult to handle another writer’s work, it was integral for me to understand to lose my attachment to my writing, to some degree, and focus on its betterment.
It was almost funny that I really didn’t care that someone used my most favorite line. It was a short line, but I do have an entire memory attached to it. But it was really freeing to have the line taken and reused. I’m always wary of sharing my writing, often because it is such a personal thing, but when someone else uses it, it grows and expands and becomes a human thing and not a me thing. So I guess I want everyone to take every sentence I write, my ideal way of writing. I did have difficulty using someone else’s line. I wanted to get it right, I wanted to get at what they were getting at. But once I accepted that’s not possible, it was a fun. It was my favorite writing exercise so far. It reflects what writing is trying to do, make a connection and understanding, and it forced observation and outward thinking, which are writing skills that can get lost in nonfiction (when you’re almost always writing about yourself). So, thank you Aria for the line on spiders, though I hate them but love the line.
I really enjoyed the workshopping that we did last week. What I found most compelling about our workshops was the ability to have differing opinions on our classmate’s essays. I think it is a helpful reminder that “good” writing choices are not objective. I also like how it gives the author the freedom to go in multiple different directions based on the workshop.
I thought the writing prompt last week was awesome. I was excited to create a landscape from my classmate’s singular line. My imagination brought me to writing about a Creator character. I think this might be an inkling of inspiration for the non-fiction unit.
I enjoyed the general atmosphere of giving and sharing that ruled this past week’s class. Not only did workshopping take up most of the time, but the writing exercise using someone else’s favorite line got us working together immediately.
I was surprised by my own lack of desire to “own” my own words–hearing them integrated so smoothly and creatively into another’s piece solidified my understanding of the huge number of story possibilities. It’s hard to feel at a loss for story ideas when succinct, compelling lines are circling through the room with such openness and curiosity. I’m inspired to look to many sources for inspiration, rather than feeling limited to only my very personal experiences.