Here's the quote I read from Peter Elbow's Writing Without Teachers at the end of class today. I hope it gives you some balm and calm and perspective as you work through your essays, and in fact, allows you to embrace (enjoy seems too strong) the work you are doing as a productive part of writing. So whether you run on it or shovel the pond or mop the floor (that's mine) give yourself the space you need when you are writing.
Elbow says: "The turning part in the whole process of growing is the emergence of a focus or theme. It is also the most mysterious and difficult kind of cognitive event to analyze. It is the moment when what was chaos is now seen as having a center of gravity. There is a shape where a moment ago there was none."
He goes on, in the very next paragraph to add: "If you are having difficulty getting a center of gravity to emerge, the cure is to force yourself to make lots of summings up even if they do not fit your material or seem to be right."
This continuous "forcing" seems to be part of the writing process -- that we have to get it out to begin to work with it, to really see it, and to better shape it.
Hopefully, as you work you will see what is working for you -- trying different approaches and strategies -- but staying open as well-- to what helps you along the way in producing your best work. Cheers!
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