Blog 15

How did I start?
I tried thinking of the recent times I’ve been surrounded by nature. I thought about the few times I went camping over the summer, but decided to write about my time in the woods earlier than that- back in June when I used to take jogs through the woods by my parent’s house, since I used to do a lot of thinking during those jogs and would perhaps find something more interesting to focus on.

How did you choose your focus?
It was very hard to choose a focus. I wanted to reflect on the love I had for a certain someone. Being in those woods and sitting on the beach at that time of morning always made me think of love. Professor Chandler though, told me that the essay I turned in wasn’t a ‘nature essay’. I didn’t understand why or how to change it into a ‘nature essay’…so I decided to compare more of how the nature that surrounded me related to my emotions at that time, something I always thought about, but was/is easier for me to write in poem form than in essay/story form. So I decided to stick with my focus and to just make more comparisons as to focus more on the nature.

What did I leave out? What did I change? What did I emphasize?
I decided to leave out some of the details at the beginning of the story, where I was describing my journey getting out of bed and down to the woods. It was too detailed and took away from the experience in the woods/beach. I needed to elaborate on my focus, so I added more comparisons, and emphasized more of my emotions and how I saw it relating to the nature around me. I also added in my amazements of all who have passed through these woods before, since that was something else I always thought about at that time. (That in itself may be another focus, but oh well.)

Where did I get stuck and how did I get unstuck?
I got stuck with understanding how to put all of my comparisons that I usually write very poetically into more detailed, easily-understood, complete sentences. But I tried to think over and over in my head how my emotions related to the natural entities that surrounded me, and tried to change up my language a bit.

What were my major revisions?
My major revisions had more to do with my time on the beach b/c that’s when I do most of my reflecting. I added a lot more to the story which made it longer than it had to be, but oh well…I hate feeling like I have to cut myself short.

How did my life (not on the page) affect my writing process?
My life is really affecting my writing process currently. I am unbelievably stressed out, and one thing keeps happening after the other. When I actually have time to sit down, I can’t think. Also, not being able to write what I want to write about, and not in the style I write, and with a certain time frame actually gives me writers’ block. I am getting frustrated with everything. Usually my writing is a lot better, but I usually write for myself…in my own style…and when life isn’t so complicated.

Where and when did I write my best? What time?
Huummm…I don’t think I can answer that question. Usually the only time I have to write is late at night after work. A lot of the time though, that is when I am too tired and have writers’ block. I can’t concentrate and I’m unbelievably stressed out by the days events. I tell myself I’ll do it tomorrow, and then something always goes wrong, the reason I am so behind. Tonight though, things have slowed down a bit and so I am trying to catch up.

How did I use thinking, talking and writing to develop my paper?
I went back to my poems that I wrote during my time on the beach and tried to decide how to word everything differently to be able to use it in my story. I asked my friends and family if what I was saying made sense to them. My mother was confused as always, but my like-minded friends told me they understood what I was trying to say.

How did I know when I was finished and how did I decide where to start?
I would like to say I have finished, but I want to look over it a few more times. It seems as though I could have two different focuses, and I’m still debating if I should take one what. I decided to start with how those mornings started…waking up in my bed, eating my routine breakfast and heading down to the woods.