Mid-Semester Check In

Hello Professor Cline,

The semester so far has been interesting and I have enjoyed the wide variety of writing styles that have been covered.  The two biggest challenges for me so far have been figuring out how to make a blog work correctly, and working with MLA style – especially citing in correct form.  My biggest success has been, on a personal level, learning that writers’ block can be overcome by turning what I’m writing into short assignments similar to what we’ve done in class.  I found this out when I was having difficulty with the book I’m writing, but was perfectly able to write what was assigned.  So I turned writing a chapter into assignment form and built on what I created from the “assignment” to complete a chapter. 

            Winter’s Bone was difficult for me to finish on a couple of levels.  First, I have teenage daughters and the thought of any of them having to overcome the situations that Ree found herself immersed in was distressing.  In addition, the book was filled with the mean, terrible things humans do to each other and the ways in which we discriminate, and I generally read more positive work unless it’s a true story that I think is historically beneficial.  This book just made me feel angry, although I loved the descriptive writing and the style Woodrell utilized.  The other two writings were old fashioned, but interesting to analyze. 

            Literary analysis is profoundly different from the other styles of writing I’ve done as I generally focus on poetry and creative writing.  That said, I would rather write a 10-page paper than do a single math assignment.  Writing is always interesting and fun; the words generally flow without much difficulty and I’m learning how to use MLA style slowly but surely.

            My goals for the second half of the semester include getting my work posted to my blog earlier, making my blog more user friendly, and becoming more proficient with MLA style.  I have made concessions in my schedule to attempt to get work done prior to Sundays, but am rarely successful.  I am working 40 hours plus taking 15 credits, have three daughters and a husband, so there always seem to be obstacles, but I am aware that everyone has their own personal challenges.  Also I tend to be a perfectionist, so getting the work just right will often take precedence over getting it in early, and I work at perfecting it until my time is up.  Not an attractive trait, but there it is.  My blog is a mess, I wanted to make it something I would like to look at if I was visiting it, but I need to completely revamp it.  Figuring out how to do that will be beneficial to me in the future as I hope to publish my book and having a blog will be a good way to get my writing out there.  You are aware of how much I’ve struggled with submitting my work in MLA format, so I don’t need to go into any additional detail.

            On a side note, I appreciate the comments and suggestions you insert when correcting my drafts, it makes the concepts we’re working on seem less abstract.  Although I know it must take an extraordinary amount of time to go into that much detail for so many students, it is very helpful.

Thank you!

Cindy Crain