Writers Workshop

Blair Brownlee University of New England Writers Workshop April 14, 2011

It has taken me a long time to understand that writing is a process and not something that can or should be nished quickly. First drafts are often effortless for me. However, the real work lies in the editing and revision process. I spend a great deal of time on this and have to walk away and take breaks in order to gain perspective and come at the writing with fresh eyes.This can make life rather stressful as I tend to overthink much of what I write. The Writers Workshop assignment was fun and frustrating at the same time. While I enjoyed the quick writes, it was extremely difcult for me to submit writing that had not been edited. Simply put, it just felt wrong. However, I now understand the reason behind it and as such I have became more aware of the writing process and how to evaluate and critique both my own and others writing.

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Quality writing takes time - words need to be chosen carefully and deliberately

and works need to be edited multiple times in order to produce the best possible nal copy. While my writing skills have improved over the years, I still have much to learn. Graduate school has given me a unique perspective with which to teach my students. I am no longer simply their teacher, but also a student who shares their same frustrations and anxiety. Over the past year, I have shared my writing and discussed my work with them. They love the fact that I have homework and I, in turn, love asking for their opinions and hearing their responses. This weeks Writers Workshop exercise has helped me to examine my own writing and reect on its strengths and weakness. What Ive come to realize is that I have difculty formulating an initial plan of attack. However, once I get over the initial introductory phase and narrow my focus I am often able to produce quality work. Another challenge for me is that I tend to think faster than I

Writers Workshop

can type, which is why I have so many spelling errors embedded within my rst drafts. For this reason I absolutely love Spell check! While it in no way replaces the need to read over the work - it has denitely made the process of writing more efcient and less harrowing for me.