Process Writing

Meredith Ashton

Process Writing

21 November 2016

Process Writing

            Writing about writing is an odd thing, but I endeavor to be candid in my analysis and response. My writing process differs depending on the type of assignment, but it always starts with a core idea, a glimpse of an intriguing thought that could one day possibly form a coherent paper. For reading responses, I searched for a particular quote that grabbed my attention, and for the personal essays I started with a memory or a scene  that I wanted to explore. From there, I created an outline to organize my thoughts into a structure for a paper. One might think that after the outline, I’m practically done with my piece. Alas, outlining is inevitably followed by rounds of scathing edits until the piece is done “enough,” or at least until the next time I look at it again.

            I generally dislike my writing when I go back and read it, even if it is only a few weeks later. What was once golden and gleaming fades into the realm of cliché or trivial. I do, however, enjoy the evolution and (hopeful) progression of my writing over time. For this reason, I liked having the blog as a virtual portfolio in which to review, revise, and reflect on the body of work that I produced during this seminar course. In reviewing my work over the quarter, the pieces that I like the most are those that I was most passionate in writing. These are also the pieces to which I feel the deepest personal connection. My writing is the strongest when I have a story to tell. The “Artisanal Delicacies” piece is pure summary compared to my reading response exploring the idea of authenticity in Disney World. This represents my mixed emotions about the reading responses: the pieces I wrote for a grade are mediocre, and the pieces I wrote for pleasure and personal exploration are more worthy of note.

            By this point in the process of writing my Process Writing piece on the process of my writing (I couldn’t resist), I’ve scrolled all the way down to my first few blog posts. I’m struck by the stark contrast between my first Memoir Draft and my final essay. The rough draft is just that—rough. It is raw scene attempting to tease out complex emotion. I love that my final Memoir piece has a clear message, an underlying current centered around the idea of “home” that’s carried throughout the work. The in-class workshops were immensely beneficial. Oftentimes I am so close to the piece that it’s hard to step back and decide which bits of emotion and personal truth I’d like to highlight and further explore.

            This is especially true in my personal essay on The Perfect Meal. My first draft that I brought to workshop had some excellent scenes and themes buried in a deluge of mundane details. The feedback from my peers and Professor was essential in deciding which areas to emphasize in my final draft. The workshop pushed me to confront the real substance of my piece, which centered around establishing a sense of “wholeness” or “community,” instead of getting lost in the breadth of my paper. The end result surprised me. Instead of focusing on the details of the process that went into the physical creation of my meal, my final draft discusses and reflects upon my true criteria for “perfection” that I discovered as I was writing the piece itself. I wouldn’t have pushed myself to this level of personal exploration without the guidance of the Food and Travel Writing Course. I look forward to continuing to write and revise and explore in my future writing-workshop classes.