Getting Started
Sometimes getting started on a writing project, whether it is a creative piece or an assignment for a class, is by far the most difficult part of the whole process. A blank page or, in this case, a screen contains every possibility and a whole lot of pressure and expectation. More than once in my writing life, I have sat in front of a blank form for many minutes without putting any letters down, much less any coherent sentences or paragraphs. And, oddly enough, these thinking sessions sometimes prove to be quite productive.
However with some projects, you’ve got to jump right in, and that’s what I’m doing with this blog. I’m going to try to post often. Some posts may be lengthy, like this one; most will probably be much briefer. In any case, my goal is to give you a chance to see how one writer works through a major revision project and to, hopefully, get some conversation going. So, here goes:
Hi, I’m David Wright, and I have been working on my current writing project for nearly three years.
The project started in my very first workshop class in the MFA program here at the University of South Carolina, and I will turn it in (all 250+ pages) as my thesis at some point this semester. I won’t go into the details of the novel in this post, other than to say that the narrative takes place in a small town in rural North Carolina during the fall of 1960.
My blog entries will focus on the revision of this novel project. I want to post in a sort of “real time” format where the posts coincide with the revision work that I do. I imagine that my posts will range from word choice to plot level issues. Since this whole idea revolves around the writing and revision process, I invite your comments and questions, if you have them.
For now, check out this story about one of my favorite books. Maybe one day, a book of mine will find its way onto a banned-books list. We all can dream …
February 29th, 2008 at 7:58 am
David, thanks for the link to the story about the novel censorship (and the teacher being disciplined). We recently had a similar incident here in South Carolina. Not as powerful a novel, but a related dynamics of a parent freaking out over specific sexual content without recognizing the larger value of the text. Here’s a link to the State story: http://www.thestate.com/education/story/327106.html