Coming Along

Last class was sort of an eye-opener for me. I've been working on this paper for a while, so I thought I had the "introduction" assignment figured out. I didn't bother looking at the syllabus because I thought I was good to go. So then I showed up with only a copy to turn in, and that was embarrassing. And disappointing, because I would have appreciated everyone's feedback.

But Dr. Christie's feedback was really valuable. Honestly, I was expecting he'd hand it back and say "This is perfect!" But he showed me where I was weak, and it was helpful. It also brought me back down to earth. I've got a good bit of improving to do, especially where "Stating the Problem" and the "So What" question are concerned. I need to state the problem more clearly, and tell the reader why they are supposed to give a crap. (My words, not his.)

This weekend my wife and daughter left to visit family in South Carolina, so I was freakishly productive. I have tightened the scope of my argument, and gathered several more critical sources that will be helpful to me. I went back, starting from scratch. I made an outline of the paper I would LIKE to write, of where I'd like to take it. It helped me to focus on what I'm missing, where I can improve. It also made it easier for me to re-structure the introduction in a more cogent and cohesive way. My writing process might be backwards, but I'm never confident enough in my argument to BEGIN with an outline. I usually have to write a crappy paper, see what comes out of it, write an introduction, go back and write an outline, re-write the introduction and then actually start the process of writing the paper. It also makes it easier for me to do research, if I have a clear understanding of what I want to accomplish.