Diving back into these pieces was a bit like jumping into the shallow end of a pool. I hit bottom a lot quicker than I thought I would. But I was also a little surprised, as I often am, by what I did well. Overall, I think the thing that I found the most beneficial was working on coherence. I often found myself saying "wow, everyone who read this must have wondered where the hell I was going with that." So at the risk of sounding cliche, having a fresh pair of eyes on my writing was probably the best thing I could have done to improve it.
I also realize that I made some big assumptions and leaps of logic that must have been confusing. Again, temporary separation from my work led to a much better perspective when it came to flow and detail.
As Doug pointed out, I think my biggest deficiencies were in the details of the science. Things that I thought most people would just "accept" as fact he pushed on and I can now see why. Questions like "what's a nutrient" seem elementary, and from deep inside a piece like my feature article, seem like something you'd just assume everyone would understand. But when I took a broader look at the goal of the piece, defining these terms is part of what a feature article like this helps the reader do. It helps them gain the deeper meaning that they're after. And you have the room, so why not? Especially if you're getting paid by the word!!
It was also very cool to get a chance to look at the profile piece that Kelly reworked today in class. I was very impressed with how he took the feedback from the class (and probably also Doug's feedback) and turned it into something that has a way better flow and comprehension. The science is a lot easier to understand and a lot of the details that seemed obscure are extremely clear now. I think there was a lot of learning opportunities in watching the writing process unfold without having to deal with the internal battles that take place with editing your own work.
Overall, I loved the workshops and it was great to be able to continue the editing process beyond the first drafts and be able to have several chances to be critical of my own writing. It went far beyond any of my other writing classes.
I agree with your last statement. In the past, I've been able to revise and revise until I've turned a piece into something that was nothing like the original at all. Most often, I get sick of it and trash it because I'm no longer saying what I set out to say. The classes and groups have helped me keep focus on my goal on one hand, yet help me find the wiggle room necessary to allow a piece to change on it's own.
ReplyDeleteAs for my profile, what amazes me about your comments is that I didn't change anything except the order and flow. What I actually wrote for my teacher draft (with a couple exceptions) is still the same wording. It's amazing how much flow can affect understanding difficult concepts. The big lesson I guess is that if something just isn't making any sense, no matter how you explain it, perhaps try explaining the pieces in a different order. This is one of those weird, obscure lessons I'll take with me for the duration of my career!
I agree Matt, the workshops were great! I have had other classes where the workshops just seemed to be a waste of time, but our group really got the job done! You and Kelly really helped me look at my writing and style.
ReplyDeleteI did the same thing for my feature, I was knee-deep in the writing and just assumed the readers would know what I was talking about. Doug did help point out a few, "Does it really matter?" kind of moments for me and that really helped change my article or at least my thoughts for certain sections.
Thanks for all your help this semester!!