.002 [four little questions]

1. What are your strengths as a writer?

As a writer, I feel that I have a strong voice; a voice that makes my papers recognizable as "Emma's writing". I am also confident in my peer editing skills, although during a recent conversation I realized that I cannot accept editing as well as I am able to dish it out.

2. What do you need to improve in your writing? (not what do you need to do...what do you need)

To improve my writing, I will need at least three cups of hazelnut coffee a day, multiple pens and highlighters, books galore, my ipod, an hourly limit on facebook/tfln/etsy, and the support of my classmates and teachers.

3. What two or three aspects of your writing would you most like to work on this semester?

ONE: I absolutely hate using capital letters. My class notes, my paper headings, and even my name are all spelled with lowercase letters. Obviously, this is an issue when it comes to writing because capitals are to be used for 'proper nouns'.

TWO: I would also like to work on making connections between everything I learn. For example, say I am watching a movie on IFC and it mentions some "famous" literary work that I have never heard of. I would like to understand these references. I would also like to be able to connect all of the information that I glean from each of my classes. I want to be a well-rounded and thoroughly educated person, so I think that making connections is a very strong element of that goal.

THREE: I am constantly splitting infinitives. That should probably stop.

FOUR: Conclusions. End of story.

4. What is your writing metaphor? In other words, complete this sentence: "For me, writing is like..."

For me, writing is like flying a kite during a hurricane. Sure, the kite will take off in the beginning, but as the storm goes on, the direction of the kite will move whichever way the storm does, and in the end....well, the kite may not even make it through the storm.

My reasoning behind this metaphor (simile?) is this:

Introductions usually come easily, and take off with great speed. The body of my papers tend to lose focus, and sometimes go off on a tangent, drifting far away from my original intent. Finally, the conclusions of my papers are usually hurricanes themselves. I find it very difficult to tie off the loose ends of a paper, and make it complete. Too often, i revert back to my middle school years and begin the end with "In conclusion, [insert boring, too-long-and-detailed-summary here, with the occasional use of "my" or "I feel"]. I usually save the last sentence to insert a sentence that has no real connection with my paper.

I must also admit that I am currently listening to "Hurricane Waters" so that may have inspired some of the imagery.