Blogging Around

First Post 

    The first blog I responded to was Lizzie's semester reflection. Her main reflection on the semester was realizing that her view on writing had changed. While she used to view an essay as something that should be written once and only sparsely edited, she now knows that it takes hard work to create a well written paper. In addition she learned that sometimes even if the time and invironment isn't perfect for writing, there is more use in just starting than to wait for a better time. Finally, she realized that essays often cause the student to discover insights into a subject, as they work on revisions.

My response

I went through a similar realization this year. Like you, I used to think that to write at my best the process needed to be nearly effortless and instantly profound. If I continued to edit my writing I would become nervous about ruining the quality of the voice, by forcing the tone to sound contrived.

But now I have realized that great authors work in the opposite way; the seeming spontaniiety, fluidity, and quick insight of great literature is an illusion caused by time and work. The deepest insights do not appear at first, as with the Orlando essay. Sentence flow can always be improved and those who write have a strong reason to do so.

The knowledge that I cannot be thoughtful or eloquent enough in my first draft is actually a relief for me. Instead of crossing my fingers for a flash of brilliance, I can choose to work. Each draft of a paper is only an effort, and so the writing is ultimately fueled by the amount of effort put in.

Second Post

My second post was directed at Kathryn. I chose to writed about Kathryns' semester reflection as well. She brought up the point that learning by example has been often and well used in our English class. Woolf's Modern Fiction essay allowed Kathryn to used clarity effectively. The anthology of poems was useful in that she used it to elevate herself to another level in the poems language.
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My Response

Studying the works of others in order to improve my own makes me feel like a fraud. By virtue of inadvertently copying some aspect of another's style, my effort is taken from me and becomes the property of somebody else.

But in reading your reflection I realized that I can never truly own my work. In fact it would be harmful if I did for, as you pointed out, by working with others we end up farther then we ever could by the sum of individual gains.

While I used to think that learning from others was really just stealing ideas, I now realize it's the other way around. Blocking out the "corrupting" influences of great works is the selfish choice.

By attempting to remain wholly independent we choose our own pride and need to own our work over artistic teamwork and growth. The cultural chain of influence benefits anyone who witnesses it, but the ownership of a piece only matters to it's creator.

Thus I won't overthink who is responsible for this blog post; it doesn't really matter. What is important is that you used old examples to set a new one, and now I've learned.