My Writing Evolution: Day 11, 132 – Blog7

(410 Words)

On this 11, 132nd day of learning the craft of writing, I will give a brief overview of my recent progress.

While the volume of my writing as of late has only gone up slightly, the sheer depth of scrutiny that writing has undergone is staggering. I have wholly embraced and welcomed that scrutiny. In doing so, my fangs have become sharper, allowing me to tear into school assignments with a newfound vigor and eagerness.

I have at times been told that I am a predator of the English language or that I bend the English language to my will. I was famously told by my greatest friend and chief rival M.S. Carrie: “You have a way of describing things I can only describe as visceral and brutal. I like it”. 10/10 spot on analysis and ego stroking. I typically write rather strongly with the aim to punch my readers in the face with my words. While this allows me to get my thoughts onto paper more efficiently, I also struggle to write more toned-down pieces like cover letters or my foe du jour: the Species Profile.

Recently I was reminded of this yet again in a September 27th comment by Liam on my THIS I BELIEVE (DRAFT#1). He pointed out “you have a lot of short sentences with a strong statement to make a point… it also feels a bit stop/start/stop/start at times” (Mills, 2019, comments). That was a fair point to make. Even knowing I have that tendency doesn’t always help. If the muse is upon me, I just let my fingers do the thinking and see what sticks. This is an easy fix once I see it and it never hurts to remind the English Language I am not to be trifled with. Thanks to that little gem of insight from Liam, I’ve been finding that if I merely take the time to reread each paragraph as I write them (even on a 1st draft), I can stitch those right hooks into a more aesthetic string of combos.

While I continue to engage in epic battle with my Species Profile assignment, I will try to stay mindful of Liam’s comment. If I can keep my own predilections in check I can avoid slamming down fact after fact. Now that I have a taste for peer review and serious critique, I will also continue to intellectually enslave my friends and family into reviewing my work before summitting it.

And heres my name to say so.

D.A. Mills

References:

Mills, D. (2019, September 13). THIS I BELIEVE (DRAFT#1) [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://wpflemingcollege.com/littlebits/this-i-believe/