When I first read the syllabus and saw that fifty-percent of my total grade would be based on blogging, I was extremely skeptical. I don’t really consider myself the blogging type, and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to come up with enough topics to make the grade. After going over the purpose of the blog, how we would be evaluated, and being reassured by the required blog posts I felt slightly better about the situation. It wasn’t until Professor Reilly explained writing as a recursive process, and I was reminded of J.D. Salinger’s novel,
Franny and Zooey, that I fully understood. I related the idea of recursive writing to that of praying incessantly, “The idea, really, is that sooner or later, completely on its own, the prayer moves from the lips and the head down to a center in the heart and becomes an automatic function in the person, right along with the heartbeat” (113). In my mind, this kind of says practice makes perfect. Once something becomes such an embedded part of our routine, it's no longer a hassle, or something that takes a lot of premeditation. I often have trouble starting a piece of writing, and was really reassured with the thought of having writing come naturally, right along with walking and talking. With this, I endeavored into my first blog; my role in contributing to a public sphere.
To have your work out there to be judged by not only your professor and his teacher's assistant, but also your peers and anyone else that comes across it. To be honest, the idea is overwhelming, but it's also exciting and motivating at the same time. I’ve never been one to believe that one can change the world; to me, that thought is too definite. I do believe in us, however. Our thoughts and opinions out in the open, mingling, if you will, with one another. The possibilities are infinite. I believe enough in people, that we can change the world, even if it is just with a blog.
Works Cited
Salinger, J.D. Franny and Zooey. New York: Little Brown Books, 1961.
2 comments:
i think it's interesting that you make an intertextual reference to franny and zooey, making connections between your own future writing practices and those of a writer who spent a lot of time/effort revising his own work. i also think it's important that you recognize the value and potential your blog holds and that you are making an important contribution not only to this course, but also to the public sphere.
keep writing,
i.
I'm happy to hear that you overcame your skepticism by remembering something you read in a book. The fact that you could be influenced by words you read somewhere, suggests that you are right in thinking that your own words will have power. There's nothing like great writing to inspire great writing. Except for maybe some practice, which it sounds like you're embracing. Practice not only makes perfect, but it also makes a habit, which can help in those times when writing is a struggle.
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