When I first signed up for RC Core 100 Section 3, Ways of Reading, Ways of Writing: African American Lit, I thought it would be an opportunity to display my knowledge of the Harlem Renaissance. I was confident. I had received a 5 on my AP English Exam, where I had written a stirring essay on The Invisible Man. Of course, my hubris did not go unpunished. Our first essay we had to write about motifs. Except the AP English Board, Sparknotes and my English major sister would all argue that we weren’t writing about motifs but rather a bastardized version of a theme. Then we had to prove a thesis which most of us would say had nothing to do with the book. Finally, we got more freedom and I wrote a decent paper. As you may have guessed, I spent most of the time frustrated and ultimately, I didn’t learn that much about African American literature.
I did learn one thing, however. The importance of revision. Luckily for me, the class was graded portfolio style. I had three months or so to work on my nightmare of a first paper. This gave me the opportunity to write it, throw out pages, restructure it, revise some more, throw out some more pages, write some more until I finally had to turn it in. Ironically, my third paper was better and I worked on it only for two or so weeks. However, the lesson was still there.
I learned something about my process. I am not an architect like George R.R Martin, who has done a quite a bit of writing (try 5 door-stopping books) describes. I do not have a blueprint or write outlines. I have a general idea, yes, but not a linear step by step plan. As describes it, I am a grower. I plant things where I want them and then let them sprout and mature, the roots stretch and the branches reach, until finally the core of what I need is there. Then I ruthlessly weed, prune and re-pot until my vision is achieved. (George R.R Martin to some criticism doesn’t always weed as he should but that’s another matter . . . ) That’s the revision process. That’s when I really write, find the best way to convey my ideas, and fulfill my essay’s purpose. As a result, my revision skills are crucial to my core writing skills.
If you’d like to see my first year “growth”, I’ve attached a piece from my portfolio for RCCORE 100, called oh so charismatically “In Search of Validation: How Intergenerational Conflict Conveys Desire.“