Wordiness

I have not really posted any blogs that are related to class, but this weeks discussion board really has me thinking. I really really and I mean really do not like discussing sentence structure. The paramedic method has me picking apart my sentences and trying to reword them into less wordy sentences. OK. Sounds easy. Well, I am having the hardest time doing it. I am a very wordy person and often use unnecessary words but I do not think my paper is too wordy. When I try to reword my sentences, I either lose my flow, or worse, create an even longer sentence! So I am really struggling this week with just the discussion board...well, I am off on another attempt to reword a paragraph.

My husband never ceases to amaze me...

Jason is the most talented person I know...but also the most humble. He is a great singer but rarely sings, even for me. I have heard him only a handful of times. One of those was when he had a solo in church and brought most of the congregation to tears (because it was so good). He is also a great muscician. I recently learned that there is not an instrument that he can not play beautifully. Last night while at vacation bible school, my husband finished up teaching all of the children one of the VBS songs and our son, as stubborn as he is, did not want to go with the other kids to do crafts. So my husband took him into the choir room and started to play the piano with him. I stood in the hall in awe at how beautifully he played. When our son decided he was done my husband turned around, suprised to see that I had listened (he doesn't like people to hear him do anything). "I didn't know you knew how to play the piano" I said. He replied with a smile, "there isn't an instrument I can't play." Even after seven years of marriage, he still suprises me.

I eat, sleep, think, and even dream about my paper

For 2 weeks now I have been working on my paper. Much of my time I feel was wasted on crumbled up pices of paper and deleted pages on microsoft word. I have been worrying about how my paper would sound, what it would look like and even if I could write it. Every waking moment is spent thinking about my paper...even my sleeping moments. I woke up last night from a dream where I was typing and finishing my paper. I felt so relieved but then I woke up and realized, I was not done. Still, while I ate breakfast, I thought about how good it will feel when unit 9 comes and I submit my paper. So the dread is gone and now I am motivated to type!

beginning the process

oh writing...why is it so hard to start? Like an artist sculpting a block of marble, I am so afraid to ruin a piece of paper. I am afraid someone will see my unfinished thoughts and see the mess that my brain spews out. Erasing and crumbling the paper are not enough to get rid of my mistake of an attempt at writing... but still...I have to start somewhere. I have to post prewriting for everyone to see today...and the fact that I do not like to see my prewriting but have to show others is like standing on a stage naked in front of strangers. I feel that prewriting is a personal thing, like a journal entry. I just have to remind myself that this is part of the process and when my paper is complete, all of the mistakes will not matter. So, I guess now that I am here, at my desk, at the computer...I must start...

Truth...or criticism?

I was born a critic. I am constantly analyzing and evaluating my surroundings and those in them. My assessments are almost always correct, though if I am wrong in a judgment I am not afraid to admit it. Well, with that said, this past weekend, I went to my mom's for a visit and while eating lunch my sisters (jokingly) informed me that they think my criticisms are harsh and hurtful...my question to them was, if it is the truth, is it still a criticism? If the truth hurts, why get mad at me for pointing it out? Yes and I do know that when you point a finger, three more are pointing back at you but, I am more than happy to to improve myself and improvement can begin once areas of improvement are found. If the truth hurts, change it.