As the country descends into the madness that is college basketball, my students, including my own children, are encountering their own kind of madness: feverishly putting the final touches on their research papers. Research papers they've spent the last two months writing. I refuse to edit any of my student's papers. Instead they must find two other adults that will take on the challenge of making heads or tales of their topic. After all, I'm going to be reading their final drafts for a grade. I'd hate to ruin a good paper by having to do a bunch of editing.
Remember, I edit as I read...unless whatever I'm reading is THAT good. Then I sit back, enjoy the cadence of the words, letting them flow over me, surround me, carry me away on some grand, imaginative adventure.
Unless I'm reading things like my children's rought drafts.
I felt sorry for both my kids when I handed their papers back to them, completely covered in red ink.
Move this here.
A better way to say this is....
Isn't this the third time you've stated this?
"Stuff" is not a scientific word.
Please don't use "cool" in your paper.
I may never get asked to edit another paper again. Yay me!
But as much as I love writing, I've found it extremely difficult to do these last few months. For my weekly posts here I usually start writing an idea on Thursday, finish up on Saturday, and then edit Sunday before it posts on Monday. It's a process; and for me, it's rather therapeutic. But the older I get the more I find my words fail me when I need them the most.
No, really. It's a miracle that I can stand in front of a classroom nine months out of each year and expound on things like thermodynamics and the mathematical laws that govern all motion in the universe, and know that my students will understanding exactly what I'm saying. Speech and debate are my favorite to teach, and I absolutely love being the first to demonstrate just how persuasive words can be: both written and spoken.
Step away from academics, however, toss in some emotions just for the fun of it and I am an absolute mess. The same words that were once so persuasive in the classroom have become a jumbled mess in my brain and simply won't translate to my mouth. In most cases, both my mouth and my brain will switch to one mode: sarcasm...and very few people truly appreciate the art of sarcasm during a serious conversation.
Trust me. I know.
There have been many times over the last few months when I've opened a new post expecting the most amazing words to materialize on my screen...and then after about ten minutes of looking at a blinking cursor, I close my laptop, irritated that I just couldn't say what I wanted to say.
There's nothing. Both my mind and my screen are completely and utterly blank.
It's not that I've forgotten about all y'all out there. In fact, I'm on spring break this week. We should totally curl up with a cup of coffee and chit chat about all that's happened while I've been away. I find I'm in need of a friend...or is it a good therapist? Maybe both? I'll let you decide.
My prayer is that this writer's block will dissipate and the words I once found so soothing, will return and offer me their comfort. And with their return, I will once again find my voice. Until then, stick around...re-read some old posts. Drop me a line about how you're doing. I'm still here even if my words aren't.
Simply Seeking Words,
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