Anticipation

Today I performed most of the revisions Karin and I had discussed last Friday. Like yesterday, it was difficult to work from an already existing piece. Revising is a careful process, because you are altering something while trying not to destroy its existing structure.

I can’t help but think of the board game Operation, trying to pull the organ out while not hitting the sides. Perhaps that’s a lousy metaphor, but it seems appropriate.

The essays I worked on today were the church essay, the yard essay, and the library essay. The library essay is the toughest because I am trying to focus the essay on certain aspects of the subject, which means adding a lot of content about these aspects. It’s difficult to find where this content would be appropriate, where it wouldn’t disrupt the already established flow. This usually means altering some of the material around it so that it fits in. It’s just plain awkward trying to drop new material into the middle of things.

I’m not complaining about it. I actually enjoy the process. But it is a much slower process than writing in the uninhibited way I have been writing the drafts, so when the day winds to a close, I feel like I’ve been less productive.

Besides revision, I also spent some time today planning the rest of my project. I will be working on revision again tomorrow as well as meeting with Karin during lunch to discuss the three essays we did not discuss last week so that she can revise those essays with me. I will be spending time revising this weekend. I meet with Ms. Lemeris on Monday of next week for an extended period of time so that we can go over every essay and revise all of them. I will also be helping Ms. Lemeris around the classroom. I may be interviewing Mary Lynn Rae, depending on circumstances. In any case, I hope I will be getting a return letter from Donald Hall answering my questions about life as a writer. I will continue intense final revision, of course. On the last day of the week, I will meet with Mrs. Lemeris again to go over the final drafts of the essays and make sure nothing should be tweaked. Next week looks busy to say the least, and I hope I can prepare for it tomorrow and through the weekend.