No wonder I avoided my revise-and-resubmit in favor of the cc job market and teaching my classes! Returning to it after several months (well, ok, a lot of months) has given me a new clarity of perspective on it. As in, it is blindingly obvious to me that I am stuck, where as before I was merely sure of it.
As always, my difficulty is with organization: I feel I need to put everything first and logically you just can't do that with writing, which is linear, not simultaneous (Derrida's Glas notwithstanding). The readers pointed out that my essay is too bifurcated into a historical background section and a close reading, which is true. It has been almost impossible to interlace the two and have it make sense. But that's not even my problem right now.
I've hit a snag with my ending. To wit, I have three major characters I want to discuss (a love triangle, in fact) and I have no clue which I should discuss first. It's kinda the opposite of my usual problem --- normally I need everything to be first so that it can introduce the other stuff. This time, it doesn't seem to matter which comes first (which hints to me that I haven't actually hit upon my real argument yet, as I usually think of all the steps in an essay being necessarily developing from one to the next, which worries me but doesn't help me get unstuck).
Anywhoo, I just wrote up a short abstract of the essay and a choose-your-own-adventure type breakdown of my ending(s). Anybody who knows me want to take a gander at it and put in a vote on the order? I'm hoping that talking this all out will unstick me.
12 comments:
For sure. drop me a line.
I'd also be happy to take a look if you like - I think you have both my anonymous and school emails. I love choose-your-own adventures.
I'll take a gander if you like :)
Thank you and thank you!
Actually, nope, I can't find your emails anywhere in gmail. Basically I have never deleted anything, and you're not coming up on a search.
I'm up for gandering.
I'll happily gander: bardiacblogger AT yahoo DOT com
I'm always down for a good read. Send it.
Me, too! I mean, for structural rather than content issues! ;)
Oops, sorry not to check back sooner -- kermitthefrogblog AT yahoo.
(if you're looking for additional readers, which by now, probably not!)
"... it is blindingly obvious to me that I am stuck, where as before I was merely sure of it."
no fair telling *my* life story
in words i only wish i'd thought of first.
i don't know anything about the art of fiction
(except what i like and that i'm no good at it)
so i won't even offer to look over your MS.
chocolate.
vlorbik, that is brilliant --- I think we should all sign emails or posts with "chocolate," the way other people wish each other peace or something.
Chocolate!
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