Any Road will Take you There...

I hate silence when I'm writing; it's very unsettling for some reason. So I've grown accustomed to listening to music while I write. Right now I'm listening to my George Harrison playlist and "Any Road" came up on shuffle. I couldn't think of what I wanted to write for this week and good ole Georgie gave me some inspiration.

I have been going back and forth about how I want to approach my memoir, trying to think of what would work best before I even started. This wasn't really working for me. So I just started writing, going back to my feelings of when I was a seventh grader working on my Language Arts "end of the unit" project. I tried to add as much detail as I could to really put myself and readers in my mindset. I think this approach is an improvement for my draft. It still needs some work, but I will take improvement.

So, going back to George, I decided to spread some wisdom from the former Beatles lead guitarist. In "Any Road," he says:

You may not know where you came from
May not know who you are
May not have even wondered how you got this far
...
But if you don't know where you're going
Any road will take you there.


This reminds me of my writing memoir; it is hard for me to remember exactly how I felt or what my process for developing my project was. So when I wrote my latest draft, I decided to take George's advice.  I wasn't sure where my draft would go, but any approach would take me "there"--a different, more reflective tone. And I think it did. As I said earlier, I think it still needs some more work, but overall I am satisfied with it right now.  Thanks Georgie!


If you want to hear the song in its entirety, here's a link! (And for all you diehard Beatles fans, you'll notice some clips from the "A Hard Day's Night", "Yellow Submarine", and "Magical Mystery Tour" movies!)

George Harrison-Any Road

Drafting... And a LOT of Revising

Although I've recently discovered that I enjoy writing non-fiction, I still find it very difficult to write a memoir/personal essay. I have changed my draft completely from the first run-through. I love writing and "letting my creative energy flow," but for some reason, I'm having a very hard time with this draft assignment. My writing memory is meaningful to me, but I'm finding it very difficult to bring myself back to the seventh grade me in order to extend my draft.

To not be a "Debby Downer" anymore, I found last class very helpful; I realized that my first draft would be considered a healthy one, so I'm hoping my revisions will make things even better and I can power through to have an end result that I truly love.

See you all in class!

Introductions

My name is Kristen Bogusz, I am currently a fourth year undergrad in the University of Iowa's English Education department and I am planning on doing my student teaching in the spring of 2012. I have enjoyed writing for as long as I can remember. Instead of cringing when we had to write a paper in class like my other classmates, I was excited. I strongly believe everyone's voice comes through their writing, even in formal paper assignments. As a teacher, I want to stress that to my students, so they can feel more confident in their writing and be proud of what they have accomplished.
I prefer exploring more creative outlets for my writing, especially fictional short stories. However, I enjoy pretty much any form of writing. I do find it difficult to write poetry though; I envy those who appear to write so many great poems easily. In an educational setting, I feel much more confident writing papers to show what I have learned in a class rather than taking a test.
On a more personal note, I love listening to music and going to concerts. My all-time favorite band is the Beatles; my parents were big fans and I grew up listening to their music. As for more contemporary music, I enjoy listening to bands such as Ludo, The Academy Is and This Providence.
I am from the suburb of Chicago, Naperville. I have lived in the same house my entire life with my parents, older sister and ten-year-old golden retriever. My sister now lives in Cincinnati where she works at an accounting firm, but she still comes home for holidays and other vacation days.
I hope you've been able to learn a little more about me, and I'm excited to get to know all of you!