One of the weaknesses of the paper is that there is too much about my life and not enough about the literature I read and the few pieces I’ve written. I think that the audience for the lit. autobio. probably already know about the books and if they don’t know and want to they can find out for themselves. The paper has some self-pity and self-congratulations that implies that my life was in danger from cold and starvation and that I was working in a coal-mine five miles underground. I’m a kind of martyr in some parts of it. I’m like Oliver Twist: the poor orphan that succeeds in spite of being sold by Mr. Bumble. In addition it’s too long and covers too much ground. It’s rambling but should be more focused.
I did some things differently to write the autobio. I used graphic organizers to plan what I was going to write. I didn’t use all of the ideas that I wrote down in the organizing circles but I was happy that I had more ideas than I really needed. I’m determined that I’m going to organize before I write. I’m convinced by the little that I’ve done it in the last two months that inventing before I write makes the awful task of composing easier and less painful. And I think the writing comes out better. My students and I will clearly benefit by practicing the pre-writing discipline.
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