Writing in a non-writing course
As much I hate to admit it, writing is a useful skill to have. Maybe it doesn’t matter if I am able to create a soaring narrative with themes that arouse thoughtful discourse, or create characters who step right off the page. (I am better able to do that because of this course, don’t you worry Ms. Cross!!) But, this past weekend, I did some thinking while laboring away over my lab report. Sure, I’m not crazy about writing fiction, but it sure is nice to be able to communicate effectively in other assignments.
One of the challenges that I face when I write lab reports is being concise and clear in my writing. I tend to ramble on….and on…and on…and on. Just like a story has to be relatively cohesive and tight-knit, so too does a lab report. Perhaps my lab reports tend to be excessively loquacious (oh, I love playing with vocabulary) because I do them last minute and don’t care as much about the writing style? Then again, I do tend to think of a bunch of random errors that had such a huge impact on my results…I think it might be overachieving meets last minute writing. Ironic, huh?
Also, a thought about Dillard’s The Writing Life. She writes about an author’s writing experience. I think it would be particularly hilarious to get a similar piece about a student’s writing experience. The Procrastination Life, anyone?
