I am thinking about making the room that was my study room during my MLIS, into a room specifically for writing by hand and reading. Right now, well…let’s say that it’s difficult to have a station where I can type, but not much else: there are too many cords and too little space. The study room is fairly clear of electronics. There are books and bookshelves, there, and it’s generally warm and cozy…whereas the location I’m writing from, now, has become a bit…stressful.
I’m working on this one class, which has gotten me a bit wound up. It’s difficult. The last two weeks…have me thinking that maybe I really don’t want to code — or maybe if I’m going to learn this, I need an in-person class. To keep my balance and sense of self-worth, I’m moving back in the direction of writing. I restarted my free-writes yesterday and continued today, whereas the last entry prior was August 31st. It has been off-and-on with that, as a pattern, to be truthful…but I can already see the effects in my writing, here.
I did just look up some relevant texts from my library. It seems I have at least five books in addition to the reading, which touch on the assignment I may end up trashing, if just to get a 60% rather than a 0%. It’s good to realize that I don’t have to limit myself to provided materials and provided lectures with my future as a possible Metadata Librarian hanging in the balance of whether or not I can even understand the assignment with what I’m given, before the submission time window closes.
Truly, the reading that was provided is not greatly accessible, unless perhaps you already know what it’s trying to explain…
Yes, I get the irony.
I’m also…fairly well cognizant, at this moment, of the fact that I do really seem to be a Humanities type. Not a Computer Science type. I didn’t know this until recently…and the homework I’m having trouble with, I may be having trouble with because it imports Computer Science methodology. This is not something I am well-prepared for. I did try to take a Computer Science class — once — and ended up having to drop because of personal injury (I could not sit at the computer for about two weeks). It was still not a comfortable class, even prior to the injury.
I am feeling better, having written this. Tomorrow, I’ll work on reading the segments of those five books I’ve found, which I’ve already marked. It’s possible that I may understand the material better with five more different perspectives, than the one given so abstrusely** in my reading.
No, I don’t know what grade level I’m writing at, right now*; I wrote precociously as a child…I guess it never left?
*My Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, here, is 8.6…
**Sorry, I was kind of in a hurry when I posted this. I said, “obtusely,” and meant, “abstrusely.” Now you can look it up like I did! 🙂
kodecy 
5 responses to “Difficulties and resources”
Hey! That’s so cool that your writing level is so high, I’m trying to get my writing level up as well.
Is computer science your major? Are you a computer science major? I am an art major and it’s difficult to seep through the jargon but I don’t suffer with chemistry jargon. 😣
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Hi Feets!
No, I’m not a Computer Science major. 🙂 I am just looking forward to a future of having to deal with computers in a relatively specialized way.
My last degree was in Library and Information Science. The one before that was English — Creative Writing. (I’ve heard it’s hard to make a living at Creative Writing; hence the additional degree which clears me to work as some specialization of Librarian.) The Art stuff just kind of happened, in between the two. 🙂
Readability is likely more important than grade level, when it comes to writing! I heard quite a while ago (possibly a very long time ago) that Americans on average only read at a 6th-grade level…meaning something written at 8.6 grade, would be a relatively challenging read for many. I didn’t tone it down in my last post, because I valued the voice that was in the process of developing, there.
When you say you, “don’t suffer with chemistry jargon,” do you mean that Chemistry comes easily to you, hence it’s easier to understand than Art jargon; or that you don’t work with Chemistry and hence don’t suffer from needing to understand Chemistry jargon? Or something else? Just trying to understand! 🙂
The hands-on aspect of Chemistry was something I enjoyed, while I was taking it. The mathematical methods I learned in stoichiometry still come in handy, too!
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Wow, you’re so smart (genuine). And chemistry terms are very particular and aren’t open to interpretation, but art jargon is convoluted and complicated. I do like art (specially criticism) jargon because I was a psychology and sociology nut as a teen, but now it’s just irritating. Moles and quarks are easier for me to understand than post-structuralism. While I do like the flexibility, the definition is just too personal after a while.
My reading score is around ages 11-16, it’s fine for a blog post, but it doesn’t feel like I’m writing at a college level. I can be a logophile, but I can’t string words together and I just sound like I’m giving word salad. I’m trying so hard and nowhere on the internet will tell me how to make it higher.😓 (Stoichiometry is very fun, I like math, but I suffer with the vocabulary because I can’t explain myself!)
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Hmm… let’s see. I’m wondering how I can help. One of the things that really helped me, in developing the writing voice I have…well, there are two things.
Reading a lot, helps give a person a good sense of what the language they’re working with, can do. I really don’t read enough, though I believe that if I do commit myself to writing, I will *need* to read more, at least in whatever field I want to write within. There are a lot of books on Writing, though it really depends what you want to work on, as to which would be best for you, at this moment. One of the good things about books on Writing is that they will often lead you to other interesting things to read (if not in terms of content, then in approach or technique)!
The other thing that really helps with writing, is just sitting down and writing regularly. It doesn’t have to be a lot — just maybe 15 minutes of free-writing per day, to start with. I’ve been trying to do this, though life keeps interrupting. 😉 But if you get a regular writing schedule and keep to it, you *will* see your writing improve in areas other than your free-writing.
Free-writing is essentially just sitting down and putting pencil or pen to paper, and pushing yourself to write whatever comes into your mind. You don’t stop in the middle, you don’t edit. You may not even return to it for a week or longer. Keep that writing implement moving. This improves mental flow, where it comes to writing other things out.
There is a book that I was pointed to within a class I wanted to take, but dropped so I can focus on my current class. The book is called _Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life_, and it’s by Anne Lamott. I thought I had read this before, but I think I was thinking of _Writing Down the Bones_ by Natalie Goldberg, which is a completely different work.
Anyhow, in _Bird by Bird_, there is a chapter called “Sh*tty First Drafts” (I kid you not) which begins on page 20 and runs through page 26. That phrase comes up over and over again, in Creative Writing classes. I’m not sure where or when it got started, but it’s a good thing to remember: first drafts are usually very pure where it comes to content, but it’s difficult for, I think, pretty much everyone, to share them with others. This is why in Creative Writing classes, we are pushed to write and then immediately share. Everybody has difficulties.
These things take a lot of revision and rewriting before they’re ultimately no-longer-rough.
Okay, this is long enough, so I’ll send it at this point. 🙂
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Ah, right! And, thank you. 🙂
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