He did not sleep well, he dreamed of a cloud of words that fled and scattered as he chased after them with a butterfly net, pleading, Stop, please, don't move, wait for me. Then, suddenly, the words stopped and gathered in a clump, one on top of the other, like a swarm of bees waiting for a hive they could swoop down on, and he, with a cry of joy, lunged forward with his net.
--José Saramago, Seeing
I just finished the new Saramago novel, Seeing, a sequel to Blindness. (If you haven't read Blindness, I recommend it. There's no other reading experience quite like it. Saramago's The Cave is equally amazing, though in a quieter way.)
Anyway, this passage struck me because I read it as I was reading your second revisions. I think Saramago's "cloud of words" will probably resonate with any writer. It can feel that way, trying to chase down words, lunging forward with a net, that will help you build your ideas.
But now you're all entering the stage where you've got the net full and you're pushing through, crafting them into something cohesive, well-developed, and meaningful. Think about your readers as you do so. Communicate with them. Teach them something.
As you read each other's work, recognize that now is the time when you can be most helpful. Give each other a sense of how a reader will respond to what you have now. What will readers need to get it and be persuaded. Be encouraging and respectful, but don't hold back. Push each other to write purpose, confidence, and precision--and, finally, to earn the Honors you all deserve.
Comments (1)
I'm amazed at how similar this is to the "Problem Solving" dream in the EnglishTeacher blog. Though his/hers deals with numbers, the image it conjures is very much the same.
Posted by Scott Cheshire | February 12, 2007 2:49 PM
Posted on February 12, 2007 14:49