One week recap

So, I've decided to get back into tennis shape. The one good thing about where I live is that there is a really nice tennis court that I have access to. So, instead of sitting at home all day, I'll get out there and hit some balls and get into some sort of shape again. Last summer, when i was living at home, there were some local courts and a wall that I went to almost everyday, so I played a lot of tennis for a couple hours a day. To get a sense of what I look like when I am in tennis shape, here is a picture of me from last summer:

That's the goal!

So I've been writing this thing for a week, and today was the first time that I actually went back and read what I wrote. To put this in perspective, I never read anything I write. Like I've already said, I'm extremely self-conscious about anything I write so I rarely go back and read it. It's one of those things where I want to write like all of the awesome authors I read, but know that I don't. Rather than do what I know I should, which is write tons and examine it all closely to find my mistakes, I just write first drafts and hand them in, if i write at all. This was somewhat problematic in grad school as I constantly got comments from my professors concerning proofreading mistakes, if I even read their comments. I was a bad grad student. This is of course ironic because I want to get into the publishing industry/write book reviews for a living/looking for editorial jobs. What I really need to do is treat my writing like I treat my tennis and practice and work at it everyday. Hence one of the main reasons why I started this blog. The funny thing is that I can actually proofread quite well, just as long as it's not my work. The truth is that I didn't even read my posts before I published them, leading to the many mistakes that I saw along with plenty of stilted/awkward writing.

So, things I've learned from reading my previous posts:

1. Read over everything before posting. I make a lot of silly mistakes.
2. I need to organize my ideas better. I mean, I like that I write in a semi stream of consciousness style. It is very much representative of any kind of conversation you would have with me. Like many people, I have many ideas running through my head simultaneously and occasionally (okay actually quite often) go off on another tangent. I was actually discussing the pros and cons of stream-of-consciousness writing with a friend at this wine and cheese party last night (Yes, I am a huge literature dork. It's one of the few things that I can definitely say that I am very passionate about.), and I like stream-of-conscious if it's used effectively. I got half way through Ulysses before I needed to stop. However, Returning to Earth (review tomorrow for real this time) used it very well. Anyway, the point being that, especially with the book reviews, I need to not be so haphazard in my organization so that everything that I want to say is expressed effectively and clearly.
3. I'm quite verbose. I mean, I know I'm just writing what I think, especially for these reviews, but I need to find a way to be a little more concise and to the point. I know it has been part of my style for a while, reinforced by my academic training, but I really need to work on trimming it down. Also, it makes my blog posts really long, and I don't know if my writing is quite good enough yet to keep someone's attention for that long.
4. I'm getting more comfortable with this whole blog thing. I have tons of ideas running through my head, and I finally have an avenue to express them! Moreover, most of the anecdotes that I've told so far have been stories that I've told plenty of times so I'm comfortable with them, but I'm already foreseeing telling some stories that I've rarely told. One of the conscious decisions I made when I started this blog is that I was going to be honest, and if a personal story comes up, so be it. Those of you that know me well, know that I can be honest almost to a fault. The reality is that I don't consider this a bad thing. So, in this blog, I'm going to write what I think and what I feel, regardless of how personal it may be. Considering my previous insecurities about writing, that's a step for me, but I'm okay with that.

Anyway, to sum up, I need to read over and proofread my work so that I can write better and clearer. Also, I really look forward to my blog post everyday. I like getting in this habit of writing. Now to just work on my short story. Hope you continue reading and feedback is much appreciated.

Music listened to while writing this blog: Foo Fighters-The Colour and the Shape