Blog Post #7

It is clear from Chapter 13 that there are several things that make a "good" essay: scene, specificity/detail, character, dialogue, point of view, image/metaphor, and rhythm. Looking through my previous writings, I believe I can specifically work on specificity/detail, character, and dialogue. 

I've been afraid to use too much specificity/detail in my writings. There's a constant fear of drowning the reader in adjectives and descriptions. However, I liked the suggestion from the book to "keep going back and sharpening as much as possible" (167). It is easy to start out with many details and wean them down as I revise my longer essay. For an essay about Rome, I think it will be particularly important to include details. The city is incredibly rich with history and culture, and I must honor that aspect of my trip.

Character is another part of writing that I can improve upon. Most of my writings are self-centered. This makes sense because I am describing stories from my perspective. Nonetheless, other characters are just as important to a nonfiction essay as my own character. The authors made a good point when describing character development: "...we know what our parents, children, or lovers look like. Unconsciously, we tend to assume that everyone else does as well" (169). My Rome essay will include the close friends I met while there. They will play an important role in the development of my story. Therefore, I must be able to properly develop them as well. 

Lastly, I usually avoid dialogue in writing nonfiction. This is mainly because, as the book mentions, I can't recall conversations very well. I don't want to lead my readers astray with false narratives. The authors reminded me to "recall voices, not summaries" (170). Once I develop character, I believe it will be easier for me to recall their personalities and, thus, their voices. Although a specific conversation may not have happened in my long essay, it will still be true to the character and therefore not crossing any boundaries. 

As we've discussed in class, scenes are the building blocks on nonfiction essays. The first Try It prompt of this chapter suggests for the reader to go through pieces and find a passage that could or should be a scene. When going through my mini essays, I realized that I actually love writing scenes! All of my pieces are scenes, for the majority. I think I could actually create a better balance between scene and exposition in my longer essay. Although scenes capture attention and establish tones/feelings, exposition is just as important to make a strong piece.