Magnolias & Moonpies

I'm so used to spending most of my 'free time' writing, but it's the stuff I've been so used to writing that has almost ruined this kind of self-expression. Stuff like:

• Fragment/run-on/comma splice
• This sentence doesn't logically follow.
• What?
• I have no idea what you just wrote.
• Are you kidding?
• Did you read the same book that I read?!

Okay, so I'm only kidding on the last few. I didn't actually write those comments - I thought them, even said a few out loud.

I've come to realize that creating handouts and grading essays has predominantly been my writing outlet. Occasionally, I have written with my students - whatever assignment/prompt they were given, I sat down at my desk and wrote along side them. When I'd read over what I'd written, I noticed that I began every piece of writing the same way - with a participial phrase. After a while, I noticed other patterns - the occasional fragment, heavy alliteration, the dash, compound nouns and adjectives - which gave way to discovering quite a bit about my writing style.

I know, I'm a nerd. I fully embrace my nerdiness and welcome all the brain wrinkles created by these nerdy thoughts.

One day this summer, I'm going to clean/organize my jump drives and file folders on my computer condensing, purging, deleting (yes, permanently erasing documents that took hours/days of my life to create). I don't need to waste any more time creating handouts - I've got thousands as it is. I can't remember when it all began, but it ends now - this is the summer to declare freedom from that which stifles, constricts, strangles.

Change can only truly come from within . . .