Reflecting on your direction for essay #1

Five minute quick-write (in your notebook):

• If you already have an idea for your topic or direction for Essay #1: Describe your general idea for your essay and briefly sum up where you think you might go with it
• If you're still deciding on a direction: Sum up the most promising couple of ideas you have so far and where you think you might take each
• If you don't have any solid ideas for a direction yet : Look through the writing you’ve done in your notebook and identify two kernels of writing that you think could become an essay. Pick one to explore more and write about how it might become an essay, or combine the two, if that seems interesting. 

Ten-minute walk-and-talk:

In pairs, walk toward Kenney Gym along Stoughton, pass DCL, turn left just before you reach Kenney, and walk around the quad leading toward Beckman. We'll walk around the loop of that quad and come back the same way we came. As you walk, spend five or so minutes discussing one person’s essay ideas and six or so minutes discussing the other person’s. (I’ll let you know when five minutes have passed and you need to switch.) Each of you should share your ideas as concisely as you can, then your partner should briefly sum up 1. the aspect of your idea that seems most interesting and promising to them and (if there’s time) 2. the thing that seems most "thorny"* to them, and then share their ideas for things to consider in pursuing the idea. Bring your notebooks along. 


* (We'll talk about "thorny" in class.)

A few select blogs from former Nonfiction Writing students

A couple of posts from Clara's thoughtful, introspective blog, Solo: "Post #1 (reflection, very dramatic)"(on the topic of Frank Ocean's then-recent record, Blonde, from which Clara took her blog title), "Thoughts on being vulnerable," and "introverts, elitism, and Uni."

Anupam's vivid and engaging travel-themed blog, L'Avion Rose.

Lily's blog, Dashing On, which has a series of excellent travel posts (with beautiful pictures) from a trip she took to Ireland with her family the summer before she took NFW.

A post from Simone's blog, Cliff Notes, on the subject of her art postcard collection. (Check out the rest of her blog, too, if you're interested.)

Claire's blog, The View from Thing 2, which offers a variety of humorous and nicely detailed posts on a range of personal and usually fairly lighthearted topics.

"Dspburtte" from Xanthe's blog SpaghettiOs and Sunshine

"Art" from Adi's blog, Enter Title Here

"If you’ve seen me in the hallway" from Daniel's blog, Daniel Ramkumar's Deeply Personal Rummagings of the Mind and Soul


Read at least three posts from one of the blogs above, and then read at least one individual post each from three of the other blogs. Then we'll talk.

(Keep some brief and basic notes in your notebooks as you read. Most importantly, the names of the blogs you read and the titles of the posts. Also, anything that strikes you about the voice of the writer, the topic[s] they focus on, the details they include in their post, and anything else that really jumps out at you.)