Blog # 6 S/R Reflection

After writing the summary and response essay, on Blake Clayton’s “The Case for Allowing US Crude Oil Exports”, I found that when I finished up with the paper I had a better understanding of my writing process. Initially, I was overwhelmed with the idea of having to respond to an essay in my own words, and keeping the authors voice. After spending time in the writing center I was able to get a better grip on what the assignment actually was and realize that the process of writing the response was not near as difficult as I had imagined.

Although I did have some struggles with the paper along the way, with becoming organized with my purpose and thoughts. Finding different ways to edit my paper was helpful to better organize the rough drafts to the final draft. It was much easier for me to use the “free writing” and various drafting techniques to get the bulk of what I wanted to say on paper. After, I saw which direction I was going to take the paper using with and against the grain annotation, I found it easy to write to “fill in” rather than write out a final draft with purpose on the first try.

I can agree with the quote from Norman Maclean, “all there is to thinking…is seeing something noticeable, which makes you see something you weren’t noticing, which makes you see something which isn’t even visible.” I believe life is about noticing the daily “coincidences”, and interpreting them into a new way that ultimately creates a new stream of consciousness or idea which later becomes reality. If you’re not paying attention to these noticeable occurrences, you could potentially be missing out on a new creative process or "picture" that you would have been a part of painting. This quote doesn’t just apply to my reading and writing process, it applies to my life and what links me to being human. A human who is able to create something out of nothing with essentially an idea. The quote reminds me of another quote by Eyedea and Abilities (First Born, The Dive part 2), “you gotta lose your mind it find it, and when you finally find it, you find out that it was never lost at all”. Overall this essay has helped me start to develop a writing style and help get the creative juices flowing again.