Drafting Essays for Writers Workshops
Spent the morning reworking some of my writing, looking for 750 words to take to my afternoon workshop. I have about a dozen essays in the works — a few completed and submitted for publication.
The other pieces are mostly rough drafts. First attempts with one or two minor edits to get the bones of the piece in place. Drafts that I can slowly work into completed pieces.
Right now, I’m struggling with an essay about ‘Health & Healing in the Mormon Tradition’ (due for submission in less than a week) because there’s so much to say! From the first draft to this 3rd or 4th pass, I see the structure take shape. There are glimmers of symbolism I want to flesh out, I want to sprinkle it with symbolic consistency from paragraph to paragraph, like a bird flittering tree to tree looking for life giving sustenance.
There are places to add complex sociological theory but wonder how to approach it in a way that is natural as rain? There are stories of quilts, and grandmothers, and camp, and friends, ordination and blessings. It’s also about saving a life.
It is profound and deserves all the respect I can gather to bring this story forward.
Currently at 3,000 words, it might finish out at twice that and I still have so much to add!
I brought an excerpt of that essay to my workshop this afternoon. We had one-to-one readings, so my audience was small but her reaction was mighty! I guess this is to say, I have work to do to finish things up. So excuse me popping in and out of socials this next week while I work to bring this essay to fruition. I sense that it’s an important story.
It’s a story only I can tell.
