Blog 3.3
I have been sitting at my desk for a very long time. I had several ideas, but every time time I try to write one of them up, I do not want to write it, and I delete it.
Henry Kissinger was one of the greatest negotiators of all time. He managed agreements between the Arabs and Israelis, that no one else could. Some said the Arabs and Israelis were like mixing oil and water — how did he do it? What special skills did he use? What agreements did he manage to come up with?
To be honest, I know very little of this topic, and I would need to get more information or perhaps do some research.
But perhaps I could describe a scene with detailed images and dialogue of one, two or more agreements between countries, the concessions, the skills used, etc. At this tme, Iam uncertain as I need to do get more information.
2 responses so far
Michelle,
I’d suggest you steer toward a more personal topic. What you have proposed here, in its bare bones, looks like the proposal for a potentially interesting research paper. In fact, what you say in the fourth paragraph, about knowing very little about the topic and having to get more information, is a pretty clear indication that this topic would move you toward a research paper or more traditional academic analysis/argument than this assignment is asking for. To make sure you’re writing toward and meeting the requirements of the assignment, first, re-read the assignment, paying special attention to the definitions of hybrid and lyric essays. Second, identify material that you have persona, first-hand knowledge of and that you’d be interested in exploring in an unconventional form. Perhaps the least unconventional and most traditional form you could use with this assignment–if you don’t want to stray too far form the essay form you’re more familiar with–would be a loosely arranged series of vignettes that are connected in some evocative way, perhaps through theme or an image. Remember, this is creative non-fiction, which focuses on story-telling and is usually in some way on a personal topic–on first-hard experience or first-hand observation. Can you see how the material you propose to write about in your blog post 3.3 doesn’t fit either the creative non-ficiton and, most importantly, lyric or hybrid essay forms? Try to keep thinking about it. You might start by thinking about the essay we’ve read this term (maybe from In Fact: The Best of Creative Non-ficition) that you’ve enjoyed the most, and use that as a model for your own work. Also, I know you’ve looked at the examples of hybrid/lyric essays I posted on the sample page of this blog. Do any of those showcase a form you’d like to try out?
Michelle,
While Kissinger is an interesting topic in its own right, I have to echo Professor Smith’s recommendation about nonfiction writing being the most compelling when there’s a personal aspect to it.
Additionally, I am unsure what original audiovisual contributions you can bring. Obviously the scene you’re depicting would at best be a reenactment.
A better idea would write about your own personal experience with deft negotiation and then share your admiration for Kissinger as one of the examples.