Do you like sentences?

Do you like sentences?
By: AnnaBeth Fish

This semester, my creative non-fiction writing professor has taught me things about writing (including that I should never use the word “things” because there’s almost always a better word, so I guess I should say he has taught me lessons about writing) that no other professor or teacher have ever taught me.

Instead of making us read a textbook about style and description and setting, he shares with us examples from all kinds of books that he thinks demonstrate what we need to know about important elements of writing. He gives great constructive criticism, and though he is pretty conservative with straight out praise, if you read between the lines of what he says, you can catch the real compliments that he is throwing your way.

The first day of class, he told us that if it were up to him, the class would be pass-fail. Because everything in the real world of writing is pass or fail—it either gets published, or it doesn’t. He’s not your typical professor. He’s a writer and an editor straight through. He’s gruff, and to the point and has no time for false praise. He’s not afraid to tell you what doesn’t sound good but also he’s not afraid to let you know (in his own weird way) what he really likes.
Earlier this week in class, he told us a story that he had read about a student who along the way had asked some professor if s/he thought he could be a writer. Supposedly, the professor replied, “I don’t know. Do you like sentences?” (After doing some research I found out that this anecdote comes from Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life.)

Will-Weber (my professor) explained that what she meant by that, is if you really want to be a writer, you have to really be dedicated. You have to like the little parts; you have to get rid of the “gremlins” in your writing. (Gremlins are what Will-Weber calls typos and misspellings.) So, I’ve been thinking about that a lot this week, trying to decide if I like sentences. Then it suddenly hit me as I was organizing a folder. I printed out over 10 copies of one paper, asked numerous people to read it, to edit it. I took every copy with suggestions and worked it. I had two people edit AFTER the final grade had already been given. I want to take my writing to that very next level, I want it to win contests and appear in publications everywhere. But even more than winning and getting published, I want people to get something from my writing. And I’m willing to edit and play with and reconstruct everything down to the last sentence and word to get to that level. No piece of writing is every perfect; it can always be played with and every time you do so, maybe you take a step forward, maybe you take a step back. Regardless, every minute you dedicate to a piece, moves your writing in one direction or another.

Yes, Professor Will-Weber, I do like sentences.