Autumn is Here...Finally.

Dear Daniel Borzutzky,

Hello! My name is Melissa Herman and I would like to start out by saying you really surprised me today. At first I was a little skeptic about having just another plain old writer coming in to lecture about writing and such. You did the complete opposite in fact. You have a real life outside of writing. You have a family. I could only imagine how difficult it must be at times to try and balance out work and spending time with loved oned or even just finding some peace and quiet time for yourself. Is it really that hard? I would think it to be but perhaps you have found a good balance. I also know you said you find it easier to write in enviornments that you aren't exactly comfortable in. Is it just easier to concentrate then? Easier to really think and learn from other perspectives? I personally would find it hard to concentrate I would think. While writing papers I like to do so in the peace of my own room or perhaps even at the local Barnes & Noble, which is basically my second home. I enjoy reading a lot actually. I really enjoy novels that have historical context in them but are fictional. Any novel from Philippa Gregory would be a good example. I also enjoy reading novels that I can have some relation to. If a book does not catch my interest almost right away I always find it hard to continue to read it. This is probably a bad trait and I know I should push through any doubts I have towards the book but I just can't usually. I set the book down and come back to it another time. Almost like what you said about having doubts in your writing. How you come back to it days, months, maybe even years later and then continue to write and revise it. I find that fascinating.

I've never been much of a writer myself. I can write the typical college paper or anything along those lines but I just do not know where to start otherwise. I always have so many ideas floating around in my head about things I could really write about but I just can't start them. How do you find the inspiration to them? How do you know where to begin? I have ideas that I wish to start, but I usually end up just saving them somehow and promising myself I will come back to them. I never really do.

Another thing that bothers me is taking notes while reading. It is just something I can't bring myself to do fully. Writing in the margines bothers me as well. Writing yourself questions or putting comments down is something that I just do not like to do. I know it's important to do with some pieces, that it will help you in the long run. Do you do this often when you read? Or, like me, is it something you just don't care for?

On another note, I thought it was interesting today how you mentioned that you liked reading reviews about your pieces. Weather it be the good ones of the bad ones, how you liked how people just took the time to actually write the review and how this made them worth reading. I wonder if all writers would say the same thing.

Thank you for coming to talk with our class today.

I wish you luck with everything you are trying to accomplish.

Melissa Herman.