Illusion of progress.

Abstract

A piece of writing is never just about the writing. Behind the final product are hours upon hours spent agonizing over decisions linked directly to the story- plot, structure, points-of-view, dialogue mechanics and a host of other concerns, as well as decisions over intended audience, self-censorship, publication and other areas that have to be taken into consideration as well. After the first draft has been painfully completed, the real battle starts. A writer has to deal objectively with critique and be prepared to constantly revise the first draft until the end product is somewhat satisfactory. During the process of writing, I find these two areas posing the most problems for me. In this essay, I will discuss the difficulties I faced when working on this project and attempt to justify some of the decisions I made regarding character, plot, and formal devices.