Best Writing Advice I Ever Got

Despite my disappointment and frustration I had at the Anne Rice signing, I have to give her credit for this: for the best writing advice I ever got from her.  This advice was is that there are no rules to writing.  I am glad she has said that because there have been times in class where I felt like I was restricted in my writing and my creativity and felt like my writing was being hinged.  This happened to me again last week in my American Women's Literature class. 

Our assignment was to write a memoir piece that shaped our identity cultural, spriritually, etc.  It had to reflect on our gender identity and values.  Unfortunately, my first draft of my essay, it was not acceptable because it did not meet her requirements.  So I had to ask myself what experiences shaped me as a woman and my gender identity.  I ended up writing about an experience about being bisexually curious.  I was off and running on this and the ideas were coming out faster than before.  However, my teacher said again, it needed to concentrate on one event.  What she didn't understand was that I was focusing on one day, one day where these myriad of bisexual emotions came to me and they were flooding.  This ultimately led me to understand that sexuality is fluid just as gender is fluid.  I thought it was one of the best pieces I ever wrote. 

However, my teacher gave me a C on the paper, saying it was a good approach but it didn't focus on a specific time period.  She still didn't understand I was focusing on that one Saturday afternoon, an afternoon that changed my outlook on who I am and what could be possible.  That was the intention of the paper. 

Where does Anne Rice come into all this?  As I said in the first paragraph, Anne says that in writing there are no rules.  She also said in this same video, which I will link down below, that once you have it down and are satisfied with it, don't edit it.  Now I know this probably doesn't apply to an English class, but I have to say this: I already had to swap one topic for another and when I was done with this, I felt like I had something that was amazing that I was proud to hand in.  I accept that my teacher feels it deserves a C, but would I try to rewrite it now?  No way.  I have that essay right where I want it, I felt it satisfied the requirements of the paper and if I had gone with a different approach, it would probably been worse off with even a worse grade.  But change that paper?  No.  I like where it is because it examines my feelings and thoughts and it tells readers more about me.  As much as I respect my professor, I would never change that paper because it would take away parts of myself that are represented in that paper. 

p.s.  Sorry folks you can't read the paper due to privacy of others.

Anne Rice's Writing Advice

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