In Retrospect

As the semester draws to a close, I thought I would leave you with a bit of advice about the papers you’ve written over the last few months.

Hindsight is said to be 20/20. We all ask ourselves what we might have done if we had do overs in life. One good idea for writers, no matter where along the way they are, is to keep all the essays, poems, notes, letters, etc., that they write. Once a paper has been handed in, graded and returned, and the process is considered to be over, there is still a reason to keep what you have written. Even if you don’t look at it again for decades, it is worth saving as part of your personal history.

Old papers sometimes do come in handy for new courses. While it is probable that yesterday’s writing will not meet present requirements, there may be parts of it that can be renewed and used (you can’t plagiarize yourself). Sometimes an idea from your old paper can generate more ideas for your new assignment. Sometimes it is just fun to read what you wrote a year or so ago.

Down the road, what you write today may become even more valuable to you, a way to recall your college years and the important work you did to earn your degree. Finding a place to save your work will keep you from wishing later on that you had kept it - for remembering, for revisiting an earlier time, for reminding yourself of yourself as a writer then and now.

This will be my last blog for 2011, but I’ll be back in January to kick off a new year of writing tips. On behalf of the Stone Writing Center, happy holidays!

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!