My first year at Emerson I thought I was going to die from writing papers. Okay, death would not result from the actual assignments being given; my agony came from the stress these assignments induced in me. There were so many papers to write and I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I remember many over nights spent red-eyed working on college level writing assignments. I had no idea why writing papers was so difficult for me. One thing I knew for sure was that every time I had a new writing assignment, I would know exactly what I wanted to write about and what I wanted to say. I would put the words on paper and turn my work into my professor full of hope and pride at what I had written, only to be completely deflated by those horrible red marks across my words "where is your thesis?"
It wasn't until my second year of undergrad that I learned what the problem was. The solution was so simple, I could hardly believe it when my friend Mel showed me the pyramid method. I was so completely thrilled to have this information because writing papers for me had begun to feel like an endless walk through peanut butter. Learning about this tool made me feel like I had been let in on a well-guarded secret and I was able to earn my Bachelor's Degree without ever seeing those horrible words again.
I had no idea how to structure an argument properly, which is no surprise since I dropped out of high school in the middle of my Sophmore year. Add to this deficit the fact that I had moved at least 36 times by then, and you have a smart student with no formal education.
So here I am, embarking on my first book, I WAS A TEEN AGED BANK ROBBER. This story has been on my mind for quite some time. It is about my life, some of the wacky experiences I've had while I was a member of THE CULT A.A. I have wanted to write this book for a while and I have put it off many times for one reason, or another. Finally, I am ready to do it because I have that most invaluable combination: time to write and the desire to get this book on paper.
Just to be sure, should self confidence go the wayside, I have set myself up with a deadline, and I plan to blog about this experience on a weekly basis for the rest of the year. A sort of accountability factor, I guess. If I am able to gain some readers and friends along the way, that would be great, too. Feel free to comment with your thoughts, views, opinions and suggestions. I would be thrilled to hear from you.
