Annie Dillard Discussion Questions

1. I wouldn't neccessarily say that I engage in any rituals before I write. One of the things that has really helped me with writing is forming in my mind the things that I want to say. As I do this over a period of time, I come up with three or four approaches on how I want to conquer the assignment. That way when I sit down to write, I'm not staring at the screen for extended periods of time. If something doesn't sound right I immediately have a new idea that I can expound upon. Also having immediate outlets to snacks helps to keep my mind vibrant.
2. It is definitely very difficult to knock out a bearing wall. I am blessed generally with multiple ideas when I first start writing, that I am more willing to let it go when I see the entire structure is weak even with that wall. It is generally well into writing something when we recognize that even though this wall may be strong, if we aren't able to support it, it won't matter. We are the ones who will put a limit on our structure, by not allowing us to expand our thinking and sticking solely to that wall that we believe is key. I believe that the walls are created by the writer, but are influenced by society and how we want society to view them.
3. I really like her use of metaphors to describe herself, but they wouldn't be the same as I view writing. My writing is like the memory test where a certain number of objects are shown for a short time. Then they are taken from view and one is asked to write down everything they saw. Usually I can only remember a few of the objects, but it is these objects that were most important to me for one reason or another. These are the objects that I will be able to bring to life in writing. Metaphors can be very useful as long as they don't go overboard.
4. My writing is a little more personal. I try and let people in to see what I see, rather than allow them to guess what I'm trying to say.
5. I think that when people understand how we write or what drives us to write, we slowly become more predictable. Dillard being a great writer, probably doesn't want people to be able to predict where she is going with her writing. Therefore, by using metaphors she is constantly making people wonder where she is going before she draws them back in with bold statements.