"The scariest moment is always just before you start." ~Stephen King
One of my ongoing assignments is to complete a “reader’s notebook” for my Introduction to Literary Studies class, and I’ve been failing miserably.
We haven’t been graded on it yet, but when I received the assignment I predicted that I would have finished it weeks before it was due.
Unfortunately, I underestimated how little free-time I have, and realized much too late that I should’ve arranged my schedule so that I have time to do my homework assignments.
I love to write, and I love to read, so there is no good reason for me to be behind schedule.
There are a total of 21 possible topics, and each entry needs to be at least 350 words using a 12-point font.
We are only required to complete 10, revise them, and submit them for final grading on the last day of class. So far I have done three.
For some strange reason, I came to the conclusion that I need to complete all 21 to guarantee that I’d have the most options to revise and improve my grades.
I have a problem. This ridiculous idea caused me to become anxious and procrastinate, which only added to the difficulty of the assignment.
I am currently on spring break, and have already worked my shift for today. It’s almost 5:30 pm and I haven’t done any of the homework I wanted to do.
I won’t beat myself up about it because this is a very stressful time (COVID-19 and all that).
Rather, I will finally do something with this blog and post my notebook entries as a way to hold myself accountable and give myself a reason to look forward to my homework.
As of today, my goal is to post one entry by 9:00 pm tonight. This gives me time to goof off, laze about, and freak out; three-and-a-half-hours will give me time to pull myself together.
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Hi there, I just wanted to add that these “Reader’s Notebook” posts are unedited versions of what I submitted to my English professor for my final project.
Honestly, I am pretty hard on myself – especially when it comes to writing – so having a record of what I deemed to “acceptable” work will help me hold myself accountable. In this way, I will be able to truly track my progress as a writer.
