Max Ogles and Dr. Patrick Madden, English Department
Background
The intent of my project was to write a collection of nonfiction personal essays in the classical essayist tradition. The personal essay tradition began in the 1500s with Michel de Montaigne. Montaigne is known as the “Father of the Essay” because he invented the form and wrote the very first collection of essays, which covered a variety of topics ranging from “thumbs” to “prayer” to “solitude.” Other essayists followed his example, including notable writers Francis Bacon (1600s), Samuel Johnson (1700s), William Hazlitt and Charles Lamb (1800s), and George Orwell and E.B. White (1900s). The essay tradition continues today and is categorized as creative nonfiction; modern practitioners include Scott Russell Sanders, Brian Doyle, Michael Martone, and BYU professor Patrick Madden.
The Personal Essay
The personal essay itself has a loose form and a familiar, personal style. Because of its unrestricted structure, the essay reflects a variety of narrative strategies and voices. However, some common elements of the essay include personal narrative, tangential thought experiments, curiosity regarding the most common elements of life, and exploration of a variety of disciplines such as philosophy, physics, mathematics, literature, etc. In my opinion, one of the most essential elements of the essay is the opportunity to convey one’s individual voice. A strong individual voice, along with the use of the familiar first-person perspective, allows each essayist to communicate unique, intimate ideas to connect with a reader and impart universal meaning.
Reading Research
In preparation for writing my collection of essays, I completed three separate writing courses: two sections of Creative Nonfiction Writing, as well as one section of History of the Personal Essay. By participating in these courses, I received broad exposure to the best essayists of the past four centuries. Extensive reading of other essayists was instrumental to my project because it allowed me to analyze successful writing techniques and incorporate them in my own writing. Much of my writing reflects some of the style of my favorite essayists, which include A.A. Milne, Brian Doyle, and Michael Chabon.
The Writing
In my In my original ORCA project proposal, I had planned to spend the summer in Brazil and write my collection of essays there. Unfortunately, the Brazil study abroad was cancelled and I stayed in Utah to write my essays. However, I found that staying in my normal surroundings offered plenty of subject material for writing. For example, essayists often address simple, quotidian facets of life, drawing them out into broad themes in an attempt to reach understanding of the world. In my collection, I wrote on second-hand shopping, chess, pregnancy, free t-shirts, and even the essay itself. In following the essayist tradition, I attempted to expand each of these topics to offer broader significance that applies to life in general. In some ways, I feel that a trip to “exotic” Brazil might have affected the tone or style of my writing in a way that would be less favorable to the tradition of the personal essay.
The most difficult aspect of writing my collection of essays was to maintain a consistent habit of writing and revising. When I found an exciting topic, I was able to write fluently and effortlessly. However, my productivity slowed when I didn’t have enthusiasm to drive my writing. In this regard, I learned that reading is one of the best methods for stimulating my own creativity and writing. Not only does reading allow me to familiarize myself with models that I can follow, but it also generates excitement for the ability to express emotion and ideas.
Another troubling aspect of the project was that in my previous writing I had never enjoyed or successfully completed a thorough revision. While writing my collection, I had the opportunity to undertake several large revisions. During this process, I learned that my best writing often occurs after I’ve completely discarded an earlier attempt. Rather than becoming attached to “inspired” first drafts, I realized that I could re-write and my overall product would greatly improve. The best example of this in my writing was an essay entitled “Anticipare.” I completed a draft of “Anticipare” around April of 2010, then resumed writing and revision of the essay in December of the same year. After so much time had elapsed, I had a different perspective of the essay and was able to discard some of the unnecessary parts and re-create the essay into one of my best pieces of writing.
Results
The most fulfilling result of my collection was the satisfaction of recording my personal thoughts and experiences in a polished, creative work. I have also enjoyed sharing my work with family, friends, and classmates. In addition to this, I have successfully published some of my writing. Since one of the key functions of the ORCA sponsorship is to foster academic contributions from undergraduate students, I have made an effort to submit my writing to various publications. My successes include: my essay “On Chess” was published in Paradigm Journal online; my essay, “Wordsworth, the Essayist” was published in Polaris Journal and won 1st place for creative nonfiction in the journal’s annual contest; my essay “Anticipare” won the 2011 Vera Mayhew contest at BYU.