Senior Writing Seminar
At first glance, Kathleen Marie Williams is your everyday French horn playing, stagecrafting, moped-riding high school girl. But if you look a little deeper, as I have, you will discover that Ms.Williams is far from normal. I recently sat down with Kate and discussed her approach to writing. My findings are mind-boggling.
She first explained to me her general thoughts on writing. She does enjoy writing, but much prefers the creative side of it. Planning is Kate’s favorite part of the process; she adores outlining and drafting, even describing note taking as a “sinful hobby”. The procedure she explained next was rather unique. It all begins in Kate’s office, on her exotic leopard-print couch. Kate spreads out any drafts, outlines, or notes she has for the specific piece of writing. The abundance of notes and outlines is slowly transformed into a primitive rough draft. She then moves to the computer, to finalize her work, but as Williams says, “the genius happens on the couch”.
Kate’s weapon of choice when it comes to word processing is the ever-popular Microsoft Word. She also tells me of perhaps the strangest aspect of her writing process. Kate fills me in on her “awesome relationship” with a small talking paperclip, Word’s help icon. I had to inquire further. She explained, “He’s always there for you, he’s always got your back”. I tried to learn his true identity, but apparently this mysterious talking paperclip is “too good for a name”.
Once Kate gets to this phase of a piece, her procedure is a little more standard. Williams is a bit of a procrastinator, admitting to writing school assignments one or two nights before they’re due. Kate attempts to not break while writing, though finds it necessary to get up every so often. Distractions can cause a problem, but she also needs some sort of noise or music in the background to help her keep focused. While writing, a television is turned on behind her or soft music is playing. Futurama, TV movies on USA, even some quiet 90s music helps Kate maintain her concentration. Though music can be troublesome as well; she has discovered music can actually influence her writing. Angry music can cause an angry writing tone. Kate also finds food to be a distraction, especially sunflower seeds. “Well”, says Williams, “they’re like Pringles- once you pop, you just can’t stop”.
Although creative writing is something Kate enjoys, her real love is reading. She explains there’s nothing like getting really into a good book, and she’d much rather read other’s writing rather than “pulling stuff out of her own mind”. She takes her reading very seriously, even admitting that she’s intrigued by the thought of reading on the toilet. She’s currently reading Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card, but Williams is also a fan of works by Ray Bradbury, and plans to dive into Schindler’s List in the near future. Her love of books is part of her ultimate goal-to become a librarian or bookstore owner. Williams’ life may take a different turn as well; she is also interested in attending Humboldt State University, becoming a Lumberjack herself. Ironically enough Kate is also interested in pursuing Forestry.
After learning about the quirky writing style of Kate Williams, she became a new person in my eyes. Underneath her seemingly normal appearance lays a life of leopard-print couches and talking paperclips. I never would have guessed one could learn so much about a person through her writing process, as I did while unearthing the eccentric ways of Kathleen Marie Williams.
She first explained to me her general thoughts on writing. She does enjoy writing, but much prefers the creative side of it. Planning is Kate’s favorite part of the process; she adores outlining and drafting, even describing note taking as a “sinful hobby”. The procedure she explained next was rather unique. It all begins in Kate’s office, on her exotic leopard-print couch. Kate spreads out any drafts, outlines, or notes she has for the specific piece of writing. The abundance of notes and outlines is slowly transformed into a primitive rough draft. She then moves to the computer, to finalize her work, but as Williams says, “the genius happens on the couch”.
Kate’s weapon of choice when it comes to word processing is the ever-popular Microsoft Word. She also tells me of perhaps the strangest aspect of her writing process. Kate fills me in on her “awesome relationship” with a small talking paperclip, Word’s help icon. I had to inquire further. She explained, “He’s always there for you, he’s always got your back”. I tried to learn his true identity, but apparently this mysterious talking paperclip is “too good for a name”.
Once Kate gets to this phase of a piece, her procedure is a little more standard. Williams is a bit of a procrastinator, admitting to writing school assignments one or two nights before they’re due. Kate attempts to not break while writing, though finds it necessary to get up every so often. Distractions can cause a problem, but she also needs some sort of noise or music in the background to help her keep focused. While writing, a television is turned on behind her or soft music is playing. Futurama, TV movies on USA, even some quiet 90s music helps Kate maintain her concentration. Though music can be troublesome as well; she has discovered music can actually influence her writing. Angry music can cause an angry writing tone. Kate also finds food to be a distraction, especially sunflower seeds. “Well”, says Williams, “they’re like Pringles- once you pop, you just can’t stop”.
Although creative writing is something Kate enjoys, her real love is reading. She explains there’s nothing like getting really into a good book, and she’d much rather read other’s writing rather than “pulling stuff out of her own mind”. She takes her reading very seriously, even admitting that she’s intrigued by the thought of reading on the toilet. She’s currently reading Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card, but Williams is also a fan of works by Ray Bradbury, and plans to dive into Schindler’s List in the near future. Her love of books is part of her ultimate goal-to become a librarian or bookstore owner. Williams’ life may take a different turn as well; she is also interested in attending Humboldt State University, becoming a Lumberjack herself. Ironically enough Kate is also interested in pursuing Forestry.
After learning about the quirky writing style of Kate Williams, she became a new person in my eyes. Underneath her seemingly normal appearance lays a life of leopard-print couches and talking paperclips. I never would have guessed one could learn so much about a person through her writing process, as I did while unearthing the eccentric ways of Kathleen Marie Williams.