I am very happy to report the paper is DONE.
And being the idiot that I am, when I double checked the syllabus after finishing up this evening to make sure that 1500 words was what I needed (you know that stupid part of your brain saying, ‘did you really read it as 1500 words and not 2500 or 3500??!?’ )…well, not quite. It was 1000-1500 words. So, I’m technically slightly over on word count, but it’s all good - if the prof wants to dock me for being 17 words over limit, he can knock himself out.. All that is left is making sure it’s formatted properly and that my citations are in the right place in the text. The citations are a pain in the ass, but shouldn’t take long to tend to.
The thing is, I’m somewhat disappointed in the paper. Not that it’s bad or a half-assed attempt - in the space that I had, I made the points I needed and wanted to make, but the fact that the actual “writing” portion of it took the least time of the entire project (despite, or very possibly because of! a shitload of research/reading/note-taking/mental composition in the process of ‘writing’ it), and that always makes me think I am not ‘bringing it’, so to speak. Honestly, before the pen hits the paper, I have reviewed all the words a good three or four times in my mind, yet I still have my doubts. I had so much more I could have poured into it, but it would have put me so far beyond the word count that it would have actually been an issue in grading.
What strikes me as funny (in my own mind if nothing else) is that I continually underestimate the amounts that I can write on any given subject. (AKA, I can ramble incessantly when called for.) A 1500 word paper is roughly 5 double spaced pages. Earlier this week I was up at the bar with my peeps, seriously concerned that I would not be able to come up with enough information and/or specific examples on my subject to be able to fill up that much white space. (Nevermind the fact that I knocked out near 3K words on my fiction project in a single afternoon, but hey, ht’s fiction, you can make it up as you go along!) I was quite literally sitting there with Dave going over various terrorist incidents of the past 20 years, because I truly didn’t think I had enough examples and talking points for the paper and would have to bring in more specific examples from certain recent historical events.
As it turns out, the “bonus incidents” never needed to be brought into the paper. Little bro, who is slightly less removed from academic writing due to age if nothing else, reminded me to note all ‘bonus’ items and their sources, as there is a decent chance I’ll need them later. And being the smart one that he is, he’s right.
So, I’ve got a decent long form expository essay to submit (honestly, given the length, I can’t call it a research paper), and good notes should I ever encounter this subject (or something similar) in the future as a springboard.
I’ll be interested to see what I pull out on this paper for a grade. As it stands at the moment, I have a solid A in the class. Here’s hoping the trend continues! :)
