My essay is about my unique relationship with my father. My dad doesn't really live at home even though my parents are happily married, so basically I'm growing up with an unintentionally single mother. It is about learning to accept and let someone into my life who I don't spend time with and who I don't know much about. It is about realizing that simple conversations and gestures are the roots of a relationship, and how these small details can tell you so much about a person's character.
2) What was the most challenging aspect of writing and rewriting this essay?
I wanted to let the reader know how my dad can hurt me, but at the same time realize that he doesn't hurt me on purpose. Like his father before him, he has incredible morals, is loyal and faithful, and is respected in his industry for his integrity and intelligence. He doesn't distance himself from me, he asks me all the right questions and is interested in my well being, technically everything he should do as a father...but the fact that has not and is not physically present in my life strongly affects what our relationship could be.
3) If you could go back and make changes or additions, what would you do? Why?
I would work on my descriptions. I love descriptive writing, but I have difficultly finding the balance between too much and too little. I admire concise descriptions that give you a clear image in few words (like Hemingway), and I would have liked to implement a concise descriptive writing style into my own essay.
4) What was most unexpected-or unexpectedly fun-about writing this essay?
I always knew but never thought about my relationship with my father before this essay. I never realized that I could transform an essay about a fly fishing trip into an analysis about a relationship, and I never put my thoughts about our relationship down on paper. It was nice to see that I really do love him, but at the same time, it was really hard to read about getting rejected by own my dad.
