I’m officially a little bit lost in what day we’re on in this challenge but I will check Bill’s posts to figure out the number of days I need to make up. I wanted to be able to write 500 words a day on average on essay, book, and blog projects (exempting job applications, which do take some time).
I had been lagging but accomplished an entire draft of one of papers I will be giving in Leeds in several weeks. This paper, on the One Hour Dress, a fad in home sewing in the 1920s, is based on research and programming several colleagues and I undertook when I was at the MSU Museum. One of us, an expert seamstress, worked through the One Hour Dress system (not a pattern) and actually made a dress in 47 minutes in front of an audience. Lots of fun, but in making the dress we learned about its construction and that led us to find a historic one-hour dress in the Museum’s collection.
I took the lead in revising this paper for this conference and I am using this opportunity to integrate the paper’s three sections (each written by one person) and to add research and a more thoughtful interpretation of the dress. It was the original “fast fashion,” in that it was made quickly, but it was made with very, very little waste, so it serves as a timely lesson about sustainability and the fashion industry’s impact on climate change.
It’s been a good step to take, because we do wish to publish this paper. Having a conference for which to prepare does help the process along!
So, I may be cheating here, but I’m claiming 3100 words (hoping footnotes count), especially since I lost everything I wrote on Saturday.
Last Thursday, I outlined my trophy train paper and drafted an introduction of 250 words. Ready to go on that tomorrow. I would like to have both papers done, with only PowerPoints to prepare, by Friday, 14 June.
2019 Summer Writing Challenge 