View a FREE sample

1. Why is 'the path' of the line of writing, as described in Chapter 1 by Dillard, not to be considered the actual work?

The path of the line of writing is considered to be the process of writing. This path, or process, is simply a beginning and must be erased. It is like a rough draft, a beginning, and a writer should not be afraid of erasing it without looking back.

2. How is the line of Dillard's words likened to a hammer in Chapter 1?

The words are a hammer because Dillard is thought to be hammering against the walls of her writing. This analogy is used to explain how a writer uses her many years of life experience and writing to figure out what passages must stay and which must be edited out. Even if a "bearing wall", what was once considered to Dillard to be the most important portion, must be hammered down, so be it.

(read all 60 Short Essay Questions and Answers)

This section contains 4,530 words (approx. 16 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample