For my paper, I have chosen to write about campus life in the summer vs. campus life in the fall. Because there is so much to cover about the two, I am not sure what exactly to write about. I want to write about the differences in the students groups present, the difference in social life, and of course the difference in classes. These things all seem alright but I do not think they are interesting enough to visit. Also, because I am writing about two different time periods on campus, I’m not sure where to place myself. If I am the tourist vesting the University of Michigan, am I visiting in the fall or am I visiting in the summer or did I visit both. I was thinking about writing as a transfer student who’s decided to take classes during the fall/winter term but decided to stay at Michigan for the summer term. The problem with this is that I am not playing myself but a character, so is this okay to do?
I think the biggest problem is going to try not to be satirical or judgmental of this environment. Now that I think about it, it’s very hard to write without about a place that you have already experience and not have anything to say about it. Also, to even stay at the level of description even seems complicated to do!
I definitely agree that the hardest part is removing yourself from the situation and trying to write as an outsider. Since you're looking at summer vs. fall, maybe you could go chronologically and start out in the summer with the narrator observing how it's quiet and not overly populated, then watch the seasons change and see what happens to the city as they do. As for writing as a character, I don't think you even really have to identify whether you are a visitor, a transfer student, or some other persona. You might be able to just describe the area and make it evident through your writing and the perspective the narrator gives that he is an outsider. Good luck!
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