As I've noted before, I'm introverted. For those who may not know what an introvert is, or may confuse an introvert with things like social anxiety or shyness, introversion simply means that a person is wired to get their most fulfillment by themselves or in small groups of people. This is an oversimplified description at best. Just think of the person who is happy to spend time in solitude, and you have an introvert.

Me? I can be at home in a crowd very rarely. I prefer small groups, but classrooms are okay with me. At work I am quiet, and at home, still quiet. I've gone at least four days without speaking to somebody once. And while I "come alive" in the classroom (if you know me from class you probably think I am extroverted), the truth is...I'm happiest when left to my own devices.

So when it came time to put together the term paper for Observation & Assessment using four months of observations of a single child, I purposely procrastinated a bit. Last week I started BBC's Sherlock (which may have been a bad idea) and let myself get lost in one of my more favorite characters (who I always knew of but didn't really discover until I went to NYC and found a mystery themed book shop in 2012). Why?

The Mysterious Book Shop. I'd probably want to buy it all. Good thing I don't live in NYC then...

So I could sequester myself Friday night, most of Saturday (I have math from 9 to 1 on Saturdays), and all day Sunday to write this paper. Near two days of writing with nothing but me, my cat, my laptop, several reiki candles, crystals, my Buddha, and ambient electronic music.


I was in heaven.

I can imagine others in this class wondering what is wrong with me. First, I have a background in writing, having dabbled in journalism and fiction writing, and I copywrite for a living. But honestly, the written word is just...beautiful to me. Research, typing, organizing ideas, making it all make sense in a wonderful way...to me it's fun. Even when it gets challenging and I am up until 2 AM writing and wondering what the hell is wrong with me...

It's all worth it.

I did run into a few of those moments where I questioned what I was doing. My paper had reached 30 pages and I still wasn't done. Our professor said that our paper would be a minimum 20 pages...and I've had professors tell me not to write so much, with one even saying that every time they got a paper from me it was like getting a book (those papers were 5 pages long, so calm down, professor!).

The paper is due today, and it is a lovely hunk of paper: 47 pages, making the paper itself 45 pages if you remove the cover page and two reference pages. It's gorgeous, has weight, and full of wonderful information about a lovely child and their developmental milestones.

I love it.

What paper were you particularly happy to write? Have you ever written anything longer than 10 pages?