Why I Dislike Writing
When I was younger I really enjoyed writing. English was one of my favorite subjects and I loved to write! Writing was so exciting to me, that I even wanted to be an author. I enjoyed reading and writing fictional stories so much, English class was rivaling my all time favorite subjects of Math and Science. Unfortunately, around middle school, writing started to become a chore. In middle school, I no longer had the freedom to choose subjects I wanted to write about. Suddenly writing became more of a burden than a blessing. It all began with teachers assigning what I considered useless reports, I mean who would want to write twelve pages on Chinese temples? As the years drifted by, my desire for writing dramatically declined.
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First off, I always get writer’s block when I try to write, no matter what the topic of the report is. Since I routinely suffer from writer’s block, any writing assignment gives me anxiety and stress. I just know I will sit and ponder sub-topics, organizational points and content for what seems like hours. Secondly, communication through writing isn’t as beneficial as modern technology. Call me a product of my generation, but I believe there are better methods of conveying information other than writing. However, all English classes require written reports and assignments, so writing is a necessary tool that I must use. The last point I would like to introduce is, most all of the topics I am required to write about are not in the least bit interesting to …show more content…
Writer’s block is one of my biggest problems when I have a report or paper due. For this particular paper, I spent about forty-five minutes just trying to figure out which argument to address. It is seriously annoying to have writer's block when the assignment is due in two days. Although most times I think that my introductions or topics are fairly good, they take hours of planning. For me, most of the time that I spend writing a paper is during the planning stage and staring blankly at my computer contemplating my first sentence. I realize my method of composing a report only enhances my absence of thoughts. My mind drifts off into subjects not related to my paper. For example, at this very moment, my brain feels like it is trudging through molasses, my thoughts getting nowhere to further me in my essay writing. This mind-numbing sensation of not knowing what to write consumes me almost every time I am tasked with a paper. Writer’s block is not a rare occurrence for me. One can compare writer's block to the feeling of getting your life sucked out of
What about writing and the writing process makes it so disliked and, in some cases, even feared? “Fun?” by Lex Runciman, an English teacher at the Linfield College in Oregon, is an insightful article that explores why many people don’t enjoy writing. He is a very credible author because he has taught college English classes for many years and has written and published several books. His main claim throughout the article is that many people dislike writing and feel that it is frustrating because it is not perceived as or made out to be fun, enjoyable, or rewarding. Runciman wrote this article because, at the time, he felt that there was not enough being done to reverse the negative image that surrounds writing. He wants his readers to realize through his article that writing and the writing process can actually be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Runciman uses evidence, assumptions, and language and tone as a basis for his argument.
Moving to middle school was a big step and responsibility. Going from reading chapter books to nonfiction stories or even school textbooks for research papers changed my life. In 6th grade I was a decent writer, but still not the best that I could be. Anytime that I wasn’t doing homework for other classes, I was trying to get better at writing. I wrote stories in my journal at home and showed my parents ask what they thought. They both said that they were great stories, but that I could improve on my vocabulary and sentence structure. With my parents giving me advice I changed the words to be more complex, and it helped my writing improved extremely.
Woods also found a resolution to writer’s block. “Just write. Even if it doesn't make sense. Write many versions of the same thing until you like it. Just stopping has never worked for me and often makes me procrastinate, so even if I write something and it doesn't make sense, I write.” She says, if that doesn’t work, writers should, “…take a break and grab a drink...preferably from Wiggly Bridge Distillery :-D”
Writing is a way in which a person can express their thoughts and ideas through the use of words. Everybody has their own writing styles. Some may consider theirs as inspirational while others think of it to be bad. Writing requires a lot of patience and time. In my case, writing has never been my favorite thing to do. I am no Shakespeare and I never will be, writing has always made me feel uncomfortable. In the past, I had always considered writing to be one of the most difficult tasks. I often wrote about topics that were not of my interest. I rarely did any writing out of school or for leisure as most people do. I only wrote because the teacher asked us to. Writing has always been forced onto me. Even though my writing isn't that great, I've felt that I've never been given the freedom to express my voice. Academic writing has always made me anxious. And, anxiety had resulted in my procrastination. Even though I consider writing to be one of the toughest tasks, I've felt that giving myself enough time to think allows me to do better. Silence helps me think beyond horizons. However, the fear of impressing someone, the anxiety and frustration is what makes me a developing writer.
When trying to think of a positive writing experience I have had in my lifetime, particularly as a small child, I could not think of any. So I began to ask myself why is it that I do not like writing, what happened in my life for me to have such animosity towards the act. I was finally able to think of an event and realized that it had all begun in the 3rd grade. One day, as a punishment for talking during class, I was kept inside during recess and was forced to write Wise Old Owls until my hands began to cramp. For 45 minutes, I was only allowed to write the same old phrase over and over again; “The wise old owl sat on an oak, the more he heard, the less he spoke, the less he spoke the more he heard, why can’t I be like that wise old bird”. To this day I can still remember that little rhyme and to this day I can remember that same feeling I felt as a elementary school student. From that point on I have always had an aversion for writing, it always seemed like a punishment. I still do not understand how people can journal. I don’t see how someone can sit down and write an entry or a novel just for the hell of it. It seems unnatural to me, but I guess that all of these feelings are just because I see writing as a punishment, an
I have never liked writing; I always thought it was a waste of time. It was a great therapy but I never found academic writing to be useful just tedious. Only ever writing when I had too made it harder for my writing skills to grow or improve in any way. I have not taken an English class since the 10th grade, even then I never gave it much effort, just doing what I had to so I could pass the class. Then I jump in to College English 1010, I feel like I do well in all other subjects but this one. English is my worst nightmare.
In an excerpt from “The Process of Writing: Cooking” (Writing without Teachers, 1976), Peter Elbow shares his two-step freewriting method he learned to help him move past the fog of doubt caused by writer’s block. He sympathized with the reader and offered the advice to write indiscriminately, recognize the symptoms of encroaching panic, and redirect when necessary. Lastly, he explained how he could then assemble a mess of words into one idea while avoiding unnecessary frustrations. Then, typically, he would have reserved enough strength to edit constructively.
Writers from professional to elementary students suffer from writers block. Writers block is when you cannot think of anything to write. Writers block is usually caused by stress. The brain then has a reaction which disables its ability to put what it is thinking on to paper. As Patricia Huston describes it, “The right, or creative, side of the brain, seeks to create (in this case, write). This induces the left, or analytic, side of the brain to anticipate all the problems that this action could entail, causing it to go into "overdrive" and inhibit the ability to write.” (Paticia Huston)One knows if they have writers block if they are staring at a computer screen or piece of paper for a long period of time. You also know you have it if the writer just feels unwilling to write or is simply just disinterested in the topic. Avoiding writers block is almost impossible since almost everybody experiences it, but there are still many ways to help prevent or cure it.
I am sitting in my bed, thinking about my process of writing as I am trying to go through it. It seems the more I think about it, the less I understand it. When I am writing, I don’t think. Which I know, sounds bad. But, I spend every single moment of every single day over thinking, over analyzing, and over assuming every aspect of my life. When I’m writing, I’m free from that for just a little bit. Until of course, my hands stop typing or the pencil (no pens- never pens) stops moving, then I’m right back on the carousel that is my brain. Heidi Estrem says, “...writers use writing to generate knowledge that they didn’t have before.” (Writing is a Knowledge-Making Activity 18). I believe my ability to write without an exact destination
The process of writing papers can be very frustrating. You must first get your ideas together. Getting your ideas together can be one of the hardest parts of writing because you could possibly not know what di...
It is not even trying to create a hook sentence to suck you in to my writing or a solid thesis that will set up the rest of the essay. But, it is just trying to get my brain into writing mode and what I mean by that is once I am able to put a couple of sentences down I can focus on what I am writing. That is when the sentences will just seem to start forming themselves without having to really focus on the structure and flow of each line. Of course, there will be times where I might have to go back and read over my paragraph to adjust the grammar or add a sentence to make sure it flows well. But, I have learned during this term that when I am stuck and unable to get the initial sentences down on paper that I just need to write. Instead of sitting at my desk stressing about how to start my essay. I have to force myself to write about anything, it does not have to make sense while I am writing it just getting those initial words down will get my creative juices flowing into something
I knew I wasn’t bad at writing but I never thought I was great at it either. I think one of these reasons is because I had never really cared about and/or related to the subjects I was writing about. But because of Mrs. Shaw’s class I was taught that I couldn’t just write, I could take joy in it. This argument is supported in Lenhart et. al.’s article, “Writing, Technology, and Teens,” stating:
The main reason why I have so much trouble when writing, is because I don't concentrate
Such frustrating scenarios are not uncommon in the learning center. Developing and practicing effective personal writing skills is crucial for recording individual expression and communication, logging personal experiences and preserving a culture’s civilization (Powell, Harms and Barry, 2006). Successful Americans in all walks of life depend on producing clear oral and written communication. A survey of one hundred and twenty major American corporations (Powell, Harms and Barry, 2006) finds that approximately eight million employees must demonstrate strong writing skills for employee retention and promotion. Two-thirds of salaried employees in large American companies have some writing responsibility; effective communications via e-mail and PowerPoint are often job requirements (Needles & Knapp, 2004).
As I stated in my previous reflective essay, I hated writing in grade school. I sucked my teeth and groaned every time my teachers assigned an essay for homework. I don’t actually hate writing. I just disliked it because I never excelled in it. I wrote just to get the job done, but never took the time to pay attention to the writing process and the other aspects of writing. As I grew older and got a career, I realized how important writing was in the real world. From friends revising your status updates on Facebook that were plagued in grammatical errors or writing a professional email to your boss, writing skills are crucial to the real world.