I guess it is a good habit to write down what you think about your writing habits.<\/p>\n
I have thought about this topic for the last little while, without writing anything down. \u00a0I imagine that is a pretty common starting point for most writing assignments, for most people. Before I jump right in about my writing style, I thought it best to comment generally.<\/p>\n
I have noticed that people are generally unashamed to admit to their unproductive and superstitious writing habits. \u00a0Almost with pride people will confess that they need to listen to some classical composer or need to have a pencil laying atop their left ear. \u00a0I suspect people act in this silly way while doing a lot of other things too, but mostly keep those neurotic dependencies to themselves. \u00a0I don’t quite get why people are so excited to reveal their inadequacies as a writer. Perhaps the answer to that question is important to why people have them in the first place.<\/p>\n
As far as I am aware I don’t have a necessary ‘thing’ that I need to do to write but I do tend to only function well while under some sort of time crunch. \u00a0It is not a very comfortable habit, and I suspect not one that churns out the best product. \u00a0When thinking about why I and why others need this imposed deadline to begin writing, I seem to think about all the possible directions a writing assignment can take for me. \u00a0It seems that before I am forced to begin, a writing assignment exists in many different forms, and I am unable, or hopefully only unwilling, to commit myself to choosing a specific identity for the assignment. It is only when the writing begins and the piece starts to unfold that its form finally reveals itself. I intend to take some of the mystery out of my writing and a good place to start would be in creating a more solidified plan before I begin to write.<\/p>\n
No doubt one the biggest obstacles for me when creating a written work is my difficulty in engaging with my work with the same mindset once I have taken a break. I can achieve a certain momentum, probably both real and imagined, when I write that is very challenging to regain once I take a trip to the kitchen for a timeout. Perhaps this is related to the point above regarding not leaving a comfortable amount of time for a writing assignment. \u00a0If I cannot achieve that writing ‘zone’ unless time is not my friend, getting anything done before that point would be, and much of the time is, frustrating. It is a pity that people are so terrible ignorant of the origin of their habits, I suspect its because people are rarely able to change them and gain an outside perspective.<\/p>\n
I think that the amount I end up writing during my career will depend on extent to which I can change my writing habits. I believe change comes from truly convincing yourself there is a better way. Perhaps it like an athlete who needs to perform several odd rituals early in their career and eventually lose those superstitions for more solid habits like proper preparation. I choose to believe that everyone can improve drastically in their writing as long as they are prepared to try. We do a lot more thinking than we do speaking and both of those a lot more than we write. With that in mind I am convinced that a key to becoming a better writer lies in establishing the habits which can allow one to most precisely translate the mind onto the page.<\/p>\n
In my undergraduate studies I did very little writing. \u00a0From now until the end of summer I have several papers to write, a rather lengthy review type article for submission for publication and a major research paper. I fully except that this amount \u00a0of writing will require a change in my habits to produce the best pieces I can. I am eager to begin this journey which I believe should serve me well both in the upcoming term and in my career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I guess it is a good habit to write down what you think about your writing habits. I have thought about this topic for the last little while, without writing anything down. \u00a0I imagine that is a pretty common starting … Continue reading