Have you ever looked at a finished piece of writing and wondered how someone could ever write something that amazing? Have you ever looked at one of your own first drafts and wondered how it could ever be something worth reading? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then this is the blog post for you.
Imagine opening up your local newspaper one day to find the headline: 鈥楶olice Begin Campaign to Run Jaywalkers Down鈥. What does this mean?
For most of my life, I've been resistant to reading classic novels.
At the start of the first year in university, I was determined to be productive and organized. I bought an agenda, but I realized that there would be weeks where I used it constantly and weeks where I didn鈥檛 use it at all. I didn鈥檛 think this was the best resource for me, so I decided to try bullet journaling for my next year.
鈥淚鈥檒l do it later鈥 seems to be one of the most common phrases we say and it seems to be the most common phrase when it shouldn't be. Procrastination is one of those habits that the majority of us just can鈥檛 seem to beat. It hits everyone at some point, but can be much more difficult to shake for some people. Except, even our most productive students or colleagues face the same feelings of procrastination; however, they know how to beat it. Recent research regarding procrastination has shown that it is much more complex than a simple 鈥淚 don't feel like it鈥 attitude.
So I鈥檝e been thinking about Google鈥檚 Ngram Viewer and how it applies as a teaching tool. Although it doesn鈥檛 directly translate, Ngram reminded me of a really handy tool that we use regularly at the Writing Centre. I鈥檝e also realized that many people may not have encountered it before. So, I present to you: the .
Often, the hardest part of completing a writing project is getting started. Whether you鈥檙e working on an essay, a lab report, or an online discussion post, there are all sorts of problems that can prevent you from penning those first few words. Let鈥檚 break down a few of those problems and explore some solutions that can help get the sentences flowing.
In last week鈥檚 post, we covered the many misconceptions that exist around the concept of formal writing, with a particular emphasis on the belief that formal writing should be full of polysyllabic words and complicated sentences. As we discussed, formality in writing is all about following a specific set of conventions and has almost nothing to do with shoehorning big words into your work.
Following up from last week鈥檚 blog that dealt with procrastination and getting started, it seems intuitive to consider one of the (potentially) underrated parts of the writing process: finding your ideal writing space. Sometimes, I find that people identify their favourite writing space with a binary. They either like total silence and undisturbed time, or they need some kind of background noise and a bit of chaos to get motivated. However, this self-identified requirement for a writing space can get us into tricky situations. How so?
鈥淲riter鈥檚 block.鈥澛燭wo dreaded words for any student, first year undergrads and PhD candidates alike. Most other problematic writing habits stem from writer鈥檚 block; procrastination is when you鈥檝e convinced yourself that you will write something, just not yet. The timing isn鈥檛 right, or you don鈥檛 have enough time to get enough of your thoughts down, or you need to perform your pre-writing rituals like binge-watching The Wire or cleaning the kitchen. Everyone is different, but the problem remains the same. Where to begin?