The Doctor is IN!

I don’t like to write…

May 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I always startle my students by announcing that I don’t like to write. I think they probably assume: Surely a writing teacher must just love to write!

I do not like to write because writing is hard work, including writing a blog. But like so many other writers, I love to have written. I also like the fact that through writing, I can deliver helpful information to others.

Here’s what happens when I sit down to write: I immediately have writer’s block. As I preach in my classes, one antidote to writer’s block is getting compulsive about my task. So I set my timer for one hour; chain myself to my desk (well, not literally); and write until the bell rings. Then I reward myself by biking to the gym so I can work out.

When I return to the my writing task again, I repeat the “chaining” event and treat myself again when I am done.

Corny? Yes. Effective? Yes. You’re reading this, aren’t you? I’ll do anything necessary to bribe myself to do what I must. And when your comments and feedback roll in, I’ll be glad I made the effort.

Prolific author Judy Blume shares her thoughts on how writing is like a puzzle: “I’m a rewriter. That’s the part I like best . . . once I have a pile of paper to work with, it’s like having the pieces of a puzzle. I just have to put the pieces together to make a picture.” But you must have the pieces of writing BEFORE you can put them together into a bigger document!

What are you waiting for?

Filed Under: Business writing, Prewriting, Technical Writing, Writer's block, Writing process

Got writer’s block?

July 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment
How to write a lot cover

Cover for How to Write a Lot

How to Write a Lot by Paul J. Silvia, PhD

Don’t let the stated purpose of this book scare you off: Although it’s “A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing,” all writers, including you, need to follow his advice, especially to schedule writing time and be very disciplined about writing during that time.

Silvia suggests that you don’t need to unleash your “inner writer”; instead, “Writing productively is about actions that you aren’t doing but could easily do: making a schedule, setting clear goals, keeping track of your work, rewarding yourself, and building good habits. Productive writers don’t have special gifts or special traits–they just spend more time writing and use this time more efficiently” (pp. 3-4).

Chapter 2 debunks “Specious Barriers to Writing a Lot.” I’ve summarized these self-defeating excuses here, and I’m sure that you, like I, recognize myself in these excuses:

  1. I can’t find time to write.
  2. I need to do some more analysis first.
  3. I need a new computer (laser printer, nice chair, better desk).
  4. I write best when I’m inspired to write.

Silvia offers tools to overcome any writers’ barriers: set goals, set priorities, track progress, and form an “agraphia group” (agraphia means loss of the ability to write). This sounds a lot like the writing process that I promote in my writing classes.

All these suggestions for academic writing can help corporate and organizational writers: “Serious writers write, inspired or not. Over time they discover that routine is a better friend to them than inspiration” (p. 27).

I hope Silvia’s ideas help you convert your writer’s block into writer’s cramp.

Filed Under: Writer's block, Writing process Tagged With: ,

How is painting like writing?

February 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Why is painting like writing?

While painting what seemed like miles of baseboard and trim in my condo, it occurred to me that a painting project is like a writing project: Both involve a process.

My painting process  required the following steps:

  1. Deciding to paint; then assembling tools and equipment (paint, brushes, tape, newspapers, sandpaper); then taping and preparing the surface for the paint
  2. Painting
  3. Stepping back to look at the painted product, now dry, in a different light to see if I missed any spots
  4. Touching up whatever I missed, sometimes repainting a whole section
  5. Final touch-up and clean-up (removing tape and newspapers, scraping any stray paint, cleaning myself and my tools)

Writing projects require a similar process:

  1. Prewriting: deciding to write, brainstorming my ideas, outlining a coherent path through my often-chaotic brainstorming
  2. Drafting: Letting my ideas flow on paper without censoring or stopping to revise or rewrite
  3. Stepping back to look at the written product to see what I might have missed or what I should change (I often ask others for their opinions at this stage)
  4. Revising my writing to improve it, sometimes rewriting a whole section
  5. Editing and proofreading what I hope is the final product

No painter would consider skipping that first step in the painting process, yet many writers skip the first step and plow right into drafting without enough planning and preparation. When I write, as when I paint, I find that time spent on planning and preparing makes the project flow more smoothly.

To extend the metaphor:

  • My baseboard and door-painting project could have been overwhelming, like writing a large document can be. To avoid “painter’s block,” I divided the project into manageable chunks. I paint all the trim and doors in one room each weekend. Likewise, I divide large documents into sections and tackle them, a section at a time. Chunking painting and writing may not be as efficient as tackling the entire project at once, but dividing the work into chunks means I am more likely to do the divided work.
  • I don’t like to paint, but I like to have painted; likewise, I don’t like to write, but I like to have written.
Filed Under: Communication, Prewriting, Technical Writing, Uncategorized, Writer's block, Writing process Tagged With: ,