Unit Seven Post - Putting One Foot in Front of the Other: Writing about Writing and Christmas in June

The topic "Writing about Writing" made me think about two things: Harris and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town. Wait what? Okay bear with me. When I think about writing, I think about putting "one foot in front of the other!" I'm very corny so naturally around this time of year I start to miss all of those really corny things you can only watch/do at Christmas. I'm terribly sorry, but this is my blog so you'll have to indulge me. Welcome to my Christmas in June writing lab. 

When reading Harris this semester and thinking about his discussion of drafting, I was able to come up with the following self-assessment: for me, starting a writing project (whether it is an essay, a poem, etc.) is always the hardest part. Sometimes, being assigned a long paper feels like your prof is kicking you off the top of a very long and terrifying slide.

But once I get going, it's not that bad. 

After having made this self-assessment, I was sure that I would not fall prey to this problem in the future. However, when it came time to write my Major Project, there it was again - the pre-writing fear and anxiety. I stared at my screen, watching the battery percentage on my MacBook go down. It made me want to run away!

However, eventually I pulled it together, like I always manage to, and put some words to paper (or keyboard, rather). But the question remains - will my pre-writing fear ever cease to exist? Do I want it to? And what steps can I use (and have I used) to acknowledge this pre-writing fear, and make writing just a little bit easier? 

So here's the self-assessment of the self-assessment. 

Here's what I do when the pre-writing jitters are particularly bad and I am FROZEN and unable to begin. A few tips (that have worked for me) that I definitely used when writing my Major Project. 

1. If you can't bring yourself to write anything, create your MLA heading. Properly format your document, and add page numbers. You will at least begin to see your word count! This sounds dumb, but it tricks your brain into thinking you have already started writing. 

2. Try to think of a title. It will probably change later, but it makes you feel like you've started. And, it can help you think about what the most important theme of your paper will be. See number three.

3. Come up with a rough thesis. Hopefully your title brainstorming helped with this. Although as college students we are far past the three paragraph essay model, sometimes I still try to plan my thesis in terms of three smaller ideas that make up a larger idea. This often changes later and it is not necessary, but it works for me. See, you got this! 

4. Don't worry about your introduction right away, if you can't think of a good lead in. Whatever you are inspired to write, write it (or type it) down. You could even write your conclusion first, if you have a good clincher! The restructuring can come later. 

5. If you come up with a sentence or idea that you think is good but you have no idea where it will fit into your paper, don't scrap it. Just hit return and leave it somewhere to the bottom of your page. Later, you can paste it in where it fits. 

6. Work on your references page as you go. To some people this may seem annoying, but I always feel relieved when I finish an assignment and my Works Cited page is already completed. In addition, doing the rather mindless work of formatting your sources can be a nice break from the real thinking involved in writing your paper. I usually create the citation for a particular work right after I reference it in my paper.

Obviously, I am not a writing expert, like Harris (or Dr. H!), so take these suggestions with a grain of salt. They work for me, but they may not work for everyone. What I am trying to get at here, is that for me, the hardest part is starting. So, I come up with lots of little tricks to start off in a less painful manner. Just put one foot in front of the other!

 

And just a little bit more... I don't think that I would completely get rid of the pre-writing jitters, even if I could. Yes, they're terrible, but I think my anxiety about writing makes me try just a little harder, and end up with a product I'm more satisfied with. As someone who came from a musical background, pre-writing jitters remind me of stage fright. Yes, it can be a scary feeling - but its also one of the best feelings! If you don't have a few butterflies, you probably don't care as much as you should. So hopefully by now, you're all done your Major Projects. Congratulations!