SESSION 1- Writer's Facts of Life

What Are the Writer's Facts of Life?

No matter what project they are working on, good writers all agree on certain basic "facts of life" about how to achieve effective writing:

·        Good writing takes time. It can't be rushed.

·        Good writing is written in stages. It benefits from being left to sit in periods throughout the writing process.

·        Good writing has something to say. The quality of its content is a direct result of the time and effort invested in developing ideas.

·        Good writing is organized logically.

·        Good writing is clearly expressed, most often as a result of careful revision.

·        Good writing results from effective "self-management"-such as budgeting time and working to get the most out of work sessions.

·        Good writing depends on maintaining positive attitudes about the project and about yourself as a writer.

·        Good writing depends on knowing how to handle negative emotions when you meet with frustrations along the way.

Techniques to Try

1. How Healthy Are Your Writing Habits?           

      Review "The Writer's Facts of Life" above.

      Circle each fact that you already observe in your writing habits.

2. Where Could You Improve Your Writing Habits?

      Read through the list again and circle those facts that you do not presently follow in

      your writing habits.

3. Target Your Most Important Problem Areas.

      List three biggest problem areas that you need to work further on:

WRITER'S BLOCK I: NEGATIVE SELF-TALK

Your Attitude Can Make All the Difference

·        A great deal of successful writing is a mind game. As in many other activities in your life, the negative attitudes you hold about your writing can sabotage your potential success.

Negative Self-Talk Undermines Your Writing Efforts

·        What you say and think about yourself as a writer influences how you write to a much greater extent than you probably realize.

Do any of these comments sound like the way you talk about yourself as a writer?

§        "Good writers are born that way! Either you have it or you don't."

§        "My teacher knows that I can't write-what's the use?"

§        "I'm good at math. I'm not a word person; I'm a numbers person."

§        "Me write? Forget it! I never could and I never will!"

Negative Attitudes Sabotage Your Writing in Other Ways, Too

·        Students who do not feel confident about their writing often fall into the bad habit of reminding themselves about how they have "failed" in the past, rather than concentrating on how to improve their writing skills in the task ahead.

·        If  they do decide to make a new start, these students often set themselves up with unrealistic expectations about what they should be able to accomplish or how fast they should be able to improve. And they also discourage themselves by constantly comparing themselves with better writers.

Techniques to Try

Do You Sabotage Your Writing Confidence with Bad Habits?

Take a moment to think about how you may be unnecessarily undermining you self-confidence as a writer:

ü     Do you allow yourself to be discouraged by dwelling on past "failures"?

ü     Do you discourage yourself by constantly comparing yourself with better writers?

ü     Do you set yourself up with unrealistic expectations about what you should be able to accomplish?

Listen to Your Self-Talk About Writing

When you are involved in a writing project, be attentive to any negative messages you may be sending to yourself when you are anxious, frustrated, tired, or discouraged.

What negative messages do you say to yourself about your writing?

What negative messages do you say to others about your writing?

DEVELOPING A WRITER'S ATTITUDE

Build Your Self-Confidence for Success

Don't set yourself up to make your worst predictions come true. You can program yourself to get the best out of yourself just by changing the way you think-and talk-about your writing.

Replace Negative Self-Talk with Positive Messages

·        Don't be so hard on yourself! Replacing negative thinking with positive messages will quickly boost your self-confidence and give you more energy for working. It will open up your receptivity to fresh ideas and outlooks and generally inspire you really to do your best.

·        Set Realistic, Achievable Goals for Writing Well

·        Being positive about your writing, however, does not mean setting wildly unrealistic expectations for yourself. You wouldn't expect to learn to play the guitar or become a champion swimmer overnight, so don't expect overnight miracles with your writing.

·        Set Do-able goals for yourself as a writer. And be ready to accept the inevitability of some struggle and frustration ahead.

Techniques to Try

·        Program Yourself with Positive Messages about Your Writing

·        Review your negative self-talk messages form Sheet 3. Then try to write positive statements to replace your three most common negative self-talk messages. (Example: "I'm going to look for ways to make this project interesting to me.")

Start Each Paper Fresh!

·        Start with a clean slate when you begin each new writing project. Don't let thoughts about past "failures" sabotage you.

·        Take the time you need to understand how you might learn from problems that you have encountered in the past-then let yourself off the hook.

Don't Overburden Yourself with Unrealistic Expectations

·        In your heart, you know that you probably won't be able to conquer all your writing goals in one paper, no matter how hard you try.

·        Think about what specific, attainable goals you might set for your new writing project. (Example: "Working on organizing my ideas better.... Making sure I leave time for final revising and proofreading.")

REMEMBERING TO RELAX . . .

Relaxed Writers Write Best

·        It's tempting to believe that you can force yourself to write well, no matter how tired or stressed you feel. But don't kid yourself-your mind and body are intimately involved in all stages of the writing process.

Tension in Your Mind or Body Works Against Writing Success

·        Tension has the opposite effect of relaxation on your mind and body. When you are anxious or tired, your muscles tighten and the energy you need to write at your best becomes blocked.

·        Good writing comes from good energy. When your body is tired from stress or lack of sleep, you cannot work at your best.

·        Relaxation Is Important to Good Writing

Getting yourself in a relaxed and rested state of mind can help at all stages of the writing process:

Get motivated to get started

·        Keep yourself supplied with fresh ideas as you plan your approach in the early stages of your paper.

·        Provide yourself with the energy to see your paper through the drafting and revision stages so that it ends up being the best you can write.

Techniques to Try

1. Make Relaxation a Part of Your Writing Process

What strategies do you already use to be sure you bring a relaxed mind and body to your writing tasks? Check them off here. What more can you do? Make the strategies you haven't checked off part of your routine. Then check them off too.

ü     Do you make sure to bring fresh energy to your writing by getting adequate sleep and rest?

ü     Do you take time out every day to help beat stress by getting regular exercise?

ü     Do you eat regular nutritious meals to give your body the fuel it needs to be at its best?

ü     Do you balance periods of work with time off to recharge your energies-such as spending time with friends and enjoying hobbies?

Tense? Try This Quick Technique for Instant Relaxation

1.     Let go of tension with progressive relaxation, one of many stress-beating methods available. This will help induce a relaxed state of mind to improve your writing.

2.     Sit in a comfortable chair, or lie on the floor on your back. Close your eyes. Gently inhale and exhale a slow, deep breath.

3.  Now, focus your attention on your right foot. Gently tense it for five seconds. (Do not overstrain.) Then release the tension totally. Does the foot feel more relaxed?

4.  Slowly work up the right side of your body, repeating this tensing and releasing procedure. Focus progressively on your right calf, right thigh, right fist, right forearm, and right upper arm. Then repeat on your left side.

5.     Finish by tensing and relaxing the muscles of your face

Writer's Block II: Working Against Your Best Work Style

The Same Working Methods Do Not Work for Every Writer

Because different writers have different personalities, they often require different strategies to produce their best writing. All writers need to learn how to develop work habits and methods that work for them.

How Do Writers Work Against Their Natural Work Styles?

By not being attentive to their own best work styles needs, writers can find themselves working against themselves in a number of ways:

Time Use: (Example: Leaving a project until the last minute, when the writers know they don't work well under pressure.)

Techniques to Try

How Do You Work Best?

What are the characteristics of your writing personality? Underline the descriptions that fit you.

ü     Do you work best calmly over time? Or under pressure?

ü     Do you like to work on a project methodically, step by step? Or on many tasks all at the same time?

ü     How's your attention span? Do you do your work best immersed in a task for a long period of time? Or with more frequent, stabs at the task?

In What Ways Do You Know That You Work Against Yourself?

List three of your present writing work habits that you know don't really fit your best writing personality. (Example: "I get bored easily if I have to work at the same task for too long a period?

What Changes Could You Make in Your Work Habits That Would Fit Your Writer's Nature Better?

Look at the poor writing work habits you've listed above. What specific changes could you make in your work style to fit your personality better? (Example: "I could work on more than one task at a time to allow me to shift back and forth to keep from getting bored.") List the changes you could make in your work habits.

PLANNING A WORK ENVIRONMENT THAT WORKS FOR YOU

Your Work Environment Can Make the Difference Between Success and Failure

All writers have at least some opportunity to shape the kind of work environment they work in. To the extent that you can, it makes sense to sense to design a work environment that fits your writing style.

Find a Setting That Fits Your Personal Working Style

Writers really are different. What characteristics in the list below fit your work style best?

ü     Working in solitude?

ü     Working with other people around?

ü     Working in quiet?

ü     Working with background noise (such as radio or TV)?

ü     Working in a closed, intimate space?

ü     Working in an open space with lots of light?

ü     Working in a neat, clean space?

ü     Working in a space with lots of comfortable clutter?

Guard Against Distractions

Some people, intentionally or unintentionally, set themselves up to have their work time disrupted by interruptions. Some common examples:

·        Working near a phone that is likely to interrupt your work.

·        Choosing a work setting (such as a library or fast-food restaurant) where you are likely to run into friends.

·        Getting started without making certain that you have all materials that you need (supplies, research materials, etc.)

Techniques to Try

What Work Environment Fits You Best?

1.       First, take a moment to fantasize your ideal work space. Let your imagination run free-but envision a space that would realistically work to help you write at your best! (Example: A tree house with superfine stereo system and refrigerator stocked with nonstop cola!) Describe your ideal work space.

2.       Now, ask yourself which ideas you could actually incorporate in a work setting that is available to you now. (Example: A desk by a window with a view of a tree and two cans of soda to drink during your work session.)

Is Your Work Setting Distraction-Proof?

·        Do you sabotage yourself by choosing a work setting that sets you up to be a victim of distractions? List the distractions in your usual work setting(s):

·        What changes could you make to avoid distractions that get in the way of writing at your best? List the changes next to each distraction.

J. Weston Walch, Publishers   Term Papers Step By Step,  1991.