I hate writing
I regularly have to write papers for school and I detest writing. For a while (a few years ago) I thought it was because I was a perfectionist and it was too stressful. So I let go of the perfectionism and no longer worry too much about the quality of the papers. The result: I now am more relaxed because I don't feel that I need to keep revising, which means less of the hated writing process, but it did not make writing itself any less horrible. I literally would rather vacuum, wash dishes, AND clean bathrooms than write a paper. Yes, I post here a lot, but if you look through my posts you will see that they mostly tend to be VERY SHORT. Any advice to make writing a less dreadful experience? I promise to try everything I haven't already tried. I like everything else about being in school, and writing is the awful price for going to class, doing research, and teaching; but I want it not to be so repulsive an experience. I am resigned to never liking writing, but maybe I could raise it from excruciating to mildly unpleasant.
p.s. This isn't like in "Bird by Bird" or something where Anne Lamott talks about the stress of writing, but she "needs" to write and feels a sense of accomplishment or something afterwards. I feel the need to write to the extent that I like to keep in touch with y'all and don't want to fail my classes. I feel nothing afterwards but relief that it is over.
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I wish I could offer something
But I am like Anne Lamott; I HAVE to write. It's just in me and it has to get out. And I actually like being given writing assignments. sorry!
Lynn Siprelle, Editor
Could you scribe?
I used to type for friends in the sme situation in school. They recorded their papers and I typed them.
I'm with Lynn, I have to write.
I'd scribe for you if you mailed me the tapes...
Love,
-Jo
no scribing allowed
My programs don't allow scribing unless you are learning disabled, which I am not! Thanks for the offer though. I am going to try tape-recording myself and scribing that out, but would also like other ideas since I've tried it before and it didn't help much.
No great idea . . .
But I'll advise something writing teachers say all the time. Be more specific. What exactly is it that you hate?
Is it just the typing? The effort of putting thoughts into words? The effort of organizing your ideas into a logical order?
Do you feel that once you get your basic idea across you are just "padding" to fill the space? Do you ever feel frustrated that what you are writing is not well-connected to what you are trying to say? Is it a struggle to find the right word much of the time? Or maybe you see so many connections it's hard to structure your thoughts or focus on one thing at a time?
No fair saying that it's all of those things!! Maybe you could narrow it down by thinking too about what you like about research and teaching. When I taught I found myself saying things over and over again in different ways, trying to articulate an idea in ways that different students could understand. To me a big part of teaching is communicating with words, so if you enjoy that in a classroom, what's the difference with writing? Do you dislike talking into the void?
How do you learn best? As you might expect from an English PhD, I learn by writing. I write to learn more about what I think, and writing pushes me to make new connections. So how do you do that, if not by writing? (I'm assuming that you like learning!)
Maybe this won't help, but I'm hoping that if you think about these questions they'll point you to something practical to try.
And yes, I'm like Anne Lamott too. I assume that I need to write, since I always do it. (I've never had the chance to experience whether I'd go nuts without writing.) But as someone who has written *a lot* I can say that writing is very often a kind of torture! There are plenty of times that I would rather vaccuum, wash dishes, clean toilets, *and* sort through years of old bills and tax forms.
Shaun
Wish I Could Help
I like to write because it helps me think. I am a bad thinker; I do not proceed from point 1. to point 2. and so on. My brain is a mish-mash of confused thoughts until I start putting them down on paper. (Motherhood has only worsened this condition.) I was one of those people who could never write the outline first. The paper came first, then I pulled the outline out of it! I always did well with essays, critiques, book reviews, journals, etc. Research papers are more difficult for me, but I still enjoy the process of putting thoughts into words.
Shaun, those are great questions for analyzing the problem! They really make you think.
maybe I don't care enough about thinking!
Anyway, I will answer Shaun's questions one by one in a minute.
answers to Shaun's questions
typing-- not thrilling and my arthralgic wrists complain, but not terrible either. I have had data-entry jobs which I kind of liked.
effort of putting my thoughts into words-- yes, that is mainly what I don't like. It is only loathsome to me on paper (or screen rather). I don't have too much of a problem with it when I am talking, although it is still difficult sometimes.
organizing my ideas into logical order-- no problem, easy to do (despite what you might think from some of my posts here).
do I feel that once I get my basic idea across I am just padding to fill the space?-- yes, yes, yes, yes, yes (that was padding). That is why I don't mind writing very short papers, two or three pages, and do mind writing 15-20 page papers. They always come out to two or three pages, then with a ton of repetition and redundancies they are 8 pages, and then they are 11 with padding. My classmates often get in trouble for too-long papers, and it boggles my mind how anyone can write so much on topics which are no broader than mine. I usually get good grades on my papers but it makes me nervous. I handed in a nine-page term paper this semester.
struggle to find the right word-- yes and no. When I have something to say, the right word comes easily. When I run out of things to say, it's a struggle to find any word at all. But in general finding the "right" word is not a problem, or low on the list.
What I like about research and teaching that makes it better than writing:
I learn things both ways, and am taking in thoughts and questions. I learn mostly by talking with people, in groups or one-on-one, or by soaking up information and thinking about it. Thus I don't mind taking notes. When I write, I learn nothing I don't already know. When I research, I take in the information and come up with my organized thoughts about it; then I talk to the professor or my husband or a classmate and refine what I think, my examples, etc.; then the paper is organized in my head and I just have to get it down onto the computer screen and a hard copy. That part is tedious because even with data entry, the dull numbers I am typing are things I did not already know. When I teach, it not only helps me clarify my thoughts, but students ask me questions and make comments I would never have thought of, so once again I am learning. I thought this meant that I didn't like writing because it was so lonely, but I love reading alone, and I still can't stand writing even when someone else is in the room.
The one thing writing does help me do is to remind me of things I had forgotten. But new connections? I can't remember the last time the actual writing part of writing a paper helped me to make those, if it ever did.
Finally, it intensely bothers me that writing takes so long. In the time it took me to write this, I could have called Shaun and had a much longer conversation, or I could have read an entire chapter of a novel. I type fast but it's not fast enough.
Sounds like DH
when DH has a difficult report to write or a manual or something I write it and he talks at length about it while I make notes. We've found all sorts of solutions ot problems because I ask annoying questions and that prompts him to think differently. I'm more like Susannah... writing it down helps me to organise my thoughts. When I see it on paper I can somehow visualise it all better. When I write a shopping list it usually doesn't matter whether I take it with me or not because the act of writing has helped me remember most of the items.
Another example of how different people have different learning styles unfortunately, and why so many kids are diagnosed ADD when they just don't suit the learning style of a classroom setting. After going through Shaun's qustions another approach would be to look to your own strengths... apparently talking it through is one... and find ways to incorporate that information. Unfortunately it won't help much because you'll still have to get it on paper, so unless you can work with someone to write your paper while you dictate it you're kind of lost.
There are other ways to make it less of a chore though... a treat at the end, or a special drink while you're working. Nice music, a pleasant smell or candles in the room. A sensible something to munch on, or regular breaks (use a kitchen timer) to get up and move around. Kinetic learners might want to take a dance break partway through for example! Writing longhand you'd need a particularly nice pen and notebook if possible, and for you computer you could have a special mousemat and something inspirational behind the screen to keep you going.Make your environment a little more friendly and it might help make the task just a little less onerous, once you've exhausted other ways to minimise writing.
Kerri.
Re: No great idea . . .
I HAVE had the chance to experience not writing and I DO go nuts. And as for writing as torture, I'm about to embark, finally, on the TNH book (I have an agent, I think--more as it develops), and I imagine I'll start complaining about writing Real Soon Now.
Shaun's ideas btw are good--figure out what it is you don't like about writing and I bet we can help you from there.
hello, I found this page by
hello, I found this page by typing in "I hate writing! what's the point" into google,
I'm about halfway through rewriting a paper to try and get it published, it takes so long!!! and I'd definitely rather be washing the dishes or vacuuming
I think I learn from hearing and although I like reading I don't like writing at all, the problem I have is trying to say things with the right words, and also having to research every second sentence it's so tedious. Then having to rewrite facts in my own words. I don't mind the research if I was just doing it out of interest rather than to back up every little thing I say.
Hope you found something to make it more enjoyable!
I also found this by typing I
I also found this by typing I hate writing into google : (
Everything you said about hating writing is how I feel. I can write and write informally but I loathe writing essays and research papers. I can't think of anything I wouldn't rather do. Change flat tires? sure...keep em coming. Sit in a room full of screaming children? As long as I don't have to research and write about it : ) I love washing dishes and vacuuming when I have a paper to write. I hate the searching through databases. I think I would have dropped out of college if I actually had to do this in a library with books. At least the internet makes it a little easier. I'm a decent writer once I can force myself to sit down and write. I have a really difficult time getting my ideas onto paper. The intro is the hardest part and I spend about 30% of my time writing just on that and will usually go back and rewrite it before I'm done. Once I get it down the rest of my paper flows pretty smoothly. Then the citations *sob* and formatting. Anyway I was trying to find some advice that may actually help me learn to enjoy writing. I will continue the search now : )
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