Writing is for you.
Yes, you specifically.
Writer’s block—i.e. strong feelings of inadequacy leading one to feel frozen during the writing process—is always a function of the writer having set a too-high bar for herself according to David Foster Wallace. Truthfully, anyone can learn how to write and revise.
And revise.
And revise.
Until the deadline comes.
(Then it all starts again!)
“First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won’t. Habit is persistence in practice.”
— Octavia Butler
Helpful handouts
& books
1 / Bird by Bird: Some instructions on writing
and life by Anne Lamott (2007)
3 / Strong Verbs: The University of Texas
at San Antonio
4 / Strong Transitions by the Writing Center of the University of Wisconsin-Madison
5 / Strong Thesis Statements by the Purdue OWL
6 / Habits of the Creative Mind by Richard E. Miller (2023)
"How little humane feeling after all was to be found in men's hearts; how much coarseness and cruelty was to be found even in the educated and those who were everywhere regarded as good and honorable men."
— "The Overcoat" by Nikolai Gogol
What does writing and revision look like?
When writing for an audience, the principle concern is getting readers' investment. Think about it. You need to convince someone to tune out what really interests them — photographing their beloved chihuahua, watching the latest anime recap on YouTube, or going musically ballistic on a new 15-piece drum set — to read what you have written. There are a few ways to be a considerate writer and editor of your own work.
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Care about mechanics Enable readers to focus on your ideas by minimizing errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation (GSP). We call these mechanical errors. Read aloud every paragraph, taking a breath where commas appear. If you trip over yourself while speaking, reconsider the length and complexity of the sentences. Shorter sentences alongside longer, more complex ones may also enable you to capture readers' attention. We call this sentence length variation.
Phone a friend Stronger writers are often more willing to show others their work and ask, "Does this make sense?!" Here are some more questions to ask yourself during the writing and revision process.
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What kind of experience do I want my reader to have?
Where might my reader get lost in my message?
Do I need more or higher quality evidence to back up claims?
Can I organize my information with subheadings or headers?
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