I'm in the camp of my feelings and thoughts are too confused to write. But usually writing is what clarifies them. I also communicate better in writing than verbally. So writers block hasn't been an issue for me. Revisions and trying to improve the clarity of my thoughts once they are written down is usually my issue. As well as a fear of sharing them.
I also have an issue with hitting send or post too quickly. 😆 I had also wanted to say that I really enjoyed reading through this exercise and how it went down for the students and for you. I felt like I was in the class and could feel the seconds of silence tick by. I always enjoy your writing. AND pictures of your writing desk and feline friend!
Hi Emily! It's so interesting that writer's block isn't the issue for you -- but instead, revisions and clarifying what you've written is. I've seen that one crop up in teaching, too, and it's usually during the final revision round of final papers, when it's time to "hit send," so to speak. I wonder if your impulse to send quickly is a way out of the difficulties of revising?! In any case, I do have a piece on revision I'm working on!
Excellent read; easily understood the difficulties that impede writing’s difficulties. It can be like pouring molasses and then stirring it without heat. But, once you find the heat! Thank you.
Wow, I wish I would have had writing instructors who cared enough to explore this when I was in school! What's fascinating is that the reasons to not write are just as common outside of a classroom as they are inside of one. I tell my students that when you start making writing a "big ordeal" then the pressure mounts. But if you can allow the blank page to be your escape, your listening ear, it can do wonderful things for you. Thanks for sharing this piece, it really speaks to the kind of instructor you are -- your students are lucky to have you!
Thank you so much for the kind words, Jade! I love your way of recognizing that sometimes we turn things into "ordeals," and that's why they're hard. If we strip that back, and remind ourselves we can make the blank page mean anything we want it to mean, there's some serious power in that.
Haley, I can't stress this enough but HOW I WISH I had someone like you in my academic life during the PhD. I used to love writing, or at least do it academically with ease, until Stuff Happened and all my enjoyment and ease went out the window. So much of this post resonates with my own fears and blocks during that time, many of which I still carry around (they're like tight knots, that I've been trying and undoing for the past couple of years). Thank you for being the person my past self needed and my present self can appreciate!
Ah, Juliana. Thank you, my friend. I think one of the most unexpected pleasures of being a writing teacher during my grad school time was how much *I* benefitted from my own writing lessons, haha. I also loved how much I could relate to my students when it came to writing challenges and facing huge projects with lots of fear. Writing is one of those areas where we're all so similar, even the best or most experienced writers still share so much of the pain of writing with new or unpracticed writers. I wonder how that sensation relates to teaching in other fields.
I can say that I definitely became more aware of some crutches and problems in my own writing by reading my students' and commenting repeatedly things like "where is the thesis statement?" or "where is your topic sentence?". In what relates specifically to history (and history reading and writing), my students came from all backgrounds so I had majors and non-majors in the same class, and seeing how they approached things different was always fun. I'm not sure I helped them a whole lot--I hope have a little bit!--but working with them definitely opened my eyes to how I could do better. But also--and most importantly--I think it also opened my eyes to the type of mentor (academic or not) that I would like to be.
Yes!! A list is such a lovely way to "brain dump," as my students and I liked to call it. Sometimes, if the day's lesson was particularly hard, I'd set aside 10 minutes at the start to "clear our minds with a brain dump," so that we could try to get into the heavier stuff without grocery lists and lots of feelings standing in our way.
Wonderful lesson ! I think for me the hardest thing is that it's difficult to put into words my exact thoughts and feelings, and make them understandable. Then, my brain tends to jumps from one idea to the other and my writing can't keep up so I end up with something meh that I have to rework but I found editing a bore and very difficult because I am then faced with my shortcomings. It's very uncomfortable and asks a lot of grace from myself to myself. And time. And practice.
Hi Célia! Thanks for reading. Here’s what I used to say to my writing students and colleagues in a similar place: when your brain is jumping around (especially at a pace you can’t keep up with) it can be helpful to pause and say “what am I after? Where do I intentionally want these ideas to take me?” Write that in the center of a page, and then let all your thoughts exist around it, as bubbles or small paragraphs. Rather than working linearly on the page (which makes our ideas feel like they HAVE to connect), it can actually help to start with a messier and disconnected page. Hope that’s not unsolicited advice; I have struggled with this myself and this exercise tends to help! It’s more a mind-map than actual writing — and it helps me see where I want my piece to go next.
Thank you Haley ! It's very helpful ! I think I try to go there but do not really authorize myself to do so. And now, thinking about it, I realize that when I do authorize myself a bit of messy stuff, it might be easier afterwards ! I will try it out more seriously (with grace and patience ;) )
I'm in the camp of my feelings and thoughts are too confused to write. But usually writing is what clarifies them. I also communicate better in writing than verbally. So writers block hasn't been an issue for me. Revisions and trying to improve the clarity of my thoughts once they are written down is usually my issue. As well as a fear of sharing them.
I also have an issue with hitting send or post too quickly. 😆 I had also wanted to say that I really enjoyed reading through this exercise and how it went down for the students and for you. I felt like I was in the class and could feel the seconds of silence tick by. I always enjoy your writing. AND pictures of your writing desk and feline friend!
Hi Emily! It's so interesting that writer's block isn't the issue for you -- but instead, revisions and clarifying what you've written is. I've seen that one crop up in teaching, too, and it's usually during the final revision round of final papers, when it's time to "hit send," so to speak. I wonder if your impulse to send quickly is a way out of the difficulties of revising?! In any case, I do have a piece on revision I'm working on!
thank you for this ❤️
thank you for reading ❤️
Excellent read; easily understood the difficulties that impede writing’s difficulties. It can be like pouring molasses and then stirring it without heat. But, once you find the heat! Thank you.
Oh, I love that metaphor! You've gotta have the heat! Thanks for reading.
Wow, I wish I would have had writing instructors who cared enough to explore this when I was in school! What's fascinating is that the reasons to not write are just as common outside of a classroom as they are inside of one. I tell my students that when you start making writing a "big ordeal" then the pressure mounts. But if you can allow the blank page to be your escape, your listening ear, it can do wonderful things for you. Thanks for sharing this piece, it really speaks to the kind of instructor you are -- your students are lucky to have you!
Thank you so much for the kind words, Jade! I love your way of recognizing that sometimes we turn things into "ordeals," and that's why they're hard. If we strip that back, and remind ourselves we can make the blank page mean anything we want it to mean, there's some serious power in that.
Haley, I can't stress this enough but HOW I WISH I had someone like you in my academic life during the PhD. I used to love writing, or at least do it academically with ease, until Stuff Happened and all my enjoyment and ease went out the window. So much of this post resonates with my own fears and blocks during that time, many of which I still carry around (they're like tight knots, that I've been trying and undoing for the past couple of years). Thank you for being the person my past self needed and my present self can appreciate!
Ah, Juliana. Thank you, my friend. I think one of the most unexpected pleasures of being a writing teacher during my grad school time was how much *I* benefitted from my own writing lessons, haha. I also loved how much I could relate to my students when it came to writing challenges and facing huge projects with lots of fear. Writing is one of those areas where we're all so similar, even the best or most experienced writers still share so much of the pain of writing with new or unpracticed writers. I wonder how that sensation relates to teaching in other fields.
I can say that I definitely became more aware of some crutches and problems in my own writing by reading my students' and commenting repeatedly things like "where is the thesis statement?" or "where is your topic sentence?". In what relates specifically to history (and history reading and writing), my students came from all backgrounds so I had majors and non-majors in the same class, and seeing how they approached things different was always fun. I'm not sure I helped them a whole lot--I hope have a little bit!--but working with them definitely opened my eyes to how I could do better. But also--and most importantly--I think it also opened my eyes to the type of mentor (academic or not) that I would like to be.
I am so overwhelmed with feelings all the time I make lists before I can start writing anything. It does help.
Yes!! A list is such a lovely way to "brain dump," as my students and I liked to call it. Sometimes, if the day's lesson was particularly hard, I'd set aside 10 minutes at the start to "clear our minds with a brain dump," so that we could try to get into the heavier stuff without grocery lists and lots of feelings standing in our way.
Wonderful lesson ! I think for me the hardest thing is that it's difficult to put into words my exact thoughts and feelings, and make them understandable. Then, my brain tends to jumps from one idea to the other and my writing can't keep up so I end up with something meh that I have to rework but I found editing a bore and very difficult because I am then faced with my shortcomings. It's very uncomfortable and asks a lot of grace from myself to myself. And time. And practice.
Hi Célia! Thanks for reading. Here’s what I used to say to my writing students and colleagues in a similar place: when your brain is jumping around (especially at a pace you can’t keep up with) it can be helpful to pause and say “what am I after? Where do I intentionally want these ideas to take me?” Write that in the center of a page, and then let all your thoughts exist around it, as bubbles or small paragraphs. Rather than working linearly on the page (which makes our ideas feel like they HAVE to connect), it can actually help to start with a messier and disconnected page. Hope that’s not unsolicited advice; I have struggled with this myself and this exercise tends to help! It’s more a mind-map than actual writing — and it helps me see where I want my piece to go next.
Thank you Haley ! It's very helpful ! I think I try to go there but do not really authorize myself to do so. And now, thinking about it, I realize that when I do authorize myself a bit of messy stuff, it might be easier afterwards ! I will try it out more seriously (with grace and patience ;) )