Another aspect of writing that I've been dealing with is actually getting motivated to write in the first place. I've found that one of the hardest (if not THE hardest) thing about writing simply is getting started! It lies in the uncertainty about to start the entire project. It's also known as the phenomenon, "writer's block." Well, fear not; I have found out quite a few things to overcome this situation while doing some self-examination.
First off, it's imperative that you find the right environment. What do I mean by this? It's simple; what I'm referring to is a place or a state of mind that is personally conducive to writing. Whilst some people (such as myself) can write in practically any environment, others find it imperative that they are in some place quiet. Whichever you prefer, just assure that you're in your "zone."
Brainstorming is the next step! Come up with a tree of possible sentence to catch your audience's attention (once again, why you need to be in a place or a state of mind in which you can think clearly). Diagrams and flow charts are great tools for this step!
Lastly, you want to find a way to get involved with your paper. I've found that, the more you immerse yourself in the subject matter, the easier it is to elaborate on it. Once again, I like to place myself in argument-type setting, as though I was trying to place a point across to someone who seems possibly a little less knowledgeable about the subject. The point is to educate, correct?
Motivation is key, even if it is the most difficult thing to conjure up.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Writing Focus, Part I: Being Universal.
Do you remember when you were sitting in English class (or even a history class) back in high school and you received that dreaded research paper that was on someone that you could seriously care less about? Those were some of the hardest papers I've ever had to write. Why, you may ask? The subject matter is the reason why I have a hard time! It's rather difficult for me to construct any sort of product that has to do with anything that I'm personally not interested in! Honestly, I feel like that's a fault of my own--I should have broader interests, I suppose. However, there are ways I could combat this.
One of the tips I picked up while dealing with this issue was to "make it interesting." I still manage to struggle with that on occasions. Writing about certain subjects is about as interesting as getting your leg amputated; it's just painful. Instead, I like to think of it as "writing a rebuttal!" To be honest, this method that I've adopted makes me feel a tad bit dirty on the inside. It's like writing a love letter to your horrible ex-boyfriend/girlfriend (the one that you want to be hit by a bus and then die by some horrible, flesh-eating disease) and pretending that you still care. Yes, I don't personally care about the subject I have to write about, but, I don't want my instructor OR my audience to know that.
I'm still working on how to get to the point where I can coerce my audience into thinking that there isn't a subject on the planet that I couldn't write about! Simply put, I need to get over myself and start thinking on a more universal plane. Besides, if I can accomplish this, then I've added even more trivia to my database!
One of the tips I picked up while dealing with this issue was to "make it interesting." I still manage to struggle with that on occasions. Writing about certain subjects is about as interesting as getting your leg amputated; it's just painful. Instead, I like to think of it as "writing a rebuttal!" To be honest, this method that I've adopted makes me feel a tad bit dirty on the inside. It's like writing a love letter to your horrible ex-boyfriend/girlfriend (the one that you want to be hit by a bus and then die by some horrible, flesh-eating disease) and pretending that you still care. Yes, I don't personally care about the subject I have to write about, but, I don't want my instructor OR my audience to know that.
I'm still working on how to get to the point where I can coerce my audience into thinking that there isn't a subject on the planet that I couldn't write about! Simply put, I need to get over myself and start thinking on a more universal plane. Besides, if I can accomplish this, then I've added even more trivia to my database!
Sunday, January 22, 2012
(Non-EH 101 Related Blogger Post)
The weather's changing..and it's making feel a little offset. I have a lot of random thoughts floating around and since Tumblr isn't up at the moment, I guess I'll write here.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Asking the Right Questions.
As a writer, one of things that I personally try to strive for is simply to entertain. Yet, there are so many aspects to writing that are involved with being an entertaining writer. For example, there's a rather essential question that I need to ask myself: how can I ensure that I'm writing something that is relevant AND entertaining to audience? I believe that before I can even begin to explore this question, I must first build upon some basic questions that every writer must confront along the way.
The first question I'll explore is, how do get the audience to pay attention in the first place? I believe that it starts with basic writing skills, as in, knowing how to punctuate, how to spell correctly, how to properly form a thesis, etc (spelling is a rather HUGE weakness of mine, even though I like to pride myself on having a flowery vocabulary). Think of it this way: if you don't look like you know what you're talking about in the first place, then people will probably refrain from trying to examine your handy work to see if you actually do know what you're talking about. Basics are a necessity for any writer.
The next question is, how can I produce something that is relevant to my audience? Well, the true answer is that I simply can't...not always, anyway. My thoughts are rather unusual, so it's a little difficult for me, to be honest. Yet, I believe that, in order to be relevant to your audience, you need to be able to relate to your audience; rather, your audience needs to be able to relate to you. The human experience is very unique to the individual, however, there are always commonalities. For example, we're both human! That's a start, right?
The final question that I'll explore is, how can I be entertaining to my audience? Well, to begin with, I'm naturally very cynical (which some people actually find funny). I'm typically trying to either find humor, or pull humor out of a subject matter. Also, I can fall back to being able to relate to audience. Think back to your childhood: have you ever had to pick out "the switch" whenever you got in trouble? It was like you were stuck between a rock and an even BIGGER rock because you were left with seemingly only two choices: Option A left you with picking the weak switch, which led to your parent seeking one more powerful than the one you picked. Option B was picking out the awful switch to begin with. Ah, childhood; it was such a wonderful time period.
All of this guiding questions should help me find a way to answering my main question, but I could always ask more. I need to always ask the right question so that I may find the answer...so that I can ask more questions. I'll never be a "the perfectly entertainingly relevant" writer, but I hope that I'll eventually get there.
The first question I'll explore is, how do get the audience to pay attention in the first place? I believe that it starts with basic writing skills, as in, knowing how to punctuate, how to spell correctly, how to properly form a thesis, etc (spelling is a rather HUGE weakness of mine, even though I like to pride myself on having a flowery vocabulary). Think of it this way: if you don't look like you know what you're talking about in the first place, then people will probably refrain from trying to examine your handy work to see if you actually do know what you're talking about. Basics are a necessity for any writer.
The next question is, how can I produce something that is relevant to my audience? Well, the true answer is that I simply can't...not always, anyway. My thoughts are rather unusual, so it's a little difficult for me, to be honest. Yet, I believe that, in order to be relevant to your audience, you need to be able to relate to your audience; rather, your audience needs to be able to relate to you. The human experience is very unique to the individual, however, there are always commonalities. For example, we're both human! That's a start, right?
The final question that I'll explore is, how can I be entertaining to my audience? Well, to begin with, I'm naturally very cynical (which some people actually find funny). I'm typically trying to either find humor, or pull humor out of a subject matter. Also, I can fall back to being able to relate to audience. Think back to your childhood: have you ever had to pick out "the switch" whenever you got in trouble? It was like you were stuck between a rock and an even BIGGER rock because you were left with seemingly only two choices: Option A left you with picking the weak switch, which led to your parent seeking one more powerful than the one you picked. Option B was picking out the awful switch to begin with. Ah, childhood; it was such a wonderful time period.
All of this guiding questions should help me find a way to answering my main question, but I could always ask more. I need to always ask the right question so that I may find the answer...so that I can ask more questions. I'll never be a "the perfectly entertainingly relevant" writer, but I hope that I'll eventually get there.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
A Rule That I Find Difficult to Abide By.
According to Vonnegut's rules, honestly, rule #2 is the hardest for me to follow. It's mainly because of the fact that I'm incredibly long-winded, however, I still stay relevant--I always find my way back to the subject without getting too sidetracked. Yet, I get sidetracked in the first place and that's where the problem lies. I believe that it all springs from a principle that I like to live by: "Live life like you have a story to tell." I'm a story-teller, naturally. Actually, I think that may fall under a different rule...but I digress; I could go on about this.
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