Blog #2

For me, writing is a battle. It is me against the keyboard. It is my thoughts against what I know I should write to get the 'A.' Concepts are not difficult for me to put on paper; what is difficult is sorting through them to know what is relevant or expected, not just letting my brain throw up all over the paper. My thoughts start out generic, safe, and on task, but through the writing process, something in my brain triggers a vicious release of ideas and arguments that need to be heard, despite usually being one to hide away from conflict. I know what you are thinking, "Oh great. He's one of those people who ruins my Facebook page with his loud mouth." The opposite is true, actually. That is why my "vivacious ideas" come out so liberally on assignments. I suppose writing is the only way I feel safe and loud enough to start a fight.

Blog #2 Cory Gallarelli

Writing is a complicated enigma for me. It's like a wild horse I can't tame, yet I still climb back up and try again to ride it. I write because I have to for schooling, but I also write for pleasure occasionally. Each time I sit down to write, for school or for pleasure, I try as hard as I can to conquer that horse. Sometimes I get farther than other times. The words flow better every now and then, I feel more confident. Other times It's like I'm fighting it with all I am. My writing working against me, I feel defeated. I can never seem to replicate the same level of writing consistently. I'm always all over the place in terms of quality. Yet I try over and over and keep getting back on the horse, riding out the weaves and lashes of that untamable steed. When I am given a prompt I can either take off running or fall flat on my face, it depends on my knowledge of the prompt's topic. For me a prompt can be a saddle, something to ease the difference in me and my writing, to make it easier. Other times a prompt can be a thunderstorm, pushing me and my horse to the limits. When I write on my own without a prompt, I am more comfortable. It can be equated to being in a familiar stable or field. Me and the horse are more comfortable and there is a better chance we will be compatible. I am often inspired by those who can write effortlessly, even though those people are hard to come by. Even more so I am impressed by those who put in incredible amount sod work and produce great writing. Sometimes I produce something decent and feel as though I am them. That doesn't mean I still don't fail at times. I will always have this battle between me and the horse. There will always be a difference, something setting us apart. But I am determined to tame this horse. I am determined to ride it. I can conquer my writing in time. I can overcome my fears and failures and succeed. It will take time and effort and practice and determination. Luckily I have the rest of my life to search every pasture and every plain, every field and every acre. 

Blog #2 Jan Stary

For me writing is like crafting a sculpture. Every sculptor starts with a block and begins chipping away at it to begin forming his or her masterpiece. The more it’s worked on, the better it gets. Just like a sculptor, a writer will edit their drafts until the result is satisfying to the creator. That being said, I believe that when completing a writing assignment, the writer should spend a good amount of time perfecting a paper. Why bother doing it if you're not gonna put some effort into it, right? I don’t like to write by I live my life by that principle. So, weather I am good at something or not, I will put in my best effort regardless. When I examine myself as a writing, I have concluded that I am the type of writer who will write their first draft utilizing mostly simple language. As I progress through editing each draft, I begin to replace simple words with more complex words in order to provide a better understanding about the information I am trying to convey. This has always been my method to writing and I plan to continue utilizing it due to the success it has provided me. I guess I am a fairly decent writer; however, writing is not an activity that I enjoy. For me writing is like composing a song. it’s a very tedious process that comes easy to very few. However, the final product can truly be a very beautiful piece of art. I guess “composing a song” was the phrase I was looking for in the beginning. It would have made for a better comparison. For example, tweaking sounds would be the equivalent to work choice. And, every song has a mood to it, just like a piece of writing. Pieces of writing and pieces of music go more hand in hand together than pieces of writing and sculptures. They are both forms of art but are written in different languages. 

Blog #2 - Koji Tilley

For me, writing is like playing an instrument. The sound of music that comes out of an instrument is similar to the written word that comes out of a pen. We write music because we want to portray a message. Whenever I play an instrument, I often play with a purpose. Everyone has their own musical style that they either play in or prefer, which is very similar in terms of writing style. Whenever I write, I always like to think about the purpose, and then I incorporate my style to fulfill that purpose. I’ve always liked to find the deeper meaning of things and take them out of their literal context. For example, whenever I listen to music with lyrics, I often listen for the chord structure of the song and how it has been made rather than the literal meaning of the lyrics, because to me, that is what gets the message across. Genres such as classical music rely heavily on the interpretation of the structure of the song to get the message across, and it’s up to the listener to create that interpretation. When I write, I often like to have an underlying message that’s up to the reader to create. Since music has always been a big influencing factor in my life, I would incorporate the techniques I use when playing an instrument to induce emotions into the way I write. I write a story similar to how I write a song, because all songs have stories in them. All songs have purpose. And whenever I play an instrument, I feel like I am narrating a story that I have written. 

Blog #2

               Writing can be many things for me, mainly, for me writing is like a set of Christmas lights. The whole thing is strung together and every piece has its role but not every light always works. Sometimes one will occasionally flicker or maybe go out completely but the rest of the lights are still shining. Like when you start putting up Christmas lights you do not always know where they are going to end or how far you will be able to reach with them but you know where you are starting and how much space you want to cover. Sometimes you have to do some adjusting and change your starting position to get to where you want but you usually have a general plan before. That is how my writing usually is I know how I want to start it and usually what points or "distance" I want to cover in my writing but it does not always reach that far so sometimes I have to make adjustments and change my starting position or alter a few of my points. Like I said in my last blog posts I have stronger parts of my writing and then weaker parts where I just keep repeating myself and lose the focus of my writing. In this way it shows the individual lights- some brighter than others, some flickering, some out completely.

  For me, writing is also like singing a song. For most songs, if you take out a line or two the song still makes sense. It has meaning to it without people quote lyrics all the time and it doesn't reflect the song as a whole necessarily. I know that I am someone who has the potential to have really good writing but staying focused and structured is something I struggle with.

I think these metaphors suggest that i'm definitely still developing as a writer and i'm not quite sure about myself and my writing because it varies so much. I enjoy speech a lot and the idea of public speaking so when I write I want it to be powerful so my writing is greatly influenced by speeches I hear and powerful short writings. That contributes to my disbursed strong points in my writing as I find a topic I feel really great about and i'll have a bunch to say in a very powerful way and then I get to another topic and don't have as much to say so my writing is weaker.

Blog #2

As long as I've been writing I've never really found it to be incredibly difficult for me to accomplish the task at hand. I always manage to write what needs to be written on time and get a decent/good grade on it. For me writing is like hiking up a mountain (Im not a big fan of hiking mountains). I see the paper as a big mountain in front of me that needs to be conquered. Brainstorming and trying to organize my thoughts is like taking the first step up from the base mountain. Once I start writing my paper and getting my thoughts onto the page its equivalent to setting a good pace on the hike up to the summit. Completing my paper and getting it ready to hand in is obviously like finally reaching the top. I guess the fact that writing is like this for me shows that Im not the type of person who enjoys writing. Its also says however that regardless of if I like to write or not, I always will get it done because I understand writing is important and necessary just like exercise (hiking up a mountain) is important. My attitude towards writing has always been, "Try your best and give this paper as much effort as you can despite the fact that you don't like writing. Grades are important and you can't get good grades without trying your best when it comes to writing". To be honest I came up with that metaphor myself; no media/writers had influence in me coming up with that metaphor. When I was younger, my parents always wanted me to keep a journal because they believed it would make me a better writer in the long run. I hated having to write in my journal everyday and maybe the fact that I had to do that is why I've always disliked writing for as long as I can remember.  Hopefully this class can somehow turn me into the type of person who enjoys writing. Life would be much easier if I did.

Blog #2 Emily Plower

“For me writing is like climbing a mountain when you are afraid of heights. “

“Writing is like an art form that everyone hopes to master.”

“To write something perfect is like writing directly from the heart. “

            Writing is scary. I never know where to exactly start or how to compose my thoughts and emotions. Although writing is a daunting task, I enjoy putting my thoughts down on paper. It provides a sense of relief and therapy. I have always had a journal growing up, it was never great literary works, but it served it purpose in letting my thoughts out. I have an incredible amount of envy for those writers that are good. I learned though what makes a writer “good” in Paule Marshall’s “The Poets in the Kitchen” is to write what you know and to write from real life.  Just as she draws from her experiences of watching the women in her community sit around the kitchen discussing the world. She takes away from those moments, a sense of personality, and style to the English language. Using real experiences from your own life and having that sense of raw emotions can make what you are writing, “beautiful” (as Grace Paley noted). As a writer my metaphors express my caution, yet want to be a good writer. As far as my history with writing goes I have always wrote, but not on the scale of real writers. My writings have always been in small tattered journals that I would receive as stocking stuffers on Christmas morning. The images in media that may have influenced my metaphors are in movies how they are often portrayed as these workaholics who spend day in and day out slaving on a typewriter by candlelight. This image that has been portrayed through the media has made me to believe that to be a true writer, one must devote their entire life. Which I realize is not the case necessarily. In Paule Marshall’s “The Poets in the Kitchen” he drew inspiration from what he called as the greatest poets, who were really just women in his community talking and discussing life. So this image I have portrayed in my mind is not near reality. Although when I read, Terry Tempest Williams’ “Why I Write” I felt as though this was the stereotypical “good writer”. What I mean when I say this is that Williams writes because he must. He has a driving force internally that pushes him to write. For him, writing seems essential to life and without writing he is not himself. I personally, cannot relate that strong of a relationship to writing, but I can appreciate that sense of drive he possesses.  Often times my writing in journals is very random and I hardly consider it writing, but more of a stream of conscious thoughts and feelings. I have always really related writing to different essays and assignments in classes, which have always seemed like that mountain to climb, when you’re afraid to even start. I hope one day to be a well-written individual and not to be intimidated by writing, but to just write from the heart and from experiences.

Blog #2 - Allison Clarke-Hall

        For me writing is like running on a treadmill; you use a lot of energy without actually moving from the spot you started in. When I sit down to write I use so much brain power to try to come up with an idea but it turns out the idea isn’t that great anyway and I don’t actually end up using it. It is sort of like how I feel now. I’m currently sitting at my desk in my dorm room trying to write this blog. Meanwhile, I’m being distracted by everything going on without actually writing anything. When I turn my focus back to my computer my ideas stop flowing. It’s as if a dam was placed in my brain to make the whole “ideas from brain-to-fingers” more like the Hoover Dam rather than Niagara Falls.

        One writer who has made me feel this way is Ray Bradbury. In the 9th grade in my honors lit class, the first book assigned was Fahrenheit 451. We were told to read the first three chapters for homework that night and there would be a quiz on it the following day of class. Now, I went home and read the first three chapters of that novel and I felt I definitely understood what was happening. I figured it was a classic dystopian society except books were illegal and firemen actually started fires instead of putting them out. The next day in lit class, we were handed out the quiz and I was shocked to see that it was only five questions and there it was also free response. When I assumed the shock was over, I began to read the questions. I recall one of them asking what color the curtain was in the main character’s house and what did that color represent. The other four questions were worded in similar fashion. As it turns out, I didn’t actually read the chapters (even though I did) because I received a 20/100 on the quiz. In comparison to how I feel when I’m writing, I did spend the time and energy to do the reading, but the only thing that moved was my grade… and not in a positive way.

Blog #2 - Alexander Wohlert

For me, writing is like a chore to be done.  It only comes about if it has to be done for a class, or if I am told I must write.  This can mean a class assignment or a simple thank you note to a relative who sent me a gift.  Comparing my writing to doing a chore doesn’t bode well for my writing motivation.  It’s not that I don’t enjoy writing, it’s just that it’s not a part of my everyday make-up of something I want to do.  It’s the same with chores.  It’s not that I don’t want to have clean clothes or take a shower in a clean stall, it’s that I’d really rather be doing something else.  Once the writing begins, it can be like a flowing river of ideas.  Most times, however, it’s more like the start and stop of a toy whose battery is failing.  I write, think about it, write some more and then think about other things I need to do.  Since most of my writing has had to do with school, I do associate writing with class assignments.  Perhaps that is part of the problem in that I didn’t get to write about what I wanted to write about, but instead had to follow certain requirements.  I had to read a lot in school and so was exposed to many different styles of authors. I’m not sure if this really has influenced my writing style. Now I read books that interest me and am probably more influenced by these authors so perhaps I will begin to see a change in my writing style.  My mother writes for her profession and at times looked at my writing for high school assignments.  She explained that there are many different styles of writing and it can be very subjective.  So, she would make grammatical suggestions but never really changed my writing.  I found this helpful because she wasn’t imposing her writing onto mine.  That would have been like a person telling someone they liked their painting but then they painted over the picture.  If I had my choice, when I had to write, I would rather write similar to how I speak, directly and simply.  This way, I would really feel I was communicating rather than trying to please the reader and meet their expectations.

Blog #2- Justin Borrero

For me writing is like getting your teeth pulled out. As much as I hate it, it has to get done. I've never enjoyed writing papers even if it's on a topic I could write a book about. To me a writer is someone who writes well or at least appreciates writing. I would never truly consider myself a writer because I am neither one of those.
I have portrayed writers as people who are very boring, up tight, very proper, and the only fun they have is writing (which is no fun to me). I could be very wrong about all of that, but with that in mind I could never picture myself as someone like that. Also, I couldn't even imagine writing a book. Writing more than two pages is already stressful enough. And all the time and effort they put into it is just to much for my personal liking.
Writing has always been my weak point all throughout school and for anyone, they are not going to like something they are not good at. I feel like my writing style has been consistent, but not in a good way. My writing has always been just okay, not good or bad just okay. Knowing that I'll probably never write something spectacular, writing a paper just becomes a pain to do. But what can I do about it. In the end it has to get done one way or another. This is why writing for me is like getting your teeth pulled out.

Blog #2 - Oliver Hamlin

     For me, writing is a whirlwind of ideas and a roller coaster of confidence. One of my biggest troubles with writing is organizing my ideas, but it isn't always apparent in my final draft. My first draft, however, is a crime scene of off-topic thoughts, disarrayed grammar, and out of context vocabulary. I begin composing at a slow pace, doing my best to keep my composure and have this first draft be better than the last. One thought builds off another, and before I know it, I'm at a peak of creativity and writing genius. However, that only lasts for so long. Writer's block kicks in, and my confidence sinks into an abyss.

     My attitude toward writing typically differs on the subject at hand and the format I must write in. Having lived in three different states through my high school career, I became educated on three differing writing formats. Two I enjoyed, one I despised. My peaks in my writing experience are typically as high as the lows are the lows, but that's okay. I have learned to embrace my mistakes and learn from them to be a better writer. Since I am by no means an avid reader, revising my writing and building off of my faults has indefinitely constructed my writing style more than reading material from other writers has.

     At times I wonder how different my writing would be if I had more exposure to literature and writing at a younger age. Would my vocabulary be better? Would I be able to write faster? The list goes on. I'd like to say I'm content with my writing, at best. However, the person I am wishes to carry forth in my writing ability and adopt new words, styles, and ideas into my writing. I have always loved the idea of succeeding in uncharted waters, and this year I wish to take my writing where it has never gone before.

Blog #2

For me writing is a chore, something you have to do but not necessarily want to. Anytime I'm writing it's for an assignment in school so it has to be done in order to succeed in class. But outside of school I basically never write, excluding little notes here and there. In fact I typically have sloppier handwriting after the summer due to the hiatus of not writing. When a writing assignment is issued I don't dread it, because usually I get a solid grade. I know it will be a lot of work, but if I can get a good grade then its all worth it.
 Getting started writing a paper is the most difficult part for me, once I get going I don't mind it that much. I just have to stay focused in a quiet place, and then my pen won't leave the paper for however long it takes me to complete the assignment.
For me writing has always been a way to express myself because I am a quiet person in the classroom. Since I don't talk very much teachers normally get a sense of the quality of work I do by reading my papers. Without writing, many of my teachers would never even know my name let alone if I was intelligent or not.
Thinking of writing as a chore shows me as a writer who just wants to get the assignment done. Which is true but only at first, once I begin it is much more. Writing because you enjoy it leads to significant improvement, while writing as a chore makes it feel longer and more dragged out. It's all about your perception, if you look at writing as expressing yourself in a way that words can't, then getting a paper done will be a lot less stressful. Which in turn will most likely lead to earning a better grade and a more positive outlook on writing.

Blog #2

I write because it is mandatory.  Throughout elementary school, middle school, and high school the idea was imbedded into my brain that writing is one of the most important skills to have.  Unfortunately, I never was able to enjoy writing as much as the person next to me.  According to many people writing is form of expression, a form of expression that I was not good at.  Fortunately you can express yourself in many different ways so, when I want to express myself I always gravitate towards a more visual form of expression like drawing.  I draw many things but my main style of drawing is cartoons.  I love drawing characters because to me they are hilarious and it is through those hilarious drawings that you see my personality.  So before I start a writing I assignment I often draw to get my creative juices flowing.  A style of writing that I often write in after I draw is Satire, a tremendously entertaining way of writing where you have the freedom to exaggerate your story in anyway you choose.  I also like to express myself through music.  Music is a great way to convey how you are feeling according to what genera you are listening to or in what style you play your instrument in.  Listing or playing music before I write is another great tool to inspire me to write.  So as I grow older and learn many different techniques to inspire myself to write I no longer write because it is mandatory, but instead write because it is another form of expression.

Blog Post #2 - Ashley Shaw

For me writing is like a form of torture. I'm not good at it because I criticize my work until I give up and don't want to do it any more. But it's also like an escape from the world. When I write for me and just put what I'm feeling down on paper it helps me get out a lot of the pain and hurt and frustration I keep bottled inside of me. I'm not really sure what this says about me as a writer. Maybe that if given the opportunity to write what I want and not just for assignments I might be good at it. Maybe it says that since I can find a refuge in something I also think of as a prison that my life is a complicated mess of right and wrong, of good and bad. When I write all of my feelings down I jump from one thing to the next never really having any order or balance to it, you can't do that with assignments. When you're writing for class you have to have order and make it flow and make sense, but with all the ideas that flood my brain every second of everyday it's hard to make it all make sense. That's why I prefer reading instead. When I read something I can get so caught up in that world that I forget about my own. I'll forget about the pain and the hurt and the loss that I deal with on a daily basis and I'll just be caught up in the character's life. Like when I read The Fault In Our Stars for the first time, that book isn't hard to read so you sit down and start reading and then before you know it two hours have gone by, and you're so swept up in it that you can't stop reading. If I were to write for other people to read, that's what I'd want to do. Grab their attention and make it so that they don't want to put the book down.

Blog #2 - Serena Cecere

Writing to me is a way to be courageous.  It's a way for me to express the thoughts I'm too weak to speak.   It's a way I can access the depths of who I am, and attempt to communicate it with the world.  It's a way I can organize my thoughts, even if that means into a rambling mess. It's a way I vent about all the good and the bad, the highs and the lows. It's a way I can try to get a look into my mind, the way I think, the way I analyze things, the way my brain change thoughts faster than i even realize I'm thinking them. And for the way I can try to understand why I think the things I do.  It's a way I can piece together different parts of myself and access the different personalities and voices I have.  It's a way I can come to terms with who I am, and learn to be proud of that girl.
This is probably why writing has never seemed to bother me all that much. I enjoy it.  I enjoy being able to say things on paper that I wouldn't have the confidence to say in person.  I enjoy getting connected with the depths of my mind and my heart and my thoughts.  I think that's why in High School i felt i would end up writing more passionately than my classmates. Due to family circumstances I was forced to grow up a lot sooner than most and that's made me look at a lot of things people normally take for granted, in a different perspective.  So when I write, I write with meaning and passion and with a focus. Although you might find that harder to believe with this piece because to be completely honest, i feel like I'm just rambling.  But that's okay, because to me, that's the beauty of writing. You're allowed to ramble and vent.  And that for me is what writing is all about. Being able to express yourself freely.

Blog #1 Aaron Mazyck

     More often than not my writing consists of run-on sentences, incomplete thoughts, and a total lack of organization. When i attempt to write I normally fail to acknowledge any mechanics or other important writing techniques because I am too worried about getting words on the page (or screen). But as soon as I am asked to write about my feelings towards writing I suddenly have a small countries worth of words to say. I usually fail at coming up with a viable thought or idea, I just close the computer and return to the exciting universe of television. After re-reading the topic or prompt about 50 times I finally return to the computer with the image of "at least 4 pages" circling my brain. Then the deep frustration begins after a strenuous hour of writing only to realize I am only half way through the first page. When I bring others into the situation I it just becomes sad,  to the point where i will aggressively ask my parents not to read my writing aloud because I can not bare to listen to it. I am worried it will be viewed as elementary, or a lack of understanding.
     Worrying about not getting enough words on the page is directly associated with my reluctance to share my writing. Since I am so worried about volume i feel that the quality is poor therefore before i even begin to proof read the paper it is already in my mind that the paper is terrible. Then when i begin to spot minor faults I just dig deeper and deeper into how horrible the paper is. Thus far my only strategy has been to write until there is so much frustration, that i begin to break things until I am calm enough to continue writing.
   

Blog #1 Jan Stary

People have different fortes. Writing comes very naturally to some people where writing a 1000-word paper is a breeze while others may struggle with the subject. I feel as if I am right in the middle of the two extremes. I am not very worried about writing, but then again, I'm not very excited for it either. I consider myself the average writer -- if there is such a thing. In my experiences, grammar is a fairly easy subject to learn and understand - all it is is the ability to form sentences correctly (of course I make mistakes here and there). The area in which I lack strength is vocabulary. I feel that my vocabulary could use some fortification which would overall help determine my writing style and assist me in establishing a voice for my pieces of writing.

Back in high school, I became a very successful procrastinator. I would always wait for the last morning before a paper was due to write it, and quite frankly, I was very good at it. My writing pieces were always turned in on time and I had no trouble meeting the requirements so I wasn't very worried about the deadlines; however, my assignments lacked the quality I wanted them to have. They had no real flavor, they had no voice. Now that I am attending the Florida State University, I want to make a few changes. Instead of waiting until the last minute, I want to get ahead. I want my assignment to be the quality they are expected to be. I want to make my teacher proud and more importantly, I want to feel good about myself and the assignments that represent me as an individual and as a student at FSU.

Blog #1 - Alexander Wohlert

The whole idea of writing, especially when it will be critiqued, sends anxious waves through me.  Will it be what the teacher wants?  Will I get a good grade?  Will it make sense?  To date, I’ve not had the opportunity, or taken the time, to write anything for the sheer experience of writing.  I’m not a journal keeper so I’ve only really written for class assignments.  Part of the anxiety comes from the unknown in that each teacher I had seemed to have their own style and agenda as to how students should write.  Just as soon as I figured out one teacher’s writing “requirements,” the teacher changed and I found myself writing in a different style to meet their expectations.

Probably one of my main concerns or anxieties in writing is the organizational aspect.  I have many ideas rolling around in my brain and I’m not sure how to write them all down in a non-rambling, non-repetitive way.  A bad habit has been to focus on how many words are required or the assignment itself rather than how I’m communicating through my writing. When I think about the length, I tend to repeat myself.  The overall flow of ideas is then lacking.  Even now as I write, my mind is wandering to the word count.  My thoughts are also shifting to what others will think of my writing.  So I guess I’m anxious about many aspects regarding my writing.  As freshmen, we all come from different experiences, schools and educations, and because of this, I’m also wondering about whether my writing abilities are up to the standard of everyone else’s. Until I wrote this last sentence, I hadn’t realized how many anxieties actually surround my writing abilities.  I’m not sure though, if writing anxiety is any different from all the other anxieties that are now being felt as a freshman in college, away from home, living with strangers and in trying to find my way through a jungle of new classes and professors.  In any case, it was nice to read that Sarah Allen, a writer, can also be riddled with writing anxiety.

Blog #1 Cory Gallarelli

When I put the pen to the paper, I worry most about properly getting my thoughts across to the reader. I often find myself full of ideas, but the problem is that I have trouble communicating them through written word and even speech. My anxiety lies within getting the reader "where I am" mentally. I suppose that problem lies in my inability to completely communicate what I'm thinking; the entire idea behind writing. With this anxiety, I worry about my audience (class, friends, teacher) not fully understanding my work, and it therefore coming off inappropriately. I write to convey my ideas. If I can't complete this simple task, I become anxious in my work. Even now, as I write more and enter into the "flow" of writing, anxiety approaches me as I worry if my words are saying what my mind is thinking. My anxiety regarding my thoughts being transferred correctly directly relates to my anxiety about being misunderstood and misinterpreted. My only ally in this struggle to speak my mind is practice. The more I write, the more I am able to convey what I intend to say. When I write, I try to type as much as possible, and trim the fat later. This process helps me to hone my writing skills and shine a brighter and more accurate light on my thoughts. With any luck, for me, practice will eventually make perfect.

1.   When I am writing I have constantly had the problem of writing as if I am speaking to someone rather than writing as if someone were reading it.  I have had this problem for a while in my life.  It didn't always appear to me and stand out that this problem was occurring.  This problem was always picked up by a peer who would review my paper.  I don't think this is that serious of a problem, but it something that should be fixed.  Another thing that I am most anxious about is the rigor of the writing that will be assigned and quality of the writing that I will produce.  This is my first college English class and I am unsure what to expect, so this makes me anxious.  I am thinking these things through and they are running through my mind.  I never had problems with deadlines or completing assignments.  I have always been able to get things done on time and I try to stay organized.  The organization aspect of my writing can sometimes be faulty.  Sometimes I catch myself jumping back and forth between the tenses and writing about things I have already written about.  Organization is a key factor in writing and if I lack in organization I will be hesistant to share my papers with people.  As mentioned in this article, "because it requires that you share a piece of work that looks like a train wreck to you with another human being".  Who wants to share with their peers a writing that they are not confident in.  "My work, for example, is more a reflection of the scholarship I spend the most time with than it is a reflection of me, per se."  I agree with this statement because I would not say my writing reflects the kind of person I am.  Overall, I think that I am most anxious about the quality of my writing and if it will be to the level I am expected.
2.  What I am most anxious about when it comes to sharing my work with others is that the people who can write better than I can may judge me for the way I write.  There are plenty of people who will be able to write better than me and there are plenty of people who I will be able to write better than.  I am not necessarily anxious about sharing my work with others.  I am more so curious as to what people will think about my writing.  I have had friends in the past read some of my college application essays and then have them ask me if I was sure I wrote that and it wasn't anyone else.  This made me feel good and bad at the same time since I wasn't given the credit by my friends for writing so well at the same time I was happy that they were impressed with it.  I don't really think that it will be that big of a factor to share my writing with my peers, I just think that the first time I do share my writing with them I will be anxious to hear what they have to say.

Blog #1- Justin Borrero

I have never been confident in my ability to write. Everything about writing makes me anxious. Wondering whether it's to short or to long because I end up rambling on about something that ends up off topic from the subject. Making sure there is some sort of logical structure in my writing rather than a bunch of ideas separated by punctuations. And if it is hand written grammar errors become a nightmare for me. I can read my paper over a thousand times and still miss simple mistakes such as using the wrong there/their/they're or just forgetting a letter in a word. The toughest part about writing that gives me the most anxiety is making sure I meet the deadline. This is due to the fact that I procrastinate a lot, but when it comes to crunch time I tell myself to either get it done so it can be turned in on time or actually write what I really want to write but run out of time and end up leaving things I wanted to say in my mind rather than my paper. I normally pick the get it done decision and get a good enough grade on my paper, even though I could've done better.
Throughout my time in school I've been able to scrap up just enough to get by my English class with relatively good grades, which in the end of is what it comes down to for me. Since I have been getting by I never felt the need to improve or get help with my writing skills, even though I know they aren't great. When you know you aren't excelling in something you tend to rush it and do the bare minimum to pass because you just want it to be over with. If I could get pass everything that makes me anxious about writing I might actually enjoy it.

Blog #1 - Serena Cecere

To be entirely honest with whoever may read this, you're what makes me anxious; the reader.  It seems so often that the concern of writing is drawn straight toward punctuation and grammatical formalities, and although that is important, I feel there's so much more to writing than your ability to use a semi-colon, which, by the way, I'm still not sure I can properly do.  I mean, don't get me wrong, if u type lyk dis & uSe LoTs Of UnNeCeSaRy CaPiTaLiZaTiOn or mistake simple words like of and off, it may turn away your reader a smidge, or even strike three of their top ten pet peeves (cough cough, me),  there's still just so much more to writing.
There's a certain feeling you get when you read something that hits home. It could be something simple, for example, the word aspire to me brings a sensational chill and yearning towards thoughts of my future because every day I wake up dreaming of all the things I can and will accomplish; the word speaks to me.  Yet it could also be something you stumble upon that just catches your eye, example, today I read on the infamous Twitter, a quote that said, "But I don't want comfort. I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.", and it made me want to live vivaciously, the way every person dreams of. My point is, words are powerful. Doesn't matter how they reach you, you never forget words that make you feel. That's why the reader is what makes me anxious.  I want the reader to feel the way I did the moment I began to write. I want to leave behind something that means something to someone. And because my mind is a racing, spiraling mess, I'm very fearful that the message I'm attempting to get across, is often lost in the midst of the work.

Blog #1 - Oliver Hamlin

     As opposed to speaking, writing is much more complicated when choosing the correct voice for catering to an audience. When speaking to someone, whether it be a friend, professor, family member, etc., what you say and how you express your ideas is in a state of flux as you read the person's body language and hear an audible response from the audience you are communicating to. With writing, there is no immediate feedback. The part of the writing process that makes me the most anxious is catering, in the best way possible, to the audience I am writing to.

     Up until now, I have never had the opportunity to write freely without critique. I have always written for a critic, such as a teacher. Theoretically, English teachers are mandated to critique and grade students on the structure, vocabulary, style, and substance of the writing without letting personal biases interfere with the process. However, in my experience, the contrary stands true. High school has taught me that reading into a teacher's personal interests and stances on controversial subjects, such as politics and religion, can be beneficial when writing under their critique. Accommodating to these biases in my writing may conflict with my own beliefs, but the benefits of seeing "90" or above next to my name on a spreadsheet succeed the drawbacks of not having put my own, true conflicting ideas in my writing. When accomplishing this task, the teacher is almost guaranteed to be appeased, and the grade I receive reflects that.

     In a system where graded assignments and exams essentially determine the future of a student, getting the A on an English essay, or any other writing assignment, becomes a primary objective. Us students are told the importance of voice and tone in our writing, but are veiled from the dark presence of teacher bias. I have learned, time and time again, that this presence is much larger than most think. Discreetly mastering the art of bias catering means indefinite success in writing, in the eyes of critique.

Blog #1

Clarissa Bradfield

     Writing and I have a love-hate relationship I have days where I am full of ideas and could write for hours and I have days where I can’t think of a single statement to write. I however, unlike Ms. Allen and the wonderful people she mentioned I am not a writer. For me, I am most anxious about my overall content. The writing process becomes this back and forth battle for me where I write one really strong paragraph and the next is full of needless repetition and no real point. I start writing about one idea and all of a sudden that morphs into something not really related. I get lost while writing and the content gets all blurry. Sometimes I feel like I could sit down and read one paragraph of my writing and go “Wow, that the best thing I have ever written” but then if you read it in the context of my whole paper it loses its value and power.

     When I look at it I guess it comes down more to poor planning. I don’t know how to properly structure my writing so it ends up going back and forth as I try to give it some structure while I’m writing it.  Losing the whole topic I was writing on in the first place and repeating myself over and over again so I have to stop and rewrite everything I just wrote. I struggle with composing a good writing as a whole and not just having basic writing with a few really good parts dispersed in it somewhere.

Blog Post #1 - Ashley Shaw

When I write for a class my biggest problem is the deadline, because I procrastinate a lot. When I procrastinate I feel rushed at the end and I turn in bad work, or at least I think it's bad because I know that i can do better.
When I have to show someone my writing I feel like it makes absolutely no sense to the person reading it because I wrote it when I was stressed out and about to cry, so it barely made sense to me. If it's a teacher that's reading I feel like they are going to judge my intelligence on how well that piece of writing is so it freaks me out and I feel like I'm going to have a panic attack because they're going to think that I'm stupid or something.
These two things are related because it is my procrastination that leads me to doing work right before the deadline which is why I'm stressing out and write poor work and why I feel that that piece of work is going to make someone think less of me.
Honestly in order to address my anxieties I have to go calm down first because I'm always stressed out when it comes to my writing and if i try to do anything right away I might come off rude or like a psycho-babbling idiot. After I calm down and can speak in coherent sentences again I go and talk to my teacher about my writing and explain to them how I feel about it and ask if they can give me any feedback. After I talk to them I can usually go and edit my paper and feel less stressed about it because it now makes more sense. Plus, they were able to understand what I was saying and didn't tell me I was dumb or wrong so that helped.