My whole life, writing has always scared me because I've never seen myself as a great writer. I often have trouble coming up with ideas and a way to start my paper off well. My main anxiety when it comes to writing however lies in the grammar as well as mechanics too. I sometimes feel like the sentences I right and the words Im using don't quite read correctly. I feel like I often have trouble finding better-sounding ways to phrase my ideas and thoughts. When it comes to grammar I make a lot of mistakes because were Im from in New York we don't always speak with perfect grammar and that habit often translates accidentally into my writing. If I could manage to get my mechanics and grammar perfected I would certainly not be as anxious as I usually am when it comes time to write a paper. Organization however, I usually do pretty well with when it comes to the way my paper reads. The organization of my thoughts and ideas is what sometimes gives me problems. Deadlines don't phase me to much because when I comes time for my work I always make sure I get it done as early as possible no matter what other things might be trying to distract me.
My grade is all I care about and all I think about while writing my papers if I'm going to be perfectly honest. Like when I took my SAT for example I was so concerned about my grade that I've never tried so hard to write something great before. If grades were not involved when it came to writing I probably would not write often at all. As for sharing my work with others, Ive never really been one to go looking for others opinions on my writings. If I am required to though I don't stress over it because often times peoples input can help greatly. People thinking my ideas are stupid or misunderstanding my argument is exactly the reasons I get hesitant when It comes to showing people my writing. Hopefully though, after this course, Ill learn to get over my my fears and become a better overall writer.
I found it really neat that you are so concerned with your grades. I feel like when I'm writing for fun, my structure is very free flowing and fun but the tone and attitude I have when writing a paper I know is going to be graded, is entirely different. I think it's awful that we've been so conditioned to worry about that kind of stuff; especially since I feel like with graded papers, most people direct their focus to the structural and grammatical aspect and then in turn lose sight in the meaning of writing itself.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with the fact that the only thing that matters is your grade. If your getting A's on your papers and other people in your class are saying your writing is poor or that its stupid what do you care since you got an a? Obviously your professor thought it was good enough and thats all that matters. I can really relate to having trouble with starting off papers and getting them off on a good start. I think one of the hardest things about writing a paper is starting it off. Once it starts off the ideas can flow into each other, but the hardest thing in my opinion is to get it started.
ReplyDeleteI think it's good that you try to do everything as early as possible to avoid not completing the assignment at all. You're ahead of me on that thought. I, on the other hand, am a procrastinator along with the other 80% of the students attending class. I also feel that you worry about your grade too much. Like, it's okay to get a bad grade sometime. Some students are stuck in the mindset that if they mess one thing up, it's all over. But the fact is that if you're pushed down, just get back up again... I'm getting off track. As for your grammar, I can only imagine the average New Yorker's grammar. If you get out of the New Yorker's way of speaking (which of course is easier said then done) you can focus on just the rules of grammar and their sentence structure. Then, having another person proofread your writing is an essential step in editing your writing. This way, your paper can be read from another perspective other than your own.
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