I think
some of my favorite sessions are the ones involving brainstorming or
pre-writing, because these are the sessions where so much is happening all at
once. For one thing, writers in this
stage ¾ beginners and veterans alike, albeit to different
degrees ¾ face the daunting challenge of putting ideas into
words, arranging the words in a way that conveys those ideas, and ultimately
making all those little ideas translate into one major idea that will make
sense to the intended audience. Needless to say, there is quite a bit of
anxiety attached to this task.
Feeling
overwhelmed, a writer may attempt to take that piece of advice we’ve all been
given a million times and just write.
Don’t get me wrong; free writing is an extremely helpful thing to be
comfortable and familiar with. And for many people, free writing can come
easily and naturally. But for so many others, myself included, trying to jump
into writing a piece can become even more paralyzing than just thinking about
what needs to be accomplished. With a nod to Alli Brosh[1],
I like to refer to what happens next as the “sneaky hate spiral”. I’m sure you’re at least vaguely familiar
with the Spiral. It starts with the inability to “just write”. This quickly
turns into the overwhelming sense that there is nothing in your life, work,
experiences, research, analysis, interpretations, or whatever that is good
enough to be preserved in print. This realization then seems to confirm that obviously your project seemed so
challenging initially because you really have no ideas. You’ve reached the
depths of the Spiral, and all of the sudden, you’re doomed forever. No one can
help you because you’re the only one in all of history to experience this.
So many of
our writers come to us because they need help climbing up and out of the sneaky
hate spiral, whether or not they’re even aware they’re in it. I also think many
of them, particularly the younger undergraduates, assume that as consultants,
we have long since become immune to writer’s block, writing anxiety, the sneaky
hate spiral, or any other brand of complication that plagues writers. So, these
sessions host writers who, in addition to being overwhelmed by their assignments,
discouraged by their complete lack of writable ideas, and upset by their
inability to free write, are now in the presence of a writing guru. Terrifying.
Pre-writing
and brainstorming sessions are where I think our writer-centered philosophy is
especially important. True, the other stages of the writing process are all in
important in their own rights, and all benefit from the writer-centered
approach. Let’s face it, though - you can’t get to those other
stages until you get past the first. So,
helping writers develop skills to navigate this first stage is one of the most
important things we can accomplish as consultants. There are a few things I’ve
found especially helpful to work into these consultations, depending, of
course, on each writer’s specific situation:
- Break it down: Approaching a writing task as a whole is far too intimidating for many writers to be able to enjoy a comfortable writing experience. I start by having my writers draw a “skeleton” outline and put it aside. I’ll ask what kinds of things he or she wants to include in the piece, why these things are relevant, and what they contribute to the piece. Have them start small, and work outwards.
- Connect: I had a writer a few weeks back who was supposed to be writing about a turning point in her life. She wanted to write about a relationship she’d been in, and her subsequent experience of “moving on”, and subsequently finding her faith and her passion for the violin. The only problem was that she felt this experience was not worth writing about and would do nothing to “reach” others. As it happens, I had also been in a similar situation recently. Without divulging personal details, I mentioned this. She immediately realized she could reach others with her story, and suddenly her confidence in her topic jumped.
- Relate: I mentioned earlier that writers come in with the assumption that were all writing experts, immune to falling prey to writing pitfalls or common errors. This is false. If appropriate, let them know this by sharing some of your own trials and tribulations with writing. For example, if your writer is having a hard time with organization, try to think of an instance when your own work suffered in the same way. Share that experience.
- Let them know they’re not unique: In terms of writing difficulties, of course. In the same vein as the last bullet, letting writers know they’re not alone in their struggles in hugely beneficial. Think about the student who just cannot get the hang of APA in-text citations, and swears there must be something wrong with them. Now think of how many times this week you’ve had the same conversation with other writers. Let them know they’re not pioneers in their problem areas.
By Veronica Suarez, MA in Women's and Gender Studies
[1] If
you haven’t yet read Hyperbole and a
Half, drop whatever you’re currently working on and do it. NO EXCUSES!
No comments:
Post a Comment