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SoAn
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Default Nov 17, 2019 at 04:32 PM
  #1
Hello everyone,

Writing projects: while writing for university assignments, I have a million thoughts about how bad the content or the form of what I am writing is/are. It used to get so bad that I would be crying while writing (or even reading, thinking about how slowly I was reading and how I probably did not properly grasp the content).
It's not that way anymore, but I still dread the terrible feeling I get while writing.
Has anyone found ways to cope with this, to make the process less horrible? I know that everyone experiences this to a certain degree, but it must be the case that it does not feel this bad for everybody.

Thanks for any thoughts !
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Default Nov 17, 2019 at 05:56 PM
  #2
I have a few ideas on this.

One is preparation. So, if you outline before you write something, you are more likely to stick to a form of writing that closely mirrors your thinking about a given topic.


Idea two is doing things on time. Ideally, do assignments as early as possible so you stress less about them.

Three is experience, as in my life, the writing process has gotten easier over time.

Also, for me, personally, I find medicine helps (anti-anxiety meds) writing--but, in no way am I recommending this to you if you're not diagnosed with anything by a doctor and prescribed the meds, etc.
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Default Nov 19, 2019 at 01:37 PM
  #3
Welcome to PC @SoAn

One of the things that gets to me about writing is facing a blank page. Often at the beginning, it feels like I have writer's block and then anxiety sets in. I'm not scared to write, but having a blank page is uncomfortable.

My only solution is have a walk, or do something physical such as jump on the running mill. During that time I formulate the opening sentence. Something similar to a welcome or an introduction. After some physical exercise I have a clearer mind, and that is one method of writing the first sentence or paragraph if I'm lucky.

Before writing, do a list. Like a set of bullet points. Come away from your computer or desk and scribble on a notepad. It helps free up your mind while you're relaxing. Make some tea or coffee helps bring down those worried feelings.

I've never excelled at English so the school subject was never a strong one. But with time I managed to improve my writing and do so without anxiety. You probably need time which brings experience. But when ideas spring to mind, they set you on a course, like a ship steering.

I hope that what I shared can be helpful to you.
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Default Nov 21, 2019 at 11:36 AM
  #4
Hey, @SoAnn. I am sorry you are struggling with this. There can be a lot of pressure with school writing assignments. But you can do it!

I had written a few books before in my area of professional expertise. Those were easy, because I was proficient in the field and I liked the subject matter. It was fun to me. Plus, the publishers always came to me. They wanted me to write these books. So, there really was no pressure. It was stuff I enjoyed and the "teacher" (publishers and editors) had already told me they liked my work.

Scroll ahead to now. I've written two new books--one on my illness and a very long hospitalization at a notorious and very famous hospital, and the second, a novel about a superhero with special powers and a mental illness, a thriller. No publisher knows about these. I don't even have an agent. I wrote them because I thought they should be written. And, again, the subject matter is stuff I know and am interested in.

I tell you all this because I used to have terror about writing. I just couldn't get going or started. I was critical of every word before I had any words on the paper. Then, I met a successful novelist. I told her I was having trouble getting going on this novel. She listened and then, she said: "Writers write. If you want to be a writer, then be a writer. write. Don't worry about agents or teachers or critics or grades. Just write from your heart. That is how to become a writer."

It seems so simple and silly, but she was dead-right. So, I just started writing. I left the self-criticism and comparisons to great authors aside and I wrote. That's when I realized I enjoy writing these books--it's fun. So, that's what I do. I don't worry about publishing them. It'll happen when it happens.

So, I would say, try to put the self-critiquing and grade-freaking to the side and just try writing for writing's sake. Stop being hard on yourself and just do it. You may be surprised at what you produce.

Wishing you all the best--

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When I was a kid, my parents moved a lot, but I always found them--Rodney Dangerfield
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