Brett Hartman

Finding the Writer Within

I have never considered myself as a person to be gifted in the field of writing,
and I have always trudged through every paper ever assigned to me with while
knowing that I lack certain skills required to be a successful writer. With my
opinions on my writing skills in mind, I decided to dissect my writing process in an
attempt to discover my flaws and use my findings to help me in the future. While
writing a previous article, I recorded my thoughts, actions and precautions I took to
unveil my underlying causes to my struggles while writing.
I have always perceived myself to be a procrastinator, but I have realized that
my writing process begins almost instantaneously after the assignment is given.
Questions such as what will my thesis be, what will everyone else discuss, how
much time do I have to complete the assignment, instantaneously begin to race
through my mind. Although my thoughts about the paper do not reflect those of a
procrastinator, my actions that I take to write a paper do. I have always been the
type to put off writing as long as possible, resulting in minimal time to complete an
assignment and a rushed result. Whenever I put off my writings until the last minute
I become stressed and the outcome is normally that of my writing is not nearly as
good as I had imagined it to be. But what else was I expecting to be the outcome
when I leave insufficient time to accomplish my tasks? Although I end up starting
my writing process at the very last minute, I do often make numerous attempts to
begin earlier because I do not want to relive my previous stressful episodes.
Comment [RM1]: I think that this is a good
introduction sentence, but I think it is a bit
choppy. I think that overall this is a good
intro that will catch the readers attention.
Comment [RM2]: Good point here but it is
hard to read. I think that this whole
paragraph explains well how you see
yourself as a writer.

When I attempt to begin my writing earlier than the night before the
deadline, which is usually the case, I use my own methods, such as those that Kent
Haruf discusses in his article, To See Clearly, Start by Pulling the Wool over Your Own
Eyes. No, I do not sit in my underwear and blindfold myself, but I do go to certain
measures in order to effectively write. I try to make myself comfortable and remove
all distractions that could negatively affect my writing process. The way that I
accomplish this task is to go to the library, in the stacks where it is the most quiet,
and find a table to myself. I do this in my greatest effort to be fully submerged in my
writing, or so I would think. However, that is not the case.
After I have jotted down notes and ideas down onto a sheet of loose-leaf
paper, I then pull up that dreaded blank word document. . I then turn to my mess of
notes, and compose my thesis, which I never find much difficulty in developing.
This point is most definitely the worst part of the entire writing process. With the
thought of knowing that I have roughly four pages to write, and I have nothing
written down yet to expand upon and the only thing for me to do at this point is to
begin. I then begin to write my introduction paragraph, but nothing seems to be
flowing or getting to the point of my thesis, which leads me to become frustrated.
Frustration turns to stress, then stress into anger, which leads me to abort my task
of beginning to the assigned task at hand early on and I leave it to a later date. After
dissecting the process stated earlier, I find myself pondering why I am only able to
complete writing assignments under time constraints and extreme amounts of
pressure.
Comment [RM3]: I like this example that
you used here, I think it goes well with your
paper.
Comment [RM4]: This sentence is hard to
read, you just need to rearrange some
words.
Comment [RM5]: I think that this sentence
is very good it really explains your main
point
Comment [RM6]: The end part of this
sentence is choppy and I think is missing a
few words

My anger and frustration lead me to realize that my difficulties with writing
did not lie with the tasks I took to write a paper, instead it lies in my conscious. I am
not able to write beforehand because I do not feel that my work is as acceptable as it
should be, which leads me to give up and leave it for another time to do. Allegra
Goodman would say that my inner critic is causing me these difficulties and
frustrations.
They say writing is lonely work. But thats an exaggeration. Even alone at
their desks, writers entertain visitors (Goodman 308). In the article Calming the
Inner Critic and Getting to Work, Goodman discusses how writers always are
criticizing their work. This is the source of my problem. I have this idea of an
excellent paper and I attempt to recreate what I have imagined but I can never fulfill
my desire. I continually criticize my work until I have been mentally drained, which
leads me to giving up on my writing.
If I could simply let go of this inner critic and begin to write without
obstruction I feel that my writing would increase dramatically. To being to write
with no restraints, no complications, and no criticism will allow me to write what I
truly feel and appreciate it for what its worth. Allegra Goodman also shares similar
views. Goodman writes in her article, Calming the inner Critic and Getting to work,
Love your material. Nothing frightens the inner critic more than the writer who
loves their work. I feel that if I took Goodmans advice to heart, and thought about
her opinions on loving my work, Id greatly improve upon my writing.


Comment [RM7]: I think that this entire
paragraph is very good and fits well with
your paper.
Comment [RM8]: Great point here, I have
the same problems
Comment [RM9]: Good concluding sentence
but I think that your could expand a bit on
your conclusion.




Works Cited Page
Goodman, Allegra. Calming the Inner Critic and Getting to Work. New York Times,
12 Mar. 2001. Web. 30 Nov. 2009.
Haruf, Kent. To See Your Story Clearly, Start by Pulling the Wool over Your Own
Eyes. New York Times. 20 Nov. 2000. Web. 30 Nov. 2009.