Alex's Writing Advice

 Hi there, future writer! If you are reading this, it is too late. You can't undo being a writer, you can only take a break from it for whatever amount of time you need. Welcome to the club, sorry there aren't refreshments, only blogs and articles.

My name is Alex, and here are my pieces of advice for you regarding writing in English 458.

1. Just Do The Writing

You may not want to sit down and get 250 words of journaling out. You should do it anyway. It will carry some benefit for you, I'm quite sure. It may help you to organize your thoughts. Maybe you'll find inspiration in your own questions. Heck, there's at least going to be the positive effect that you'll become a faster typist. Your fingers will thank you. Do the journals, they're good for you.

2. Your Draft is Shitty, But That's OK.

Write the draft to the best of your ability and submit it for workshopping. Don't come to class when your workshop comes up and cringe because your classmates are judging you. They aren't judging you. They will judge your work, and so will the professor. But that's what a workshop is, criticism designed to collectively improve a classmate's work. Other people might call this "support", and that's probably nicer. The only cringe-y thing to do with a shitty draft is to let it sit in your notebook or hard drive and stay shitty forever.

3. Choose Your Words When Reading Someone Else's

Read your classmates' work closely and form some useful opinions. Don't treat things like a little kid seeing a plate full of broccoli - it isn't enough to just say you don't like something. If something could be better about the writing, come ready with a solution and not simply to throw your tastes around the room and hit other people with them. You're better than the apes, act like it. The more encouraging you are about the feedback you give, the more you will come to realize that your classmates aren't strangers and your writing isn't pointless - all of you are a writing community doing what you need to do to improve.

4. Write Because You Have To Until You Like it

Look, eventually this is what will happen. Your larger assignments will seem daunting until they become satisfying to complete. Let that be your goal - to be satisfied. Nobody wants to bake a cake, but once you get used to what goes into it, dessert is so much sweeter for it. Be a baker before a cake eater.

So there you have it. That's my advice for this course. Oh, and also come to class with a positive attitude. I know that we all had a better time when we did the same. Have a good semester.