By Jessica Moore
“I’m bad at writing.”
“I’ve never been good with words.”
“I don’t know where to begin.”
These are just a few of the phrases I’ve heard get tossed around the writing lab quite often since I began tutoring. To all people who have ever struggled with writing something, writing isn’t always about impressive words and phrases or styles and techniques learned in school over the years.
Writing comes from within. Students often struggle with beginning essays and papers and either don’t know where to begin or have no layout or plan prior to beginning writing.
I personally believe it is all about the reflection. It is all about gathering thoughts and brainstorming thoroughly before ever even beginning to write the paper. Good writers know no boundaries and have no fear. You cannot be afraid to write because then the words you write will never do the assignment justice.
Write without fear and have no limits to what you write. If you can simply reflect on your topic and through your research, form some sort of attachment to the subject matter, then you’ve accomplished the first step. Let your emotional reflection lead and let the rest follow. I would say try not to get so caught up with making your essay sound good, rather, grow as knowledgeable as you possibly can about your subject so that your writing comes easy.
Your outline should be your best friend when writing an essay, and your personal thoughts and beliefs will guide you through as well. Writing is a cathartic process that requires a lot of thought. So don’t think you can succeed without thorough reflection.
The ultimate goal is to get your point across while also pleasing your audience in some way, and by putting all of your emotion and reflection into the words you write, it will be clear that you’ve done your job.