Upon reading both articles, I cannot help but look towards my own writing habits and compare. The assigned articles portray two remarkably interesting takes on the writing process. The first, by Carolyn Chute, shows that no matter how busy and hectic one's life is at a given moment, there is a story in every second. Chute writes of her seemingly monotonous day with a wonderful grasp of the narrative structure, turning mundane facts into engrossing sentences.
The second article paints the impressive routines of the great Ernest Hemingway in an understandable light. As one of the most prolific writers of all time, reading of Hemingway's methods during his time spent writing is enough for any reader to immediately eschew their own habits and attempt to utilize what worked for the great author.
After taking time and going through both articles, it is important to inspect the various habits and distractions that I personally face when writing; specifically the ones that arise in relation to setting aside time to do schoolwork. In this modern age, virtually all writing - academic or personal - is done sitting in front of a computer screen. This, of course, is a blessing and a curse. While the computer is a necessity when it comes to writing papers, it is also the leading distraction that I face and must overcome. All too often, a writing session can begin with the best intentions, only to wind up a veritable failure once one too many internet tabs are opened.
Learning to manage my writing and shy away from the inherent distractions provided by the internet is easily the largest issue I face when attempting to write.
Upon mastering the ability to put aside petty distractions, I wholeheartedly believe that I can become a better writer, as can anyone else in the world. My philosophy on writing better is that it is a simple skill to learn to improve if one is willing. As someone who writes everyday, I think that simply putting the time aside to sit down and put word to paper is the easiest way to genuinely improve.
Simply becoming a better writer, however, does not mean that I choose bigger, better words or keep more people entertained at a given time. To me, being a better writer is an intensely personal, never-ending journey. To expand on this, look no further than Hemingway himself. Arguably the most influential writer of all time, Hemingway was notoriously short in his writing, never wasting extra words on a description. This is why there is no real way to be a 'better writer' than before, as this notion is different to everyone. As I have stated before, as long as I can set aside the time to write and feel more comfortable each day telling my story of the world as I see it, I have gotten better as a writer.
The six strategies I will use to become a better writer each day are as follows:
Set time aside each day to write something original and free; completely unrelated to school or work.
Attack each sentence I write with open minded enthusiasm; don't get hung up on the little details, just keep typing
Read more every day
Continually be inspired by the world that is all around you
Allow others to critique and revise your work
If all else fails, stop for the day and relax. Start with a fresh head in the morning.
I enjoyed reading this thoughtful post. I couldn't agree more with the importance of reading -- and that the digital media can provide multiple distractions to writing. Nice work!
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