Why is writing so difficult?
As humans there is a series of things that comes to us as instinctively as breathing. Just as we all have the capability of forming thoughts due to our complexed minds. We often have the need or even obligation to write these thoughts down. Whether it is in a journal recapping the events in a day or for an essay in an English class. Writing and composing a paper is unavoidable and each time we write something we face different obstacles and learn to overcome them and in doing so we become a better writer.
English itself is known to be the hardest and most intricate language to learn and with writing already difficult as it is, it adds an additional thousand rules and barriers to the mix (Reid p.3). That is not to say just because there are rules there aren’t expectations; the English language is filled contradictions. We actually make English and writing itself more difficult when we try to write to the rules as opposed to connecting our thoughts and ideas (Reid p.4). Following these rules is actually the cause of writers block, but luckily for us Reid provides us with three easy steps to avoid scrolling through Instagram aimlessly with hopes that a picture would provide us with inspiration. Reid poses the idea that we simply write about what we know so we can show not just tell in order to adapt to our audiences needs and accomplish our goal (p.4). Take for example as I am writing this simple paragraph I have stopped and stumbled on my own words, simply because I was too focused on the structure of this sentence and not on the content of it. The funny thing about this specific metaphor is the example it demonstrates for us. It tells us to never repeat oneself, but in the book They Say I Say it had actually told us to repeat ourselves. These are the sort of contradictions that makes it difficult as a writer to compose a paper. We are constantly fed these ways in which we should and should not right and I just personally feel it’s a bunch of bologna. I feel as writer we should take into account these techniques but formulate our own and leave these in the back of our head.
Needless to say that since we are the writers and composers of these papers, and have these thoughts. We need to formulate these thoughts in the correct way not so much for us but for our readers. We as writers often get caught up in the subjects we are writing about and lose focus on what we are trying to achieve. With something as simple as trying to explain and describe a “little green ball” those necessary details to visualize the ball gets lost in translation from our brain to our papers. We all may be able to conceptualize what a green ball is but people’s definition of “little” may be severely different (Reid p.6). That would only be the half the battle because there are about a million different shades of green and an even more variety of balls that an author can chose from. Using this example it demonstrates just how difficult it is to get a point across using little too no details. Often enough if we are trying to convey a specific detail or example we need to spell it out for our readers if it is essential to the story. If we don’t the meaning behind the story may get lost due to assumptions that are being made. However if the details are not what is important and just the subject, it is perfectly fine to be vague (Reid P.7). Reid attempts to drive us off the path of “you know what I mean” a path which is often hard to strife away from simply because we house so much information in our heads that we can’t always project it out (p.8). I for one is a huge offender of this tragic mistake. Although I don’t use those exact words of “you know what I mean” I might as well. I often get caught up and excited about a subject, that I think I am spelling it for my readers but I am often vague and condescending. Just from this simple post I personally think I am making sense, but I know when I reread this I might confuse myself due to my mind moving faster than my hands.
As I said before English and writing alone are filled with these multi step complexed rules and regulations that we need to follow to “write correctly” and become “good writers.” Most of these rules are not even followed by some of the most famous of writers. So why should we or how could we follow them when writing can be compared to those overemotional teenage girls who at every second say “I hate you, no I love you” due to their inability to make up their mind. Well here we are again with yet another contradiction about repeating oneself. Reid herself even addresses the indecisiveness of writing instructors and their inability to decide if repeating oneself is good to the cause or not. Well as it turns out Reid is in fact one of those who do agree that repeating oneself is essential to keeping the message and the readers engaged (p.11). Now when one refers to repeating themselves they don’t mean reusing the same examples and sentences they refer to reemphasizing ones point and or conclusion. It has to be one of the worst feeling in the world when you spent hours on end on a paper for a reader to just ask themselves “what did I just read?” That is why it is always good to repeat a statement you want to get across in your writing so when it is fished being read, there are no questions being asked. I know firsthand how this feels when a professor or teacher looks at you quizzically as they finished reading your paper. That is why this metaphor about pink house is a very accurate rule that should be regarded highly, because it might actually save us some time from rewriting a paper (p.12).
At a point if it hasn’t already, writing becomes a real choir and as you further your knowledge in the subject it seems like writing instructors just beginning to make up rules because they had ran out of things to say. The length of your text is one of those rules where it just seems like it is an extra barrier that could have been prevented. Well according to Reid there is no such thing as a limitation to the length of a text she emphasizes that it all depends on one’s audience (p.15). She states it is perfectly okay to break up a paragraph as long as it is to shorten up the content and present the information in a clearer form. For the longest of time my teachers had also told me I had needed at least five sentences to complete a paragraph. Until one teacher of mine had said that as long there is one sentence that could be considered a paragraph. Well ever since that one teacher had told me that, I have just decided that I will just start and end a paragraph whenever I feel like it because I feel this is a pointless rule.
The last and the most annoying contradictions in the writing world I feel was the fact that when we were younger we were all told that we had to write in a standard format. Then all of a sudden professors and teachers would get upset when we write in a standard five paragraph format. Which as we all know is not acceptable in the level we are at now. Nevertheless there is never easy answers writing is and will always be difficult (P.22). Luckily for us using the rules that we learn and gain throughout our years of life writing can be less of a nuscience. In the end the only way that we can get better at writing is by simply writing more and just trying out new things to see what works. As we speak I am already trying a new writing style, and on the next assignment I will try another up until I can find the correct style for me.
Works Cited
Reid, E. Shelley. “Ten Ways To Think About Writing: Metaphoric Musings for College Writing Students.” Ed. Charles Lowe and Pavel Zemliansky. Vol. 2. West Lafayette, IN: Parlor P, 2011. 3-23. Writing Spaces. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.
