So I sit here and try to write my paper and find myself stuck, so turn to the class for maybe some advice or guidance:
I find that just by knowing that I have to write “an assignment,” I automatically turn to my sociology/scholarly paper writing style (rather than a more interesting journalistic fashion). Does anyone have any advice on how to keep the writing interesting? Because right now the writing is very dry.
Thanks! Have a great weekend.
4 comments:
Start writing it like you're telling a story to someone you haven't seen in a while. Think about the details you'd use for that, how you'd phrase it... get the juicy part out and then refine it. Don't think about it as "a paper"... write it in your gmail compose if you need to! :)
I'm all with Wendy on that one. (I'm Aaron, one of Marin's former students) It's not an assignment you are writing; it's a story you are telling.
Try telling the whole story to yourself a loud before writing it on the paper. I walk around my room or office talking to myself and playing with my old yo-yo from middle school all the time. Your friends may think you are a bit crazy but just tell them you are an artist.
...and when all else fails, just start moving the pen or your fingers and see what pops out.
I agree with both Aaron and Wendy. I had the same problem as you-- I felt because it was an assignment I had to write my story the "right way." Well when that didn't work, I just started writing. Sometimes, I didn't even use full sentences, just words that I knew fit into how I was feeling. Or emotions! I made a page of just thoughts/feelings/images and then went back and constructed three parts: 1) the actual recounting of what happened and 2) how I was feeling or what I was thinking while it was happening and 3) looking back, how I changed.
Now comes the task of combining all of them. Ew. ha! Good luck, but know you're not alone!
I don't know how much this is going to help you, but maybe give it a try. When you are acting and trying to develop a character on stage some suggest positing an "as if" situation.
When you are trying to write about how you feel instead of writing "I felt sad." Think about depth of emotion. For instance, sad like you put your dog of fifteen years asleep or you just stubbed your toe. If you can try to think of comparable events it might make your writing more relatable. Depending on the tone of your piece it can also add a little bit more humor, sometimes an analogy or metaphor can get people to look at a situation or a feeling with a different perspective.
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