Habits for Successful Writing

Managing the Time You Don't Have for the Skills You Don't Understand

Why do students dread writing?  Because it takes time.  It can feel unrewarding — especially when you turn in something just to have the teacher give it back with a bunch of red marks and low grade.

To overcome these struggles, there are three main strategies I recommend:

• Confidence through Competence.  I learned this phrase in the army from a Staff Sergeant Carney, and it's stayed with me.  The better you are at a skill, the more confident you can become.

• All Practice Helps — especially if you enjoy it.  No, the assigned books won't always be fun.  But you can read any book you want in your free time, and that reading will help you become a better writer.  Sure, most courses assign writing topics you might not enjoy, but you can write whatever you want outside class.  Hell — share your funny jokes in tweets.  Share a rant on Facebook about why you hate bad drivers.  Keep a journal.  Write a better ending for your favorite TV show, and then share it on a fan fiction page.

• You can't manufacture time, but you choose how you spend the hours you have.  And this is a hard one — I still catch myself watching more YouTube than I should.  I should be grading papers right now, but I'm typing away at this website instead.  And how do you work enough hours to pay all the bills?  So focus on what matters.  Your friends, your family, your education — these are the connections that will give you a solid grounding in life and the knowledge to make the most of it.