Advice on “Don’t Be Confused About How to Write”

Many of us have had the experience of not knowing how to write a novel, essay, thesis, or report. Grace Lavery, an associate professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and an author, shares her advice on such writing concerns.

Grace E. Lavery: How You Already Write, Just Give In.’ Literary Hub
https://lithub.com/grace-e-lavery-you-already-write-how-you-write-just-give-in/

When you are working on creating and writing, you may hit a sudden slump and not be able to come up with the next word at all, or you may not know the right way to do it in the first place, what format to use to write in the first place, or other major problems and negative thoughts. Research has also shown that cases of procrastination even though it is something that should be done are a state of panic in the brain that is influenced by low self-esteem and negative thoughts and feelings.

Why do we procrastinate on things we should do even when we know we shouldn’t? – GIGAZINE.

Mr. Lavery also shared his experience of spending 12 months without writing anything after he had a clear idea of what he needed to write, and feeling guilty, anxious, and blocked out on a daily basis. As a result, Mr. Lavery has consumed large quantities of beer and anti-anxiety medications, and he has also spent 72 hours without sleep while completing over 10,000 words of writing.

Mr. Lavery describes himself as an “alcoholic writer,” and he said that writing and drinking went together so well that he rarely experienced writing while not intoxicated. However, Mr. Lavery did not express in his writing that he was dependent on alcohol or anxious about it, and “I felt like I told a few lies to make myself look smart. That essay won an award, but I was embarrassed and wanted it collected from circulation.”

Describing his approach to writing, Lavery said, “What I have learned by teaching graduate students, the smartest people in the world, how to write, is that writing is indeed pathological, but the pathology resides not in the symptoms but in the attempts to treat them.” He also asks, “How do I write?” When asked, “How should I write?” his advice is, “The correct answer as to how you should write lies in the way you are already writing. Don’t try to correct the way you write. In general, Lavery emphasizes the importance of finding your bliss and abandoning the illusion that there is a superior form of writing, rather than trying to abandon the self and gain freedom to write.

Mr. Lavery concludes with a summary of four pieces of advice on writing. The first is to “just do your job,” stressing that it is important not to be overwhelmed, to read or do something else when you cannot write; the second is to “be honest about your writing style,” because more people than you can imagine are disgusted by their own writing, and those who have established their own writing style are the ones who will be the most successful, The third is to “avoid the assumption that you will edit your writing later.” While it is good to edit and improve your writing, it is important to remember that your own feeling at the time of writing is the best you can do, and that you cannot edit it later to make it worse.

Mr. Lavery concludes with a summary of four pieces of advice for writing. The first is to “just do your job,” stressing that it is important not to feel overwhelmed; if you can’t write, read or do something else; the second is to “be honest about your writing style,” because more people than you might think dislike their own writing; the third is to “avoid the assumption that you will edit later,The third is to “avoid the assumption that you will edit your writing later.” While it is good to edit and improve your writing, it is best to feel good about yourself when you are writing, and not to edit it later and make it worse. The fourth piece of advice is to avoid editing.

In his fourth piece of advice, Lavery states, “Don’t get too far ahead of your research and your work. Writing is a means to an end, not an output, so be careful not to lose sight of the content or theme you need to convey by worrying so much about the writing process.

Satoshi

Hello, I’m Satoshi. I’ve been working as a staff member for an organization for over a decade. During that time, I’ve had various experiences, from launching new businesses to streamlining operations using information I’ve gathered from the internet and my own experiences. Of course, I’ve been successful with the help of colleagues and superiors, and I’m grateful to them. Nowadays, I find myself in a position where people from various backgrounds ask me for advice and share their knowledge. However, being constantly approached has made me realize that I need to protect my own time. So, I’ve decided to start a blog called ‘Satoshi Lab’ to share knowledge. I hope that by writing about my thoughts and experiences, people will enjoy reading and find it helpful in their own journeys.