The first step to fixing a problem is knowing that you have one. Boice addresses the first signs to maintenance problems in this section.
1. Calamities of health and relationships
2. new responsibilities at work and at home
3. rejections, criticisms, and discouragements of writing
4. reemerging doubts about abilities to imagine and write
5. reinstatement of feelings of busyness.
As these factors come into our lives Boice states that writers get impatient and go back into their bingeing habits. Not only do these discouraging factors come in but also we start to see distractions grow and production wane. I have noticed this so much in this last bit of the semester. I was very good at keeping on top of things and being productive but the I would fall back into distractions as easy as I did at the beginning of reading Boice.
Boice talks about how depression ties into the writing process and how it can effect productivity. "Writers anxious about likelihood of failing and suffering will opt for escape and other self-defeating modes". Not only does depression have this effect on writers but it also takes away from our comfort and our ability to write in an eneregetic manner. We see our postures begin to fail , we become more tired, and then writing takes a hit due to this.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Nov 17 blog response
When discussing the section on outcomes. Boice talks about how even the most compliant writers have trouble following all of the rules for pausing sometimes. I agree with most of the testimonies on the matter. Once you get excited about your writing finally flowing it is so hard to just stop in fear of losing what you are going to say and the idea that you are on, something that took you so long to get to. I like solution of scheduling breaks but adding cues and notes that kept their track of thought on the paper so that they did not lose their momentum. For the results on fluency I don't think I would fit into the norm considering as I was reading most of the steps I felt uncomfortable and didn't think it would be an easy transition. I fell that after some time I would probably get it but not without resistance. The bds writing section is very true to what I was thinking. Boice notes that states that it is harder because it demands day in and day out compliance. I think the biggest resistance does lie in he fact that the writing is everyday. Most people my age have a so much happening that everyday may be something that is really hard to comply to. I find it that I always want a break from writing so that I can just let my thoughts settle. In conclusion Boice discusses that two factors tied into fluency. The first was the fact that when prewriting was accomplished the transition into actual writing was much smoother. The second stated that when writers participated in writing prose in bds form they found the end result to come about in a much easier way.
Nov 10 Blog response
"An obvious essential in establishing a regular habit of writing is involvement. Talk and good intentions, in themselves, rarely build strong habits of writing." (108)
I feel like Boice is talking directly to me (or all college students) here. Procrastination is the worst part of writing. We always say what we will do and how well we will do it, but when does it actually get done? When does the talking stop and the writing start? Boice offers four steps to fixing this. First, motivate yourself. He suggests to make a chart of your daily compliance and activity. Second, pressure yourself to stick to scheduled times for writing with the help of a social contract. I actually like this step. I think we always have control over everything that is scheduled. If we see something on our calendars and another event comes up we tend to go to the thing that was scheduled first. So if we pre-schedule our writing time then nothing should interfere with that. Third, push yourself to write by making other, more desirable things such as watching television contingent (for the day) on first completing the moderate goals of your bds. This kind of goes directly in with step two. Fourth, force yourself to write, under dire circumstances, by writing in order to avoid punishments. I think that the rest of the step is a bit extreme, mailing checks seems to be counterproductive because then you have an underlying stress about money. I would comment on the reactions section but I still remain surprised/ frustrated to see my exact reactions in the writing. However, realization #3 seems to be one that I would think I would fight against. I sometimes tell myself that my best work is done in the crunch time. However, this is most definitely not true we always try to think that we can still do a good job even at last minute, but the truth is we are not giving our ideas time to develop fully.
I feel like Boice is talking directly to me (or all college students) here. Procrastination is the worst part of writing. We always say what we will do and how well we will do it, but when does it actually get done? When does the talking stop and the writing start? Boice offers four steps to fixing this. First, motivate yourself. He suggests to make a chart of your daily compliance and activity. Second, pressure yourself to stick to scheduled times for writing with the help of a social contract. I actually like this step. I think we always have control over everything that is scheduled. If we see something on our calendars and another event comes up we tend to go to the thing that was scheduled first. So if we pre-schedule our writing time then nothing should interfere with that. Third, push yourself to write by making other, more desirable things such as watching television contingent (for the day) on first completing the moderate goals of your bds. This kind of goes directly in with step two. Fourth, force yourself to write, under dire circumstances, by writing in order to avoid punishments. I think that the rest of the step is a bit extreme, mailing checks seems to be counterproductive because then you have an underlying stress about money. I would comment on the reactions section but I still remain surprised/ frustrated to see my exact reactions in the writing. However, realization #3 seems to be one that I would think I would fight against. I sometimes tell myself that my best work is done in the crunch time. However, this is most definitely not true we always try to think that we can still do a good job even at last minute, but the truth is we are not giving our ideas time to develop fully.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Nov 8 blog response
"Fluency once flowing can become a runaway."
This is a mistake that I think a lot of writers make because once they get a running start they don't want to stop in fears of losing their motivation and ideas. I know that it is something that I do far too often. I think that Rule #9 is a good one to pay specific attention to. Making small goals for writing is going to be more beneficial then setting some unrealistic idea that could never be reached. I think that the idea of BDS along with this could work very well in keeping fluency moving.
This is a mistake that I think a lot of writers make because once they get a running start they don't want to stop in fears of losing their motivation and ideas. I know that it is something that I do far too often. I think that Rule #9 is a good one to pay specific attention to. Making small goals for writing is going to be more beneficial then setting some unrealistic idea that could never be reached. I think that the idea of BDS along with this could work very well in keeping fluency moving.
Nov 3 blog response
Boice 95-101
"Patience works best in concert with involvement." (100)
Throughout reading most of this section I felth myself getting impatient wanting it to be done because I had felt that I didn't think this particular writing method would work for me. I then got to this seciton and thought to myself "it sure is annoying when Boice knows how I am going to react and ultimately has an answer to my annoyance." I then came to the aforementioned quote. If I am not constantly practicing my writing methods I will never be comfortable with them and fluency will not come easily. "involvement works best when it moves beyond self-focu."
"Patience works best in concert with involvement." (100)
Throughout reading most of this section I felth myself getting impatient wanting it to be done because I had felt that I didn't think this particular writing method would work for me. I then got to this seciton and thought to myself "it sure is annoying when Boice knows how I am going to react and ultimately has an answer to my annoyance." I then came to the aforementioned quote. If I am not constantly practicing my writing methods I will never be comfortable with them and fluency will not come easily. "involvement works best when it moves beyond self-focu."
October 27 blog response
Boice 87-94
It is interesting to see writers block as an action that we do to ourselves. "Writers who score highest on tests of this susceptibility fare best at writing because they work with less immediate concern for exact wording, with more initial freedom from internal editors, with more awareness of their emotions, and with less reliance on suppressive and repressive defenses." (91) This section is interesting to show what may be the cause for writers to block. The idea of a thrusting involvement with writing is especially interesting because it seems that maybe writing is the enemy or we can only find negative connotation to writing when the subject comes up. I also agree with the section on free-writing. I feel that when I am free-writing I am often (if not at a lack of words) able to map my way around my thoughts more easily then if it were a structured writing assignment.
It is interesting to see writers block as an action that we do to ourselves. "Writers who score highest on tests of this susceptibility fare best at writing because they work with less immediate concern for exact wording, with more initial freedom from internal editors, with more awareness of their emotions, and with less reliance on suppressive and repressive defenses." (91) This section is interesting to show what may be the cause for writers to block. The idea of a thrusting involvement with writing is especially interesting because it seems that maybe writing is the enemy or we can only find negative connotation to writing when the subject comes up. I also agree with the section on free-writing. I feel that when I am free-writing I am often (if not at a lack of words) able to map my way around my thoughts more easily then if it were a structured writing assignment.
October 25 blog response
Boice 83-87
It seems I am missing 83-85 of this section. So I will just blog on the last two pages. In this section Boice discusses the concept that writing can be compared to most other public performances such as dancing, in the manner that it is so susceptible to "excessive self consciousness". We lose "the calm and breadth of perception essential to momentum and problem solving. We also start to scrutinize performance. We block. I have experienced this a numerous amount of times during my five years in college. It is kind of crazy that just the fear of inadequacy can completely put a hault on my writing process. It is really interesting that Boice compares the writing process to teaching in the fact that both receive little training however given the right tools and elements things can come out masterful.
It seems I am missing 83-85 of this section. So I will just blog on the last two pages. In this section Boice discusses the concept that writing can be compared to most other public performances such as dancing, in the manner that it is so susceptible to "excessive self consciousness". We lose "the calm and breadth of perception essential to momentum and problem solving. We also start to scrutinize performance. We block. I have experienced this a numerous amount of times during my five years in college. It is kind of crazy that just the fear of inadequacy can completely put a hault on my writing process. It is really interesting that Boice compares the writing process to teaching in the fact that both receive little training however given the right tools and elements things can come out masterful.
October 13 blog respons (almost caught up! )
Step 4 probably should have been mentioned much earlier. I feel that the prewriting process without this step would be completely overwhelming and still kind of is. Steps 4-6 within step 4 speak loudest to me. I am always looking for my work. Although, I am an English major, the whole obsession with revising makes me uncomfortable because I feel if you revise too much you will ultimately lose interest. From this entire section (chapter 2) I feel the most helpful was actually finding and developing ideas into imagination.
Friday, December 9, 2011
October 11 blog response
Boice 64-72
Step 3 to me seems like another one of those things that is great in concept but is not as realistic as Boice seems to make it sound. I do agree with him that outlining is important and does need to be relearned but as far as constantly redoing them, I feel that the writer's time would be better spent on the actual project. Making prewriting public is an interesting concept live never had someone look at my outline for a peer review. I think that this is a very good idea because it gets a good deal of feedback on your overall goal so that once you start the actual writing process you have a much clearer destination for your paper. I'm glad that Boice touches on the fact that outlines can be constraining, because that is always a concern of mine, so I often skip the outlining stage.
Step 3 to me seems like another one of those things that is great in concept but is not as realistic as Boice seems to make it sound. I do agree with him that outlining is important and does need to be relearned but as far as constantly redoing them, I feel that the writer's time would be better spent on the actual project. Making prewriting public is an interesting concept live never had someone look at my outline for a peer review. I think that this is a very good idea because it gets a good deal of feedback on your overall goal so that once you start the actual writing process you have a much clearer destination for your paper. I'm glad that Boice touches on the fact that outlines can be constraining, because that is always a concern of mine, so I often skip the outlining stage.
October 6 Blog response
Boice 62-64
Shaping ideas into imagination I feel just by reading the beginning of this section that I will most definitely benefit from this step. After reading step two I definitely think it addresses some of the problems that I ahve struggled with in my writing endeavors. I had never thought of taking five to ten minutes a day to simply revisit, plan, and comment on my work. That looks to be something that I could definitely benefit from because it keeps the ideas fresh as well as helps to develop them further. The final thoughts of this section would definitely be things that would be helpful. It is always nice to have someone to make sure you are on task with your work. It would work even better as a way to check your work and progress.
Shaping ideas into imagination I feel just by reading the beginning of this section that I will most definitely benefit from this step. After reading step two I definitely think it addresses some of the problems that I ahve struggled with in my writing endeavors. I had never thought of taking five to ten minutes a day to simply revisit, plan, and comment on my work. That looks to be something that I could definitely benefit from because it keeps the ideas fresh as well as helps to develop them further. The final thoughts of this section would definitely be things that would be helpful. It is always nice to have someone to make sure you are on task with your work. It would work even better as a way to check your work and progress.
October 4
Boice 56-62
1.Start Fresh
2. Scan for what is important to you, then rescan to see if it is the same.
3. Vary the format.
4. Engage in writerly conversation.
Boice's ideas for notetaking here seem unrealistic, mainly in the context for a college student. Reading through it seems like a long process which would automatically turn a college student away because we often need a faster, more efficient way to take notes while retaining the information. I do see where Boice's process would be very helpful for the purposes of notetaking it just doesn't seem logical or timely for that matter.
1.Start Fresh
2. Scan for what is important to you, then rescan to see if it is the same.
3. Vary the format.
4. Engage in writerly conversation.
Boice's ideas for notetaking here seem unrealistic, mainly in the context for a college student. Reading through it seems like a long process which would automatically turn a college student away because we often need a faster, more efficient way to take notes while retaining the information. I do see where Boice's process would be very helpful for the purposes of notetaking it just doesn't seem logical or timely for that matter.
Blog Response September 29
Three general Types
1. Ideas about notetaking
2. Notions that collecting leads to a more fluent imagination
3. Idea that work on imagination encourages clarity of writing
I really like what Boice has to say about notetaking transitioning to the imagination. Especially his ideas for method (a). I think that would be an interesting task to use for a literature class or even one like history or psychology. Sections two and three here also make a lot of sense I am especially drawn to the section "3. How imagination leads to simplification including greater quality." One of my biggest problem is not having control over my imagination and also I don't do well with planning. so I end up with a bunch of jumbled ideas. I like that Boice speaks on patience in this section because I feel we always rush and want our ideas to just come right away. But sometimes we need to just stop and think and let our imagination work without force.
1. Ideas about notetaking
2. Notions that collecting leads to a more fluent imagination
3. Idea that work on imagination encourages clarity of writing
I really like what Boice has to say about notetaking transitioning to the imagination. Especially his ideas for method (a). I think that would be an interesting task to use for a literature class or even one like history or psychology. Sections two and three here also make a lot of sense I am especially drawn to the section "3. How imagination leads to simplification including greater quality." One of my biggest problem is not having control over my imagination and also I don't do well with planning. so I end up with a bunch of jumbled ideas. I like that Boice speaks on patience in this section because I feel we always rush and want our ideas to just come right away. But sometimes we need to just stop and think and let our imagination work without force.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
BDS Monday- thursday
Monday- I did extensive work on my final poetry chap book. It was more of an emotional process than I really though it was going to be. It took a lot of contemplation to get it just right.
Tuesday- I spent the night studying for my psychology exam that I had on wednesday. This included reading notes and writing definitions and working through the material in a mindful manner.
Wednesday- I did more research for my final paper that is due next week.
Thursday- I spent an hour and a half writing a two page paper as a final assignment for my linguistics class. I felt that since I did it in the morning my mind was more refreshed and ready to work than if I had done it at night.
Tuesday- I spent the night studying for my psychology exam that I had on wednesday. This included reading notes and writing definitions and working through the material in a mindful manner.
Wednesday- I did more research for my final paper that is due next week.
Thursday- I spent an hour and a half writing a two page paper as a final assignment for my linguistics class. I felt that since I did it in the morning my mind was more refreshed and ready to work than if I had done it at night.
Friday, December 2, 2011
bds Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Wednesday- I worked heavily on my presentation over the Wasteland. I worked for three hours on it, stopping in between in order to give myself a mental break. I also spent a small amount of time on my poetry portfolio.
Thursday- I worked on a psychology response paper. I felt very stressed during this time because I also had a 2000 word rough draft due for English.
Friday- Today, I spent 30 mins working on my rough draft to further plan on my research and quotations.
Thursday- I worked on a psychology response paper. I felt very stressed during this time because I also had a 2000 word rough draft due for English.
Friday- Today, I spent 30 mins working on my rough draft to further plan on my research and quotations.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
bds Tuesday november 29
Today, I am working on my introduction for my final research paper. I spent 30 mins. working on the introduction so far. It is a 10 page paper and unfortunately will not be close to being an easy writing assignment. I am currently in my "break" away from my paper and will be spending a night in the library doing more research.
bds monday nov 28
I worked for three hours on a long assignment for my History of English Language class. It was all short answer questions and was very frustrating to deal with because it was really hard to find a lot of the answers.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Sept 27th Reading Response Boice chp 2
Pg 43- 47
"Imagination. like motivation, comes by way of regular involvement in activities that we may not ordinarily associate with writing. The most important work in writing occurs before we write." (Boice 43)
This immediately caught my eye (not only because it was at the beginning) but because I find myself trying to find new ways to get my imagination flowing before I begin to write poetry and even while trying to think critically about literature that is presented to me in classes.
Boice's ingredients for imagination of "patience, comfort and involvement" seem to be pretty spot on because I know the best work I get out of my imagintion tends to happen when I'm simply relaxing and not even thinking about my writing. I tend to be laying in bed or outside and all of a sudden my imagination will start flying and I will end up running to a notebook or computer.
I like that Boice addresses certain reservations that the reader may have about Mills' steps to furthering and finding the imagination. Although, I am in full agreement that it will take those five steps to help further your thought process as a writer I definitely can see where it is possible that a lot of people may feel that it would not work for them.
"Imagination. like motivation, comes by way of regular involvement in activities that we may not ordinarily associate with writing. The most important work in writing occurs before we write." (Boice 43)
This immediately caught my eye (not only because it was at the beginning) but because I find myself trying to find new ways to get my imagination flowing before I begin to write poetry and even while trying to think critically about literature that is presented to me in classes.
Boice's ingredients for imagination of "patience, comfort and involvement" seem to be pretty spot on because I know the best work I get out of my imagintion tends to happen when I'm simply relaxing and not even thinking about my writing. I tend to be laying in bed or outside and all of a sudden my imagination will start flying and I will end up running to a notebook or computer.
I like that Boice addresses certain reservations that the reader may have about Mills' steps to furthering and finding the imagination. Although, I am in full agreement that it will take those five steps to help further your thought process as a writer I definitely can see where it is possible that a lot of people may feel that it would not work for them.
Finishing My Blog Catchup
Forgive me for the following thread of posts. I will be finally posting my past reading responses that have sense spent their time scattered in random notebooks!
BDS Nov 15-18
Catching up once again!
Tuesday- I spent a good deal of time working on my topic paper for Psychology. It was a four to six page paper that caused a little bit of stress because I felt like I was just repeating lectures and had a hard time finding new information.
Wednesday- Wednesday I spent my bds time working on peer reviews for a final round of poems for my workshop class. This day I felt sad to be ending that part of my writing because I felt that I was really growing from reading and rearranging other people's work.
Thursday- I worked on my paper proposal that was due in my poetry genres class. I am writing a paper on the existence of pastoral aspects in the genre of war poetry. I was frustrated in trying to find all of my sources and really trying to put into words what I was interested in researching.
Friday- I took a little bit of time to work on some poetry and just to do a little bit of creative writing. I felt more relaxed while doing this than doing actual homework.
Tuesday- I spent a good deal of time working on my topic paper for Psychology. It was a four to six page paper that caused a little bit of stress because I felt like I was just repeating lectures and had a hard time finding new information.
Wednesday- Wednesday I spent my bds time working on peer reviews for a final round of poems for my workshop class. This day I felt sad to be ending that part of my writing because I felt that I was really growing from reading and rearranging other people's work.
Thursday- I worked on my paper proposal that was due in my poetry genres class. I am writing a paper on the existence of pastoral aspects in the genre of war poetry. I was frustrated in trying to find all of my sources and really trying to put into words what I was interested in researching.
Friday- I took a little bit of time to work on some poetry and just to do a little bit of creative writing. I felt more relaxed while doing this than doing actual homework.
Monday, November 14, 2011
BDS Nov 14
ITs my Daddy's BDAY!
Anyways. My bds for today focused on finding sources for my paper that is due at the end of the month. I find myself getting more and more frustrated because I do not like searching for sources because I never have any luck with the words that I type in. I find myself going on to do other work and coming back to this assignment quite a bit.
Anyways. My bds for today focused on finding sources for my paper that is due at the end of the month. I find myself getting more and more frustrated because I do not like searching for sources because I never have any luck with the words that I type in. I find myself going on to do other work and coming back to this assignment quite a bit.
BDS from LAst week Monday-Friday Nov 7 - 11
Please forgive me as these last couple weeks have been crazy and will continue to be so.
Monday- On Monday, I worked on a writing assignment for my History of English Language class. I felt very frustrated during the entire assignment because I was unaware of exactly how to answer some of the questions it was definitely very hard to focus and and to allow my self to just be with the work. I worked for about 40 minutes at a time to work through it.
Tuesday- On Tuesday, I had work for a paper that we are writing in my genres class. The task was to find a few possible research questions for our end of the semester paper. I was less frustrated with this and felt more calm to get it finished that most assignments like this normally leave me feeling.
Wednesday- On Wednesday, I had to prepare a poetry presentation. I had to look up information on a Journal that we would be trying to get published in. I actually had a lot of fun looking up all of the information and putting together the handouts for my class.
Thursday- On Thursday I had to finish up the assignment for my Genres class. I ended up narrowing my topic, then in class we had to discuss what would work and what would not work for the topics that we had chosen. This portion of the process took a lot of self criticism which can be hard to do but it was easier just knowing that it was okay to have a problem with my work.
Friday- On Friday I worked on my poetry and tried to be as careful and thoughtful while critiquing my own work. It took some timeouts while trying to work through all the kinks.
Monday- On Monday, I worked on a writing assignment for my History of English Language class. I felt very frustrated during the entire assignment because I was unaware of exactly how to answer some of the questions it was definitely very hard to focus and and to allow my self to just be with the work. I worked for about 40 minutes at a time to work through it.
Tuesday- On Tuesday, I had work for a paper that we are writing in my genres class. The task was to find a few possible research questions for our end of the semester paper. I was less frustrated with this and felt more calm to get it finished that most assignments like this normally leave me feeling.
Wednesday- On Wednesday, I had to prepare a poetry presentation. I had to look up information on a Journal that we would be trying to get published in. I actually had a lot of fun looking up all of the information and putting together the handouts for my class.
Thursday- On Thursday I had to finish up the assignment for my Genres class. I ended up narrowing my topic, then in class we had to discuss what would work and what would not work for the topics that we had chosen. This portion of the process took a lot of self criticism which can be hard to do but it was easier just knowing that it was okay to have a problem with my work.
Friday- On Friday I worked on my poetry and tried to be as careful and thoughtful while critiquing my own work. It took some timeouts while trying to work through all the kinks.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Wednesday November 2
I had yet another writing assignment. This one was frustrating because I had a writing prompt that made zero sense. I tried everything but was still left not wanting to write at all.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
October 31
Tonight I am working on a homework assignment for my History of English Language class and also will be polishing a poem to turn in for review tomorrow.
October 28
On Friday I did some note taking for a paper I have due for Psychology. It is just a small response paper but I wanted to be able to back up my opinions with facts.
October 27
On Thursday I worked on more poetry. I feel as though being able to push myself to think "slower", clearer,. and broader has made me a better writer this semester.
October 26
On Wednesday I worked on my Teach for America application. I had to write my letter of intent, this took a lot of thought and had to stop a few times and rewrite before I got to something I was comfortable with sending in.
October 25
On Tuesday I worked on poetry with my professor. It was a different experience sitting down and just tearing my work apart! It was actually fun once we got to the end result.
Monday, October 24, 2011
BDS Monday October 24
Tonight I have been doing quite a bit of writing in various forms. I am currently working on completing my application for Teach for America. I have been trying to think of how to write my letter of intent, so far I have had zero success. I also am working on a poetry presentation but am getting frustrated because I can't find information on the poet.
Friday, October 21, 2011
October 21
Today, I did some catching up on reading and note taking for my genre's class, as well as worked on some poem rewrites.
Wednesday October19
I spent all of wednesday both working on poetry and studying for a Middle English exam. I had to put together a study guide that took quite a bit of time.
October 18
I spent the entire night studying for psychology. It was a rough week thus the lack of posts, I definitely kept up with the writing process though!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Monday Octboer 17
Today I am working on a new poem that I have to turn in for tomorrow's class. I am trying to work on it in little increments and then go from there.
BDS Thursday and Friday of last week
On Thursday I worked on editing a few of my poems.
I have been finding stopping being a really big key to getting my work done in a manner that I am happy with.
On Friday I spent my BDS time working on studying for my upcoming Psych exam.
I have been finding stopping being a really big key to getting my work done in a manner that I am happy with.
On Friday I spent my BDS time working on studying for my upcoming Psych exam.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
My Little Game of Catchup... The Mindful Brain pg 3-9
Here we go! I think the section of this reading that spoke most to me was the part about the benefits of mindfulness. I already knew that it was good for relaxing but aside from that I wasn't really sure (when reading this) that mindfulness would help me in the ways that I needed but when I got to this section I was sure that I heard a big HALLELUJAH! In the beginning of this section, where it introduces the ability of mindfulness to help regulate emotion, I was sold. I am a very emotionally in touch person. I invest a great deal of myself in the things I do and when I don't receive the reaction I expect, whether it be from people or from a project, I tend to feel a personal hit from it. Mindfulness, along with this section, have shown me that it is okay for those feelings to be there but it is also okay to let them go and move on. The next part about the ability to maintain stress and recovery were so interesting to me because since the beginning of class I've noticed that although I have had a ton of stress on my plate I have dealt with it in a better manner than I normally would. I find myself actually able to go talk with professors without feeling like I'm going to die right before it. (I'm not sure why I have that fear of professors, but it is there!)
I think that being aware that these benefits may be there has helped me be more open to the mindfulness practices, which I am thankful for!
I think that being aware that these benefits may be there has helped me be more open to the mindfulness practices, which I am thankful for!
Playing Catchup once again!
I am playing catchup on all of my blogging for reading posts. So, bare with me! I was in a car accident a few weeks ago... Actually, exactly a month ago today. Let me just tell you, it has not been easy trying to get back on track. Although I was not injured, it took a huge mental toll. A lot of my class work has fallen behind because I have been working more to pay for the accident. So, to stop my rant on how bad life has been, lets get to Boice, because I'm sure he would not be very happy with me focusing on the negative! So, the first post I need to catch up on is the last section of Chp 1 of Boice. I know, that was forever ago!
Something that really stood out to me when I read this was his exact reasoning behind doing BDS. In particular, number 1: "Bds reduce warm-up time to near zero; the usual prospect of warm-up time (usually spent trying to reaquaint oneself with material no longer fresh in mind) often undermines motivation; when we approach resumption of a project knowing that we must begin with hours of review and rethinking, we may put it off." (Boice 34) This is something I find myself doing quite a bit. I don't want to have to think to thoroughly through a subject but I know I have to and that is when I become uneasy and don't feel like I want to do it, so I set it aside.
The negative emotions and moods section also kinda of shouted at me because I always see my mood effecting the way I work, whether it be writing or even at my job. If I'm in a negative mood it definitely shows through my work ethic and also through my writing in general. So I am interested in seeing how to deal with those issues rather than set them aside.
Something that really stood out to me when I read this was his exact reasoning behind doing BDS. In particular, number 1: "Bds reduce warm-up time to near zero; the usual prospect of warm-up time (usually spent trying to reaquaint oneself with material no longer fresh in mind) often undermines motivation; when we approach resumption of a project knowing that we must begin with hours of review and rethinking, we may put it off." (Boice 34) This is something I find myself doing quite a bit. I don't want to have to think to thoroughly through a subject but I know I have to and that is when I become uneasy and don't feel like I want to do it, so I set it aside.
The negative emotions and moods section also kinda of shouted at me because I always see my mood effecting the way I work, whether it be writing or even at my job. If I'm in a negative mood it definitely shows through my work ethic and also through my writing in general. So I am interested in seeing how to deal with those issues rather than set them aside.
BDS October 11
I wrote a new poetry yesterday. I'm not sure what category of Boise it would fall under but I definitely wrote, then rewrote. and then rewrote again until I was happy with my final project. I would take notes on the things that I liked and dispose of the things that I didn't.
Bds October 10
On Monday I worked on a homework assignment for History of English Language. I had to undoubtedly include a lot of stopping because it was a very frustrating assignment.
Monday, October 10, 2011
BDS October 6 *Dates on previous posts are wrong*
On the 4th I spent my night finishing up the paper that I was writing and also was preparing readings for my genres class.
Makeup BDS October 3
On the 3rd I spent time working on my paper as well as critiquing poems for class.
BDS Makeup October 2
On Tuesday I was writing my paper for genres of poetry. I tried my best to use mindful practices but I had a hard time that night.
BDS October 1
I spent my entire night studying for Old English while also adding finishing touches to my poem that was due the next day.
September 30th
This day was spent beginning to study for the Old English exam that I had on Last Tuesday.
BDS September 29th
I spend my night preparing my Paper that would be due in my genres of poetry class.
BDS Catchups
I have had a couple of hectic weeks these past couple of weeks, between school, work and band. So I haven't had a very clear head to remember to blog. So, that being said I plan to play catchup here. The week before last I was working on a poetry project to present on a literary journal in front of class. This involved finding the specific submission guidelines and a poem that came out of that journal.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
BDS September 27
Tonight I had to write an opinion paper on sex-differences in learning for psychology. I would have tried to do the stopping but for some reason I was able to clear my mind before I started and I knocked it out in 30 minutes!! Yay for mindfulness! :)
BDS - September 26
Last night I had quite a bit of reading for History of English Language, so I spent most of the night trying to make sense of Old English. I have to say, I think I failed at that.
BDS From last week Tuesday-Friday
So, my mind has been completely wondering this past week because of a car accident I was in. That being said here is what I was working on all of last week as far as writing goes.
Tuesday- I spent the whole night studying for a developmental psych exam. I had to reread and rewrite some of my notes so that they would make more sense. It was a stressful night, mindfulness really came in handy.
Wednesday- I revised poems of my own as well as commented on my classmates poems. I also had to do homework for my History of English Language class.
Thursday- I spent most of Thursday's writing just focusing on psych notes and reading for my genres of poetry class.
Friday- I worked a little on poetry but not too much because I've been getting frustrated with my writing lately so I decided to set it aside so that I could clear my mind. We will see how that goes this week.
Tuesday- I spent the whole night studying for a developmental psych exam. I had to reread and rewrite some of my notes so that they would make more sense. It was a stressful night, mindfulness really came in handy.
Wednesday- I revised poems of my own as well as commented on my classmates poems. I also had to do homework for my History of English Language class.
Thursday- I spent most of Thursday's writing just focusing on psych notes and reading for my genres of poetry class.
Friday- I worked a little on poetry but not too much because I've been getting frustrated with my writing lately so I decided to set it aside so that I could clear my mind. We will see how that goes this week.
Monday, September 19, 2011
BDS 14 & 15
This weekend I worked a lot on a new poem and have found that stopping and coming back to it is really helping with the creative process. I'm finding I may be getting a little too relaxed about writing because I often forget that there is writing to be done.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Reading 6
In pages 30-33 I noticed that Boice was continuing with the rules of the writing process (so to speak). She has gone through three rules in the previous parts of this chapter and now it is rules four and five that we are focusing on. I think that rule four is fairly simple and would be completely okay to get use to and to deal with and would help immensely in the writing process especially in my case considering that I just run into writer's block at the most inconvenient times. This is something I think is due to the fact that I am not use to just writing on a regular basis. The fifth rule however is where I found trouble. I am not one that is just okay to stop and let something go. I am the type of person that will have something weighing on her mind until it is resolved. If I am writing something and I hit a snag I will sit and stare at that page until the problem I'm having is resolved or the sentence I'm stuck on is written in full. So "stopping" is one thing that will take quite a bit of work from me.
Writing 12 and 13
I am falling behind in my BDS's that's why I am posting so many tonight. It is hard to remember to blog every night on top of actually writing. I am as always working on poetry but am finally getting into the actual content of my courses and the response papers are starting to pile up. This is when my patience with writing actually gets tested because I am never sure exactly what I want to write or how I want to say something. It is always a hard task to keep on track of a thought for a paper when you have so many to write at once. This is a task where mindful writing will really come in handy and I can't wait to see how much it actually helps in writing these more content based papers.
Writing 11
I am working on critiquing classmates' poems once again and it is becoming easier as I learn each persons' writing styles and the content that they use. It also is becoming less of homework more of something I want to do because I am starting to learn from each person a little bit about how to make my writing better.
Writing 10
Today I am writing a paper for History of English language. It is a response assignment that is suppose to explain how the English language has evolved from German and to use very fluid writing. This is going to be very hard to write and it will be good to take some time to breathe and let it all come out without force.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Reading 5
"Rule #3: Remember that impatience blocks writers by associating writing with rushed, incomplete work."
Finally, the secret is out! Not that this isn't an obvious matter but it helps to see it in writing. Not mention shortly after Boice actually starts to offer us solutions to these many problems that are being pointed out. The next part that was discussed made me think about how I actually write. I don't ever do well with writing when I'm uncomfortable hunched over a desk or a table. However, if I'm relaxed just laying in my bed it seems to be the best fit for me to produce some sort of thought towards my writing.
I like the idea of the comfort exercises that Boice offers us in this section of the reading. Something that can really help a writer pause and clear their thoughts.
It was really nice to move through the "problems" phase of the reading and move into the "solutions." I almost feel as if I'm less anxious when I'm reading it now.
Finally, the secret is out! Not that this isn't an obvious matter but it helps to see it in writing. Not mention shortly after Boice actually starts to offer us solutions to these many problems that are being pointed out. The next part that was discussed made me think about how I actually write. I don't ever do well with writing when I'm uncomfortable hunched over a desk or a table. However, if I'm relaxed just laying in my bed it seems to be the best fit for me to produce some sort of thought towards my writing.
I like the idea of the comfort exercises that Boice offers us in this section of the reading. Something that can really help a writer pause and clear their thoughts.
It was really nice to move through the "problems" phase of the reading and move into the "solutions." I almost feel as if I'm less anxious when I'm reading it now.
Writing 9
I am continuing to critique poems. It is very hard to critique peers' poetry while I am not yet comfortable with my own. I feel uneasy at times and I often have to stop and just let my mind clear before I can continue.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
At Home Mindful Exercise
I did one of the guided exercises. I think it was a breathing one. I decided to try laying in my bed with the light off and just a little bit of sunlight shining in through my shades. I then laid back on my bed and let my arms and legs just rest where they landed. This positioning allowed me to truly relax and let my mind do what I was trying to get it to do. It was a new experience to be completely relaxed and to have my mind and body at ease... together.
Reading 4
While reading the Boice section I was a little bit less at ease than normal. This was due to the fact that I have a lot of reading piling up and unlike the mindful writing, where it is easy to calm myself before writing, reading just has a stronger effect on me and I am unable to just focus for enough time to pay attention to the reading or to have enough desire to do it, that I keep on task. I did however continue to find the same similar ideas that I have been noticing throughout the other sections, but I found it refreshing that there were steps involved in this section.
BDS 7
I am working on a brainstorming project for my short paper that is due in psychology on Friday. On top of that I am working on writing notes on genres of poetry for my English class.
BDS 6
My weeks work will be centered around poetry, as normal. My poetry class is the most constant writing that I am encountering this semester. At this point I am in the revision and critiquing stages.
Monday, September 5, 2011
BDS 5
Today I used a different approach to my writing, when it came to working on my new poem. I decided to try and apply some of the mindfulness techniques to my writing. When I realized I had gotten stuck with my writing I went outside and sat on my porch swing. I then gently rocked back and forth and closed my eyes and let myself breath and relax. I was then able to write what I was feeling without being clouded.
Writing Day 4
I have been very bad about keeping on task with my blogs. This is probably because I am not use to being around my computer everyday. That being said I have been working mainly on my poetry, trying to fix and tweak my first poem and trying to write my next. This week I have an opinion paper due in psych so that will be my next task. I'll probably be posting one more blog today to get caught up on my blog posts.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Writing Day 2 and 3
I didn't have much time to post yesterday, due to band and homework, so today's post will contain both my writing processes from day 2 and 3. I am currently working on peer editing classmate's poems for an assignment for class. This takes a lot of concentration and open-mindedness. I have to read each poem at least 3 times and then add any comments that I might have and any helpful advice. This project has been what I was working on for the past two days.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Reading 2
While reading the passage on Complaints and Assumptions, I felt that same sense of understanding that I felt in reading the first section of Boice's article. It was uncanny to see that once again all of the accounts that Boice offered had some sort of reflection on my own feelings and thoughts. I found it particularly fitting when Boice mentioned the writer's block, because I just wrote a poem dealing with it but I wasn't as clever as to leave a page blank. At times I felt anxious because I was still waiting on explanations and solutions but all I was left with was more scenarios.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Writing Day 1
Today I realized that my writing inspiration honestly comes at the weirdest times. I have a poem due tomorrow that I have been really anxious about for the past week, however I was in the shower today and finally the words just started flowing. I was so excited I jumped out of the shower and starting writing down whatever came to my mind and sure enough I was able to pump out a pretty good poem. I'm not sure what it was that really helped me push the inspiration out, but I felt much more relaxed once I had more ideas on paper.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Reading 1
The beginning of this section of reading spoke very loudly to me. I was surprised to see that Boice has had the same feelings that I have experienced over the last three years in my writing. As I continued to read further I began to have a calming feeling come over as I realized I was not alone in the anxieties that writing can bring us. I began to realize all of the ups and downs that I have experienced and continue to experience exist outside of just my stagnant writing.
While finishing up the writing my astonishment continued. I for the longest time have questioned becoming anything to do with English in my profession because I was unable to write. This doubt had in turn pushed me further to doubt myself in many other areas of my life. I feel both amazed and calm at the same time to come to the realization that this is not an uncommon way to feel when it comes to writing. I always have found it odd that the idea of writing would put this uncomfortable feeling in my shoulders as if I would tense at the very instance that someone mentioned the act of putting words onto paper. As I read through this article that tense feeling seems to be a little more rested knowing that I, at the risk of being repetitive, am not alone.
This section of reading was also very interesting for the fact that it pointed out that going on quick binges of writing unhealthy. I have experienced these binges, with long breaks in between, and it in fact does not feel good once the euphoria of a finished project wears off. It in fact leaves an empty feeling.
While finishing up the writing my astonishment continued. I for the longest time have questioned becoming anything to do with English in my profession because I was unable to write. This doubt had in turn pushed me further to doubt myself in many other areas of my life. I feel both amazed and calm at the same time to come to the realization that this is not an uncommon way to feel when it comes to writing. I always have found it odd that the idea of writing would put this uncomfortable feeling in my shoulders as if I would tense at the very instance that someone mentioned the act of putting words onto paper. As I read through this article that tense feeling seems to be a little more rested knowing that I, at the risk of being repetitive, am not alone.
This section of reading was also very interesting for the fact that it pointed out that going on quick binges of writing unhealthy. I have experienced these binges, with long breaks in between, and it in fact does not feel good once the euphoria of a finished project wears off. It in fact leaves an empty feeling.
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