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.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)