Why Bother Learning How to Write Better?

Effective writing is merely an extension of effective thinking—which is brought to the world, of course, via effective communication (i.e. writing). If you know how to writer “better” (i.e. more effective), you’ll not only be able to share your ideas with the world in clearer, more interesting, and more impressive ways, but you’ll develop the cognitive skills in your mind that make you a better thinker (and communicator) in your personal, academic, and professional lives.

Was My Grade School English Teacher Wrong?

It depends on what you mean by “wrong”? If you mean that they didn’t know what they were talking about, probably not. But if you mean that everything they said was open-and-shut-case law, then probably. A perfect example are students who think that all essays must come in the form of five paragraph works. Obviously, that can be good model to teach structure, pacing, and progression of a paper. But it’s just that. The real world (whether in good papers, reports, or presentations) are often much more complex. And so while you can start with a five paragraph framework in premise, the real challenge (and success) lies in discerning how many paragraphs you really need to finish the job.

Another perfect example are grammar rules. Students are regularly told that you will fail and maybe even be laughed at if you ever start a sentence with conjunctions, like “and,” “but,” “etc.”. But this is simply not the case (like we just did in this sentence). It’s a good rule, because beginning sentences with these types of conjunctions can sometimes cause confusion. But not always.

So then, how do you tell the difference, when and where and why to make these decisions? That’s the point of the topics found here on Professor Labs’ Writing Spot!

Why am I so Easily Distracted When I Try to Write?

This is an underrated question, given how common it probably is among veteran and rookie writers alike. That is: if you feel this way, don’t worry; you’re not alone. 

It’s seemingly harder and harder to stay focused amidst the whirlwind of global affairs, endless entertainment options, and social media doom-scrolling. While there’s not one singular answer to this broader question, there are certainly key considerations that can help you stay on task. Mainly:

• Figure out the goal(s). This is easy if you’re told what these are, but if you aren’t, try to suss out what the key purposes of the piece are.
• Set aside key time. This includes (probably mostly) disconnecting from distractions. E.g., YouTube, social media—basically your phone in general.
• Pace things out. Yes, we know your teachers always told you this—and it’s largely true. Sure, some students can in fact binge writing a paper the night before, but that often misses many key considerations along the way. I.e., if the “process” is taught well, it can actually make the production of your work just as time-optimized (and potentially, more importantly, less stressful too!).
• Emulate samples. Whether a college essay or a technical document at work, sometimes seeing a model to emulate can be super helpful in keeping focused.

What Exactly is Writer’s Block? And Why Does it Happen?

The short story version is that “writer’s block” is an umbrella term for any point in a writing process where you get “stuck,” whether that be in the initial formulating of your ideas or how to punctuate the finishing touches via your last edits. 

Rest assured, writer’s block happens to everyone. Whether you’re a Pulitzer Prize winning author or a freshman college student who couldn’t care less about the value of thoughtful prose. But take it from someone who’s maybe somewhere in the middle of this spectrum: it happens to us all.

So what can you do? Well, there’s no easy answer—or solution—for the simple reason that there are many causes for writer’s block. But often, it’s simply a result of not knowing how to proceed. And so here are a few quick tips that might be able to help:

• Just walk away for a bit. Sometimes it helps to “disconnect” and return with a fresh perspective.
• Reach out to others. You’d be surprised sometimes how useful it is to hear insights by those (whether experts or amateurs themselves) who might just have a different take on what you’re doing.
• Go back to “process points.” Often, students are focused on the “wrong” elements of their work without even realizing it. E.g., agonizing over punctuation mistakes when they should be concerned with larger thematic issues first.
• Figure out the true purpose/goal. Sometimes we don’t even realize this either, but figuring out the true point of what we’re doing can go a long way to figuring out how to proceed.

Why Does Writing Come Easy to Some People? How Can it be Easy for Me?

This is a great question as well. The truth is that writing doesn’t come easy to anyone. Now, this might sound like a falsehood, but consider the fact that in the history of literature there have been exactly zero writing prodigies. Mozart was just eight years old when he composed his first symphony. But the problem with writing is that it takes so much time, practice, and lived experience.

This isn’t a bad thing; it’s just a reality of the complexity of the fact that writing is really a reflection of a lot more innate skillsets that just how to use fancy words. E.g., your ability to synthesize, analyze, and express information in new and meaningful ways. But if you then consider these skills as transferable talents to other realms of work, communication, and self-reflection, it’s actually an invaluable asset to develop!

Is it True That Writing is Always Changing?

Yes! There’s a reason why language looks different every generation. Some changes can be subtle, barely noticeable—whereas others appear as massive shifts in convention. Technological innovations, social progress, and various other factors are constant contributors to the evolution of language—and how writing is expressed.