How Do You Feel about Writing?

You know those cool quizzes on the internet that tell you which character you are from a TV show? Or the ones that tell you which food represents you the best? Or, somehow, you pick your ideal dessert and it tells you which celebrity is your perfect match.

This is kind of like that — without the food and the funny characters.

And also without the actual clicking and eventual answer. It's more of a personal endeavor into something we all have deal with.

(Just so we’re on the same page, though, I’m an artichoke and weird mixture of Monica and Chandler from Friends.)

Looking at the title of this page, you probably already have an answer.

Yet, there are a lot of intricacies about writing. Within those intricacies, there are reasons WHY you feel this way. We all know how hard feelings are, anyway. It’s hard to tell why we feel a certain way sometimes--more on this eventually with mandalas and circle time...

I can’t help you with the emotions, really.

I CAN help you with your feelings about writing.

What follows is a series of questions — modeled after those super fantastic internet quizzes that will give you a look into your mind as a writer.

You should get a piece of paper out.

And a pencil. Or a pen. Or a marker. Or a rock to carve your words into the place you're sitting.

Write down the questions. And then your answers to the questions. Without one of those, this won’t do anything for you.

We don’t want that.

Question #1 — What do you think writing is?

Question #2 — Why do you write?

Question #3 — Do you prefer to handwrite or to type your writing?

Question #4 — How long does it take for you to write something? An email, an essay, a research paper?

Question #5 — What did writing look like for you in school?

Question #6 — What does writing look like?

Question #7 — Do you get bogged down in your writing by spelling and grammar mistakes?

Question #8 — Do you read a lot? Do you watch a lot of TV, movies? Do you follow lots of people on Social Media? Do you travel a lot? Do you go to restaurants a lot?

Question #9 — Which emotion from Inside Out do you feel like right now?

Question #10 — How easy was answering these questions?

How was that?

I hope it wasn't bad.

Should we galavant from question to question in hopes of better understanding ourselves?

Only for the personal journey, I hope.

What do you think writing is?

Whatever you think writing is defines how you look at it.

Writing isn't just pencils on paper or keys into document.

Writing is communication.

In any way you write, you are communicating, and the goal of writing is to convey a message.

Pictures.

Words.

Memes.

Internet Quizzes.

Podcasts.

Television.

You get the picture. Communicate your story.

Why do you write?

I can't answer this for you.

Do you prefer to handwrite or type?

Handwriting is more cathartic in nature; you probably see writing as a form of release or emotion or inspiration.

You might also think of writing as something agonizingly painful. Writing by hand is hard sometimes, you may not like doing that.

Typing is faster. For most. You are a fast thinker. You also don't have the time to think about spelling and grammar and knows that the computer can fix it all for you.

How long does it take for you to write something? An email, an essay, a research paper?

Odds are, the longer it takes you to write something, the more you dislike writing or are unconfident in your abilities to write. Most writers who are unconfident, spend more time on writing. Those writers who can write something quickly--in any form--are likely less afraid of writing.

What did writing look like for you in school?

This is the problem.

Writing in school isn't for communication.

It's an essay or a research paper or a paragraph or a ...

There are places for that, you know?

But, writing is so much more than essays and paragraphs and words.

On top of that, schools ask for 3-5 page papers. Quickly (see previous post). They ask for paragraphs.

The world asks for communication of an idea you have.

We need more of that.

We need less of: "This is your topic. Write a paragraph. Thanks."

What does writing look like?

Writing looks like anything you can imagine.

There's a question later I want to use to discuss this... so...

Do you get bogged down in your writing by spelling and grammar mistakes?

You shouldn't.

You should focus on the message you are sending.

Sure, in some case, part of your message relies on your proven intelligence.

Intelligence and formality come from spelling and grammar.

Communicating an idea does not.

And, you know, if you are communicating your idea in the way you want to, the grammar and spelling will come naturally.

I know that's a hard thing to trust, but it's true.

Focus on your communication of ideas. Grammar and spelling begins to matter a lot less.

Do you read a lot? Do you watch a lot of TV, movies? Do you follow lots of people on Social Media? Do you travel a lot? Do you go to restaurants a lot?

Pick one you do the most.

That's what you should try writing.

How does it convey ideas?

How could you do that with your writing?

It shouldn't be hard. You see them all the time.

The world continues through mimicry.

Which emotion from Inside Out do you feel like right now?

How easy was answering these questions?

These are just for funsies.

Here's my trick.

Regardless of how you actually feel about writing, I just got you to write.

And hopefully see writing in a new light.