What it Means to Write (A Short Guide)

Me writing my synthesis essay (2022 colorized)

 How do I write Good-er?

I’m sure all have thought at some point that our writing is boring. To be honest, I still do! Maybe it drags on, or there’s a lack of tone, whatever that means. Writing is ultimately a grueling process in which we transfer our thoughts on to the page and try to make it palatable. So, I thought I’d toss out a couple tips or something like that.

Your First Draft is Going to Suck

Yeah, you heard that right. Unless by some divine miracle you write perfectly like the 6/6s we read in class, your first draft is always going to be bad. The point I’m trying to make is that its fine if your draft looks like a dumpster fire and reads like a train derailing, because you can always revise later. Just get it done so you have some clay to mold. Now, the only bit that I’d say you want to get right first is your thesis, since it affects the rest of the essay. 

Put Some Personality into it

                For one reason or another, we’ve been taught up until now that our essays have to be more formal than your grandfather’s funeral, which kinda led to most of us being tone deaf. Writing is personal in nature. So, rip out a piece of yourself and spread it across the page. Don’t be afraid to smash splotches of color to paint the picture you see in your mind. Obviously, this is a metaphor, please don’t come into class with a bandage and a bloodied paper, that’s gross. In essence, write the way you talk or think, because that, along with DNA, is something that’s unique to you. The tone will come along with it.

Anything Else?

              Well, that’s all I’ve got for now. But, if you’re in the mood to read about writing, Bird by Bird by Anne Lammot speaks on these topics far better than I ever could (So check it out, it's good).