Tag: Embracing Writing

“We unite in the same dissonance: the need to produce effective writing, yet the failure to attain it by willpower alone.”

Ah, willpower!  Nearly everyone jumps to the conclusion that difficulty in writing has one root cause: a lack of willpower. It is easier to fall into the trap of blaming oneself than it is to consider another possibility: things are harder to do when you are out of practice. This … Read More

“Researchers found that students who wrote prolifically before high-stakes performances, like examinations and final papers, significantly improved their performance on their final work” (69).

Interestingly, in this study by Ramirez and Beilock (2011), as summarized by Gary R. Hafer in Embracing Writing, it didn’t matter whether students wrote about the subject matter or about their emotions and anxiety – what mattered was how frequently they wrote. Hafer makes a case for encouraging students … Read More