On Becoming a Better Writer

What we say to ourselves about ourselves can make a difference in how we feel and even how well we do in our work. Students have told me that they are not good writers, which is not the best way, or even a realistic way, for them to view their abilities or their potential. If they would say instead that they are on their way to becoming better writers, one of many reasons they are attending college, their work would reflect the positive view they take as their writing improves. All of us start somewhere along the road, maybe not already on the superhighway but at least on an access road that leads to the highway.

A huge part of learning to write well depends on students’ having faith in themselves and their capacity to improve on skills they already have. It is a way of learning by doing. The more students write, the better they begin to write.

Having a problem with comma splices does not make any student a bad writer but rather a potentially good writer who can do a bit of research to learn what a comma splice is and how to recognize and fix the punctuation problem, thereby becoming a better writer. Instructors generally will tell students in what areas of writing they need to improve, and there is information available on pretty much every topic that has to do with writing - in texts, on the web, among peers. In fact, the SWC has handouts on many writing topics. Seeing a tutor in the SWC to talk about writing one-to-one is also a good and effective way to get past difficulties and solve problems.

Confusing the path with the destination can cause people to give up along the way because they haven’t arrived yet. School is a time for growing; it is a time for adding to knowledge and ability; and it is time to enjoy the process of learning, no matter what kind of effort it takes.

You are on the way to becoming a better writer than you were the first day you picked up a pen or plugged in your laptop. Do not allow yourself to call yourself a bad writer, not without giving yourself a chance to see how well you can write as you continue your education.

Roxy’s tip: Keep your head up and keep writing!

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!