By: Izzy Nichols (’20)
First-Year Tutor
Images from the Skyline Writing Center’s SSWCA presentation on growth mindset (November 2018).
“I am a terrible writer, and I hate it.”
How many of you have thought this in the past? How many of you constantly question your writing abilities? How many of you have waited until the last minute to write a paper? I know that I have. What do you think is keeping you from picking up a pencil and writing? Are negative thoughts impacting the way you engage in writing? Let me share three strategies that might be helpful.
First, you need to understand that writing is not a “fixed” skill. Similarly to learning tennis, for example, you are not born either being good or bad at tennis. With training and focus, anyone can learn to play tennis, and get better with practice. You might even learn to enjoy it. According to Carol Dweck, a psychology professor at Stanford University who has written extensively about mindsets, it is important to develop a growth mindset and not become boxed in to having certain fixed beliefs about your abilities. Intelligence and mastery can be developed and achieved. It is not that you are bad at writing, you just need a little more practice, and the belief that you can improve.
Coming from someone who has had a fixed mindset regarding my math abilities, creating mental barriers only makes things worse. Because of the belief that I was not good at math, I began to avoid it, hate it, and my performance clearly reflected my fixed mindset. I recognized that the path I was on was not a good one, so I started to change my approach. I also was lucky to have a teacher the following year who believed in my math abilities, and was able to help me focus on having a growth mindset. If I did not do well on one test, he would say “you got the next one. You are improving tremendously.” Once I really began to believe that I could get better, I started to break down the mental barriers that kept me from improving.
After you have convinced yourself that you can get better at writing, the next step is trying to enjoy the process. An effective way to quickly do this is to pick topics you have interest in writing about. Personally, I love writing fictional mysteries with action-filled adventures. If I have to write a paper for school, I will try to select a topic relating to something I care about like public policy and politics. When you are writing about something you care about, it is easier to enjoy the process while feeling confident and proud of your abilities.
The third way to improve your writing is to actually reduce the stress involved by not procrastinating. In high school, we tend to blow off assignments until the last minute, claiming that we are too busy, or avoiding a certain assignment we know will be hard. Waiting until the last minute only adds stress, and makes the creative process less enjoyable. Create good writing habits by planning ahead, writing a clear outline, and giving yourself plenty of time for editing.
So remember, the next time you tell yourself that you are not good at writing, try to rephrase and reframe your mindset, pick a topic you have an interest in, and give yourself enough time to truly enjoy the creative process. Remember that you have a voice and something to say. So pick up a pencil, and start writing!
Skyline Writing Center 