Think of your favorite song—what do you like most about it? The lyrics? The melody? The baseline hidden beneath the final mix?
A song is much like a poem written to the movement of a melody—imagery, harmony, and simile merge to relate creator to consumer in a way that transcends the use of words alone.
Simply put, a song is a combination of thoughtfully constructed parts that, once put together, amplify one another.
Let us begin with the cornerstone.
If we are being completely honest, as students, we tend to write papers for classes with no intention of ever opening the document after we hit the “Submit Assignment” button. We set it aside in our pile of completed tasks and just move on to the next one. For me, there’s the added difficulty that nearly every time I look back on my old writing, I can’t help but think to myself, “I can’t believe I wrote that!”
Do you want to grow in self-awareness? Do you want help breaking self-destructive thought patterns? Do you want help facing overwhelming emotions? If you answered “yes” to any of these, expressive writing is a simple yet powerful way for you to move in that direction. As a college student, you may be fully aware of how writing is a way of thinking and reasoning. However, writing can be more than a way of thinking about academics: it can be a way of thinking about life. This article will give you some tips on how to use writing as a tool for self-care.
This article by guest author Phoebe Prinz ’24 won a Spring 2021 First Year Writing Award in the blog post category.
Timed writing can certainly be nerve wracking. With the strategies in this post, you can confidently prepare for any timed writes you may face during midterms season and beyond.
As we grow as writers, our writing process changes, too. After transitioning to college and navigating the constraints of COVID-19, you may find that your tried-and-true strategies no longer work as well as they used to—and that is okay!
Looking back on what life was like a year ago—I believe I recall seven (7) people sitting on one (1) couch at my house—I remember what it felt like to pump out papers before the pandemic.
When I first started college, I referred to myself as a “professional procrastinator,” especially when it came to writing. Instead of starting an assignment, I’d put my creativity to use by finding all the things I could do instead and coming up with good reasons to do them. I’d call my mom because she missed me. I’d hang out with friends, investing in intentional community. I’d go to bed early in the name of self-care.
It’s been a month since you were assigned that term paper, and if we’re being honest with each other, you haven’t given it a moment’s thought since you stuck the assignment guidelines sheet in the back of a notebook and promptly forgot about it. The paper is due next week, and you still have no idea where to begin.
The beginning of the academic year is always busy. Although most students don’t have major assignments due yet, settling into a new routine takes time.
This early in the semester, we usually don’t have enough information to start working on midterm and final papers. But it’s a good idea to begin thinking about how to approach upcoming writing assignments. Here are some simple strategies for the start of the semester to help you manage your workload later on.
