Lovely post, Kyla. 

I always tell my high school students that writing is 10% actual writing and 90% editing! The best writers generally have the best editors as it's impossible to fully edit your own work. Writing too is a social process and it's essential that writers remain open to the ideas of others on their work.

All the very best for now!

Emily   

Hi Kyla, 

Such interesting insights - the value of reflecting where your mind is going and why when you are reading someone else's work and the benefits of incorporating details of your own work into your feedback on another writer's work.

Emily   

Hi Kyla, 

Thank you so much for yet another well-written and insightful blog post!

I'm like you in that I find it difficult to get started and focused on a piece of work and, as a result, I like to carve out longer periods of work time. In saying that, I have also experimented with working in shorter time increments such as 20 minutes and find that my brain is sharper and that I'm generally more alert when working in this way. The trick for me is knowing which kind of work best belongs to the shorter work periods. 

Cheers - Emily 

Hi Kyla,

I used to find creating outlines very difficult and, like you, would rely on my introductions to drive my essay structures. It's definitely a more time-consuming way to write. 

The alphanumerical outline format is very helpful and I'm glad you've found that it works for you. 

What I will often do before getting to a formal outline is lots of mind-mapping to get all my ideas out and to start to connect them in a logical way. Then, when outlining, I try to think of my paper as a complete, if lengthy sentence, to ensure that each paragraph logically connects to the next and to the paper as a whole. 

Emily 

Hello Kyla, 

Thank you for this wonderful post. I recall responding to it when it you first published, but my response does not seem to have been uploaded. So here I go again!

As I write, I'm sipping tea from a mug with the following printed on it: "Irish Society of Procrastinators - I'll do it now... in a minute." My brother bought it for my dad who is a notorious procrastinator. I suffer from the same problem myself! 

I think with writing, the best advice is to write lots initially, having locked your critical editor securely away for a while (easier said than done!). Often, the writing itself will lead you to new ideas and conclusions, so to deny yourself the process of imperfect writing may also deny you the opportunity to see work in a new light and generate fresh ideas and interesting associations. 

It's interesting to see that you identify not skimming articles as a weakness, whereas for me skimming articles or any type of writing is a weakness as I tend to miss important information. I need to slow down and read more carefully!

I love your idea of reading with a view to identifying author assumptions. This is key to good critical analysis. 

Best for now, 

Emily 

Hi Kyla, 

Thank you for this excellent blog post! It can definitely feel intimidating to post on online discussion forums but no one on this course is judging other people's post; instead, I think everyone is grateful to have others to talk to about their own anxieties about taking further education and juggling this with all of their other responsibilities. 

As shown by this post, you have important things to say and a lovely way of expressing yourself, so just post when you can and know you will have delighted and engaged readers!

It can take a while to get oriented to online learning platforms. I still struggle finding my way around the AU MAIS 606 site! Just know you're not alone in this. Check under Communications > News and Announcements every week for my notifications as I try to provide a summary of each week's work there. 

All the very best for now!

Emily