Chapter 4 -- I HATE THIS!... (Or, "Why should I bother? I won't be a writer.") Let us confess something here. Writers sometimes hate to write. Writers do not love every writing assignment they have undertaken, or love every word they have ever written. They do not necessarily LIVE to write. They are not always writing in their heads, and do not all think in poetry. Some writers don't like poetry. Just like doctors don't like some of their patients and teachers don't like some of their students, just like your parents don't like some things about their jobs, writers don't like some of the things they have to write. But, to the real point...we understand many people in the world will never become writers, and actually despise having anything to do with the written word. That doesn't mean anything is wrong with them. But just because they don't like to write and they aren't going to EVER write for a living does not excuse them from learning how to communicate clearly in writing. Well-written communication is important in almost every job that exists. Want to be a police officer or a firefighter? You will have to write reports, and it's important in those reports to spell normal words correctly, use words the right way, and spell names right. Think you'll be a plumber or maybe a builder? Guess what? You'll have to write there, too, whether you're doing an estimate for a project or writing an invoice. It's true that you may not need to know how to spell Kohler to install plumbing fixtures made by the company, but it sure helps to be able to read and write to know how to successfully finish the installation. If you work in an office, you will certainly have to write. Memos, purchase orders, employee evaluations, interoffice e-mail...there are so many ways for you to screw up if you never bothered to learn the basics. OK, so we have made our point about why you should be able to write clearly even if you HATE the act of writing. So how do you make that written project for school easier to do? Here are some ways that other people have done it: 1. If you can't get started on a report you MUST write, adopt a different style. If you have to write a book report for class and can't think of what to say (you DID read the book, right?) try writing from someone else's point of view. What would a character in the book say about his or her role? Even if your teacher won't accept a book report written that way (and she might be so glad to get something fresh that she will dance in celebration!), it could give you some ideas for what to say. 2. Read what other people have written to get ideas. This DOES NOT MEAN that copying what someone else wrote is OK. That's called plagiarism and even though some very famous people have fallen into it, plagiarism is stealing. But reading and digesting how someone else uses words or sees a subject could give you some ideas about how to write about your own subject using your own words. 3. Find someone you like and trust, someone with good ideas, and engage him/her in conversation about your subject. Ask open-ended questions: "How do you think Horatio would have solved this problem?" Or "Why was the character of Madame Tussault so evil?" Remember that open-ended questions often begin with "how" or "why". Close-ended questions are those that people can answer with a "yes" or a "no". 4. Get someone you really trust (see Number 3) to read everything you write before your writing goes to its intended reader. Ask them if they get it. This is not always possible, but it should be doable most of the time unless you are waiting until the last minute to do something. 5. Write about a subject you are really interested in, or something that you know really well. Do you like to build things? Write about something you built or would like to build. If you're a cook, write about how to make your favorite dish. List the instructions, even if it seems like a stupid thing to do. Write about the grandfather you admired or the prize begonias your mother enters in the county fair every year. Writers whose ideas won't flow often write nonsensical things to get them started. Think of this as calisthenics for your brain and your fingers. 6. Wait until the last minute. In truth, that works for some people. END OF LESSONS -- FOR NOW!