Sean O'Toole, Faculty, Department of English, Baruch College
How-to manuals on writing inevitably talk about the importance of good habits: a regular schedule (morning, noon, or night), a comfortable place to work (quiet, noisy, or somewhere in between), and the discipline of knowing that writing is often hard work...
Nicole Cooley, Director, MFA Program in Creative Writing and Literary Translation
If you have writers’ block, lower your standards. The most useful piece of advice a professor gave me while I was working on my MFA in fiction writing. Very simple yet incredibly liberating. I know that while I can’t always write a good poem, I can absolutely write a bad one. And when I tell myself to write a bad poem, I can begin writing.
John Troynaski, Director, Queens College Writing Center
Throughout high school and college, writing was difficult for me—a condition shared by many, I’m sure. I don’t know if I was taught it (an AP test exempted me from College Composition) or if I devised it myself, but I followed a two-step writing process: planning/outlining and writing. A fear of not presenting my ideas logically grounded me in this process.
Jessica Polish, Student (Queens College Class of 2008), Department of Philosophy
Even seemingly mundane choices in the writing process can have serious implications. Writers choose between gendered pronouns when writing in English; philosophically, the selection of these parts of speech is politically potent.
Areti Tsiola, Faculty, Biology
Writing can be a daunting task for some of us. If I could draw myself in front of a writing assignment, I would sketch myself as a figure in front of an enormous rock at a scale that would size me like an ant. The goal is to break the rock into smaller pieces and create a meaningful mosaic.
Raymond Pun, Graduate student, School of Library and Information Studies
A few years ago, the youth pastor at my local church asked if I could serve the church community by teaching English to a few high school students who were new arrivals in the country. I agreed, assuming I was going to teach basic grammar and composition.
Deonne Kahler, Graduate student, MFA Program in Creative Writing and Literary Translation
Published authors say you’ve got to write regularly, that you need a practice that puts your butt in the chair more often than not. So you’ve tried writing in the morning, then at night. You’ve given yourself deadlines, and you’ve had friends give you deadlines.
Tejas Desai, Graduate student, MFA program in Creative Writing and Literary Translation
Does the professional storyteller need inspiration to write? Will the muse arrive during a morning jog? I find she does visit me while I exercise—my pen. Writing is like working a muscle. I exercise it regularly.
Carlos Penaloza, CUNY Writing Fellow
As described in other features of this publication, writers expend a great deal of energy on the writing process: planning, writing and rewriting, verifying facts, getting feedback, revising, and editing. Often, finding the motivation to begin is nearly impossible, proofreading is boring, re-writing seems onerous, and feedback is harsh.
Story by Ugo Eze
Drawing by Eugene Henderson
Story by Ugo Eze Drawing by Eugene Henderson...