No Walls, No Ceilings, No Floors

As a teacher I  always hear my students groan whenever I tell them that we will do some writing. It seems such a herculean task to write; better to speak up on some issues than write.  To start with,  I allow them time to speak on issues that they know well enough, or on which they have something to say. Soon they find the speaking task enjoyable and they begin to feel at ease.  Then, when I see they have enough to say, then I know they are ready to write.  But always, the writing task is something to contend with. So , how to begin?

First, my advice to student writers is to keep writing whatever comes to their mind, regardless of grammar and rules. Just put down in writing their ideas, whether coherent or not, and in whatever subject.  Doing this allows them to begin the task of writing, organized or not. Just knowing that one can write about something is a good start; putting them together will come next.

So, to all of you reading this. Next one time you find you have something to write, write it down and keep them. You’ll never know when they’ll come handy!

By the way, I have always enjoyed reading my students’ blogs. For one thing, it is not something they feel obliged to do. They write  because they want to post their opinion, they want to be read and heard. Isn’t that a wonderful motivation to write? No pressures from teachers, no grades to worry about, just the desire to put in writing what they are thinking about at the moment.

So, back to the question: How difficult is writing? Well, try and see for yourself!