Academic writing - Science Fiction Fantasy Chronicles: forums

Sketti · 3rd October 2006, 04:43 AM

Is there anything that kills one's appreciation of reading and writing more than University? I swear the more I read the more I dislike it

!

The books are good but the tediousness of writing essays is killing me! Here I am, 11 pm, writing how Sherlock Holmes is different from Sergeant Cuff and feel ready to cry! It's not a hard paper but dangit is it boring!

For every five lines I write I procrastinate another ten minutes. Argh! I'm going nuts!

How do you people manage to keep your muse's spirits up when dealing with academic papers? Will I have to put my possible career as a write on hold until I get my Ph.D (what? 5 years from now?) 'cause I'll be dry of any semblance of inspiration by then!

Ack. NEway...rant over.

I feel better

j. d. worthington · 3rd October 2006, 04:53 AM

Hmmm. As a fan of good literary criticism, I'd have to say it depends on how much enthusiasm the academic (or non-academic, for that matter) has for their subject. If it's something they find fascinating, and they can write well themselves, then that enthusiasm is often carried over into the papers; they become thought-provoking examinations of one aspect or another (or sometimes several), and can indeed spark one's own imagination or critical faculties; they can also help to see relationships between things that one might not otherwise see, and aid in drawing a bigger ... and richer ... picture.

Poor academic writing, on the other hand, is something that comes under the heading of "cruel [though not, sadly, unusual] punishment", and deserves all the castigation it gets.

My suggestion is, when it comes to writing such things, fuel yourself by seeking out papers, articles, books, etc. of that nature, that are known to actually be readable and fun (yes, they can indeed be fun, when done correctly), and find some enjoyment in the subject. It may in turn enable you to enjoy writing such papers of your own. And, for the love of Pete, keep a sense of humor about these things! Unless you've a terribly stodgy professor, they tend to enjoy a little life in such things themselves! Reminds 'em of why they took up the field in the first place.....

Sketti · 3rd October 2006, 05:07 AM

Think is I love what I'm studying. It's the writing the damn things I hate. And I'm good at it too >.< I was one of four finalist for the undergrad essay contest as well.

It's like...raising kids, I guess. You love the little suckers but you so want to wring their scrawny little necks half the time

At least according to those of my friends who have kids...

dustinzgirl · 3rd October 2006, 05:31 AM

I feel your pain. And Sherlock Holmes was just sexier than Sgt. Cuff. Way, way sexier.

(Im not helping, am I?)

carrie221 · 3rd October 2006, 05:33 AM

University is usually like that and yes it will to some degree destroy your liking of whatever it is hurting but it does come back... sometimes slowly but it does show up again

Sketti · 3rd October 2006, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dustinzgirl

I feel your pain. And Sherlock Holmes was just sexier than Sgt. Cuff. Way, way sexier.

(Im not helping, am I?)

Oh yes! Definitely although all the cocaine was probably not good for him. Bah, junkies! No wonder he didn't like women, they wouldn't have him

And no you're not helping

Halfway done with my paper (see? I'm being optimistic...) I think I'll finish it tomorrow (and to think I had promised myself not to leave it to the last minute *le sigh*).

And then next week...I have another essay to write. A harder one. *sob* Why? Why couldn't I have been skinny and sporty and had no other ambition that to be Prom Queen, marry the captain of the football team and live in a trailer for the rest of my days? Why?!

littlemissattitude · 3rd October 2006, 05:42 AM

Oh, how I hated formal writing when I was at university. No contractions. No humor (well, that depended on the professor), correct citation forms (again, depending on the professor; I think I ran into four or five different style manuals in two years of upper division work). No digressions. Grrrr. I was always in a bad mood when I was working on a paper…and I love to write.

But, you know what? I’m glad I had that discipline imposed on me. It improved my writing a lot, if only by making me be aware always of what I’m writing, of who I’m writing for, and how my word choices matter. What I needed to do, really, was just find some perspective on why I was being asked to write that way and learn to be able to slip into and out of that style as needed.

Now, I agree that some of the academic writing I had to read as a part of my assigned reading and as research for the papers I had to write was awful. A lot of anthropological writing is dry, boring, and almost impenetrable. I remember one book for an anthropology class. It was about Christianity in Africa, I think. We had a group of pretty bright students in the class, and none of us could make heads or tales of it. The professor finally had to cut down the reading from that book and guide the class through what was left literally sentence by sentence. Just awful. But for every book like that there was another that was just magical, even though it was just as much academic writing as that horrible one.

Just hang in there. Figure out a reward system, where you get a treat of some kind for every page you get written. Sometimes that’s what I had to do, whether it was a small snack or a walk around the block to clear the cobwebs out of my mind, or just closing my eyes for five minutes before tackling the next page.

scalem X · 3rd October 2006, 08:18 PM

Well my essays have to be written in dutch (the horror, the horror!).
I find them an easy way to get better grades, relying on skill, as opposed to others, who rely on effort.

The subjects are indeed somewhat dull, but on the other hand it can be nice to pay some attention to your structure and test your overall skill.

Be thankful that you can at least write them in English. I wish I could write mine in English.

the smiling weirwood · 3rd October 2006, 09:55 PM

Are you a native English speaker?

scalem X · 3rd October 2006, 09:57 PM

No I'm just weird and I was born in Swaziland.

the smiling weirwood · 3rd October 2006, 09:59 PM

Belgians in the Congo!

Sorry, Billy Joel moment there.

Sketti · 4th October 2006, 12:46 AM

I'm French... >.< English is my third language.

I always found English very easy though, lucky too or I might not be doing English Studies now if I hadn't and then I'd be stuck in something really boring and at which I'm no good...

Sketti · 4th October 2006, 12:48 AM

Aaah! One page and a half left and no idea what to write!

This is due tomorrow at 9 am and I still have to add quotations from the texts *cries*

I tried writing a little bit for fun earlier, kinda like a break and I just stared at the screen blank eyed -_-* Like I said, this is killing the creative person in me.

I'm looking forward to NaNoWriMo, hopefully I will get possessed by the NaNo Demon. Not that I'd have a chance of "winning" since I have essays every weekend from now until the end of November (I kid you not...). It's like the professors got together and decided to make it so all our weekends will be taken up with evil essays!

Paige Turner · 4th October 2006, 12:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sketti

Why couldn't I have been skinny and sporty and had no other ambition that to be Prom Queen, marry the captain of the football team and live in a trailer for the rest of my days? Why?!

Just a tip in case ya git yer wish. Put some skirtin' on that trailer. Wood or plastic or truck fenders will do, and it'll keep the varmints from gettin' in under there. And plus also the tornadoes won't be able to get a good grip on 'er.

carrie221 · 4th October 2006, 01:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sketti

Aaah! One page and a half left and no idea what to write!

This is due tomorrow at 9 am and I still have to add quotations from the texts *cries*

I tried writing a little bit for fun earlier, kinda like a break and I just stared at the screen blank eyed -_-* Like I said, this is killing the creative person in me.

I'm looking forward to NaNoWriMo, hopefully I will get possessed by the NaNo Demon. Not that I'd have a chance of "winning" since I have essays every weekend from now until the end of November (I kid you not...). It's like the professors got together and decided to make it so all our weekends will be taken up with evil essays!

I really feel for you.

I just finished my 3rd of 3 tests all due either today or yesterday that were take home... I either did quite well on the econ one by BSing everything

or I failed it

.

I can't wait for NANoWriMo either even though I will not finish and have several papers facing me to write between now and december... all my exams this semester are spaced together along with papers and projects.

3rd October 2006, 04:43 AM	#1 (permalink)
Sketti Favorite Food of 4-yo's Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 83	Academic writing Is there anything that kills one's appreciation of reading and writing more than University? I swear the more I read the more I dislike it ! The books are good but the tediousness of writing essays is killing me! Here I am, 11 pm, writing how Sherlock Holmes is different from Sergeant Cuff and feel ready to cry! It's not a hard paper but dangit is it boring! For every five lines I write I procrastinate another ten minutes. Argh! I'm going nuts! How do you people manage to keep your muse's spirits up when dealing with academic papers? Will I have to put my possible career as a write on hold until I get my Ph.D (what? 5 years from now?) 'cause I'll be dry of any semblance of inspiration by then! Ack. NEway...rant over. I feel better

3rd October 2006, 04:53 AM	#2 (permalink)
j. d. worthington Moderator Join Date: May 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 8,629	Re: Academic writing Hmmm. As a fan of good literary criticism, I'd have to say it depends on how much enthusiasm the academic (or non-academic, for that matter) has for their subject. If it's something they find fascinating, and they can write well themselves, then that enthusiasm is often carried over into the papers; they become thought-provoking examinations of one aspect or another (or sometimes several), and can indeed spark one's own imagination or critical faculties; they can also help to see relationships between things that one might not otherwise see, and aid in drawing a bigger ... and richer ... picture. Poor academic writing, on the other hand, is something that comes under the heading of "cruel [though not, sadly, unusual] punishment", and deserves all the castigation it gets. My suggestion is, when it comes to writing such things, fuel yourself by seeking out papers, articles, books, etc. of that nature, that are known to actually be readable and fun (yes, they can indeed be fun, when done correctly), and find some enjoyment in the subject. It may in turn enable you to enjoy writing such papers of your own. And, for the love of Pete, keep a sense of humor about these things! Unless you've a terribly stodgy professor, they tend to enjoy a little life in such things themselves! Reminds 'em of why they took up the field in the first place.....

3rd October 2006, 05:07 AM	#3 (permalink)
Sketti Favorite Food of 4-yo's Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 83	Re: Academic writing Think is I love what I'm studying. It's the writing the damn things I hate. And I'm good at it too >.< I was one of four finalist for the undergrad essay contest as well. It's like...raising kids, I guess. You love the little suckers but you so want to wring their scrawny little necks half the time At least according to those of my friends who have kids...

3rd October 2006, 05:31 AM	#4 (permalink)
dustinzgirl A posse ad esse Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Oregon Posts: 2,193	Re: Academic writing I feel your pain. And Sherlock Holmes was just sexier than Sgt. Cuff. Way, way sexier. (Im not helping, am I?)

3rd October 2006, 05:33 AM	#5 (permalink)
carrie221 Darkness is my friend :) Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 711	Re: Academic writing University is usually like that and yes it will to some degree destroy your liking of whatever it is hurting but it does come back... sometimes slowly but it does show up again

3rd October 2006, 05:42 AM	#7 (permalink)
littlemissattitude Super Moderator Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: California Posts: 3,342	Re: Academic writing Oh, how I hated formal writing when I was at university. No contractions. No humor (well, that depended on the professor), correct citation forms (again, depending on the professor; I think I ran into four or five different style manuals in two years of upper division work). No digressions. Grrrr. I was always in a bad mood when I was working on a paper…and I love to write. But, you know what? I’m glad I had that discipline imposed on me. It improved my writing a lot, if only by making me be aware always of what I’m writing, of who I’m writing for, and how my word choices matter. What I needed to do, really, was just find some perspective on why I was being asked to write that way and learn to be able to slip into and out of that style as needed. Now, I agree that some of the academic writing I had to read as a part of my assigned reading and as research for the papers I had to write was awful. A lot of anthropological writing is dry, boring, and almost impenetrable. I remember one book for an anthropology class. It was about Christianity in Africa, I think. We had a group of pretty bright students in the class, and none of us could make heads or tales of it. The professor finally had to cut down the reading from that book and guide the class through what was left literally sentence by sentence. Just awful. But for every book like that there was another that was just magical, even though it was just as much academic writing as that horrible one. Just hang in there. Figure out a reward system, where you get a treat of some kind for every page you get written. Sometimes that’s what I had to do, whether it was a small snack or a walk around the block to clear the cobwebs out of my mind, or just closing my eyes for five minutes before tackling the next page.

3rd October 2006, 08:18 PM	#8 (permalink)
scalem X I am, the scallywag Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 1,415	Re: Academic writing Well my essays have to be written in dutch (the horror, the horror!). I find them an easy way to get better grades, relying on skill, as opposed to others, who rely on effort. The subjects are indeed somewhat dull, but on the other hand it can be nice to pay some attention to your structure and test your overall skill. Be thankful that you can at least write them in English. I wish I could write mine in English.

3rd October 2006, 09:55 PM	#9 (permalink)
the smiling weirwood the godswood is me Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Mississippi Posts: 1,203	Re: Academic writing Are you a native English speaker?

3rd October 2006, 09:57 PM	#10 (permalink)
scalem X I am, the scallywag Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 1,415	Re: Academic writing No I'm just weird and I was born in Swaziland.

3rd October 2006, 09:59 PM	#11 (permalink)
the smiling weirwood the godswood is me Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Mississippi Posts: 1,203	Re: Academic writing Belgians in the Congo! Sorry, Billy Joel moment there.

4th October 2006, 12:46 AM	#12 (permalink)
Sketti Favorite Food of 4-yo's Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 83	Re: Academic writing I'm French... >.< English is my third language. I always found English very easy though, lucky too or I might not be doing English Studies now if I hadn't and then I'd be stuck in something really boring and at which I'm no good...

4th October 2006, 12:48 AM	#13 (permalink)
Sketti Favorite Food of 4-yo's Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 83	Re: Academic writing Aaah! One page and a half left and no idea what to write! This is due tomorrow at 9 am and I still have to add quotations from the texts cries I tried writing a little bit for fun earlier, kinda like a break and I just stared at the screen blank eyed -_-* Like I said, this is killing the creative person in me. I'm looking forward to NaNoWriMo, hopefully I will get possessed by the NaNo Demon. Not that I'd have a chance of "winning" since I have essays every weekend from now until the end of November (I kid you not...). It's like the professors got together and decided to make it so all our weekends will be taken up with evil essays!

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