“A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” ― Thomas Mann
This quote hangs on a wall in my alma mater's writing center, where I worked as a writing tutor. It's a quote that I refer to several times a year inside and outside the classroom because it captures the agony that writers―or specialists and enthusiasts in any field―experience when they slave at their craft, punching "Backspace" until it's worn or questioning the premise of an essay 5 pages into it.
The most formative writing assignments in my life have brought me more joy than pain, ultimately, but the process and products have induced varying levels of panic, self-consciousness, insecurity and fear. And these feelings never seem to go away. I look at old undergraduate and graduate essays and cringe when I see "that" instead of "who" when referring to an individual. I'm not sure why I placed all my punctuation marks after an end-quote for years. I tremble as I write the words appearing at this moment.
I've calmed down a bit. Or maybe I just know how to channel writer's anxiety; I'm somewhere between a musician disregarding the jitters or runner savoring β-endorphins. I know, at least in theory, that my anxiety confirms my desire to improve.
This quote hangs on a wall in my alma mater's writing center, where I worked as a writing tutor. It's a quote that I refer to several times a year inside and outside the classroom because it captures the agony that writers―or specialists and enthusiasts in any field―experience when they slave at their craft, punching "Backspace" until it's worn or questioning the premise of an essay 5 pages into it.
The most formative writing assignments in my life have brought me more joy than pain, ultimately, but the process and products have induced varying levels of panic, self-consciousness, insecurity and fear. And these feelings never seem to go away. I look at old undergraduate and graduate essays and cringe when I see "that" instead of "who" when referring to an individual. I'm not sure why I placed all my punctuation marks after an end-quote for years. I tremble as I write the words appearing at this moment.
I've calmed down a bit. Or maybe I just know how to channel writer's anxiety; I'm somewhere between a musician disregarding the jitters or runner savoring β-endorphins. I know, at least in theory, that my anxiety confirms my desire to improve.