The concept of rigorously structured writing has been quite a struggle for me. The rule made it strenuous for me to get any words out. Reid seems to understand he struggles wholeheartedly.
I recall an experience when I was in the eighth grade. Students in my class learned about the concept of memoirs. My teacher said to write about an experience in your life. Yet, she mentioned that there is a structured and formal format to the writing. As an eighth grader, I felt my creativity got cut down.
In her article, Ten Ways To Think About Writing: Metaphoric Musings for College Writing Students, Reid does a tell-all on the most useful metaphors. These metaphors are for writers who had similar experiences to utilize for improvements in their writing. I am someone who finds writing an outlet for stress relief. Of course, some people feel differently, yet I believe this article is extremely helpful to help facilitate those writing struggles.
I also think timed open-ended exams play a large role in why some people find writing to be a struggle. During these exams, students are expected to meet all requirements while only having 10 minutes to answer each question. In my favorite metaphor, Reid advises writers in this situation to use their higher brain. She advises writers should take certain steps after rereading the prompt instead of rushing to find answers. From my own experience, I know how difficult it is to stop myself from writing a bunch of nonsense. In my head, it’s either that or I’m just wasting time. Its an extremely stressful experience It saddens me that this is how most writers think and therefore, I will encourage every writer to read Reid’s piece to facilitate writing struggles.
Link to E. Shelley Reid’s article: https://writingspaces.org/past-volumes/punctuations-rhetorical-effects/
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