Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Writing Papers = Torture
If you don't know me well, you may be surprised to learn how much I dislike writing papers. Did you know I can never say anything in a paper even half as well as the writings from historians, scientists, theologians, and other professionals and experts? I must research and read texts from many individuals or groups who know far more than I do about any topic, then, for some ridiculous reason, I am evaluated/graded on how well I summarize the ideas, thoughts, and conclusions of these people. If learning to write is just learning a formula of how to "express ideas" of someone else, why are we told to put things in our own words? If I really put in a paper what I thought and understood about a particular topic/idea in my own style or format of reasoning, well, it would probably sound a bunch like my blog. Isn't that ironic? I enjoy reading and taking time to understand new concepts, but WHY must the grueling task of restating everything in a specific, preordained format dominate our search for knowledge and wisdom? Why does "learning" have to take up so much time, when all I want is to learn? I was rather sad last night; sitting in the library, reading passages from The Works of Philo, I realized I very just wanted to read the chapter for what it had to say, not to dissect it down into tiny giblets to support someone else's idea I must write in a paper. here is that question again that keeps coming up...Why must learning in life be this way?
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2 comments:
In seminary, I tried to write about things that I wanted to learn more about and things that I wanted to express myself about. That way I had a paper that I could keep in my files and refer to occasionally. Twenty-five years later I still pull one of my papers out of the file and reread it to remember what I learned about a particular subject. Writing papers can actually be a rather worthwhile endeavor.
:o)}
That writing is odious to you suggests several profitable things happening. I have concluded from my own experience of writing that this activity is the hardest work of learning. To condense into concise thought the absorbed knowledge of the wise is not to destroy it but to make it your own. The process is not easy and it is not fun. Following "pre-ordained" forms of writing is like practicing scales in music or drills in football- boring but necessary for good form and strength. Later (years later) you will see the benefit as you express yourself in writing artistically and argumentatively. All to often I like my own writing far better than others do. It makes sense to me and expresses the ideas just the way I wanted it to, but to others it is beyond comprehension. Therefore, a teacher acting as proof-reader of grammar, diction, and clarity is hard to stomach but beneficial to your ability to communicate. Far to few take the time to actually teach the art form. Either we rush headlong into the next assignment, it is too much trouble to do, or the instructor knows little more of good writing than the student. I am still thankful for the ex-Catholic priest and old school marm who taught me writing during two consecutive years of high school. You have legitimate "gut level" feelings about writing in school. All too frequently you are not allowed to say what is in your heart about a subject and the "research" you do drives the direction of your writing rather than your conviction or truth. But all in all even this is to your benefit as you struggle to deal with others' thoughts. You might surprise yourself when one day you relish the turn of phrase or concise, logical argument staring back at you from the page. And this is a heavy hitting tool to have in your toolbox.
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