Writing Skills I, Homework for Week 4

Work on the essay (see previous post) due in class next week.

Some notes on procrastination:
1. It often perpuates perfectionism in that you feel that you will not live up to expectations (either your own or those you think the reader/examiner has). This essay is all about practice and refining skills in the 5 areas we have outlined in class. I will be delighted to receive something from you that abides by the speculations in the previous post. The imperfect often stands out in the crowd.
2. Brilliance comes through in the process; it is not planned. Put pen to paper/finger to key and allow yourself to be surprised.
3. You will have the feeling that you've run out of time because you haven't done that much writing yet. Don't worry about this, but try to get a more accurate feeling for how much time you need for tasks with each assignment. You'll thank yourself in a couple of years for establishing this.
4. If there's nothing about the topic that excites you, your writing won't be as persuasive or interesting. Make sure that there is at least one detail/claim that genuinely interests you in your text.
5. Don't turn writing into a guilt-laden process or a constant analysis of your productivity. There's no shame in taking time out/off, but don't let impending deadlines call the shots on your quality of life. Ultimately, the essay itself is not that important: what's important is what that essay can do for you.

If you feel like procrastination is negatively affecting your quality of life, let me know so we can talk about this and tackle it together.