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Writing
Apprehension
“I
was
just
too
aware
of
my
imperfections,
especially
the
failure
of
the
thesis
staring
me
in
the
mirror
every
morning
.
.
.
Sometimes
when
I
have
to
make
a
decision
and
there
is
no
clear-‐cut
right-‐or-‐wrong
choice,
I
have
this
feeling
in
my
body,
slightly
sickly,
and
I
don’t
know
how
to
interpret
it.”
(qtd.
in
Clark
and
Wiedenhaupt
66,
69)
What
is
writing
apprehension?
Writing
apprehension
is
defined
as
“negative,
anxious
feelings
(about
oneself
as
a
writer,
one’s
writing
situation,
or
one’s
writing
task)
that
disrupt
some
part
of
the
writing
process”
(McLeod
427).
When
writers
are
apprehensive,
they
lack
confidence
and
avoid
writing.
And
when
writers
who
are
apprehensive
must
write,
they
often
struggle
with
invention,
write
as
little
as
possible,
and
resort
to
highly
uniform
organization
schemas
and
sentence
patterns
(Reeves
38-‐39).
They
also
tend
to
focus
on
unimportant
details
at
the
expense
of
understanding
the
priority
issues
(Rosenfeld
159).
Writers
may
feel
apprehensive
about
some
writing
tasks
and
not
others.
For
example,
one
writer
may
be
able
to
confidently
compose
an
argument
about
the
history
of
sexuality,
but
find
himself
stymied
when
he
sits
down
to
write
his
medical
school
application.
A
different
writer
may
be
able
to
complete
a
lab
report
quickly
and
satisfactorily,
but
will
draft
and
redraft
and
never
send
an
email
to
the
attractive
person
in
biology
class.
Thus,
writing
apprehension
is
often
situational
(Hjortshoj
7).
What
causes
writing
apprehension?
Apprehensive
writers
are
made
not
born;
they
become
anxious
or
blocked
through
negative
experiences
with
writing.
The
psychology
of
writing
apprehension
includes
• fear
of
authority
and
evaluation,
• fear
of
failure,
• perfectionism,
• hopelessness
about
the
writing
task,
and
• impatience.
(Boice
25-‐29)
Writing
practices
can
also
exacerbate
writing
apprehension.
Writers
are
more
likely
to
feel
apprehensive
about
their
writing
when
• the
rules
by
which
they
guide
their
writing
are
overly
rigid,
inappropriately
involved,
or
incorrect;
• their
assumptions
about
composing
are
misleading;
• they
edit
too
early
in
the
composing
process;
1
• they
lack
appropriate
planning
and
discourse
strategies
or
rely
on
inflexible
or
inappropriate
strategies;
• they
rely
on
conflicting
rules,
assumptions,
plans,
and
strategies;
• they
evaluate
their
writing
with
inappropriate
criteria
or
criteria
that
are
inadequately
understood;
• they
are
isolated
and
unsupported.
(Rose
4)
How
can
writing
apprehension
be
addressed?
When
a
writing
situation
is
new
for
you,
you
are
more
likely
to
experience
apprehension.
Understand
as
much
as
you
can
about
the
situation
in
which
you
are
writing.
• Ask
your
professors
to
make
their
instructions,
requirements,
and
criteria
for
your
writing
assignments
as
clear
as
possible.
• Talk
to
other
students
who
have
completed
the
assignment
or
writing
task.
For
example,
if
you
are
working
on
your
first
biology
lab
report
or
your
only
senior
honors
thesis,
you
should
talk
with
students
who
have
written
successful
lab
reports
or
honors
theses.
What
did
they
come
to
understand
about
these
genres?
About
an
effective
research
and
writing
process?
• Read
very
good
examples
of
the
genre
you
are
trying
to
write
and
make
a
list
of
all
the
writing
strategies
you
hope
to
emulate.
Your
list
may
remind
you
of
what
you
need
to
do
on
the
page
and
direct
your
first
efforts
as
well
as
your
revision.
At
the
same
time,
don’t
let
your
models
intimidate
you!
Remember
that
you
are
looking
at
writing
that
has
been
revised
many
times
in
response
to
reader
feedback.
If
you
have
rituals
that
have
helped
you
write
in
the
past
(e.g.,
chewing
gum,
listening
to
jazz
music),
use
them.
Force
yourself
to
approximate
your
thoughts
on
the
page,
and
then
try
to
move
ahead
to
the
next
idea.
You
will
be
able
to
revise
later.
Break
large
writing
projects
into
smaller,
immediately
manageable
tasks.
Begin
with
the
task
you
know
best,
even
if
it’s
in
the
middle
of
your
argument.
Actively
replace
the
non-‐productive
thoughts
in
your
head
with
productive
thoughts.
To
generate
these
thoughts
make
a
list
of
the
things
you
do
well
(e.g.,
I
read
critically
or
I
see
connections).
See
if
you
can
finish
the
statement,
“I
am
a
writer
who
can
.
.
.”
to
identify
a
strength
as
your
starting
point.
(“Writing
Anxiety”)
Become
aware
of
your
writing
process.
Are
you
resorting
to
more
and
more
reading
and
note
taking,
rather
than
writing?
Note
the
place
in
your
process
in
which
you
find
yourself
feeling
anxious
or
blocked;
focus
your
efforts
on
moving
past
that
barrier.
Pay
attention,
as
well,
to
those
elements
of
the
process
that
come
readily
to
you,
energize
you,
and
propel
your
writing
forward.
For
instance,
do
you
gain
traction
when
you
start
by
writing
about
a
concrete
example?
What
kind
of
writing
task
facilitates
your
thinking?
2
Acknowledge
your
difficulties
and
fears
• by
talking
to
others
with
similar
problems
• by
writing
more
(including
non-‐required
writing)
• by
sharing
writing
with
others,
including
fellow
students
• and
by
joining
a
community
of
writers,
who
can
provide
you
with
deadlines,
support,
praise,
and
constructive
criticism.
(Reeves
39-‐44)
When
you
have
a
positive
experience
with
writing,
celebrate
it.
This
can
include
getting
the
very
first
page
written
or
turning
in
a
chapter
that
has
been
particularly
challenging.
You
define
your
own
writing
success.
Keep
a
log
of
your
writing
breakthroughs;
note
how
you
did
it
and
how
you
felt.
This
log
will
encourage
you
when
you
face
new
writing
challenges.
(“Writing
Anxiety”)
“Writing
is
.
.
.
a
little
fire
you
tend
regularly,
with
sustained
attention,
patience,
and
acceptance.
It
doesn’t
have
to
be
so
dramatic
as
a
bonfire
and
perhaps
can’t
be
for
any
length
of
time.
The
main
requirement
is
that
you
have
to
be
there
and
to
keep
it
going:
word
after
word,
sentence
after
sentence,
page
after
page”
(Hjortshoj
110).
Bibliography
Boice,
Robert.
“Writing
Blocks
and
Tacit
Knowledge.”
The
Journal
of
Higher
Education
64:1
(Jan.-‐Feb.
1993):
19-‐54.
Clark,
Beverly
Lyon
and
Sonja
Wiedenhaupt.
“On
Blocking
and
Unblocking
Sonja:
A
Case
Study
in
Two
Voices.”
College
Composition
and
Communication
43:1
(Feb.
1992):
55-‐
74.
Hjortshoj,
Keith.
Understanding
Writing
Blocks.
New
York:
Oxford
University
Press,
2001.
McLeod,
Susan.
“Some
Thoughts
and
Feelings:
The
Affective
Domain
and
the
Writing
Process.”
College
Composition
and
Communication
38:4
(Dec.
1987):
426-‐35.
Reeves,
LaVona.
“Minimizing
Writing
Apprehension
in
the
Learner-‐Centered
Classroom.”
The
English
Journal
86:6
(Oct.
1997):
38-‐45.
Rose,
Mike.
Writer’s
Block:
The
Cognitive
Dimension.
Carbondale:
Southern
Illinois
University
Press,
2009.
Rosenfeld,
Rachel
Ann.
“Anxiety
and
Learning.”
Teaching
Sociology
5:2
(Jan.
1978):
151-‐66.
“Writing
Anxiety,”
The
Writing
Center,
University
of
North
Carolina
at
Chapel
Hill.
http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/writing-‐anxiety/
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