Leveraging Your Strengths

Everyone has natural strengths. This certainly doesn’t mean that we can’t develop others! But each person is naturally better at some things than others. For example, some people are really good at empathizing, while others are better at seeing individual uniqueness. It doesn’t mean that they can’t do both. If you think about yourself for a moment, you probably lean more toward one than the other, though, right? 

Knowing your strengths and being able to give them a name is a very powerful tool. Not too long ago, I took the CliftonStrengths assessment, which told me my top 5 strengths. This has been invaluable for a number of reasons both personally and professionally. My husband also took the assessment, and having us both know our strengths has been a great benefit to our relationship. 

What is StrengthsQuest?

StrengthsQuest partners with a pretty big data and analytics company you have probably heard of - Gallup. They do all kinds of data collection, and their statistics are often cited in reputable publications. The Clifton StrengthsQuest assessment was originally created for students and educators to help them succeed in future careers, academics, and more broadly, life in general. 

The assessment is 177 questions long, and you are instructed to choose the answer that sounds the most like you. The results come in the form of a Clifton StrengthsFinder Profile. There are 34 different strengths within the finder, and the profile gives the 5 strongest based on your answers. 

The profile also explains what each of the strengths is with typical characteristics and traits. It gives you an idea of how you can best use these strengths, and how you might be able to overcome some potential weaknesses. As a whole, it’s pretty neat what you find out about yourself! 

Why would I take this kind of assessment? 

StrengthsQuest started out and is still used by many in the academic world. That’s where I first took it; however, knowing your strengths and being able to talk about them is universally helpful. Here’s why:

Gives you a common language to talk about what you’re best at. When you take the assessment, you may or may not already be able to list the things you excel at. Or, you might know what you’re good at, but not know how to concisely describe it. The StrengthsQuest assessment will give you words to talk about these strong areas. Other people who have taken the assessment will also know what these ideas mean, and if you’re talking to someone who hasn’t, at least you can accurately explain what didn’t have words for before.

Gives you a new (or perhaps revamped) perspective of yourself. We all have things we’re good at, and probably have since we were young. Sometimes we notice those things, and sometimes other people tell us. Seeing your top strengths on paper can help you reconsider what you assumed about yourself. Have you always known you were a “people-person”? Maybe you have one or more strengths that will show you why you work so well with others.

Shows you that you are, in fact, good at things. Everyone gets down on themselves sometimes. We all have vulnerable moments where we feel like a failure who can’t do anything right no matter how hard we try. The good news is, this isn’t true at all. The better news is that if you take the assessment, you will have a list of (verified) things you are good at. As much as it would be nice to be able to validate ourselves all the time, sometimes we need a little boost to show us that we don’t suck. 

What are your strengths, Rachel? 

When I took the assessment, I was not at all surprised by my results. I have been describing, in roundabout ways, most of these ideas for years. The ones that interested me most, that I did not have words for before, were Maximizer & Input.

Learner Being a learner means that I excel when I am learning new things. I need to learn, it’s not just something I want. I am interested in how I learn, partially because it’s helpful to recreate, but also because it’s interesting. I am also interested in how others learn. It’s much more about the process of learning than the outcome for me, so it’s not always about getting qualified to do something or getting a degree (although I have a couple of those and I did enjoy them). 

Achiever As an achiever, I love checking things off of my to-do list. I get satisfaction from starting a new day at “0” and getting things done to feel like it has been a good and productive day. This is great at work, because I typically have a very high productivity on “good” days. This strength also extends to home and vacation, though, which can be a nuisance, if we’re being honest. I like getting things done, that’s how I feel most fulfilled, so it’s hard for me to just stop and relax. 

Maximizer This is one of the strengths I was most interested in, because I didn’t have words for it before I took the assessment. Being a maximizer means that I am good at looking at something that’s just okay, finding and using the strengths, then making it the best it can be. I am good at seeing other people’s strengths and helping them to maximize and grow with them so they can be successful.

I typically don’t dwell on weaknesses because I find that most of them can be overcome if you work hard enough on your strengths. 

Empathy Having empathy as a strength means that I am good at seeing things from other people's perspectives - even when I don’t agree. I understand what people are feeling, and I’m good at helping them find words for what they need to say when they need help. This shouldn’t be confused with sympathy, which would mean that I pity people’s predicament. When there’s a sad situation, I definitely do have sympathy, but empathy is something else. I can instinctively see where people are coming from, and so understand their motivation(s).  

Input This was the other strength that was interesting, because once I thought about it, I immediately  knew it was true, but I never thought about it as a strength. As a strength, input means that I collect things I think are interesting and will be helpful later on. I might not know how they will help - yet - but I like knowing things. I have always loved reading, and until recently, I hadn’t considered this a way to add more information to my archives, so to speak. After reading about this, though, it absolutely makes sense! Plus, I also love escaping into new worlds. 

Altogether, my strengths are pretty interesting as a group. It’s very clear to me why I enjoy writing and teaching, and get bored quickly with tasks I learn quickly. My strengths helped me excel in school, and have continued to grow and help me begin a career. 

How would this help me? 

All of this might sound interesting, but too easy. You can’t just take an assessment and know yourself, right? Even if you could, what difference does that make in the big areas like our long-term career and education? Here’s why naming your strengths can be helpful in all aspects of your life: 

Could help you figure out what kind of major or career to pursue. Knowing early in your life what you are naturally good at can make a lot of difference! If you are someone who enjoys learning, like me, going into a career where you can achieve the most right away and then hit a learning plateau will not be a good fit for you. You will get bored because there’s not enough to learn. 

Similarly, you will probably want to pursue a major that requires creativity and critical thinking more so than finding the “right” answer and not applying it to anything. College is unique in the fact that you are learning so much both in and out of the classroom, but you don’t want to choose a major because you think it will be “easy” - your inner learner will not thank you for this.

Could help you figure out how to be happier. How happy are you with your life right now? Have you thought critically about why you feel this way? Many of us aren’t always satisfied with our job or relationship (even though we love our families dearly) and sometimes we get stuck in a rut. If you are not happy (or just stuck in the middle), figuring out what your strengths are could help you. If you are a maximizer, like me, maybe you can use that to build team morale at work. Take on a new project, even if it scares you a little, and work to change it up. If you’re really miserable, revamp your resume, maximizing your skills, and try to find somewhere better. 

At home, maybe your strengths lead you to getting a new hobby or trying out something new with your partner or family. Something that stimulates you and allows you to get out of the rut.

When you aren’t happy, it takes a lot of energy away from other things you could be doing that you will actually enjoy.

Could help you figure out how to be your best self. Who doesn’t want to be their best self? I know I am constantly working to better myself, not just for me, but also for those around me. Knowing what I’m good at has allowed me to figure out what I’m not good at. Being an achiever, I find fulfillment in doing things...like, all the time. I am not good at relaxing or doing a “lazy” day on the weekend. To be clear, it’s not because I don’t want to sometimes! It’s more that I feel my best when I am getting things done. 

My husband, on the other hand, has no problem taking lazy days on the weekend. It used to drive me crazy, but working together, we have been finding a balance between doing some things and relaxing. We’re teaching each other, based on our individual strengths, and that has had an undoubtedly positive effect on my life. 

If I do find out, what do I do with that information?  

This all probably sounds great, but you might still have some doubts. Having words for your strengths is fine...but, to really make it worth your while, you do have to put in some effort. Here are some great, and important, things you can do to leverage your strengths and make the most of your newfound knowledge.

Think about differences in terms of strengths rather than deficiencies. How many of us have, at some point, been critical of another person because they were doing something differently than we would have done it? Only to realize that what they did actually worked and it was fine (maybe even better than we would have done). 

Part of the reason the world is beautiful is because of our differences! Finding your strengths can allow you to adjust your mindset and be conscious of the fact that just because someone is doing something differently doesn’t make it wrong, it’s just different. That person has a different set of strengths that s/he it utilizing to do life, just like you’re doing.

Being aware of that and acting on the awareness can really do wonders for assumptions we make about others.

Adjust your habits to better utilize your strengths. Whatever your strengths are, they are things that should play a prominent role in what you are doing at work, and even at home. When you can see and tangibly know what these strong points are, you can build and adjust habits in your life that will improve your life, and probably feel pretty good to boot!

For example, while it was no surprise to me that learning was my #1 strength, what I was doing at work and at home didn’t really reflect that - or many of the other strengths for that matter. I was able to create more learning opportunities for myself so I wasn’t so bored at my day job, and improve my planning habits because I was maximizing my time and talents.

Have conversations with those around you about your habits (and theirs). When you figure out what your strengths are, it may not be a ground-breaking day for you, although if it is, congratulations! While you make plans to improve your life and adjust your habits, people around you will notice. Hopefully, they will be encouraging, but this might not always be the case (especially if one of your new habits is setting boundaries). 

Obviously, the people around you play an important role in your life, but you can’t let that stop you from doing what you need to do if they don’t react how you expect. To avoid major drama (or to stop it where it stands), have a conversation with those people. Explain that you are making changes, what they are, why you’re doing it, and what you need from them. You might need them to stop performing a negative behavior around you, or maybe you just need to know they are there if you need help. They can be on board, or not, but at least if you have a conversation, you will be at peace that you did what you could to show you value the relationship. 

Finding your strengths can be an enlightening and valuable experience in all aspects of your life. I hope that, if you decide to take the assessment, it gives you as much knowledge and insight as you want/need! Have you already taken it? I’d love to hear about your strengths and how this knowledge has affected your life in the comments below or in an email at rachel@capturingyourconfidence.com!

3 Simple Steps to Translate Academic Speak into Student Confidence

After two long classes about annotated bibliographies, a student gave me the best compliment. 

Some context: we just finished Week #6 in the semester, and at the beginning of the semester, this student was very nervous about English class. English is not her first language, and even though she understands and can communicate, sometimes finding the right words takes her a little longer and is more difficult than for native speakers. 

She told me this week that her coworkers, who always check in to see how class is going, were surprised that she was doing well in English - that I must be a “nice” grader. Now, I won’t say I’m the harshest grader, but I don’t go around handing out points that haven’t been earned. She was proud of herself for doing well, and she is now much more confident in class. She has even been offering verbal answers in class, which is amazing!

The compliment she gave me was that my actions as her instructor had allowed her to become more confident. 

Hearing that my actions have enabled my student to be more confident was a moment of great pride. My teaching philosophy is based heavily in increasing student confidence, so to hear that it’s working (at least for some students) is incredibly gratifying! 

Most of us are very aware of our actions in the classroom, and we do a heck of a lot of planning for class. That doesn’t include the longer-term semester planning, or middle-term project planning. (Probably even more for elementary, middle, & high school.)  We have a whole list of objectives to achieve with these plans, and by gosh, we want students to get it! 

The trouble is, sometimes students don’t understand why we are doing activities or projects. They see the objectives listed on the syllabus and project handouts, but the words don’t mean anything particularly helpful. In fact, when I introduce a project, I don’t even read the objectives, although they are listed. I discuss the project in terms of goals and reasoning - things that students are more familiar with. 

There are a few barriers for students in terms of understanding “academic speak”. They are things students need to be aware of, but that, for one reason or another, don’t compute.  

Academic Discourse I introduced this idea to my students this week. The short reading I gave them defined academic discourse simply as “how scholars - or academics, as they are sometimes called - speak & write.” For those of us familiar with the university setting, we are pretty good at speaking “academic.” 

The vocabulary and concepts are familiar to us because we have learned it, and in English, we teach students how to join the discourse. But, this is often a brand new idea for students, and it is scary! It means a lot of big words instructors and professors know that they don’t. They often don’t feel qualified to join academic discourse, and even worse, sometimes they don’t feel smart enough. 

Objectives If you’ve been in the professional world, or in the classroom as a teacher, objectives are a regular part of those worlds. As teachers, we see them and can usually visualize what that means for the semester. It gets easier the more times you’ve seen them, but even during schooling to become a teacher we learn how to translate these ideas into actions.

Our students haven’t developed this auto-translate function for objectives. I know I hadn’t as a student. Students look at objectives and see words - maybe some buzzwords or keywords they’ve seen before - but they don’t necessarily put that together with what projects or class activities they complete for class. While that doesn’t seem like a big deal, it means that students who don’t understand objectives are just doing work because we tell them to. This does not encourage them to produce their best work. 

Level of Language Sometimes the problem isn’t what we’re asking students to do, or how we want them to do it, but how we tell them. As academics, we can typically jump in and out of academic discourse with ease. We have learned how to adapt our language to different audiences because different people need different types of communication. We also expect other academics will be familiar with the etiquette of discourse, and so will understand the intricacies of what we’re saying.

In first year composition we work on building audience awareness and using more formal language, but if a student has never thought about audience before, it can be a hard concept. The same goes for academic and formal language. Students are typically okay with having a conversation, but like anyone else learning brand new information, sometimes hesitate when teachers use the new level of language or tell them to use the new level of language to write something. 

As a teacher, these barriers can be a big struggle in the classroom!

Sometimes it feels like students don’t understand, no matter what you do or how you explain. We’ve all been there: you’ve explained the concept in as many ways as you can think of, and the student still doesn’t understand. Or, the student says they understand, but then when they explain back to you, their understanding is incorrect. 

The good news is that there are some relatively simple ways you can increase understanding of academic speak in the classroom. 

Introduce the idea of academic discourse early & help students find their voice. There seems to be a spectrum of students: on one end, a student could be incredibly confident and ready to add their opinion to any conversation. On the other end, a student might feel utterly intimidated by the idea of joining academic conversations with experts. 

My students this semester have expressed fear over vocabulary (that they want to use better vocab), so we talked about how everyone has a different voice. Not all academic papers use complicated language with long sentences - even scholars don’t always use eloquent language. Sometimes it’s better (and easier) to have a clear message with simple language. 

Helping students find their voice, that they can use with confidence, is critical, because if they don’t find it they won’t ever join the conversation. If you help them early on in the semester, and lead them through the semester with steps on how to join the conversation, it will be less scary when it’s their turn.

Translate objectives into goals & actions. Students don’t do their best work if they don’t know what the end goal is and why we do what we do. They just don’t. Because at that point, they’re just following instructions, not learning something valuable. 

One way to avoid this barrier is to break down the class & project objectives into goals and actions you (and the students) will take to achieve the objective. For example, one of the objectives of my Writing Composition class is “Recognize and develop styles appropriate to varied writing situations.” Rather than just telling them this objective when I introduce the research paper, I review what we’ve done so far. 

We did a summary response first, which was more personal and analyzed a text. Then, we did an annotated bibliography, which is largely about following instructions and collecting research - much less about reactions and opinions. 

They’ve done those two types of writing situations already, and for their paper, we will learn about the researched argument essay style by focusing on things like thesis statements, introductions & conclusions, and supporting ideas with evidence. In class we will practice each part of the style, and at the end when they write a successful paper, they will have achieved the objective. I always connect what we’ve done to what we’re doing, and then to where they might see these things outside of my class.

Conscientiously adjust your language & examples use to meet class needs. This is interesting, because sometimes when we use language and examples in class we think we’re being very clear but then look out to a sea of blank faces. This semester, almost half of my students are English as a second language learners, meaning that some examples and pop culture references I’ve used before completely miss the mark. 

As we’ve gone through the semester, I have continuously monitored the words I use to explain concepts, and the outside or recent real-life examples. Sometimes the words I use and think of as common are still unfamiliar, so we take the time to talk about it in another way that is more familiar. One of the beautiful things about teaching is the diversity, especially since every class is different. Sometimes even from day to day! 

We have to be alert to what our classes will understand with both words and examples. This is a constant learning experience, even for those who have been teaching for years! You never know what level of understanding your students will bring to the classroom, and you have to be able to use that academic-translate skill to make material accessible.

So what does this have to do with confidence? 

When students find their voice and use it successfully, they become more confident to try (or try again) - sometimes taking more risk with a higher reward. 

When students know you are actively listening as an advocate, they feel more comfortable taking a risk and trying, even when they are still a little unsure.

When you create transparency, you open the classroom to dialogue and safe conversation. Students respond well because they become a more active part of their learning experience, and they realize they can be successful when they take some ownership.

When students understand the objectives & goals, they are more confident in their ability to complete the tasks/projects successfully.

None of these actions are overnight fixes.

Sometimes students resist or it seems like they are firmly planted in their comfort zones with no plans to leave. Sometimes you try these ideas and they just fall flat. 

But, in the long run, these are successful strategies. I use them in my classroom and fine-tune them each semester. Typically, students respond very well, and the strategies work. That’s why, when my student told me she has become more confident, even in the 6 weeks of class we’ve had this semester, I knew I had to write about it. 

Everyone, students and teachers, should have the opportunity to feel this good about what we do in class. Making academic speak more accessible to students creates and hones student confidence, which is a game-changer. 

What have you experienced with academic objectives and language use in your classrooms? Have you gotten stuck? Had a really great experience? I’d love to hear about it! Send me an email at rachel@capturingyourconfidence.com or drop a comment below. 

How to Write When You Have No Idea Where to Start

UPDATED AUGUST 2020

Have you ever had a great idea for a story/book/writing project, but didn’t know where to start? Or wanted to write but didn’t seem to have any ideas...at all? 

Welcome to the writers club!

Welcome to the writers club!

The desire to write runs strong for a lot of us, and yet, many never live out that dream. Sometimes it’s because life gets busy with significant others, kids, work, and other activities. Sometimes, though, it’s purely because we just don’t know where to start. 

The good news is, even if you don’t have any “good” ideas, you can still write! You don’t need to have an “aha!” moment or a wild inspiration to get going.

What do you do if you have no ideas? 

As much as it seems like prolific writers have an abundance of ideas, not all writing is “inspired.” If you’re fresh out of brilliant ideas, try writing one of these scenarios. Paint the clearest and most concise picture you can. Act as if you were living or reliving the moment. If you need to separate yourself from the experience (because you can’t picture it), write the scene without names using he/she/they or with aliases. 

Tell the story of a supremely happy memory.

Set the scene:

• What happened immediately before the moment?

• What happened in the moment?

• Who was involved in the moment?

• What made the memory so happy?

• What makes this memory so special that it has become your favorite?

Tell the story of a funny situation.

Set the scene:

• What happened immediately before the moment?

• What happened in the moment?

• Why was it so funny?

• What kind of funny was it (Embarrassing, cute, corny, etc.)?

• What was so memorable about the moment? 

Tell the story of a hard situation.

Set the scene:

• What happened immediately before the moment?

• What happened in the moment?

• Was the situation hard mentally, physically, emotionally, or a mixture of everything?

• Who else, if anyone, was involved in the situation?

• What was the outcome?

• How did you overcome?

Tell the story of a crazy dream you had recently.

Write down all the details you can remember about your dream:

• Who was there?

• What they were doing?

• Why they were doing it?

• What did the surroundings look like?

• Was it realistic or fantastic?

• Did it end or was it just a small piece of a bigger dream you don’t remember?

• If it was part of a bigger dream, how would you like it to have ended?

Describe your favorite person.

We all have someone we love(d) dearly, so take some time to appreciate their quirks and things you love about them.

• What do they look like?

• What do they wear?

• How do they act around others? Around you?

• What do they love to do for fun? For work?

• How do they feel about topics important to you? (Such as pets, families, etc.)

• What’s your favorite part about them as a person?

Let yourself think and write freely.

Describe the most meaningful act someone has done for you.

Has someone unexpectedly done a service for you or given you a heartfelt compliment?

Perhaps someone gave you an amazing gift or went out of their way to see you when you were sad.

Describe the time when someone did something meaningful for you.

• What was the act?

• Why was it so meaningful?

• Why did the person do this for you?

• What is your relationship with the person?

• What was your reaction? 

Describe the worst day you’ve ever had.

Everyone has had a “worst day” (sometimes more than one).

Perhaps someone you love passed away, or a long-term relationship became irreparably broken.

Find it in your heart to think about that day.

• What happened from the moment you woke up to the moment the day ended?

• Which parts were particularly harrowing?

• How were the events of your day related?

• How did you feel when you woke up versus when you laid down to sleep at the end of the day?

Describe a day in your dream life.

If money was not a factor in your dream life (assume you have plenty), what would it be like?

Thinking about an ideal day:

• When would you wake up?

• What would you do throughout the day?

• What job would you be doing (or not doing)?

• What adventures would you go on? Who would be by your side?

• Why is this your dream? 

Thinking about your life in moments rather than as a whole is helpful because when we’re thinking about characters, we don’t try to write their lives all at once. Sure, we probably have growth in mind of where they came from and where they’re going, but when you’re in the middle of writing, you probably don’t stop to think, “Wow, John Doe’s life is boring. He doesn’t have any experiences that anyone wants to read about.” You probably don’t want to read a book like that either!

What if absolutely nothing interesting happens in my life and I can’t use that as a starting place?

You might be asking: What if absolutely nothing interesting happens in my life and I can’t use that as a starting place?

First, I promise your life is not that boring! Words are powerful, and when used well, can bring almost any scenario to life. It can be hard to work through this, though, if you are stuck in a rut.

If you have a (self-proclaimed) insufferably boring life, try writing one of these scenarios instead: 

Tell the story of the object closest to you.  

Choose an object around you and think about where it came from.

• What is its function?

• If this object had human characteristics, what would they be? 

Right now, there are approximately 20 Post-It notes (or more) stuck up all over my desk and computer. Everything has a story, and these sticky notes are no different! They were “born” in a factory, packaged nice and orderly, and shipped out all over the world. This pack happened to land here in Indiana, and now has a semi-comfortable life in my top desk drawer.

Tell the story of an everyday hero.

Choose someone who does good in their community and tell their story. It doesn’t have to be someone you know personally. If you don’t know too much, imagine what their life might be like.

If you want to get extra creative, you could even imagine them like an undercover superhero.

• What is their superpower?

• What is their weakness?

Think about people you admire who are role models. Who work hard and literally, or figuratively, saves lives.

For instance, maybe it’s the nurse who took amazing care of your child when s/he had an accident and needed stitches. Or the IT guy you called in a panic because you accidentally downloaded a virus and he managed to save all 8,000 of your documents (that were not backed up anywhere).

Tell the story of a dastardly villain who commits ridiculous crimes.

What is the silliest or most ridiculous crime you can think of?

Got it?

Now, think about the villain who commits this crime.

• What does s/he do? Why does s/he commit the crime?

• What are the effects?

• How do people react to the crimes?

For example, a vandal who is drawing mustaches on all of the upper management’s very expensive oil paintings in the formal workplace.

Have fun with it! 

Describe a day in your own life through your neighbor’s eyes.

Imagine you are your neighbor.

• What parts of your day do they see?

• Do they see or hear your morning routine?

• Do they see when you get home or what your pet does during the day?

• Are they a conspiracy theorist who has a far-fetched impression of your actually quite normal life? 

If you don’t know your neighbors very well (we don’t all have a Homer Simpson/Ned Flanders relationship with the people in our neighborhood), image what they might think.

If you don’t have neighbors, pretend just for a little while you do - what would they think of your life?

Describe a day in your own life through your pet’s eyes.

Imagine you are your pet.

• How do you see yourself from your dog’s eyes?

• What do you think as your human does their morning routine and only gives you absentminded pets?

• Do you love your human unconditionally?

• Or get annoyed they are taking too long to feed you?

I use dog as an example, but if you have a cat, a guinea pig, or even a fish, you could imagine it through that perspective, too. 

Describe a day in your own life through your cell phone’s screen.

Consider what your phone might think, if it had human characteristics.

• Are you glued to your phone 24/7?

• Would it be needy & clingy if you put it down to go out with your family for the evening?

• If you don’t use your phone very much, would it be lonely & longing for attention?

• If you have an older model phone, would it be grumpy and complain when you use it?

• Would it be judging you for your Google searches or the number of texts you sent asking your mom for advice? 

We are inundated with information all the time, so it’s easy to overlook or just plain forget to look at our lives from a different view sometimes.

We are inundated with information all the time, so it’s easy to overlook or just plain forget to look at our lives from a different view sometimes. It’s all about perspective.

These ideas are fun and engaging, and will also help you get a different perspective on your life. Getting out of our own head can be a great key in unlocking our potential when are figuring out how to write when we have no idea where to start.

On the other hand, some writers are blessed with great ideas that seem to never end. The trouble then begins when we sit down to physically write or type, and stare at the blank page for what seems like hours. We might type or write a bunch of titles and delete them because they are terrible. Or maybe they’re not terrible, but they don’t meet the expectations we’ve set up in our minds. 

What’s a writer to do when they have brilliant ideas but too many places (or nowhere) to start?

What’s a writer to do when they have brilliant ideas but too many places (or nowhere) to start?

6 Easy Tricks for How to Start Writing Now

Write a filler sentence or phrase.

You can put any words on the page in whatever order you want. They don’t even have to make sense.

As long as you put words on the page, you’re no longer staring at blank white space.

My personal favorite is “BLAH BLAH BLAH INTRO.” That little fluff line got me through all my grad school papers.

Type or write “Untitled” at the top of the page and have a conversation with your main character about themselves.

Typing Untitled allows you to table the title (for now) and move along. Then, pretend to interview your main character.

Ask them things like “Tell me about yourself” & “Where do you see yourself in 5 years.”

After you pose the question, answer in your character’s voice. 

Describe the most exciting thing about your idea.

What’s the part that gets you most excited about your new idea?

Write it down on the page!

• Is it the characters?

• The setting?

• The bad guy/gal?

Write down the exciting part(s), and then write down why it excites you.  

Describe the setting in your idea.

You have this great idea, and it has to happen somewhere, right?

Write down all the details you’ve thought of about the world where this idea takes place.

Include things like:

• Landscape

• Buildings

• Climate

Anything that helps make this world real for you so you can picture it in your mind.

Describe the main character & profile them.

Maybe you didn’t have an idea about a place, but a person.

Write down everything you know about that person so far.

• What does s/he look like?

• Act like?

• Feel like?

• Also write down the things you don’t know yet.

If you’re not ready to write about what s/he is doing, create a character profile for her/him. For my novel, I used this really cool template from Reedsy to help me begin to figure out the details. 

Write the first thing that comes to mind when you think about your idea.

If your idea is still kind of hazy, clear your mind, and then come back to the idea with fresh eyes.

Write down the first thing that comes to mind when you think about it.

Once you have that, analyze it.

What else do you need to know for this to be a scene or a realistic picture of your idea? 

Not knowing where or how to start writing happens all the time. Every semester, without fail, I see the moment when at least one student gets excited about an idea, which then kind of fizzles out when they realize they have to actually write about it. I always tell them that for a lot of people, starting is the hardest part. Myself included! Hence my BLAH BLAH BLAH INTRO trick - works every time! 

Every piece of writing starts somewhere, even if it’s not what you thought it would be when you first had the idea. You will eventually go back and revise and edit anyway, so you might as well get the idea out onto the page! 

Writing is hard work. It doesn’t matter if you’re brand new or if you’ve been doing it for years. It’s a skill, and hopefully if you want to write, it’s a passion. Remember, starting is the hardest part. 

If you have a passion for your writing project, and you have put words to paper, you have overcome the obstacle that stops a lot of people from writing at all. Take that passion and run with it. Be excited about it! You’ll enjoy where it takes you. 

Have you had an experience where you’ve been stuck on your writing? Where you didn’t feel so great about an idea? Email me at rachel@capturingyourconfidence.com or drop a comment below. I’m always curious to hear about the experiences of fellow writers! 

Next Steps

If you’ve been “stuck” or in a rut with your writing before, you know the frustration of not knowing what to do to start again - or start at all. The next time you have a hard time with how to start writing, try using these prompts & remember that starting is often the hardest part of writing!

So what do you do with this information going forward? There are several simple steps you can take. Notice I didn’t say “easy” - starting and working on a piece of writing isn’t necessarily easy, but it IS worth it.

1. Decide you will write, even if you’re not inspired…Yet.

Do you want to start with one of the prompts above? Or maybe you’ve been inspired to use one of the techniques to get going in your own way? Make the conscious decision that you will write, and then stick to it. Remember, you can always change your writing later, but not if there’s nothing there to work with.

2. Find someone to be accountable with.

Sometimes what we need to make progress is someone to talk through our ideas with, and someone who will help us stay accountable for making progress.

Whether you go with a trusted friend or a professional, make sure that whoever you want to work with will be a) honest and b) tell you what you need to hear, even if it’s not what you want to hear. This generally means try to find another writer. 

If you are interested in working with me, I offer 1:1 accountability sessions for just this reason. A lot of writers don’t have other writers in their life to do this with, at least not friends who they are close enough with to feel comfortable working with in this way. 

I’ve been a writer and writing teacher for years, and I’ve seen almost everything in writing. I’m always going to be honest, but I will always be kind about it. If this sounds like something you want to investigate more, click here to read more about some of the services I offer along with accountability. 

3. Sit down & write

Once you’ve decided you’re going to write, and you’ve found someone to be accountable with, sit down and do the damn writing! Pick one of the prompts above and just go to town. Let yourself feel the words & know that nothing needs to be perfect.

My challenge to you is to sit down within the next week (accountability partner or not) and write. You can set a timer if you like, but make sure to put words on the page.

Have you struggled with how to write in the past? Or where to start? I’d love to hear about your experiences! Find me on social media, drop a comment below, or email me at rachel@capturingyourconfidence.com! 

Let’s chat because you, my friend, are on your way to great writing. 

The Journey Matters

Have you ever woken up one day, looked at your life, and asked yourself, “How the heck did I get here?” Or possibly “What am I doing with my life?”  I know I have! (You don’t need to mention how often this happens - for some of us, it’s frequent.)

Sometimes we get so caught up in trying to achieve our future goals or dwelling on where we came from that we miss the middle period. We conveniently “forget” or gloss over that period when we were working our butts off because when we get to a goal, we’ve made it! Right? 

The problem is that the middle period is most of our time. Seriously. We have a handful of goals, some big and some small, but the reality is that we don’t meet a major goal every single day of our lives. That would be exhausting! And unrealistic. 

Our big goals and dreams take time, work, and effort. When we achieve a major goals, it’s so monumental that all we want to do, at least initially, is celebrate our arrival. That’s what gives us the “ability” to gloss over all the middle work. 

The middle is critical, though.

This is true not just because it’s the biggest part of our lives, but also because it’s where we learn and grow. It’s where we fail, fall flat on our face, and get back up and start again. It’s the unexpected delights and overlooked barriers. Most of all, it’s a journey, and the journey matters. 

I’ve been contemplating my journey a lot lately, as I had one of those “How did I get here?” moments the other day. I arrived on campus to teach my evening classes and before going to the classroom, I went to the vending machine. After deciding not to pay $1.25 for a snack bag of chips, I was walking - will all of my stuff - back to the classroom and I was at ease. 

I saw a couple of students bolt into the classroom, eyes glued to their phones. As I set up and unloaded all of my materials, I thought about how, not long ago, I was that student walking into night class.

I went into the classroom, began writing peer review rules on the board, and thought about how much I disliked peer review as a student. It was surreal how much everything had changed in less than 5 years. 

This isn’t the first time I’ve thought about my journey, and it certainly won’t be the last. But, it made me stop to consider where I’ve been and what I want in the future. Having recently started pursuing my lifelong dream of being a writer “when I grow up,” the journey has become much more obvious in my life. 

Are you where you thought you would be when you were young? If not, where did your journey lead you? If you are, is it everything you dreamed of? 

I certainly couldn’t have pictured where I am right now 5 years ago! 

The first time I remember intentionally doing critical thinking about my journey was during graduate school. I was at a graduate conference in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, giving a paper about a super cool mosaic novel, 12 Collections & The Teashop by Zoran Zivkovic. (You can read more about it in my recommended reads blog!). 

The closing activity of the conference was for each individual to choose a 3 word phrase that represented one of the guiding principles of their lives. At the end, we all took a picture together that made a mosaic.

Everyone else seemed to be thinking about their phrases with ease. Meanwhile, I was stumped. I was surrounded by some of the smartest people I’d ever met, most of them pursuing PhD degrees, and they seemed to know what they were all about. 

Up to that point, I thought I had a long term plan for my career, but right around that time, new knowledge had made me reconsider everything. I was lost, and I didn’t know where the future was going to lead (besides out of school - I was seriously burned out). In that moment, I figured out my phrase: 

“The Journey Matters”

You can see my piece of the mosaic pictured here. I still have it, and even though it’s not displayed, I think of it often. 

Once I considered that my life was a journey and not a goal (or a race), life changed! Many times since then, I’ve looked back fondly at that day and wished it had come sooner. Everything in its own time, though, right? 

I am so very thankful that I was able to live that moment. Of course, living for the journey is a work in progress. That’s part of being human. But I try to take time every day to notice what’s right and beautiful in the world, even on the days when I’m inundated with stress and bad news. I even have a series of sunrise pictures taken on my way to work. They’re quite lovely, and I enjoy flipping through the different seasons. 

I’m also profoundly grateful for the opportunities I had during grad school. There seems to be an ongoing debate about whether grad school is worth the time and money, and I believe it is, 100%. 

It’s not for everyone, but these are some of the (important) ways I grew during grad school: 

• Learned how to be a full-fledged adult

• Learned how to (effectively) manage time

• Learned to prioritize, plan, and organize

• Learned how to and did networking! (This is probably one of the most important things any adult can learn.)

• Was offered and took professional opportunities that helped me get a job after I graduated. I taught, was a teaching assistant, and was a research assistant. (Not all at the same time.)

• Learned to think critically and in new ways.

• Learned to persevere when everything seems like it’s too much.

• Learned to lean on my support network for help.

• Learned to admit that sometimes I need help because I’m only one person.

• Learned a butt load about English & how to teach it to students.

This isn’t a comprehensive list, of course, but as you’ll probably notice, most of the growth was learning. I did learn in class (a lot! About things I love!), but most of the growth I experienced, especially the pieces I still use regularly today, were as a person. 

I needed this part of my journey to become a successful me in the present day. If I hadn’t had the moment of realizing that the journey is so gosh dang important, I might have missed how much I really have grown, for the better, since college. Let alone high school. 

The next time you find yourself wondering how you got where you are today or where you are supposed to be going, look at your journey. Think about those “aha” moments in your own life. You know, the ones where it was like a light bulb came on in your mind and it was like you were able to see things clearly for the first time. 

Many of us are goal-driven people. We are achievers who like to check off boxes and feel like we’ve accomplished what we set out to do. We have to purposefully stop and make time to remember, though, that life isn’t always about the check boxes. It’s so much more. We just have to make the choice to look around us and see it. 

How do you think about your journey? What are some of your aha moments that have changed your life? I’d love to hear about them! Drop me a comment or email me at rachel@capturingyourconfidence.com. 

Book vs. Movie: An Epic Unwinnable Battle

Let’s face it, we’ve all heard at least one version of a book versus movie battle. Surprisingly, most seem to conclude that the book is always better. Despite the fact that we’re constantly surrounded by media. It’s fascinating! 

This indicates that, despite the seeming decline in print media in favor of digital, we still highly value our creative words. Not only that, but a lot of people prefer the book. It’s remarkable, really, when you consider that our average attention span in 2019 is only 8 seconds - less than a goldfish! 

Clearly we have “battle” lines between the book and movie adaptation, but what are they? 

Detail

Many of our long-loved favorites are quite lengthy and include numerous details about everything from characters to setting. As readers, we devour these details because it allows us to paint a mental image of what’s going on with the characters in their own world. This is especially true within the Sci/Fi & Fantasy genres that can be epic in proportions. 

Depth

There’s something about words that, when done correctly, describe things in a way nothing else quite can. When you read a good book, you feel like you know the characters. Their tragedy becomes yours, and their anger is well-deserved toward that jerk of an antagonist because you hate that guy/girl, too. Books create new worlds or simulate a world very similar to our own that we can live in for a little bit. We gain a deep understanding (we feel) about the people, places, and events that occur.

Character Development

Who here has had a book crush? How about a book best friend? I’ve had both, and I’ll bet most book enthusiasts have, too. No shame here! That’s a telltale sign of a great book, right? How we relate to and understand characters has an enormous impact on whether we enjoy or appreciate a book. In order to relate to, or be distant from, characters, they have to be thoroughly developed first, though. 

Attempt at concept recreation

A book sets the standard for its movie. If a movie is based on a book, the book came first, which means any important concepts and themes must be represented in the movie. Otherwise, it shouldn’t be “based on the novel.” A film must not only make an attempt at representing important ideas, characters, and moments, but it needs to do it well to succeed. 

The battle lines are drawn and defined. The battle commences! Why the book “always” wins.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “the devil is in the details”? Well, 400 pages (or more) of book can pack a heck of a lot of details into one story. Some series have multiple 400+ page books. How on earth could a 2 hour movie represent all 400+ pages of details for your viewing pleasure?

It couldn’t! Filmmakers have to make decisions about what’s important, and sometimes we viewers just don’t agree, even when the movie ends up being 3+ hours long! The effort is there, but sometimes it just misses for us. 

Do you ever really feel like you know a movie character? Or that you’re in the movie with them? Meh, maybe on a rare occasion. But an average length movie doesn’t typically offer the kind of depth a book can.

You can easily lose yourself in a well-written book, but it’s a little harder to lose yourself in a movie when everyone else is watching the movie right next to you. There’s also the issue of casting. Are the actresses & actors able to effectively create the world you imagined?

Casting also plays a role in how well you connect (or don’t connect) to your beloved book characters. If an actor doesn’t create enough character development or decides to take some creative license, your book crush will probably not become a movie crush. Likewise, when you were reading the book, you developed an image in your head of each character, and if something doesn’t match with the film characters? Well, you might not like that very much.

Probably the biggest reason people tend to favor the book over the movie is because a lot of movies swing and miss at their attempt to recreate the main concepts from the book. Reading is a pretty personal endeavor, and there are always going to be “easy” themes that translate for most people. Those are obvious choices to be included in movies.

The harder part is finding the less obvious, nuanced ideas. Because we interpret these nuances differently, sometimes films skip things we feel are really important. Or, they add things that seem trivial. These areas are definitely where our differences show. Filmmakers also have to consider how to create these ideas. Even if it was a critical theme in the book, they have to find a way to represent that visually, which can be hard for complicated ideas.

It’s true, it seems as though books have the edge. BUT, can we really compare a book to a movie? I don’t think so. Here’s why. 

Different expectations 

The reality of trying to compare a book to a movie is that we don’t really have the same expectations. A book might be entertaining, but often it’s more than that. It’s an escape, a new world to explore, a haven where we can get away from our life for a little bit and think about things we don’t know. A good book can literally be a walk in someone else’s shoes. 

We don’t expect that of a movie, though. We go to a movie to be entertained. Sure, it might be an escape, but the fact of the matter is, you’re still in the theatre with other people who may or may not be munching crunchy foods and kicking your seat. If you’re lucky, they’ve silenced and put away the cell phone that will momentarily blind you if you look right at it on accident. Life is still right there, and a movie is more about living and doing something fun than being fully immersed.  

Different medium

We can’t compare apples to apples with a book and movie because they’re different mediums. It’s more like comparing an apple to an orange - similar aspects, but not the same. You can hold a book in your hand, read it in private, feel those feelings by yourself and enjoy (or weep at) them. You can read a physical book and turn the pages, or you can read an ebook on a screen. Most of all, books are word-based.

Movies, on the other hand, are a little different. You can only watch a movie on a screen, whether that’s a TV, tablet, phone, etc. (there are more and more screen options by the year it feels like). You can’t mark your place where you left off, although some media players will remember, most will not. It’s all about the visuals: setting the scene, character portrayal by a real person, emotion through audio and visual together. 

Different experience

Have you ever finished a book or finally put it down after a long time reading and felt disoriented? Like you were a little confused where you were and what time it was? That’s called a book hangover. Or at least that’s what I call it. If you read a book and get a book hangover, it’s obviously good, right? It has captured your attention so much that you have literally forgotten what’s around you in the real world. 

But do you get a movie hangover? Probably not. Maybe in a few select circumstances, but that’s not the norm, right? You are aware that you’ve been sitting there for 2 hours because your butt is numb or sore and you’ve run out of drink. You might be feeling hungry or tired, but you are definitely aware of yourself and your surroundings. You might love the movie! Great casting, acting, costumes, etc. But it’s not the same as getting lost in a book. They’re different experiences, and that’s okay! They’re meant to do different things. 

Am I suggesting a movie can be just as good as a book? I absolutely am! 

TheLord of the Rings: A Brief Case Study

I absolutely love TheLord of the Rings...films. That’s right, the films. I’m even watching one right now. 

I saw The Fellowship of the Ring first, and immediately decided to read the book. I picked it up from the library, giddy with excitement. Of course I would like the book if I liked the movie so much. 

Wrong. 

I couldn’t even get through the first chapter. The description is simply too much for me. There’s so much written on the page that it leaves no room for me to imagine the world. Which is crazy! Because it’s an exciting world with wizards and dragons and elves. 

Which is why I love the movies: they create a visual for me with a ton of intricate details (J.R.R. Tolkien invented 20+languages for this series, guys. It’s really incredible.) in a subtle way. The actors and actresses embody the characters well, and overall, the visual effect is just pleasing and exciting. But the movies don’t beat me over the head by describing every tiny detail of every single thing like the book does.

The Moral of the Story

The “battle” will always be present between books and movies, because we love them both. As a group, we love entertainment and we love getting swept away in a good book - there’s no doubt about it! And our love of stories is continuing to become more widespread as technology makes it possible for almost anyone to write, self-publish, and share their words on the internet. 

Movies get a bad reputation for trying to represent books. But, look. We don’t really expect them to replace the book, do we? It’s not the same and we all know it (even if you aren’t ready to admit it). So why do we keep comparing two things we know are not the same? 

We shouldn’t! We can enjoy both books and movies for their unique pleasures. Don’t like the book? Maybe the movie will be better. Movie was great? Doesn’t guarantee the book won’t be boring. 

Next time, before you compare, think about how the book and movie pair together. How do they compliment each other? How are they different? And why do you think that is? 

Fellow book AND movie lovers: I’d love to hear from you! This is a hot debate and can get rather heated sometimes, so let’s talk about it! Email me at rachel@capturingyourconfidence.com or leave a comment below and tell me about your book/movie experiences.

6 Strategies to Ease Student Fears in Your Classroom

If you’ve ever taught at any level, you’ve probably seen the look. You know, the one when you announce that a project or a test is worth a significant part of the class grade. Students get stiff in their seats and stop moving around. Their eyes widen slightly and their jaw might drop a little. You can see the panic in their eyes as they immediately start trying to figure out what to do before the assignment to boost their grade enough to allow wiggle room, or worse, failure. 

The look is especially obvious if you then say the assignment has a “final” grade: no revisions, no redos, no other opportunities to fix it, should they mess up. Can you picture the look? Not just on a student you’ve taught, but in general. Sometimes the group dynamic even shifts as everyone gets tense. 

I see that look every semester, without fail. English, along with math and the sciences, get a bad reputation for being “scary” subjects. They’re subjects that people, even those who aren’t in school, are very quick to say “Oh, I’m bad at that” or “I’m really good at that.” 

They get pitted against each other, as if someone who is good at English can’t be good at math or science. Or, someone who excels at math can’t be good at English. The worst part is the assumption that if someone is good at math or science, they don’t like English or that someone who has always loved English can’t also like the black and white nature of math. I teach English Composition at the college level, but as a student, I saw the look of fear in my peers in other classes, too. 

So what the heck is happening that our students are so scared when they come to class?

Student worries:

They’ve never been to this kind of class (or any type of class). 

They don’t know anyone in class, and they’ve never met the teacher. 

They’ve had bad experiences in other classes. 

They’ve been told what they were doing for class wasn’t good enough. 

They’ve gotten feedback they don’t understand.

They learn more slowly or differently than their peers and might fall or get left behind. 

They haven’t figured out how to learn & study effectively.

They feel like they should already know what to do even when they don’t. 

They’re taking classes in a non-native language. 

They’re afraid the teacher will think less of them because of the work they submit. 

They don’t know where or how to get help besides asking the teacher they just met and don’t know very well. 

They think the teacher wants them to be exactly like the teacher.

These are just some of the thoughts I have encountered during my teaching career, but the list goes on and on. Typically, students have more than one of these fears, too. It’s not just that they don’t know how to study for tests & papers or that they got feedback in their other English class they don’t understand.

It’s both of these, plus the fact that they didn’t feel comfortable with the instructor. Or, it’s both of these, plus the fact that this is only their second class in college and they’re still trying to figure out what to do and how to behave.

It’s no wonder they’re afraid!

Think back to when you first went to college. What were you afraid of? Chances are, your students have those same fears - maybe even some you didn’t have because expectations and technology have changed since then. 

Not all students are afraid. In fact, sometimes it’s quite the opposite. There are always students who have had great experiences before and are very confident in themselves. (Sometimes too confident for the work they produce.)

I tend to worry less about these students because they will keep producing work. I give them a healthy number of comments, and constructive criticism (very kindly, of course) where they need it; but, I find most often that these students don’t need extra attention and a lot of times don’t want it. At least not in the same way a fearful student needs attention. 

What can we do to help the students who are afraid? 

Be transparent.

Have you ever been in a situation where you were expected to complete a task but didn’t know why or what the goal was? But you certainly had to complete it in a timely manner, and to the best of your ability. That’s how students feel when teachers aren’t transparent. 

Laying out the goals and expectations up front, as well as how you are going to help them meet those, is extremely important. If students know what they point is, they can at least figure it out in their own minds or ask for clarification. They can’t possibly do their best work if they don’t know what they are expected to be doing. 

Be a vulnerable human.

Think back to your favorite and most memorable instructors. Were they people who had all the answers but were as dry as toast in class? Or were they people who you recognized as someone who knew stuff, but was still a person with a normal life? Maybe they had the best (worst?) “dad jokes” or a pet that always made an appearance in class conversation. 

More than likely, the people you remember are more people-y than toast-y, right? This is because when we share pieces of ourselves with our students, we become more of a real person than a “teacher” label. I’m definitely not advocating for a tell-all gossip session with your students, but if your student is terrified to ask a question, who do you think they will go to first? A toast teacher or a person who happens to be their teacher? 

If you aren’t really a “sharer”, this could be a little more difficult to work on. When I first started teaching, this was a lot harder because I felt I had to spend more time establishing myself as an authority rather than working on building human connections. Turns out, most of the time being a human is more important than being an authority figure.

Be empathetic.

When a student comes to you with a problem, sometimes completely unrelated to class, how do you react? What’s your instinct? Is your first reaction to think about your student’s performance in your class? I would guess not, although that might occur to you not too long after the initial thoughts. 

I had a student lose her home during the semester one time. I can’t imagine, and I hope I’m never in a position where I fully understand that kind of fear. The best I could do was to be empathetic and point her toward resources who could help. I also worked with her on being flexible for my class. Nonetheless, I am glad that she was comfortable enough to share so I could at least try to help. 

Even in less extreme instances, it’s important to be empathetic toward our students. We only know what they share with us, if they share at all. Even then it’s only part of the story.

Encourage students verbally & in writing.

When was the last time someone gave you a compliment? Or told you they believe in you? I hope you can remember! If not, it’s been too long. The good news is that I believe in you. No hesitations. Whatever you’re struggling with right now will pass, and you are doing great. 

It took me about 10 seconds to type that out to a largely unknown group of readers. Again, no hesitations. So why would I skip that with my students? It helps so much - more than you realize. This week I told my students I would never comment that their paper is bad or even insinuate it. I repeated it a couple of times, just to make sure they heard it. The relief I saw throughout the classroom was unbelievable. It was physical. I could see it.

Taking the time in class and in written feedback to tell your students you believe in them can be life-changing. You might be the first or only teacher who has stopped to do so. Even when the paper isn’t the best work a student can produce, it’s still worth finding something to compliment on. I’ve never found a paper where I couldn’t find one nice thing to say, even when almost every other comment focuses on areas the student needs to improve. 

Consider how you build your assignments & classwork.

Do you work through a process or focus on getting a task done in one sitting? What do you expect from your students as they go through your classes?

As teachers, we have enjoyed learning enough to get through school and share our ideas with our students. I’m not sure I’ve met a teacher who doesn’t like to learn. But this isn’t always the case for our students. Sometimes learning in class can be really hard for them. So, when we write assignments and make a plan for the semester, we should consider students who don’t learn, or like learning, the same way we do. 

There will almost always be requirements and expectations above the level you are able to change. How you express and prepare your students for these expectations, though, is largely at your discretion, at least in college. Building time and space for practice and “messing up” is extremely beneficial, and will certainly help students who are afraid to find their footing before the bigger projects or assignments. 

Put yourself in their shoes before you respond to questions & assignments.

If you’re teaching students at the college level, you went to college and successfully graduated. And then did grad school. Maybe you also got licensed to teach younger students, or maybe, like me, you stuck with teaching adults. Either way, you have completed a significant amount of formal learning. For some of us, it hasn’t been so long since we were students. For others, college was a little farther in our past. 

Either way, you started where your students are right now. You might have had very similar experiences, or maybe they were quite different. Before you give students feedback, consider their circumstances right now. Do they have non-cognitive distractions? Are they trying and not understanding? Take a moment before you write that off handed comment to think how it will land with your student. This isn’t to say you can’t give students constructive criticism, on the contrary, they need it! But we should always be aware of what we’re saying.

I have met a lot of teachers and been in a lot of classes. And I have taught more than a handful of my own classes, now. It’s important to think about the scared students because there are a lot of them. Not just that, but most of the fears they have are things you can adapt and change for your class. It’s just a matter of being aware and making adjustments. 

Most of the fears students have are things you can adapt and change for your class.

There are undoubtedly those who have other priorities. Some who believe a little tough love is just the thing scared students need. Or that scared students should “just snap out of it.” I know because I’ve had that conversation before. 

Having started college as a scared student, I can attest to the fact that this often makes students crawl further into doubt and compounds their fear of failure. The people who made the biggest difference on my learning journey were people who were encouraging and allowed me to “mess up” so I could get better. They understood that being human is hard, and it showed in the classroom. 

What kinds of fears have you seen in your classes? What have you tried to do to help ease student fear in your classes? I’d love to hear from you! Drop me an email at rachel@capturingyourconfidence.com or comment below!

OneNote Wonder: A Digital Notebook that Will Change Your Life

Imagine standing there in the office supplies aisle at the store looking at all the pretty notebooks. So blank and clean and full of possibility. Getting a new notebook (and pens) is one of my favorite things in the world. 

But what if I told you there was a digital version? A notebook that never got bent up when you were carrying it around. A notebook with basically unlimited sections and pages. A notebook that saves to the cloud so that you can open it on any Microsoft enabled device. 

If this sounds amazing, and you haven’t heard of Microsoft OneNote (or heard the name and didn’t know what it was), this will be a game changer for you! Seriously. Because having an almost unlimited notebook (and the option for more than one notebook) with all the modern font and color conveniences is pretty much a writers’ dream, right? 

Writing with pen and paper is incredibly helpful, but sometimes you need to be able to write on your phone or in a tight space where you don’t have a flat surface to write on. 

Let me give you the skinny: Microsoft OneNote is part of the Microsoft Office 365 Suite. This means that when you buy the suite, you can use it online, on your desktop, or on your devices through the app. Personally, I use it on my desktop because I prefer the layout; however, most functions can be used either way. 

THIS IS IMPORTANT:

If you are a student or faculty member (including adjuncting) you probably get this for free or at least a reduced price! Many universities and colleges have made the Microsoft suite available to students for free or cheap prices because in college and adult life, most people benefit from Microsoft programs like Word and Excel. 

Here’s a basic run down of how OneNote works:

Step #1) Create a new notebook in Microsoft OneDrive.

This can be a little tricky if your not tech savvy because you do have to save to your OneDrive. Saving to OneDrive instead of just to your computer is what allows you to be able to access your notebooks on any compatible device. It’s also what allows your notes to automatically save and sync any time you make a change, which means that you don’t have to worry about losing any data. 

Here’s a helpful video that walks you through how to go about making a new notebook.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlRmK8DvfU8

Step #2)Access your notebook online or through the desktop application

You can use the online or desktop version - whatever floats your boat. The desktop version looks similar, but the tools are shifted a little bit, so unless you want to learn both, I would recommend choosing one or the other locations to do most of your OneNote work. 

Step #3)Create new tabs

Similar to different sections in a physical notebook, OneNote allows for different tabs. This is super convenient if you’re like me and love keeping all of your documents and notes completely  organized. 

Tabs at the top & Pages on the right side bar

Step #4)Create new pages

Like the feeling of flipping to a new notebook page? Creating a new page is pretty much the same thing! All you have to do is select the little plus sign and voila! A clean blank page for you to start a new idea/list/etc. 

These are the big structural highlights, which are great on their own. But here are my absolute favorite features that will be great for you, if you try this awesome tool. 

Easy & logical page organization

Page organization of my writing notebook in OneNote

When you create pages, you can make headers and have pages that fall underneath - much like the beginning of a chapter in a book. For example, “Chapter 1” is the heading, and all the pages following are part of Chapter 1 until the next heading. You can leave all the pages at the default level, or easily drag pages under whatever heading you want. This also means you can rearrange super quick (if you want/need). 

You can use it like this for your writing, to organize chapters, but I like to use them for Possible Titles, Characters, Plot Timeline, and Random Bits of my writing. I can easily tell which section I’m in, though, because of how the sidebar 

Moveable & resizable text boxes

If you’re like me, you probably find yourself having a random thought here and there that’s not entirely unrelated to what you are doing, but can’t really go onto the page exactly where you’re at. Case in point: if I’m writing a new section of my novel and I think of a characteristic or scene I need to change with a character, the place for that is definitely not in the current section. 

OneNote allows you to create a new text box anywhere you click, resize it by grabbing the edge, and move it wherever you want. So, when you have a random idea, you can jot it down and simply move it out of the way rather than trying to remember and write it when you get done with your task. This never works for me, as my short term memory is terrible, so I love being able to just pop a text box open and put it in the corner for later use!

I also love it for my character profiles because I can have different text boxes and move them wherever I want on the page. Being a visual learner, this is a great tool because unlike a normal piece of paper, you won’t spill over the edge of the page - it expands when you need it to. 

Sample character profile in OneNote (notice the multiple text boxes & star!)

Star option for important ideas 

Another great feature that makes my life a lot easier is the star option for “Important” items. When you select a line of text, you can go up into the task bar ribbon at the top and “tag it” as an “Important” item, which means that it will put a nice yellow star next to that line/bullet point/etc. This makes the point easy to find.

You can also remove the start when you are done and star other items, if you are working on a list or trying to prioritize.

To do list option

To Do List in OneNote! This is for my blog (believe me, there are many more "to-dos" than this), and it's super convenient.

Another great tag option is the “To Do” check boxes. Do you love checking items off your list that you’ve completed? I know I do! This is especially true when I have a lot of small tasks because then I can see a neat little row of crossed out items. 

You can even give your tasks in OneNote a sub task! So, if you need to work on character development for your newest writing project, you can add more specific tasks underneath: Names, Characteristics, Personality, Character Arc, etc. and they will all get their own check box. It’s fabulous!

Export your OneNote page(s) as Word documents

When I began using OneNote, I was copying and pasting my work into a separate Microsoft Word document to send and share with others. Somewhere along the way (probably thanks to some Googling), I figured out that I can actually export my page into a Word document through OneNote. 

The formatting isn’t exactly the same when you open up your new document, but it’s pretty darn close! So, if you need to distribute notes or something like that, but also need it to stay properly organized within your notebook, OneNote has your back! 

Share with others

Last, but certainly not least, you can share your OneNote notebook with other people. You can give them access to edit, if you want to collaborate with someone or have them put edits in your document. Or, if you only want them to see it but not change it, there’s an option for that, too! 

It’s pretty great because if you work in a team you can just share the document instead of sending separate Word docs. Alternatively, if you’re working solo (like on your writing), you can share with others who may not be near and they can still give you feedback directly on the document without having to email different copies back and forth. 

I first learned about and started using OneNote at work because I keep a lot of documents that need to be uniform and all kept together. I was tired of handwriting notes during meetings and later typing them out, so when I learned how to use OneNote it was a major time saver! I absolutely love the features I have figured out how to use so far, and I can’t wait to learn more as I begin being able to use it at home, too. 

What do you think? Have you used or heard of OneNote? If so, what were your experiences? Favorite tricks and tips you didn’t see in my article? If not, does this sound like something that would help you be more productive and organized? Let me know in the comments or send me an email at rachel@capturingyourconfidence.com. Can’t wait to hear from you!

Do the Thing that Scares You

We’re all scared of something. Personally, one of my biggest fears is bees. There’s nothing really wrong with the buzzy little creatures, but I was attacked by a swarm when I was younger and ever since anything that remotely looks like a bee freaks me out.

Besides these small fears, though, I do have some bigger fears looming that can sometimes seem insurmountable. Will we ever pay off our student loans? What will happen when we have kids? 

Thinking on this bigger scale, what are your fears? The future? Your career (or lack thereof, perhaps)? Serious relationships? Take a moment and just think about it - just the big ones (you don’t have to tell anyone you’re afraid of sleeping with your feet out of the blanket even though you’re an adult). What scares the daylights out of you? Go ahead and make a list while you’re thinking about it.

Now, what excites you?

Now, what excites you? That sweet date night coming up? Working your way into a job you enjoy? Spending time with your family? Take another moment here and consider what makes you excited to get up in the morning. Again, think of the big things. The fact you’re having pancakes for breakfast is exciting, but maybe not quite the stuff of big dreams. (Unless you dream of creating a lifestyle where you have time to have a luxurious pancake breakfast every morning at home in your PJs.) Make another list. They can be on the same piece of paper, or separate. Thinker’s choice. 

Looking at your two lists, what overlaps? 

Looking at your two lists, what overlaps? Does anything you listed as a fear make you a little excited, even though it might make your stomach drop, too? What about the things that excite you? Do those big dreams make you a little afraid, too, even though they would be awesome? 

They probably do! Fear and excitement are both excellent motivators, although they work in different ways.

When you’re afraid of something, you might hedge around it or try to avoid it altogether. But, when you’re excited, you take a breath and lean in to the excitement. Even if it’s difficult or inconvenient, you try extra hard for things that excite you because you want them. Somewhere along the line you decided the excitement was more important than the hard stuff. 

Of course, it’s one thing to be excited and run toward our dreams, but it’s quite another to face our fears and overcome them. 

Hard truth, though. If you’re dreams don’t scare you at least a little bit, they’re not big enough. 

I’m definitely not the first person to think of or believe this, and I won’t be the last. It might even be a cliche. But, it’s true. I was taking a webinar the other day with the fabulous Marie Forleo, and she reminded me how important this statement is. How much of a difference it can make in our lives. 

Hear me out.

If you can turn fear into motivation to get to the things that excite you most, you will be a force to be reckoned with. You will turn yourself into an unstoppable dream-getter. 

If you can turn fear into motivation to get to the things that excite you most, you will be a force to be reckoned with. You will turn yourself into an unstoppable dream-getter. 

So why aren’t we all unstoppable dream-getters? 

• We haven’t figured out what we are afraid of.

• We know what we are afraid of and we avoid it.

• We think we can figure out workarounds for our fears instead of dealing with them head on.

• We let the fear run our lives and convince ourselves we’re okay with it.

• We want to be dream-getters but we don’t know how.

Which of these categories resonates with you? Which have you done or do you actively do that you hate admitting to yourself, even though it’s true? 

It’s okay. 

If you need to read that again, please take the time. 

It’s okay to be afraid and it’s okay that it’s not easy for you to admit, even to yourself, that you’re scared of one of your biggest dreams - let alone to tell someone else. 

It’s okay that you’re a work in progress, because the reality is we are all works in progress. 

Let me share something with you. If you’ve read some of my other blogs about the beginning of my novel writing journey, this will probably sound familiar, but if you’re brand new and you’re wondering who the heck I am, let me tell you. 

I am a writer. I am a novelist. I am a teacher. I am a learner. And I have always loved helping others. 

I am a writer. I am a novelist. I am a teacher. I am a learner. And I have always loved helping others. 

But it took me almost a decade to be able to call myself a writer and really believe it. Seriously. When I was young I wrote prolifically! So much. ALL THE TIME. I went away to college as a Creative Writing major, I was so committed.

During my very first creative writing class, where I was the only freshman among juniors and seniors, the professor gave me some “blunt” comments, shall we say. There were other comments, I’m sure, but “Not Impressed” was the only piece that stuck. It crushed my little 18 year old heart. 

Because of that experience, I stopped writing creatively for SEVEN YEARS. I was afraid to disagree with someone who is an “authority” on writing. I was afraid of other people disliking my writing. I was afraid of not being good enough.

I was afraid to try again because I was sure I was going to get knocked down again, and I didn’t know how to deal with that.  

So I changed my major to Literature and kept writing: essays and research. I loved writing about other people’s writing, and that became the new normal. Over the years I convinced myself I wasn’t creative enough for creative writing. It wasn’t really for me, and I had just grown out of it. I let myself think this way, and did so on purpose. 

BULL. 

That’s right. I was purposely telling myself this bull crap because I was afraid of my writing dream. Even though it had been my dream for my entire life. Crazy, right? But what’s a girl to do? Give up because of one bad experience? 

HECK NO! 

If you’re feeling this way, and you’re tired of letting that fear stop you from doing things you love, here’s what you need to do. 

Step 1: Admit You Are Afraid and Define What You’re Afraid Of

You can’t solve anything if you can’t admit there’s a problem. The very first thing you need to do is acknowledge to yourself that you are afraid of something. You don’t have to tell anyone else if you’re not comfortable. And you don’t even have to write it down. But you have to know, in your own mind, that there is a fear and what it is. Out of all the ways you face your fear, admitting it will most likely be the hardest part. 

Step 2: Figure out Why You Are Afraid

Once you have admitted to yourself that you’re afraid of something and determined what it is, you need to figure out why.

What is it that scares you about this particular dream/experience/goal?

What is it that scares you about this particular dream/experience/goal? Was there some sort of event in your life that caused you to put the breaks on something that previously made you happy? Did you go through a phase where your interests changed and you didn’t really know what was happening? Take time and really dig deep for the “why” - it’s important. 

Step 3: Figure Out the Edges of Your Comfort Zone 

You’re getting there! You know what you’re afraid of and you’ve determined why you’re afraid of it. Now you’re looking directly at your fear, and it might be uncomfortable. Good work. Keep going! Don’t turn back now. I know it’s scary, but now that you have a little better picture of what you’re afraid of, you need to figure out where the edge of your comfort zone lives. 

How have you been talking about or working around this fear? What’s comfortable? Sneak out to the edge and push that a little further. What is slightly uncomfortable? What makes you a little uneasy? Not panicked or tense, but just a little...out of your comfort zone?

Press this a little bit in all directions. See how far you can go without going into panic or shutdown mode. If you will remember where these boundaries are, you don’t need to write them down; but, if you’re like me and think you might forget, go ahead and define them on a piece of paper. 

Step 4: Determine One Small First Step to Face Your Fear

You’ve figured out the very edges of your comfort zone, and that’s great. If you need to take a break, feel free! We can’t always face our fear in one day, sometimes they are just too big. But, when you’re ready, you need to step back out to the edge of your comfort zone. That place where you feel okay, but a little uneasy. If you wrote down your boundaries from Step 3, this is a good time to pull that out and take a look. 

Look at those boundaries and determine one small thing you can do to face your fear.

You’re going to look at those boundaries and determine one small thing you can do to face your fear. Notice I said small. This doesn’t mean go running out into the wild beyond your comfort zone with reckless abandon. On the contrary, look at your fear and your comfort zone and decide on one action you can take in the immediate future to start facing this fear.

For me, this step came in the form of actually putting my writing onto a document and not erasing it. It wasn’t a big step, but it was a step. What can you do that might make you a little uneasy at first, but will be one small step toward your big scary dream? 

Step 5: Set Goals for Your Dream

Whew, take a breath! Whether you’ve taken your first small step or not, you’ve set yourself on a completely different path than when we started here. You’ve made a concrete decision about your fear and you’ve decided to tackle it. Perhaps you’ve even done taken that first step, which is amazing!

After you’ve taken the first small step, take a moment and look at your mindset. Look at your concrete step and where you’ve come so far. Has your fear started to look a little less scary and a little more like a dream? If it hasn’t happened yet, that will come (probably sooner than you think). Once you’ve taken your first action, you need to sit down and set up regular, achievable goals for yourself to kick that fear out of your mind and achieve your dream. 

You can add some bigger goals into the mix, but really think about everyday tasks you know you can complete. For me, the bigger goal will be to get my novel published. But that translates into smaller goals such as writing a new section every week, getting regular feedback on new sections, and taking time to map out where my novel is going.

Notice that none of these things are terribly long and cumbersome. I don’t set a page limit or a word count to reach because I know this will be a deterrent and I will constantly feel bad about my progress if I miss them (which is silly because everything I do that didn’t exist before is progress!) 

Step 6: Name Your Dream and Own It

So you’ve got goals in place? Some reachable, tangible steps you can take toward facing your fear and getting to that big dream? Good job! This stuff is hard work. You’re almost there! This next step might seem easy, but it’s definitely powerful. 

You need to name your dream. Call it what it is. When I started my novel in April after my long hiatus, I was literally calling it a “thing” - a little “writing thing” I was working on. Not a project, and certainly not a book. It took weeks and progress of taking those small steps before I was able to say out loud to myself that I was writing a book. I gave it a name. This was very scary!

When you own your dream, it becomes tangible. It’s not just a nebulous idea, but a goal.

Once you’ve named your dream, you need to own it. Owning it might come with the naming or a little while later. But, when you own your dream, it becomes tangible. It’s not just a nebulous idea, but a goal.

About a week or two after I first called my writing a book, I got up the courage to tell a friend I was working on a novel. It didn’t happen overnight, but once I was able to name it, my dream became a solidified reality. Not just a book, but a novel: my novel. 

Step 7: Work Toward Your Dream

Congratulations! You’ve gotten to the point where you’ve named your dream and started owning it. Is your fear still looming? Or has it receded to the background? 

You have your dream and your plan (and maybe a little bit of nervous energy leftover from that big scary fear). Your job now is to go and work on those goals. Use the remnants of your fear to fuel your motivation. You can do it! After all, you’ve gotten this far, right?

Keep chipping away at your goals, even when you don’t feel like it or it feels impossible. It’s okay to feel that way sometimes, but don’t let it take you back to where you started. Everything you do toward your goals and dreams is progress. No one is perfect, and you don’t need to be! You just need to keep working hard and making an effort. 

Step 8: Reflect

When you achieve your goals, small or large, make sure to leave time to reflect not only on how you feel about your accomplishment, but also how far you’ve come. You can write your thoughts down, jot notes, or just contemplate. Personally, I like keeping my thoughts in writing, but if that’s not you, don’t feel pressured to do so! 

You are powerful. You are an unstoppable dream-getter who doesn’t let fear hold you back. 

This final step is about recognizing to yourself, and others if you want, that you are powerful. You are an unstoppable dream-getter who doesn’t let fear hold you back. 

Whenever you feel like your fear is too much or you find yourself avoiding things because you’re scared of them, take a breath and do it anyway. It may take longer than a day or two - heck, it might even take a really long time! But do the thing that scares you. You and your dreams are worth facing the fear. 

What fears are holding you back? What small steps do you think you can take to face them? Email me at rachel@capturingyourconfidence.com or leave a comment below and let me know! If you’re struggling with this, shoot me an email and let’s talk about it.

What's the Deal with Writing Prompts?

We’re constantly inundated with new ideas. We see them on TV and other visual media, read them in books, and perhaps research or create them on our own, if we’re feeling inspired. 

This can be a good and bad thing, right? An abundance of ideas would seem to lend itself well to a lot of great creative work. But, sometimes it’s just too much. We have so many ideas at the same time that we don’t know where to start and we just kind of shut down. 

We writers hate this. Both the feeling that we have no “good” ideas and the feeling of being overwhelmed by too many ideas and not knowing where to start. This is where writing prompts come in handy! 

What is a writing prompt?

A writing prompt is usually a short phrase or sentence that has a multitude of directions it could lead, should someone use it for their writing. You might remember using prompts at school when you were young. Things like “Describe your dream vacation” or “Tell me about your summer vacation.” 

A more “adult” or intricate example might be: “A stranger shuffles up to your front door and paces around the front porch for several minutes before ringing the doorbell. What does s/he say?” 

Who uses writing prompts?

Anyone can use a writing prompt! 

• Young writers

• Old writers

• New writers

• Experienced writers

• People with anxiety who aren’t “writers” at all

• People who want to learn to appreciate their lives a little more who also aren’t “writers”

• Anyone who wants to create something but isn’t sure where to start

All writers get “stuck” sometimes, and writing prompts can help. Even if they can get you out of your own head for a little bit. But writing prompts aren’t just for writers - they can help anyone who wants to be more mindful, or just wants a place to express themselves in a way that doesn’t make them worry about where to start.

When do I use a writing prompt?

Many people use prompts for lots of different reasons. Certainly we use them in school to get students writing (much to their dismay sometimes), and creatives often use them to spring into new genres or ideas. These are the most common reasons I’ve seen and heard for using writing prompts: 

• You’re stuck. You had a great character in mind but you have no idea what he’s supposed to be doing. You had a great setting but nobody to inhabit it. You had a dream or an event that sparked a great idea, but when you wrote it down, nothing else came to mind. The list could go on and on. Everyone gets “stuck” every now and again, so using a writing prompt to get you out of that rut can be super helpful.

• You feel like your current idea is boring. You have a great character and a storyline, but you’re just not feeling it. And maybe your readers aren’t either. You just wrote 50 pages and when you reread it, it’s just blah. So, the issue wasn’t that you didn’t have an idea, or that you were stuck, but maybe your idea just isn’t the one for you right now. There are certainly many creative writing prompts - maybe you even find one that spices up the work you’ve already done!

• You want to try something new. Just like we tend to read specific types of books because we like them, a lot of times, we tend to write pieces we like or we are within our comfort zone. Using a writing prompt can be really great to get you out of your box!

Where can I find writing prompts? 

Because we are a largely digital society now, writing prompts are EVERYWHERE. If you Google it, there are 145,000,000 results for a simple “writing prompts” search. When you search Pinterest for “writing,” the very first suggestion is writing prompts, which will lead you to all sorts of images and visuals containing writing prompts for your use. There are also books upon books of published ideas for helping you get started writing. 

The amount of writing prompts available can be almost as overwhelming as having too many ideas and nowhere to start! The good news is, whatever it is you need help starting, somewhere out there is a prompt that can help you. You just have to search for it. 

What kinds of writing prompts are there? 

This is an interesting question because a lot of people assume writing prompts are purely creative or only for creative writers. Or that they are just for kids or younger people. 

This is not the case, though! There are tons of writing prompt types. 

• Kids

• Adults

• Students

• Book of Prompts

• Novel

• Prompt Generators

• Creative Writing

• Gratitude

• There are writing prompts for pretty much anything your heart could desire!

If I use a writing prompt, isn’t that someone else’s idea? 

If you were to copy and paste someone else’s words and use them as your own, that would be a problem; however, prompts are there to help you! Most of the writing prompts you look at are barely more than a phrase. 

This is because they’re just meant to get you thinking, not to write anything for you. If the prompt you want to use is about a large bird named Thompson, you are the one who will create Thompson as a character - NOT the prompt. S/he will be your large bird who can do whatever you want her/him to do! 

The other thing to note here is that if you found a prompt on the internet (maybe it’s inspiration at first sight?), you are definitely not the only one who’s seen it. In fact, there are probably lots of people who have! And they may be full of great ideas about it, too. This doesn’t change how the writing prompt resonated with you, or that you had a brilliant idea. You are the only you, so even if your idea is a little similar to someone else or something you’ve read, your voice will be different than everyone else. Take that idea and run with it!  

Rachel, have you ever used a writing prompt? What do you think about them? 

I will be completely honest with you: I have not used a writing prompt to start any of my own creative writing. When I was younger I was brimming with ideas I thought were brilliantly original (even though they were not). I wrote all the time about lots of things! 

A poem from around 2010 (ish?) about being 30. It's surreal now that I'm closer than ever!

My current work features a lot of situations and inspiration from my own life, and I honestly started it because of a dream. You can read more about it here. Because my novel is drawing on experiences I’ve already had, I have plenty of material without a prompt. 

I also keep a gratitude journal every day, which some people like to use writing prompts to begin. Because my gratitude journal is not rigidly structured, I know I would have a hard time keeping up with prompts. Moment of truth? I would not do it if I had a list or prompt I had to read every day beforehand. The challenge of remembering what I’m grateful for on the bad days is enough of a challenge for me without adding in other ideas. 

I have used prompts to try my hand at poetry, which I am admittedly not good at. I am definitely not a poet at heart. The poetry that I have kept, however, is alright because it was loved and worked on throughout an entire semester. I would never have thought to write about any of the subjects unless I had been prompted first.

In the end, the choice of whether or not to use a writing prompt is completely up to you.

You are the mastermind behind your own writing, after all! There’s absolutely nothing wrong with looking at things from a different perspective sometimes; in fact, I encourage you to do so. 

Even if you’re not a writer and want to express yourself in a way that’s NOT crying on your spouse/best friend/dog/other pet’s shoulder, writing prompts can be a fantastic option. You don’t even have to worry about where to start!

What experiences have you had with writing prompts? Where & when did you use them? Did it go well? I’d love to hear about it! Drop me an email or leave a comment below. 

The Hidden Benefits of Writing with Pen and Paper

When was the last time you wrote something by hand? What was it? A to do list? A grocery list? Maybe a note to your significant other/roommate/child? 

I write to do lists every day, but rarely do I write longer words on paper anymore. I keep my creative work in a Google document and a Word document (for safe measure). I typically keep my blogs solely online in Google documents and my website. 

But I used to write everything by hand. I have an entire novel manuscript from when I was in high school that was written out by hand with a trust pen and notebook. 

I have been thinking a lot about this recently, as I begin to write more. I realized that I miss it. I miss the delicious feeling of a brand new pen sliding along a blank page. The visual of my thoughts becoming something on the page - a something that can’t accidentally be deleted with one wrong click of a button.

Now don’t get me wrong, digital technology can be incredibly useful! But it’s not always the best way to write. Here are 10 important reasons to pull out a notebook and write the old-fashioned way sometimes. 

10. Allows for a global view of your writing.

When you’re typing, you can always scroll back through the document. If you make it tiny, you might be able to see all the pages at once, but you probably can’t read the writing at that point. When you have a pen and paper document, though, or, a typed and printed manuscript, you can lay those pages out on the floor or table and physically move them around to see how certain parts would sound in another area of the text. It’s pretty cool. 

9. Allows you to see progress.

As you can see, most times we don’t always think in “final draft” form. We make mistakes, change working, and sometimes cut things out. In a pen and paper document, you have a record of what you’ve said and done. You can decide later whether your third draft wording is better than your first. With word processing, we don’t typically get that experience. Microsoft Word does have a track changes function, which is nifty. I’ve definitely used it before, but it’s not something you probably want on a first draft. Mine are way too messy for that - yikes! 

Pen & paper first "page" of this blog

8. Acts as therapy.

I find handwriting more emotional than typing. It’s not that typing can’t have the same effect when put together (I see you, Eleanor & Park.) It’s more that my handwriting fluctuates with my mood. Angry writing is different than sad writing which is different than writing when in love. I like visually being able to see and remember the emotion in handwriting. Getting things out on paper and being able to see them visually is helpful for us to be able to process emotions and ideas and work through them. 

7. Removes risk of accidentally deleting your writing.

This is a big one for me because I seem to be a master of losing documents by my own hand. Most of the time I can recover them, but that still causes a panicked irritation in the moment. I know I will keep paper all day long: obviously I still have handwritten writing from when I was much younger. So having a physical copy really help my peace of mind. 

6. Removes risk of naming your document something “clever” and never finding it again.

How many times do we keep our original titles for writing? In my case, rarely. So finding a piece of writing with an old title you may or may not remember is like looking for a needle in a haystack. I could be searching for days without luck! Having too many documents is beside the point. When you write something with pen and paper, you can’t lose it to your own cleverness (or lack thereof). 

5. Feels productive.

So, I wrote this blog out by hand first. I wanted to see how it felt, and it was great! A “normal” word processed blog with blog spacing (little paragraphs with lots of spacing) might be 3-5 pages typed out. My handwritten blog, with mock blog spacing, turned out to be 5 handwritten pages versus the 2.5 typed pages. The length was about the same, but I felt much more productive because I wrote 5 pages in a little over an hour!

This blog written out by hand!

4. Offers a much needed break from screen time.

I don’t know about you, but I spend a heck of a lot of time staring at a screen every day. I work at a job where I’m constantly on the computer, and then I will often come home and write/design/do administrative blog work on the computer. During the school year I also grade on the computer. It’s A LOT. Sometimes I just need to get away from that for awhile, you know? I think we all do. 

3. Assists with memory.

Science has tied handwriting to improved memory. I find this very compelling. If you’ve met me for any length of time, you probably know that “if I don’t write it down, it’s not getting done (or remembered)” is pretty much a theme song of my life at this point. Long term memory? Great. Short term memory? Awful. So when I write with a pen and paper, it helps me imprint the idea onto my brain. It’s almost like physically writing allows the idea to skip the short term and go directly into the long term memory. Science for the win! 

2. Forces you to slow down and think.

I don’t know about you, but I definitely can’t write nearly as fast as I can think. Typing alleviates this problem a bit, as I can type pretty quickly, but sometimes I don’t need to be going that fast. I like the idea that I have to slow down to write things down in a legible manner. So much of the time I’m hurrying or feel the need to rush. I don’t want my writing to feel like that, and I don’t want it to sound like that when you read it, so handwriting is a perfect solution. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS_j7mNru9w

Alister Stephens discusses his recent experiences with pen & paper writing.

1. Connects you to other writers.

I’ve always been a writer, a storyteller. And I’ve written A LOT over the years, with both pen and paper and word processing. There’s something about handwriting, though, that makes me feel like a writer. This definitely isn’t to say that people who only type are not. But writing is a craft people have been doing for hundreds of years! Many of my favorite books were written long before convenient word processing was available. Think about it for a moment: all of Jane Austen’s novels, for example, were carefully written out. Remembering this makes me feel like I’ve shared something with the authors of the books I hold dear. Where were your favorite books written? Can you imagine the author sitting at her writing desk scribbling away at a piece of paper or parchment? 

Writing takes time in any form, and I’ll admit pen and paper does move a bit more slowly than typing. But in the extremely fast-paced world many of us live in, it’s actually a sweet reprieve. It’s not a negative experience because it’s “inefficient” but a reminder that sometimes the best thoughts occur when we slow down to let them. 

What do you think? Have you written anything the old-fashioned way with pen and paper? What was your experience? Drop me an email or a comment below and let me tell me about it! I’d love to hear.