When I give presentations about writing and editing, I ask the audience how they feel when they have to do formal writing for their academic careers or for work.
I give them a scale of 1 to 5, with one meaning “I love it” and five being “I’d rather have a root canal.”
Almost always, well over half the group says that their attitude falls on the upper end of the scale. Writing for them is stressful and somewhat overwhelming.
I’m not a psychologist, but I know that I feel frustration or anxiety when I find myself in a situation where I feel stuck and I cannot figure out what to do next.
Based on my experience as a teacher of writing, a writer myself, and an editor, I’ve come up with a series of three practical steps you can take to make writing less stressful and get your project completed.