It’s no secret that life can get stressful. While stress can be useful in short bursts, it can wear us down over time. Prolonged stress can cause an alarming amount of psychological and health issues,…
Posts tagged english
Three Important Words about Writing
I want to reflect on three writing-related principles, one of which is more technical, and two of which are more about the writer’s disposition. I stress these three principles in my ENGL 1322 course, which…
The Bass Notes are Calling
I have recently joined a band. Up until this point, my musical contributions were two or three Sundays a month as part of my church’s praise team. It has been a nice way to engage…
Shoving Aside Writer’s Block
In a prior post, I offered tips about ways to improve your writing process. Numerous students have told me the tips benefitted their growth as writers. Now I want to turn to writer’s block. To…
Why Write?: Part 2
What God’s speaking of creation into being really means is not symbolic. It is the only non-symbolic language in existence. When God utters, pronounces, speaks—choose your word—the word and the thing are one; they are…
Why Write?: Part 1
No one is born a good writer. No matter how many times you have heard (or said), “You’re naturally good at English,” or, “You’re not good at English,” it’s not true. Everyone can learn to…
10 Tips for Improving Your Writing Process
Start early. This suggestion counters people’s desire to procrastinate, but the earlier you initiate the writing process, the better off you’ll be in terms of preparation, ability to change directions as needed, and minimize stress….
Never Stop Learning
As a professor of English, I’m often asked what I’m reading outside of my teaching and research duties: i.e. what I read for pleasure. In my case, like others in the professorate that I know,…
What is Creative Nonfiction?
Here at UMHB, I teach a class called Creative Writing: Prose. This upper-level course focuses on reading and writing the short story as well as creative nonfiction. Students are always familiar with the former genre…
Research for (non) Dummies – Part 1
Let’s face it, with the vast amount of information available today at the click of a button, the Internet is both a boon and a burden.But, it doesn’t have to be. In fact, with a…
The Writing Life: No Shortcuts Exist
So you want to be a writer? What must you do? Two words: read, write. In that order. Saul Bellow, Nobel Prize-winning writer, said, “A writer is a reader moved to emulation.” Read widely. Read…