The Pressure of Writing and Reasons not to write:

 The most profound essay that I have written in my life was when I wrote an academic essay about the lack of emotional intelligence being the cause of Romeo and Juliet’s demise as an assignment for a class I was taking a couple months ago. Now, after getting immense positive feedback for that essay, from teachers and students, I was grateful, but I had not realized how hard it would be to start writing my next essay.

The pressure of writing is something that every writer experiences, but is something which I have never indulged into the psychology of, maybe because I did not want to label my faults, thus making them true. Whether it be because of the suppressing pressure to do good, or the magnifying pressure of wanting to meet others expectations, it is ubiquitous.  

Now, before I share the pressures I was faced, and am still facing, I wanted to discuss why I had not posted last Wednesday, which was July 8th. If you cannot tell by the topic of this post, I had faced pressure to write prior to that Wednesday, which is why I went AWOL; this was my own fault, and I want to apologize deeply for it. I had a new set of eyes on this blog, eyes of people whose opinion I hold very high, and so I crumpled under the pressure of trying to be only appointed to perfectionism. 

Task paralysis is what I felt when I was trying to pick up the pencil to write my next essay, and last week when I was experiencing difficulty to come up with a topic for this blog that would have topped the last one. Both of these synonymous overwhelming feelings were because of a present audience that I was trying to absentmindedly  impress. I did not know how to proceed and how to do as magnificent as I did the previous time; I was frightened by the responses that I would receive if I could not triumph to the level I had already done before, again. 

What really helped me to come out of this writer’s block was time to be leisure with my work and trying to forget about the audience’s expectations. I tried to get to a headspace of realizing that their expectations were not mine to hold up, which was difficult to get into, because I felt that it was petty to think that sort of way. Soon enough I landed on the epiphany that I needed to prioritize my time to fuel my thoughts instead. By doing this, my ideas were actually thought out and not half-baked, and to let them settle and process, before being jumped into them unaccountably. I also allowed myself to write frivolously, so I myself would not burden the work with unwanted expectations, which to my surprise, worked purposefully.

So, what I want to conclude here is that pressure is inevitable, but it is not insurmountable; what I found to cope with that is time. And yes, the title to this may be misleading, but if you do not want to write you can sink yourself in the pressure or choose to come out of it. In my opinion, I would attempt the second one. 

Catch you next Wednesday when you flip the page!

Finding initiatives to write:

 Writing is a skill to develop. But to do that you actually have to start writing, and for some, picking up the pencil is the hardest part. So, finding an initiative to begin writing is the best way to start. 

In some ways, you might be able to see writing from a perspective of a competition. Though it is pessimistic, it is an initiative. But positively, a learning experience. Most competitions provide feedback on the participants' work, which offers a point of view to your own writing that you yourself have not interpreted before. It can lead you down a new path of your writing with new improvements. Here are some competitions and programs and for essays, poems and articles that you should try:

• Betty Haigh Shakespeare Prize: open to 11-19 year olds, write a piece of writing up to 1500 words with quotations and adaptations of Shakespeare’s work. The deadline is on September 30, 2026. 

https://englishassociation.ac.uk/the-betty-haigh-shakespeare-prize/

• The Franklin Essay Prize: open to 13- 18 year olds, answer prompts including prompts with science and social studies topics. 

https://essai.in/franklin-prize-2026/

• Yale International Relations Association Global Essay Competition: open to grades 8-12, the ivy league organization hosts webinars to enhance writing skills to prepare for an essay competition with topics of global issues. Registration deadline is on December 30, 2026. https://wwwlearnwithleaders.com/competitions/the-yale-international-relations-essay-competition/

Catch you next Wednesday when you flip the page!

Reading and its consideration of being “performative”:

 Reading, something you are doing right now, is an art of empathizing and understanding an author’s words. Over this past week, I have really indulged into reading more than I used to, and  I have realized something that is very conflicting and hypocritical, on my part. When I started this blog, I thought I was more into reading classical literature than contemporary. But then I had a reading slump, which led to me trying to read different types of books rather than particularly classics. So, I started reading something that I would have considered ‘too childish’ or ‘too easy’ when I was all about classics- Harry Potter.  

After reading it, and very much enjoying it, it made me realize the reason that I was so much against reading books that are not classics is because I did not want people to think of me as a person who reads petulant books, so instead I decided that I would sometimes read tediously through classics that I would not enjoy; and as some on social media would call it, I was being ‘performative’. Basically, what went through my head is that classics have more history, longevity and complexity than modern books, and so therefore, they were better. Now, do not get me wrong, when I began reading classics, it was very enjoyable, but as it went on, I started to slowly lose interest, but who knows, maybe it will come back. 

What I am trying to say here is that reading should not be be something that is viewed in the same perspective as my old one, and rather should be something that is chosen to do based off interest and crave for knowledge, and not be done to seem intellectual, which I learnt the hard way by not taking my own advice. Because of perspectives like mine, reading has lost its meaning of being an art, which is exactly what this blog does not stand for. So, take this as a lesson or initiative to start reading, and to not be embarrassed about what you read, even though you have to start small, and do not worry, so will I. 

Catch you next Wednesday when you flip the page!

The Importance of Writing

 Think about a quote that will stick to you for a lifetime. It can be in any language, any form, or any structure. 

The fact that you are able to think of a phrase or sentence shows all you need to know about the importance of writing- words live past death. That is the same reason why books like Romeo and Juliet, written over three centuries ago, are still read in ninth grade classrooms to this day. 

This does not essentially mean that you should set out to be the next Shakesphere, but that writing is something that is immortalized, so it should be done with its best interests at heart; meaning that it should be done authentically to share one’s thoughts, discover feelings, or just to memorialize a time in an individual's life- more familiarly known as journaling or writing in a diary. This type of writing is writing that is most personal and most popular. It is an activity that we strongly request that every single person reading this should do. When we wanted to talk about the importance of writing, we wanted to share the idea that writing should not be done to gain popularity, but to remember, which takes us back to when we said that words live past death. Stories that you have written about your life, someone’s life, or even a made up fantasy kingdom with magic is something that will live on. Writing preserves the memory of the author in between pages that are forever memorialized. So, whether you think no one is going to read your writing, just know that if you do write, what you write about will live on past you and that if anyone would forget you, they would not forget your writing. 

See you next Wednesday when you flip the page!

Appreciating writing:

 Out of the millions of books, articles and songs that are written each day, only a few of them are appreciated in modern culture. Although quality often varies between contemporary literature, so does status. A writer with a larger audience has an abundance of feedback on their work which a smaller artist does not, which negates them of progression based on other’s perspectives. Still, this does not mean that a bigger artist has ‘good’ writing and smaller one has ‘bad’ writing, it could just be the opposite.

As we talked about in our previous posts, writing is subjective. Preferences and opinions unique to individuals are subjective, objectively. But to find something you like, you have to search for it, and enjoy it to appreciate it. Appreciating writing means to understand it, like the saying: ‘to be loved [appreciated] is to be seen [understood]’. An understanding of something does not mean you have to resonate with it, but comprehend and empathize with it to have the ability to interpret why those specific words were written in that way; and that itself is an ability that shows intellectuality.

One of our favorite lyrics comes from Lorde's debut album, Pure Heroine explores youth, fame and growing up. The song ‘400 lux’ says “You drape your wrists over the steering wheel,

Pulses can drive from here,”(O’Connor and Little)  interpreting this, she says to follow your heart by placing your pulse on the wheel that determines your path. Another song, Secret door by the Sheffield band, Arctic Monkeys, talks about finding love behind a secret door in a world full of fools that desire attention rather than love (Turner). 

Try interpreting lyrics, articles or poems, it is the key to start appreciating works of literature and unlocking the understanding of English. 

Catch you on Wednesday when you turn the page!

Credits:

400 lux- https://genius.com/2767969

Secret Door- https://genius.com/15133160

How to get into writing:

 Just like reading, you have to find the type of writing you specialize in- either academic essays, journalistic articles, poems or more! To find what you want to write, you have to read it. Again, like we said in our previous post, finding what drags you toward something is what will make you want to stay. Start reading books, scientific articles, essays, and the many, many types of poems, and on the way you may find out what you like to read, but ultimately you will find out what to write. After you find your writing style, you have to find what to write about. Think of your interests! If you like baking, make a cookbook; if you like critical analysis, write reviews on movies; and if you like reading and writing, write about that! That is how we got our start, and you can too! 

After you find what you like, you should sharpen your skills. A brainstorming activity that churns out great ideas is to collaborate. See what others do- find out their thought process when beginning to write and see how that fits into yours. Incorporate good ideas and negate the bad ones. This allows you to get a perspective from behind the scenes, or in this case, letters and it offers a point of view you have not seen before. It could elevate your writing to another level. If you cannot collaborate, find it out. There are so many writing templates, stories, tips and tricks on how to elevate your writing which you can find out through your peers, friends, books, or even a random stranger!

Writing does not have to be hard or boring if you do not choose it to be. It depends on perspective and if you decide to give it a chance or not. Try picking up a pencil and a piece of paper every now and then, who knows what it may lead to!

Catch you on Wednesday when you turn the page!