I have been re-reading Robert Boice's work. If you have not read his work on faculty development and writing, you really need to. If you are going to read one author on writing productivity, he is the one you should read (yes, I am including myself in the list of those who should be passed over if you are going to only choose one author on the topic!).
In any event, in some of his empirically and theoretical work, Boice notes that it is hard for authors to maintain consistency over the long haul when they continue to say they dislike to write. It is hard to maintain your good writing happens, use accountability systems, and make progress over time if you "hate to write." He stresses the importance of challenging cognitive patterns that lead to not liking to write (or at least telling ourselves that).
I have also explored the cognitive barriers, or belief systems, that lead one to assert that they do not like to write. But what if you just "don't like to write," and this preference cannot be attributed to irrational beliefs. Don't we all have preferences for how we spend out time?
Can we really "learn" to enjoy writing?
I am going to play with this notion in some upcoming posts, anchoring my qualified "Yes, but..." on the relationship between notions of "meaning" and "pleasure."
In any event, in some of his empirically and theoretical work, Boice notes that it is hard for authors to maintain consistency over the long haul when they continue to say they dislike to write. It is hard to maintain your good writing happens, use accountability systems, and make progress over time if you "hate to write." He stresses the importance of challenging cognitive patterns that lead to not liking to write (or at least telling ourselves that).
I have also explored the cognitive barriers, or belief systems, that lead one to assert that they do not like to write. But what if you just "don't like to write," and this preference cannot be attributed to irrational beliefs. Don't we all have preferences for how we spend out time?
Can we really "learn" to enjoy writing?
I am going to play with this notion in some upcoming posts, anchoring my qualified "Yes, but..." on the relationship between notions of "meaning" and "pleasure."
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