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A close-up of Nadine's beloved timer cube.

A few weeks ago Elise Vist wrote about how tough writing is right now as part of her blog post about how to get the most out of the WCC’s Virtual Writing Cafés. Like many of you, I’m finding certain aspects of working from home challenging; it’s tougher than ever to research and write. But there is still writing to do: I have blog posts, grant proposals, and online workshops to finish and you might have course assignments, journal articles , or a dissertation to work on.

It’s a weird time. No one can deny it.

We’re stuck at home, sitting, lying down, and doing almost everything else virtually. Although it can be convenient, eating, sleeping, and working in the same place is mentally straining and doesn’t help our already unstable emotional states.

Reading the news doesn’t help either. There are always new cases of COVID-19, which adds more anxiety and worry to our already stressed-filled hermit lives.

To release some of the stress and anxiety, why not… write it all down?

Alongside the rest of UWaterloo, the Writing and Communication Centre (WCC) has been working hard to transition our services into an online format for the Spring 2020 term. Our team is tirelessly striving to ensure that we can continue to support you as much as possible throughout the changes brought by the ongoing pandemic. As a result of these efforts, we are excited to announce that on June 1st, we will be launching the Spring 2020 WCC workshops on a new LEARN website!

Image of a cup of coffee, pen, and lined paper

It’s always hard to write. Even as someone who loves writing, I hate sitting down to actually do it. Especially now, with the paradoxical pandemic life of being exhausted, wired, busy, bored, lonely, and completely overwhelmed with Zoom-based social activities, it’s really, really hard to write my seemingly endless dissertation.

With campus closures and classes staying online, it can be hard to transition from the structured schedule of classes and other activities to large blocks of free time. Here are some of our tips for managing writing assignments while you’re home all day. We encourage you to mix and match techniques to suit your needs!

Homer simpson to Marge: "See, the problem is communication. Too much communication."

The title of this post is misleading. It implies that productivity and self-care are separate and opposing things. But they aren’t. We can’t be productive without taking care of ourselves. This relationship between productivity and self-care is particularly important right now, during a stressful, frightening situation where expectations on all of us nonetheless remain high. While we navigate the coronavirus pandemic together, we can try three simple things to tackle our research and writing:

Have you ever tried getting Google Translate to rap before? It’s probably one of the funniest things you can do with translate, outside of totally messing with Disney songs. When I’m not using translate as a means to laugh though, I’m using it to revise my essay by having Google read it out loud to me. Granted, that usually is also very funny, as the automated voice has a habit for tripping over lengthy sentences as well as butchering incorrect spelling of words. Use that last bit with caution though, Google Translate does have a habit for pronouncing everyday words like “get” very wrong.

Painting of William Shakespeare surrounded by different punctuation marks

When I was younger, the more pieces of punctuation I could add to a written work, the more I felt like some sort of literary genius. “Yeah, I’m ten and can use a comma, period, exclamation mark, and question mark within two sentences. I’m just that cool.”

Memorize outlines, not entire essays.

When your instructor shares the essay topic(s) before the exam, it can be tempting to memorize an entire answer in advance. However, if you have a tight schedule during exam season, this strategy may not be the best use of your time! Try memorizing only the basics: the main points that support your argument and the information that proves those points (in other words: an essay outline). This approach not only saves time but also allows for greater flexibility if the adrenaline rush of the exam provides you with new ideas!

Exam essays can be intimidating. Summarizing an entire course in a few pages doesn't seem humanly possible, right?

Well, it's certainly not an easy undertaking — but as a seasoned veteran of exam essays, I can ensure you with confidence that it IS possible. Summarized in four key takeaways, this guide is what I've learned about exam essays and how to survive them.

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A peek into my writing practice: How I’m structuring my own write-from-home sessions

Eco-Poetics: How to Write Productively During the Pandemic

WCC Workshops Go Online!

Getting the most out of Virtual Writing Cafés

Academic Success During Isolation

Balancing Productivity and Self-Care in Grad School During COVID-19

Revising your assignment ft. Google the rapper

Forgotten Punctuation and Shakespeare

An Essay Exam Survival Guide

An Exam Essay Survival Guide

University of Waterloo | Writing and Communication Centre

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