Blog

Two journals and two pencils on a white desk.

Life is a balancing act and sometimes it can really test our perseverance. We are constantly juggling and multitasking a number of different things from work, assignments, plans with friends, personal downtime- you name it. There can be so much on your plate that it’s hard to prioritize your mental well-being. When this happens, it’s time to take a step back and practice some self-care strategies.

Spring is here. The birds are singing, the snow has melted, and flowers are poking up through the dirt, both where they are expected and where they are not. At the beginning of winter term, I wrote a blog post on freewriting with a focus on my notebook as an agent of the writing process. I’d like to come back to this general topic, but from a slightly different perspective: spring.

How to get yourself in a creative mindset

Why is creativity so elusive? We see artists and poets and marvel agape at their powers of creation, but in truth creativity is a learned thing – a practice of insight and introspection. You too have the potential to produce art almost as good as the greats, if only you look in the right places. It doesn’t matter that no one’s listening.

When was the last time you sat down with a pen and paper, and just wrote something? I’m talking about you and your own creativity, no prompt whatsoever. I can guess what you’re thinking. University is busy and finding time is hard. Why use a pen and paper when everything is handed in electronically? Why would someone use writing as a break from more writing? These are valid thoughts, but before you tune out, let me tell you about my notebook, and why pen and paper have become my best friends over the past few years.

Have you ever wanted to write a novel? If the answer is yes, this blog post is definitely for you. If the answer is no, like myself, then not to worry; you can still benefit from this information.

Writing a novel takes a lot of time and dedication, which can be a big deterrent for many people. However, National Novel Writing Month is a good opportunity to finally get that novel started or, if you don’t want to write a novel, improve your writing.

Being environmentally friendly does not have to be a part-time job at home. Many workplaces are now making efforts to create an eco-friendly workplace. By recently joining the Green Office Initiative led by Sustainability, the Writing and Communication Centre has made improvements throughout our office and learned a few things along the way. Here are some easy tips on how to become a greener workplace.

Within the first seven seconds of meeting someone, the average person will already have formed a first impression. Now, this could be due to a variety of reasons such as body language, tone or appearance. On the other hand, when it comes to writing, first impressions are formed differently. The first couple of pages give the reader a fairly good idea of whether they would like to continue or not. Here are a couple of tricks to keep the writer engaged.

“Writer’s block.” Two dreaded words for any student, first year undergrads and PhD candidates alike. Most other problematic writing habits stem from writer’s block; procrastination is when you’ve convinced yourself that you will write something, just not yet. The timing isn’t right, or you don’t have enough time to get enough of your thoughts down, or you need to perform your pre-writing rituals like binge-watching The Wire or cleaning the kitchen. Everyone is different, but the problem remains the same. Where to begin?

In the last few weeks I’ve been listening to the Mortified podcast, which features adults reading their adolescent diaries in front of a live audience, with no exaggeration, no embellishment, “just god-given awkwardness”. Every episode is guaranteed to produce cringing smiles.

I kept a diary of my own for six years, running from grade nine through my first year of university.

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Managing self-care through self-reflective journal writing

May flowers: some poems that survived the winter

The poetics of originality: how to be creative

A pen in the hand: a reflection on freewriting

NaNoWriMo: a writer's marathon

Going green in the workplace

How to keep your reader intrigued

Writer's block explored through sweet, sweet music

Free Writing

University of Waterloo | Writing and Communication Centre

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