Читать книгу The 12 Week Year for Writers - Michael Lennington - Страница 17

Is there anyone who has made it through high school or college without pulling an “all-nighter” to finish a paper? I doubt it. Why is it that everyone has had this experience and what does it tell us about writing productively?

The first thing we can learn from all-nighters is the power of urgency. Beyond the simple fact that students would rather party than work, the most obvious reason that students routinely write their papers at the last minute is that they lack a sense of urgency until the deadline approaches. I see this every year in my classes. Early in the semester students receive their term paper assignments. They see that the due dates are months away, at which point the assignments get tossed on a stack of other papers and promptly forgotten. You've heard the familiar lines: “I've got tons of time,” “I'll crank it out over spring break,” “The paper's not due for ages.” In most cases, students seem to believe that there will magically be a better time later in the semester to get it done. Rarely, if ever, do students schedule time to complete the specific components of their papers. As a result, most students write their papers just before the deadline when they start to feel the heat.

But there is another dynamic at work here. Many students steadfastly believe that they do their best work under the pressure of a deadline. They feel invigorated by the approaching deadline and motivated to see if they can rise to the challenge. I have heard more than a few students brag about how they write all their papers at the last minute and always manage to get A's.

Teachers and professors moan when they hear this, but I think these boasts reveal an important kernel of wisdom. Urgency – within limits – is our friend. When you're fired up and focused, you can do amazing things you could never do under normal circumstances. You'll push yourself to think harder, to think smarter, and spend more time on task. When you're bored or unmotivated, you won't get much done no matter how capable you are. The lesson isn't that you should write everything at the last minute. The lesson is that you need to structure your writing – your life – so that you have a healthy sense of urgency and the motivation your brain needs to get things done.