Does anyone else have a problem with writing?

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Lukeda420
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21 Aug 2014, 8:41 pm

Does anyone else have a problem with crafting messages or composing essays are any other type of expressive writing? This has always been my weakest subject in school, I either scraped by with a D or completely failed my English classes in high school if it has a focus on writing. I can never seem to get my thought written out in a way i feel comfortable with. It can take me an inordinately large amount of time to craft a simple text or post. It's very frustrating because I usually know what idea I want to communicate but I struggle to figure out how. I'm kind of afraid to be misinterpreted.

I want to post here more often but I usually see someone else express exactly what I want to say far better than I ever could or I lose my response the moment I try to write it down. If it isn't that then I just get really self conscious that my idea will be ridiculed (I know consciously that it shouldn't bother me but I still feel embarrassed.) or misunderstood. I trying to get better at this but it is so hard.



cathylynn
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21 Aug 2014, 9:04 pm

your writing in this post is clear and good.



Transyl
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21 Aug 2014, 10:43 pm

Most likely I spent 2x as long on writing assignments compared to others in my class. In some instances it may have been far longer. Writing, editing, writing more, erasing and starting from scratching, writing, more editing, etc. was very common. The concept of being misunderstood bothers me a great deal too. I also worry that people won't like me.



TerryD
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21 Aug 2014, 11:17 pm

I have the same problem. That is the main reason why I post here so infrequently.



Jensen
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22 Aug 2014, 2:50 am

Yes! Over and over, erasing, writing, going over single words/expressions again and again. It takes forever.


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22 Aug 2014, 3:52 am

Yeah. Sometimes I can't figure out how to say something or what I write doesn't adequately express what is in my mind.
And someone always comes along and says it much better anyway.
I can't write walls of text in a stream of consciousness sort of way. My brain doesn't work that way.



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22 Aug 2014, 9:23 am

Lukeda420 wrote:
Does anyone else have a problem with crafting messages or composing essays are any other type of expressive writing? This has always been my weakest subject in school, I either scraped by with a D or completely failed my English classes in high school if it has a focus on writing. I can never seem to get my thought written out in a way i feel comfortable with. It can take me an inordinately large amount of time to craft a simple text or post. It's very frustrating because I usually know what idea I want to communicate but I struggle to figure out how. I'm kind of afraid to be misinterpreted.

I want to post here more often but I usually see someone else express exactly what I want to say far better than I ever could or I lose my response the moment I try to write it down. If it isn't that then I just get really self conscious that my idea will be ridiculed (I know consciously that it shouldn't bother me but I still feel embarrassed.) or misunderstood. I trying to get better at this but it is so hard.


Yes, I'm so bad at writing essays, I had to have my mother write half my papers in high school, and needed my wife's assistance for all papers in college.

I do OK with short messages, but I do a lot of deleting like you say because I can't articulate my thoughts, or somebody else already said it better than I ever could.

I also keep my posts short because of this.


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capri0112
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22 Aug 2014, 9:57 am

I too spend a great deal of time just rereading, rewriting, editing, and (seemingly) endlessly mulling whether the words and ideas are getting my message across. Heck, just thinking of words and ideas in the first place is usually the hardest part. And I know for a fact the whole process takes me A LOT longer than the average neurotypical...my husband gives me a hard time about how long it takes me to craft a text or an email.

Handwriting is even more torturous, since you can't just hit "delete." Ironically, my handwriting (printing & cursive) is considered very neat, but it comes with an arduous amount of effort. My handwriting is one of 2 extremes: illegible (when I write fast), or beautiful (when I write and re-write, slowly).

Even writing what should be a quick memo on, say, a sticky note often turns into a multiple throw-it-away-and-start-over session...excruciating, at times! Forget hand writing letters...I do it, but it is almost always a much longer than normal process.

For the record, I can usually get a message written and posted on these boards relatively quickly, and I chalk that up to the fact I'm writing about things I know very, very well AND am very personally interested in. :)


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MathematicalOwl
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22 Aug 2014, 10:23 am

I have a big problem with writing. I got a low C in my English Language GCSE and D in English Literature. I sometimes spend half an hour writing a reply to a topic on WP, and then delete everything.



Lukeda420
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22 Aug 2014, 10:41 am

MathematicalOwl wrote:
I sometimes spend half an hour writing a reply to a topic on WP, and then delete everything.

I have done that so many times. I really want to be more active here but like I said it is very difficult. Posting here is good practice though, I know a lot of you have dealt with being misunderstood for most of your lives so it makes it much more comfortable to post my ideas here.

Another thing, does anybody have an issue with not knowing when to end a text message conversation? I find a lot of the time if I'm notposed with a direct question, then I get confused on whether or not I should respond.



gamerdad
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22 Aug 2014, 11:30 pm

MathematicalOwl wrote:
I sometimes spend half an hour writing a reply to a topic on WP, and then delete everything.

I do this, a lot. I start out with a coherent thought, but I lose the structure of it somewhere around 2/3rds to 3/4ths of the way through and I can never seem to pull it all together and finish it off.



MakaylaTheAspie
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23 Aug 2014, 12:26 am

I had no idea this was such a common problem. Usually, I'm pretty good when it comes to writing. English was my strongest subject in high school, and I often got flawless scores on my papers.

I'm a lot lazier on the internet, but on professional things like essays I usually put a lot more effort in them. I just start writing, and go back and patch it up later. Sometimes, if I procrastinated like crazy on an assignment and have to go all-out on it in less than an hour, then I don't do any editing at all and just throw it together.

I guess...it might just be practice. I like doing it, because expressing my thoughts through written words has always come naturally to me. I've had to work at it a lot to make it look nice, however.

It also helps if you like what you're writing about. If you do an essay on the 48 different ways you can cut a piece of paper and it doesn't happen to be your special interest, good luck with that.


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23 Aug 2014, 5:53 am

Lukeda420 wrote:
I can never seem to get my thought written out in a way i feel comfortable with. It can take me an inordinately large amount of time to craft a simple text or post. It's very frustrating because I usually know what idea I want to communicate but I struggle to figure out how.


I hear you. Sometimes the structure comes out mixed up; by the time I?ve rearranged it and edited the grammar and spelling, the meaning can be lost and i miss obvious mistakes.
Another challenge is when a thought gets stuck in my head but I do not know how to say it. This happens mostly with recent thoughts, I can see it/image, feel it, but I can?t pull it out.
If I can?t translate it accurately, I?ll try to say something because of the time spent on deleted words, it is frustrating and tiring. When the two happen together I give up. Not so sure on how to improve the blocked thought problem, English was a strong subject once, with practice I can improve the structure and grammar.



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23 Aug 2014, 6:57 am

I like writing. I've always been good with spelling and punctuation, and I enjoy writing stories, although my stories are only basic. I do struggle with writing stories similar to the ones you read in books. My stories are more basic diary-form but in third person :) . I am writing a scary story about a girl that works in a care home but something strange happens where all the staff and residents just mysteriously disappear except for this girl, and she walks around the home wondering what's happened, then all these little spooky things happen, and she tries to get out but it's all locked up, and she feels trapped with all these hauntings going on round corners and so on. It's supposed to make the reader feel panicky themselves, but I can't word it good enough to give the reader that effect. It's just turned into another basic diary-form story.


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23 Aug 2014, 9:54 am

MathematicalOwl wrote:
I have a big problem with writing. I got a low C in my English Language GCSE and D in English Literature. I sometimes spend half an hour writing a reply to a topic on WP, and then delete everything.


I run into the same problem as well. I am trying to see of using voice dictation might help because that way. I can get it out of my head fast enough before it fade from my poor short term memory.



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23 Aug 2014, 10:20 am

Yes, I have that problem, too, although I have improved over the years. I always struggled with both reading and writing at school (in my first language). Not that I couldn't read or write at all but I was extremely slow in reading and I just didn't know what to write. I did very well in grammar but that was the only component of the language subject that I enjoyed.

Now I try to organize the ideas and put them in a logical order. That usually works. I can write paragraphs that other people can understand. Still, writing is not my strength. I admire some WP posters for their very well-written posts. I wish I could write like them.