by: Emily Moseley
I wouldn’t say that Alexander Hamilton and I are similar; however, one thing we both have in common is a knack for speed-writing. He wrote like he was “running out of time” because he has so much to say, and, during the Revolution and in the midst of creating a country, time was not on his side. I, however, am usually running out of time because of my procrastination (a very refined skill of mine) and because I’m a fast typist.
In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, typewriters did not exist. It was pen and paper, and even then the pens were not the roller-ball ones we have today, they were much less efficient ink pens. So writing, at least from my perspective, would be worlds different if I were to travel back in time because I’ve been typing everything since as long as I can remember. (Don’t get me wrong, I have great handwriting, I’m just slow.) I went to a small school all my life with, let’s say, a limited computer class that consisted of mostly typing games from second to fifth grade. So, as a bored lower-schooler, I poured all my effort into learning how to type and type well. If you asked, I couldn’t explain why, it was just fun. Something about the clicking of the keyboard and that slight rhythm that you find when writing notes or an essay inspired me. And the reason I say that I would not survive in Hamilton’s time is because I try to type at the speed of my thoughts: a little over 100 words per minute. Anything slower and I would just forget where I was going with my last sentence or lose my train of mind.
I am in no way a writer, nor do I ever aspire to be; but I recognize that it is an invaluable skill to have. And by taking joy in the little things like the sound of your keyboard strokes and the satisfaction of typing a sentence super fast, I can make writing more enjoyable and try to find that rhythm to make my writing flow not only on the screen but when I’m typing as well. My writing practices are pretty structured. Once I actually start the assignment, I go in deep making outlines, taking notes in the outlines hoping that one sentence might inspire a paragraph later on, and then writing the essay in color. I know it sounds weird, but when I’m envisioning something, especially a more academic or dry topic, I try to find the distinct parts of the topic and how I’m writing it so I can color it in my essay and make sure I’m balancing out every topic I wanted to hit on. (It’s kind of like when you buy binders/notebooks for class and history for some reason had to be blue and science green, like there’s no way you could take notes in anything but that color for that class. Yeah, it’s like that.)
Sometimes when I procrastinate a little *too* much, I skip right to the actual writing and still color coordinate so I can kind of see an outline and where I’m lacking information or perspective. It sounds tedious, but it lets me go a lot faster knowing that I can type whatever I want as fast as I want and then sort it later. It’s not til I do my final final (yes, we all have those files named “Final Essay” and “Final Essay 2” and even “Final FINAL Essay”), that I remove the color and am comfortable where everything stands. Also working in google docs helps tremendously because you can comment however much you want and then if you need it revised or proof-read, it’s so easy for someone else to add onto your comments or see your train of thought.
Lastly, as far as deadlines go, I have a love-hate relationship with them. I will (no matter what) stretch my projects, papers, etc. to fit whatever time I have allotted myself. But I also use Google Calendar like it’s my job. Let me tell you, checking off one of the tasks is one of the most satisfying things because it crosses itself out, turns a different color, AND has a cute check mark by it. So, naturally, I set goals for almost every day when working on a project not only for the satisfaction of checking that little blue box, but also to keep me on track and working on the project before the actual hard deadline.
I know I’m not the only procrastinator out there, but I hope the way I try to combat it is helpful. I procrastinate because I am scared of that blank white paper (yes, I change the background color to beige or something to make my intermediate writing more interesting), and I feel like once I start the essay it’s permanent. So I outline, I prep, I take notes, I color-coordinate everything, I make tasks and deadlines, and THEN I can start writing once I’ve gotten myself situated. So that is my writing style, wacky but it works most of the time.