Success in the face of distress: A brief look at emotions and the writing process

It’s Friday, late afternoon and your final student writer for the day has shown up with rapid speech, fidgety hands, and a look of despair. The student, demonstrating the hallmarks of an overwhelmed writer, tells you they waited last minute to start their assignment—due on Monday morning. This prompts you to ask yourself, why did they wait so long?

The role of emotions in the writing process is not to be underestimated. Driscoll and Powell (2016) inadvertently discovered what role emotions play in the transfer of writing skills while observing 13 student writers through a five-year study about writing development. Three categories were used to group writers’ emotions: generative, disruptive, and circumstantial. Writers who expressed generative emotions about their writing used words like “confidence and enjoyment” (Table 1). Disruptive emotions were the opposite of generative emotions. Writers who expressed disruptive emotions used words like “hate and fear” (Table 1) and did not produce the kind of writing they desired. Writers who experienced circumstantial emotions used words like “frustration and confusion” (Table 1). Circumstantial emotions were of special interest to the researchers because unlike the other two emotions, circumstantial emotions reflected an emotional state contingent on the writer’s situation (e.g., the writer could not find sources). Furthermore, how the writer managed their emotional state resulted in generative or disruptive emotions.

Putting our distressed student writer in context, our bodies first feel before our minds do (Ames, 2024; Hull & Brooks-Gillies, 2022). Meaning, the student probably felt upsetting emotions when the writing assignment was given (perhaps because the assignment triggered a negative memory about writing). To avoid the unpleasant feelings, the student put their assignment off, which explains why the writer showed up for help last minute, anxious and scared. So what can a writer do to turn their circumstantial emotions into generative emotions? The writer took a good first step by scheduling a session for help. Also, the writer may benefit from a writing plan worksheet to begin their writing process. The tutor can provide the worksheet for the writer to complete during the session (if the writer is comfortable) or for later. Below are the worksheet questions.

What am I writing?

Why am I writing?

What do I need to do to generate writing?

Who can help me in my writing process?

How will I know my writing plan is working?

What might interfere with my writing process?

What will I do if my writing plan is not working? (Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers, 2011)

The worksheet has self-reflective and action-based elements. Key components in shifting circumstantial emotions to generative ones (Driscoll & Powell, 2016; Driscoll & Wells, 2020). Ultimately, the writer in our scenario may need more time to complete their assignment.  However, the writing plan worksheet is a tool that can help them establish and reach their writing goals, along with managing overwhelming emotions before they start. Anecdotally, I used it for my MnWE presentation, and this article and it helped!

Unfortunately, higher education assumes that improvement in writing hinges on knowledge and skill set alone, and overlooks how emotional dispositions impact writing ability (Driscoll & Powell, 2016; Driscoll & Wells, 2020). I certainly agree. I also hope to find more studies with bigger sample sizes that look into the role of emotions in academic writing because what is happening to the writer is also happening to their writing. Simply put, success may depend on it.

References

Ames, R. (2024, May 16). Getting unstuck: Resilience and hope in times of burnout. [Webinar]. Midwest Center for Personal & Family Development.

Change plan worksheet. (2011, June 15). Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers. https://motivationalinterviewing.org/change-plan-worksheet

Driscoll, D. L., & Powell, R. (2016, November 30). States, traits, and dispositions: The impact of emotion on writing development and writing transfer across college courses and beyond. Composition Forum. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1113424

Driscoll, D.L., & Wells, J. (2020). Tutoring the whole person: Supporting emotional development in writers and tutors. Praxis: A Writing Center Journal 17(3), 16-28. http://dx.doi.org/10.26153/tsw/9569

Hull, K., & Brooks-Gillies, M. (2022). Emotional and embodied relationality in writing center administration: Attending to institutional status, in-betweenness, and the (re)making of community. In J. Morris & K. Concannon (Eds.), Emotions and Affect in Writing Centers (pp. 20–35). Parlor Press.