McLeod noted that some people experiences writing anxiety. Writing anxiety is defined
as “generally understood to mean negative, anxious feelings that disrupt some part of the writing
process” (McLeod 427). According to McLeod, “Studies of writing anxiety suggest to us that
the emotions have only a negative effect on writing” (McLeod 428). So, even before writing,
people experiences emotions that allows them to be unable to write. For example, I was in my
English class and we had to write a twenty page paper on a book we chose. My friend was very
nervous just thinking about it. She was so anxious and nervous that she did not know where to
begin. During the whole class, she just stared at the computer with nothing typed up except her
name. This experience proves that there are some people that experiences writing anxiety;
however, there are people that experiences beliefs.
In a world that we live in, it is important to have the basic understanding of writing and
reading. It is important because many of us use writing and reading in our everyday life, it
becomes a part of life where we all rely on our ability to read and write. In “Some Thoughts
about Feelings: The Affective Domain and the Writing Process”,Susan McLeod gives readers a
better understanding about how emotions can affect one’s writing. This article shows that writing
anxiety, motivations, and beliefs have a huge impact on the ability to write. I agree with, how
emotions, like writing anxiety, motivations, and beliefs can greatly affect one’s writing
negatively or positively.
Another way that belief can impact one’s writing negatively or positively is stated by
Susan McLeod’s example, “Our students come to us with a great many beliefs about writing
which diminish their perception of their own skills as writers” (McLeod 429). There are people
who perceive their writing as luck, whereas there are others who perceive their writing as their
own abilities. Mary Budd Rowe calls these two different types of learners “gamblers” and
“bowlers.” I agree with this statement because for those people who are relying on their writing
ability as luck shows in their writing. These people are lazy to go over their own essay and also,
they would not care for to revise for grammar or any corrections that needs to be made. Also,
these people have little to no control over the results of their own efforts (McLeod 429).
However, for people who use their abilities in their writing will be able to improve their writing
skills and able to obtain knowledge. For example, in my English class, we were given back our
essays back and I scanned across the room to see people’s impressions on their grade. There was
this one girl in the class who was known to be teacher’s favorite. During this assignment, she
was always be the one who would ask for the teacher’s advise on her essay. She would seek for
advice and questions from almost all of her classmates until she is satisfied with her paper. I
would to say she is a girl that wants to keep improving her essay until it was perfect. From
looking at her impression, I saw a satisfied look and she was extremely happy. However, on the
other side of the room, I saw this one guy complaining to his friends about his grade. He kept
complaining that the teacher does not like him and that the teacher is trying to give him a hard
time. I noticed that he was giving excuses of why he did not do so well compare to not putting all
of his effort in to improve his essay. The effort that one puts on their essay will show and that
can affect one’s writing in a negatively or positively.
The last impact on the ability to write is motivation. “Motivation refers to one’s inner
impulses or drives toward some goal” (McLeod 428). Motivation can either affect a person
positively or negatively; these can be extrinsic and internal motivating factors, depending on the
person’s motivation in learning. Internal motivation factors involving the ego are more effective
than extrinsic motivation factors involving physical awards (McLeod 429). I agree with this
statement because I believe that the only way that we can motivate our self in one’s ability to
write is from our own internal motivation. These internal motivations can be either be from
wanting to look smart or having the passion to improve one’s writing.
The message that McLeod is trying to portray is how emotions, like writing anxiety,
motivations, and beliefs can greatly affect one’s writing negatively or positively. The ways that
one self can improve on their own writing ability is according to Lestar Faigley’s research that,
“one way we can help students write better is to increase their awareness of their own composing
and revising processes” (McLeod 433). This will allow one to control their own emotions and
not let their own emotions get into their writing. A way that can help improve a writer’s writing
ability is for the writer to fully understand themselves and do not let emotions get to them.
Extrinsic motivation is another motivation that can help in one’s ability to write;
however, it only goes so far. I believe that extrinsic motivation is not a long term motivation and
this is not something that one can control. For example, not until junior year of high school, I did
not know what motivated me to study. Every beginning of the year, I did very well in all my
classes because I had the motivation to get good grades and wanting to please my teachers, but
this did not last long. In the second semester, I struggled hard to bring up my grades to where it
was and I did not want to study. However, in junior year, I started to develop the wanting to learn
and wanting to do well. So, I believe both motivations can definitely help in one’s ability to write
and read, but it depends on which motivation goes so far in life. Both can affect positively or
negatively in one’s writing.