writer; however, he was later told that the paper would be presented in front of his class. Daniel began to panic. That night, after much debate, he carefully outlined his paper, making it a point to discuss several key issues. During much of the writing process, Daniel was distracted by the speaking part of the assignment and was constantly concerned with how his words would be viewed by his fellow classmates. The following is an excerpt from his finished report:“The male South African albino alligators are attracted to the female SouthAfrican albino alligators. Movements attract them. These movementslooks like a dance. This dance is called a mating dance, because it lookslike a dance” (Unpublished source).Daniel received a D- on his paper. The instructor said if he had been any other student, he would have failed. She did, however, allow him the chance to increase his grade a small amount by re-writing the paper for her. The following is the above excerpt from his re-write:“South African albino alligators are attracted to each other by a courtshipdance. The female will lead, prompting the male to respond if interested”(Unpublished source).Daniel swore off writing and is currently attending a community college. His intended major is organic chemistry (Bryson).As you can see, in the re-write of his paper, Daniel wrote a much cleaner, tighter, and more to the point paper. This was because the only person other than him who would be reading it was his instructor. The fear was therefore alleviated, resulting in a clearer mind with which to write.ResultFear can be a writer’s greatest adversary. It can turn otherwise brilliant individuals into mentally retarded children with speech impediments. It can cause such distress in a writer’s mind that he feels no choice but not to publish what could be his greatest work. However, it can be overcome. If a writer decides to write merely for himsel...
