Posted by Welcome back to another fun installment of “writing like an animal.” As we inch closer to finals week, we are featuring the rapid elegance of the cheetah, one of the fastest animals on earth. Just kidding! It’s the time of year that we are all feeling like the opposite end of the spectrum — that of the sloth. Let’s see what we can emulate in our writing lives from these slow animals:
Sloths are nocturnal creatures (and, contrary to popular belief, only sleep about 10 hours a day)….
….and so are many writers. While I know very few students who manage to sleep 10 hours, don’t forget to get some sleep after you stay up until the wee hours of the night working!
Three-toed sloths can turn their heads nearly 270 degrees to get a pretty full picture of life…
…so writers should learn to keep a broader view of their topic to avoid writing their way into a corner or an illogical argument.
Sloths eat a lot of leaves and digest their food quite slowly….
….while writers could learn to not just rely on sugary sweets to get them through a writing session and eat something nutritious for some more long-term energy!
While sloths move very slowly on land, they are surprisingly fast swimmers…
…remember that if the process you are using is going too slowly since it’s not playing to your strengths, don’t be afraid to try something new. You might find a new talent!
Sloths have a unique facial structure that makes it look like they are always smiling, no matter their moods…
…so no matter how you tired you are when writing, don’t forget to bring whatever energy you do have left into your writing! Your audience can tell if you’re bored with your topic or just ran out of steam as you wrote! Sometimes you just have to keep typing…and then you can truly smile with satisfaction once you’re done!
Time to get writing! Well, maybe, after that next nap…
*all images from giphy.com
The Write Attitude 