How Writing Rules Kill Creativity: Revised

 Writing used to be something I looked forward to—until the rules took over. Don’t use contractions. Don’t use “I.” Don’t sound too casual. Suddenly, writing felt more like trying to pass a test than actually expressing something real.

One of my friends once rewrote an entire essay just to remove every “I” she had written. She told me afterward that the paper didn’t feel like hers anymore. I knew exactly what she meant.

Kimberly N. Parker writes about how students lose their connection to writing when they’re told to leave themselves out of it. In her classroom, students often say they used to enjoy writing—until they were told to stop using personal experience. Once they had to follow strict rules, writing started to feel robotic.

Julia Molinari agrees. She says that academic rules often discourage creativity and make writing feel mechanical. Students aren’t encouraged to explore ideas or experiment with voice. Instead, they learn to follow a script.

The thing is, writing is better when it feels like you. That doesn’t mean being careless—it means writing with intention. And when students are allowed to do that, they tend to care more. The result? Stronger, more authentic writing.

Instead of telling students what not to do, we should give them tools to write well as themselves. That means encouraging personal voice, allowing some flexibility, and teaching what makes writing both effective and honest.

Your turn:
Have the rules ever made you feel like you had to write in a way that didn’t feel like you? What do you wish writing classes focused on instead?

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