I am not a writer; in fact the written word is my least favorite communication medium. I love to read and do not mind speaking on front of large groups of people, but put a writing assignment in front of me and my brain turns to mush. As a writer I have experienced many more failures than triumphs. But as in real life, the failures are as valuable as the triumphs. The failures, such as the research paper tossed in the corner, taught me to start small and build up to the more ambitious projects. So now instead of starting with the big paper, I have learned to write several smaller papers on the same subject. I don’t find that nearly as overwhelming and seem to accomplish more that way. My writing triumphs, though few and far between, are very satisfying. I get excited when I submit a paper and nowhere in the comments does the word rewrite appear.