I just finished my first big essay of the semester. It amounted to 7 pages double spaced. I've written papers four times that length but I'm so out of practice it has completely drained me. Actually writing in general, when I actually devote care, attention and effort to choosing just the right words, makes me really exhausted. I once wanted to become a journalist. I wonder if I would've quit by now for fear of losing all my hair and developing ulcers.