refer to the handout "Starting the Writing Process"
Overcoming Writer's Block
Because writers have a variety of ways in which they write, there are a variety of reasons that can cause writer's block. When you find yourself unable to think of anything to say, consider these causes and try the suggested strategies that sound the most promising.
IF you have attempted to begin a paper without doing any preliminary work such as brainstorming or outlining.....
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refer to the handout "Starting the Writing Process" |
IF You have chosen or been assigned a topic which bores you....
| choose a subject you are interested in (if the assignment will allow it) |
| consider how you can personalize a topic to make it more interesting |
IF You don't want to spend time writing or don't understand the assignment...
| resign yourself to the fact that you have to write the paper |
| find out what's expected of you (possible sources: teacher, textbook, other students, tutors) |
| Consider
another topic that is more interesting (if the assignment will allow it) |
IF you are anxious about writing the paper....
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refer to the Handout “Writing Anxiety” |
IF you are self-conscious about the writing situation, you may have trouble getting started. If you are preoccupied with the idea that you have to write about, you probably won't express your most original thoughts on it. Try to use one of the Specific Strategies listed below:
IF You can't stand to write down an idea until it is perfectly worded or if you don't want to leave a poorly worded section on the page after you've written it, you are probably stifling your creativity...
ease up on your self-criticism
force yourself to write down something, however poorly worded, which approximates your thought (you can revise this later) and go on with the next idea
break the task up into steps. Meet the general purpose of the assignment.
IF you are worrying a lot about what your teacher or other reader will think of your paper or how harshly he or she will evaluate it, you're probably keeping yourself from writing anything.
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Try to think of this draft as a practice run. Write the draft quickly now, and revise it later. |
Start writing at whatever point you like. If you want to begin in the middle, fine. Leave the introduction or first section until later. The reader will never know that you wrote the paper "backwards." Besides, some writers routinely save the introduction until later when they have a clearer idea of what the main idea and purpose will be.
"Talk" the paper to someone -- your teacher, a friend, a roommate, a tutor in the Writing Lab. Just pick someone who's willing to give you, say, fifteen to thirty minutes to talk about the topic and whose main aim is to help you get started writing. Have the person take notes while you talk, or tape your conversation. Talking will be helpful because you'll probably be more natural and spontaneous in speech than in writing. Your listener can ask questions and guide you as you speak, and you'll feel more as though you're telling someone about something than completing an assignment.
Talk into a tape recorder, imagining your audience in a chair nearby or as a group you are speaking to. Then transcribe the tape-recorded material, and you'll at least have some ideas down on paper to work with and move around.
Pretend that you're writing to a child, to a close friend, to a parent, to a person who sharply disagrees with you, to someone who's new to the subject and needs to have you explain slowly and clearly what you're talking about. Changing the audience can clarify your purpose. Changing the audience can also make you feel more comfortable and can help you write more easily.
Pretend you are someone else writing the paper. For instance, assume you are the president of a large corporation and are asked to write about or discuss the topic you are dealing with. Or pretend you are the president of your country and you are explaining your policy on the issue. Consider being someone in another time period, perhaps Jose Rizal, someone living in Hiroshima at the time the bomb was dropped or just about anyone with a different perspective than your own. Pulling yourself out of your usual perception and considering the issue from someone else’s viewpoint can help you generate ideas that will get you back thinking and writing again.