How often have you found yourself unable to start writing your essay? You clearly understand the topic, and you have all the necessary materials to start writing without distractions. But, for some reason, whenever you sit in front of your laptop, you can’t make yourself type the very first word of your paper.
Or you did type the first word, then deleted it, then typed again, and deleted it again. It seems like you ran into a blank wall, which is commonly known as writer’s block.
All of a sudden, you can’t move on with your writing. The words simply won’t come to you. From time to time, you get the feeling that you got the proper phrasing for the first sentence, and you type it down. And after you read it aloud, you delete it as it sounds like complete garbage. If that’s what you experience, it’s undoubtedly writer’s block.
If you wonder how to deal with it, you should first consider the reasons behind it. The most common causes include:
- Lack of confidence
- Premature editing
- The complexity of the task
- Poor planning
- Lack of personal interest in the task
Does that relate to you? Figuring out the reason behind writer’s block allows you to fix it. Of course, you can disregard the digging for the reasons and order your paper from some essay writer service, solving the issue that way. But if you want to go a long way, go through the reasons listed above.
If it’s the lack of confidence — it’s just an essay, and you won’t perfect your writing without making mistakes. Premature editing? Edit the essay only after you finish writing it. Analyzing the task thoroughly and finding all the necessary materials before you start writing will prevent you from being afraid of the complexity of the subject.
If you’re not interested in the subject, try digging deeper — maybe you just didn’t find the aspects of the topic that can interest you. Or ask for the subject change. Poor planning is bad, so get to figuring out the subject and what materials you may require right after being assigned to it.
If all that doesn’t work, there are other tips that can help to get over writer’s block, which we’re going to discuss without any further ado.
Use Pen and Paper
In the digital age, most students use their laptops for writing assignments. It has a lot of benefits. You can simply edit, add or exclude a sentence or a whole passage without rewriting the whole essay. But when you need to develop a draft or figure out the structure, you can use the good old pen and paper.
Not that we’re telling you to write down the entire draft and then type it on your laptop, no. But you can write down some ideas for your essay. How can that fix your writer’s block?
Regardless of whether you believe it or not, moving your hand to write down the words allows you to physically connect to your task. It can lead you to finding the proper words and ideas for your essay.
Write Down Whatever’s Going in Your Head
You can’t move forward with your essay? Start writing/typing down whatever is going in your head. Start with the most obvious: I don’t know what to write. Then, ask yourself why. Try answering that question in a written form. Yes, it may seem a bit ridiculous, but while you’re writing all that, you can come up with the proper words and ideas for your essay.
Moreover, this method really helps to understand the reasons behind your writer’s block. Even if not, it allows solving it. Keep going for as long as you can, even if you’re writing complete and utter nonsense like your random memories mixed up with the items from your recent grocery list.
The objective is to keep going for as long as you can. And when you finish it after 10 or 15 minutes, you will be able to start writing your essay.
Ask Yourself
When you’re sitting for several hours over the blank page, that’s the time for asking questions. And not in a lamenting manner, “Oh, why?!”. You need to ask yourself why did you pick the topic in the first place. Did you feel passionate about it and lose your passion? Is the original way to approach the topic the correct one? Maybe you should change it?
Other questions may include: “Why is the topic important?” and “Why should anyone care?”. But don’t just ask those questions. Try answering them, as answering those questions will help you start writing the essay. Typing or writing down those questions and answers to them can be crucial for breaking your writer’s block.
Consider the Narrative
There’s a certain problem with the attitude that we have toward essays. Quite often, we see it as pieces of information tied together by the structure. While that’s what an essay basically is, this attitude may not be that helpful when you’re struggling with writer’s block.
But there’s an alternative way to look at your essay. Something more than just statements supported by pieces of evidence.
Think about your paper narrative-wise. After all, what you’re doing is storytelling. Try telling a story. Not that you need to invent characters to write down your essay, but think of the statement as the prologue to your store. The introduction is the first chapter of it. Then you delve deeper and deeper into it.
Looking at your essay from the storytelling angle will help you see the complete picture of the work. It will help in finding the proper words. Finally, it makes performing the task far more interesting.
Mind the Distractions
It’s quite easy to say to avoid distractions or don’t procrastinate. After all, it’s not that easy to control oneself. Besides, sometimes it puts you in quite a difficult state. Quite often, trying to avoid distractions while experiencing writer’s block means sitting in front of a blank page and hating yourself. And that’s where we started this article.
Instead of promising or forcing yourself to avoid distractions, allow yourself to be distracted. It can be vital for your essay. Sometimes distractions can help you find the necessary words and ideas to break from writer’s block. Go for a stroll, listen to music, watch a movie, or talk with your friends. It all can help. But don’t use distractions as an escape from your writing. Use them for your writing.
Final Thoughts
So, there you have five tips on how to overcome writer’s block. Use them. And there are two other things to remember. Don’t give in to the I-can’t-write despair. But not giving in doesn’t mean not acknowledging the problem. Acknowledge it and, instead of getting desperate, fix the issue using the tips from the article.