Overcoming Writer’s Block

Because writers have a various ways of writing, a variety of reasons can cause writer's block. When you are blocked, consider these causes and try the strategies that sound most promising.

IF

You have attempted to begin a paper without doing any preliminary work such as brainstorming or outlining...

THEN

work with a tutor

use invention strategies suggested by a tutor or teacher

refer to the Writing Lab handout "When You Start to Write"

IF

You have chosen or been assigned a topic which bores you....

THEN

choose a subject you are interested in (if the teacher will allow it)

talk to a tutor about 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...

THEN

resign yourself to the fact that you have to write the paper

find out what is expected of you (consult a teacher, textbook, student, or tutor)

try some of the strategies listed above

IF

You are anxious about writing the paper...

THEN

refer to the OWL Handout Coping with Writing Anxiety

see a Writing Lab tutor

IF

You're self-conscious about the writing situation, you may have trouble getting started. So, if you're preoccupied with the idea that you have to write about a subject and feel you probably won't express your most original thoughts regarding the subject...

THEN

talk over the subject with a friend or tutor

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...

THEN

ease up on your self-criticism

force yourself to write down something, however poorly worded that approximates your thought (you can revise this later) and go on with the next idea

use some of the specific strategies below

break the task up into steps. Meet the general purpose of the assignment.

IF

You are worrying about what your teacher or other reader will think of your paper or how harshly he or she will evaluate it...

THEN

think of the present draft as a practice run. Write the draft quickly, and revise it later.

use some of the specific strategies below

Specific Strategies

These specific strategies in overcoming writer's block will prove more helpful when you're drafting the paper. If you're having trouble coming up with a thesis or generating details, see a Writing Lab tutor or the handout "When You Start to Write."

Begin in the Middle

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

"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 fifteen to thirty minutes to talk about the topic and whose main aim is to help you start 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.

Tape the Paper

Talk into a tape recorder, imagining your audience sitting in chairs or standing in a group. Then, transcribe the tape-recorded material. You'll at least have some ideas down on paper to work with and move around.

Change the Audience

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 your paper's topic slowly and clearly. Changing the audience can clarify your purpose. (Who am I writing to when I explain how to change the oil in a car? That guy down the hall who's always asking everyone for help.) Changing the audience can also make you feel more comfortable and help you write more easily.

Play a Role

Pretend you are someone else writing the paper. For instance, assume you are the president of a strong feminist movement such as NOW and are asked to write about sexist advertising. Or, pretend you are the president of a major oil company asked to defend the high price of oil. Consider being someone in another time period, perhaps Abraham Lincoln, or someone with a different perspective from your own on things--someone living in Hiroshima at the time the bomb was dropped. Pulling yourself out of your usual perspective can help you think more about the subject than writing about the subject.

 

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