Writing Fellow, Writing Across the Curriculum Program

Laurel Harris

Writing Fellow, Writing Across the Curriculum Program

How to Overcome Writer’s Block

Introduction

We are quickly approaching the end of the semester, and we all know what that means—papers will soon be due. Writing a final paper is challenging, and, when we are faced with this challenge, it is very normal to become frustrated and procrastinate. However, there are several strategies that we can use to make the task easier and defeat writer’s block to get the thing done. These central strategies require:

·  Time Management

·  Defeating the Inner Censor

This handout will explain how to manage your time to make your paper as easy to write as possible and how to defeat that inner censor and get motivated to start writing in the first place.

Time Management: Spacing

Your instructor has already made the task of writing a final paper easier for you by requiring that you hand in proposals, outlines, and drafts of the paper that force you to start thinking about it early in the semester. In writing and thinking about your paper throughout your semester, you are spacing your writing. Research shows that it is more productive to have shorter writing sessions over a long period of time than to have one marathon writing session right before a paper is due.

Why? Because when you have to write a paper overnight, the stakes are high which can be paralyzing. When you write a little bit every day, you already have much of the material you need when it comes time to sit down and produce a final paper. This makes the writing process much, much easier, and usually results in much better papers and grades. Think of training for a race. If you jog a little bit every day to prepare a month or two before the race, you will likely do much better than a runner who shows up having spent the last two months lying on the couch.

If your professor does not space out the assignment for you, then you should acquire the habit of doing this yourself. Begin spending a little time each day you study, even if it is only 30 minutes, working on a paper as soon as you get the assignment. Don’t just put it away and expect to write it later.

Begin the assignment with easier tasks, like doing a little Internet research in between classes, and work up to writing a first draft that perhaps you can show your professor for feedback a couple of weeks before the due date. A good strategy is to make a reverse calendar. When you receive the assignment, set mini-deadlines for yourself. For example, plan a date to have your research finished and a date to have a rough draft written that give you plenty of time to revise for the final draft.

Remember: Spending 30-60 minutes a day on a paper over four to six weeks will produce a better paper (and better grade) and be much less stressful for you than trying to write your final paper the week (or the night) before it is due.

Freewrite and Discussion: Take five minutes to write down how you approach the task of writing a final paper. Do many of your professors require you to space out the tasks of completing a paper like Prof. Bercovitz? Do you practice spacing yourself? What is your strategy? Is it a good idea? Why or why not?

Time Management: The Direct Writing Process

Spacing a writing task in short periods over several weeks is generally the best way to approach any paper. However, we don’t always do what’s best for us. Sometimes we eat a donut for lunch or date someone we know we shouldn’t. It’s the same with writing tasks. Most college students have had an experience in which they ignored advice about spacing and found themselves with a paper due the next day.

What do you do then? First, figure out how much time you actually do have to write the paper. Be realistic. Let’s say it’s 10 p.m. and the paper is due at 1 the next day. Assuming you have no plans in the morning and want to get a little bit of sleep, you’ll have from 10-6 to write the paper, then you can sleep for a few hours and commute to class. That’s a total of eight hours. Next, divide this time in two. In this case, you would have two 4-hour periods, 10-2 and 2-6. Write your paper, as quickly as you can, from 10-2, not worrying about grammar, organization, sentence structure, or anything else besides getting words on the page. From 2-6, devote your time to revising what you wrote from 10-2, focusing on organization, development, and grammar and sentence structure. This is what the scholar Peter Elbow calls the direct writing process. It will likely produce a better paper than spending the whole period trying to write, although it is not likely to produce nearly as good a paper as spacing and careful planning will. Nevertheless, it is better to have a “C” paper than no paper at all, and this strategy will help you get that paper out.

Remember: It is never a good idea to save a paper until the last minute, but, if you do, the best strategy is the direct writing process. Budget your time in two pieces—the first half will be devoted to getting words on the page and the second half will be devoted to revising those words.

Freewrite and Discussion: Have you ever saved a paper until the last minute? How did you approach it? What was your strategy? How did it turn out and what grade did you receive?

Defeating the Inner Censor

What both time management strategies described above, spacing and direct writing process, do is help you keep your Inner Censor quiet so that you can get words on a page and feel motivated to do so. Who is your Inner Censor? Your Inner Censor is a critic who lives in your mind and who likes to come out every time you sit down to write.

Often, we find ourselves putting off a paper to watch Youtube videos, call a friend, or even clean the house or wash the car. Why do we avoid writing papers? We might blame laziness or a lack of motivation for this procrastination, but we can also blame our Inner Censor. Our Inner Censor can be annoying and scary, reminding us of how many times we have failed as writers or how little we know about the topic of our papers. Our task is thus to get the Inner Censor to shut up and let us write something. Strategies to do this are:

·  Freewriting: Rather than start with writing an introduction on a blank page, begin by brainstorming and taking notes on your topic, not worrying about grammar or sentence structure. This way, you won’t have to face the blank page with nothing. Furthermore, if you write quickly and on a sheet of scratch paper or a Word document just reserved for notes, your Inner Censor won’t have much to say.

·  Discussing your topic with others: If you are an extrovert who likes to talk through problems, then you should talk to other students and your professor about your topic. Just be careful to write down any ideas you have in these conversations so you don’t lose them.

·  Paper-Based “Procrastination”: If you keep giving in to procrastination, procrastinate on your paper. For example, do a new web search on your topic, read a new article on your topic, or reorganize your notes. Following this “procrastination,” try freewriting on the new material for five to ten minutes.

Remember: We are often our own worst enemy. Use strategies like freewriting, discussion, and paper-based “procrastination” to stay motivated and defeat your Inner Censor.

Freewrite and Discussion: Does this idea of the Inner Censor seem familiar to you? Why or why not? Do you use strategies like freewriting when you have writer’s block? Does it work?