Whatever your major, the chances are you’ll have to write an occasional long paper. This is stressful enough — it’s worse still when you sit down to write and nothing comes to your mind. It can also be panic inducing if you’re working against the clock. The good news is there are several proven strategies that you can use to push past your writer’s block. Here are a few to try.
- Accept That Writer’s Block Can Strike at Any Time
Feeling frustrated at yourself won’t do anything to solve your writer’s block — it will just make you feel worse. You may find you’re able to write several assignments and suddenly become stuck on the next one. Alternatively, you may run out of ideas halfway through a paper. Whenever and however writer’s block strikes, remember it’s a normal part of the writing process. It happens to everyone and is no reflection on your academic abilities. - Take Breaks
If you reach the point where you have no idea what to write next, it may be worth stepping away from your desk for a few minutes. Take a short walk around the block or to a nearby park. When you come back, you’ll often find inspiration hits you almost immediately. - Speak Instead of Typing
If you’ve left the paper until late or it ends up taking much longer than you expected, you may find you’re unable to keep focusing on the screen. Give your eyes and fingers a break by dictating your ideas instead. Start by just recording your thoughts and then dictate whole paragraphs.
It can also be helpful to read aloud the materials you’re using for your paper. This will help with your understanding by forcing you to focus on the message and stop you from skimming the content without taking anything in. - Don’t Stop
An advantage of dictating a paper is it becomes more awkward to stop and make corrections, which pushes you to keep creating. You’ll be much more productive when you work this way than you try to perfect your text as you go along.
Another way to keep your writing flowing is to find more opportunities to write. If you’re stuck on one paper, switch to another assignment for a while, write an email that’s been on your to-do list for a while, or even send a short note to a close friend or family member you haven’t been in touch with for a while. Bringing a sense of enjoyment back to writing will help you fight your writer’s block in the long term.
Having a quiet place where you can work on your assignments in peace is crucial to coping with writer’s block. The problem is you won’t find this in a shared room on campus. Instead, you need to upgrade your housing. An alternative to Fleming College residence is Severn Court. Your private bedroom comes fully furnished with a desk and chair and the all-inclusive rent provides you with high-speed internet. Plus, you’ll be just down the street from your classes, meaning you can sleep in if you need to stay up late finishing a paper. Apply for your lease now.
