Do you ever find that while doing all of your homework that you leave your English homework for last? Maybe you decided to start with it and instead moved on to another subject because words don’t seem to come to you at the moment. Then maybe at 11:00 that night you still don’t know what to write. Well, don’t succumb to the grip of writer’s block.
Writer’s block is defined as the loss of ability to produce new work or creative situations in writing. Here are some ways to combat writer’s block.
The first thing you may want to do is brainstorm, outline, or take ten minutes and just write. Your goal should be to get some writing on your paper. Maybe this push to just write anything at all will get your creative juices flowing. Whether you are answering a prompt, trying to outline your research paper, or writing creatively, this technique will surely get something on your paper. This may not be very well written, but it is a start to something that can flourish into an assignment that you are proud of. You no longer need to obsess over starting your piece perfectly. You could just start. Then through the editing process you could make your writing better.
Another thing you could do is to read more. Reading more will expose you to new topics, new vocabulary, and new ideas to include in your writing. It can also help to inspire you by challenging you to try different writing styles.
If you are writing creatively and your writing doesn’t seem to flow, or you become uninterested in what you are writing, you could change your topic. This happens often to students, especially when trying to write research papers due to the lack of sources on particular topics.
The last thing you could try to do is to get inspired or write about things that interest you. It seems so easy to write about something that you know about or that you want to learn more about. Don’t bore yourself trying to choose a topic that is set to impress someone. Instead, get creative with a topic that you want to write about and you will find yourself getting better feedback on your piece. If this doesn’t work, maybe you should walk outside for a few minutes, go shopping, or cook something. Maybe you will write something describing the world around you, a review on the best gifts to buy, or a recipe for your favorite meal to cook. Try to connect your interests to make your writing more deep and more interesting. I hope some of these tips will help you avoid the struggle of trying to write the perfect piece on Sunday night.