7 Ways to Easily Overcome Writer’s Block and Accomplish More

Essay Writing & Proofreading Checklist

This checklist will guide you through the process of:

• Choosing a subject

• Creating your draft

• Revising your essay

• Proofreading step-by-step

• Getting it ready to submit

This easy-to-follow guide will lead you through the entire process quickly and efficiently.

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Is there anything worse than writer's block when you have a huge assignment?  Every hour that ticks down towards your due date can feel like a lifetime.  You sit there, staring blankly at your screen, hands on your keyboard, and… nothing. 

Eons creep by, and you stare at your laptop, which is filled with an endless supply of zip, zero, and zilch. 

What do you do when you need to write an essay, but the words just aren't coming to you?  How do you force the phrases to flow from your brain, out of your hand, and onto the paper?  Especially when there are just no words in your head?  How do you get rid of writer's block when you find yourself utterly defenceless?

You know you need to push through it, but how?  This can be so frustrating.  I remember those days.  Not knowing where to start or how to end.  Perhaps you are at word 1,249 of a 2,000-word essay, and you're just… stuck!  You're just sitting there, asking yourself, "what am I even trying to say?"

Writers' block is real! And it affects students across the country.  How do you overcome writer’s block once it strikes?  Is there some kind of writer's block rehab we can check into?

You have to hand in the assignment.  Submitting a blank paper is just not acceptable, no matter how hard writer's block has hit.  But how do you get rid of writer's block once it has?  Is there a way to cure writer's block once it strikes?  These are just some of the things we are going to dive into today.

In this writers' block rehab, we are going to break down:

1. What is writer's block?

2. How to overcome writer’s block.

3. And how to prevent writer's block before it strikes.

I hope you are ready to be monumentally productive because I am about to give you the key.

What is Writer's Block, and Why Does it Matter?

Writer's block is when you are writing or creating something, and all of a sudden, you hit a blank wall.  You can't think of what to write next.  No words will come to you, and you just stare into void space.

This happens most often with writing, thus the name. Still, you can also experience it with nearly any creative medium.  You know where you want to take it, but none of the steps in between materialize for you.

This obviously becomes a problem when you are trying to complete an assignment.  Especially if you are on a tight deadline. 

You need to get something down on the paper, but there is just nothing in your head to say.  Time ticks away, and precious minutes and hours are lost to writer's block while you just sit there and panic.

My mission today is to give you the tools to get back on track.  I am dishing all the secrets on how to cure writer's block and how to prevent it in the first place.

How to Overcome Writers Block

Writer's block is sneaky and can creep up at any point in the writing process.  The good news is that there are simple things you can do to get rid of writer's block once it has hit.

Let's get started with the easiest step:

Try curing writer’s block with a brain dump!

Sit down, grab and pen and some paper and write down everything in your head.  It does not have to have anything to do with the topic of the piece.  Just get everything swirling around in your head down, on the paper.

Even if you just write about how afraid you are about writing this essay.  Or maybe you get a full-page description of how empty your head is. It's okay. Just write it down.

I would suggest at least 10 minutes, but if you are really blocked after that 10 minutes, keep going until 20 or 25 minutes. Don't let your pen stop moving, even if you are just writing that you have run out of ideas or doodling.

When you do get a glimmer of an idea, make sure to capture it. You may not know where to take it, but at least you won't forget about it when you get to the other side of this slump.

If you are still writing after the 10 minutes, keep going, and don't stop until you have everything down on the paper.  This means there is still a backlog of information in your brain that needs to get out.  Stop hoarding it!  Let it come out and play.

If you end up with a grocery list, that's fine.  If you end up with your to-do's for tomorrow, that's great.  It just means that all this stuff is taking up the space that you need for essay writing. 

Release it.  Let it roam free! If you end up with a masterpiece, bonus points!  We just want to free up some real estate for creativity to grow.

A brain dump will free up some space for you to process the information and material you want to work with.  This should help to clean up the writer's block and allow you to focus more easily.

This might seem counterintuitive at first.  How can writing down all of these irrelevant words and phrases help you get to the ones you want?  Imagine a traffic jam.  All of the cars in front of the line are blocking the roadway.  Once we get the stalled cars cleared, the build-up can start moving.

This means we need to get all those shelved thoughts and feelings out of your head.  We do this by way of the brain dump.  Whether it is relevant to the topic or if it is something entirely off the cuff.  Everything that comes to your mind, just write it down.  I don't even mind if you write down how silly you think this step is.  We will see who laughs last when the process works!

Sometimes our minds just get cluttered and chaotic, and a brain dump is the best way to clear it out.

Next, try writing by hand.

Regardless of whether we are talking about working on your draft or the brain dump, try writing it out by hand onto a piece of paper.  Sometimes having your hand move and write out the words and flow organically can help get those juices going.  It can help you to release the phrases and get them on paper.  Sometimes you just need to be connected to that piece of writing, and penning it out by hand is the best way to do that. 

This will get you connected to the words organically.  Having your arm and hand involved in the writing process connects you to it physically.  We have talked a lot about mental associations and how they help with memory and recall.  What you are doing here is using these associations to reverse engineer content for your essay!

Once you get things moving, you are free from the writer's block, and you can't keep up with all the great ideas flowing; definitely switch over to the keyboard and continue.  But in the beginning, if you are really, truly stuck, try writing things out by hand and sometimes that is the little switch you need to get the words out.

Let go of writing restrictions.

If you are trying to write something, but you can't figure out the order it should be done in, then stop doing it in that order.  Focus on the piece you are inspired to write.  Whether it is an essay or another type of assignment, focus on the section you CAN think of and just write. 

If you are writing a paragraph that belongs at the end and then jump to something in the middle, it's okay.  Allow yourself to do it.  Give yourself the freedom to write in any order and the liberty to let your mind bounce to where it wants to be.  We can move things around later when we organize and edit.  Nothing in a writing assignment is permanent until you hand it in.  This kind of flexibility will often spark creativity, which can only help in this scenario.

Write out the parts that you can think up right now.  Whether that is just re-writing a whole bunch of research facts in your own words or the last paragraph of the essay.  Work on the part that you do know right now.  As new ideas pop in your head, add them or write them down and put them aside.  You can switch topics if those words start flowing. Just as long as you get into the momentum of writing.

Don't worry about the timing or flow of the sentences.  We can figure out later where to place the material. Don't even worry about how ideas necessarily fit together when you are dealing with writer's block. Just worry about getting words onto the paper.

Your first draft is going to be garbage. That's why it is called a draft.  The most important thing is that you get the ideas down on the paper.  Once you have this, you can edit your work into perfection!

If you are still struggling, go back and review the list you did for the brain dump.

Sift through everything you got out or expand on things you have already written down. Examine your thoughts and your list and decide what is relevant.  Move relevant items to a new piece of paper and reword them or expand on them. Elaborate on points you consider worthy of further research and use the 5 W's to fill out as much information as possible.

As you transfer useful ideas to the new sheet of paper, answer these questions below each of them:

1. Why do I think this is important?

2. When does this happen?

3. Who is it significant to?

4. What information does this relate to?

5. Where can I use this?

6. How can I use it in my piece?

You decide if you want to write out sentences or just continue in point form.  Do whatever feels right for you.  Just try to flush out the details of each of the points you came up with on your brain dump. 

This will also help you make positive steps towards creating your essay and filling out the details.  What is a paragraph except for the main idea followed by supporting points?  What you are doing here is creating the framework for your paragraphs. Even if you put it in point form, you can develop further on these bullet points later.

Step away from your work and take regular breaks.

If you are feeling overwhelmed and you are having trouble concentrating, step away.  Take a shower, go for a walk, or even a drive.  Do something to separate yourself from the work that you have been staring at for hours.  

Usually, if you walk away for a bit, you can come back with fresh eyes and renewed inspiration.  You can overcome a little bit of the writer's block that has been due to tunnel vision.

This is going to help you to avoid burnout.  Writer's block is often like quicksand.  Sometimes, the more you struggle, the deeper you get.  It is okay to admit that now is not a good time to work on your writing.  It is okay to be burnt out and need a break. 

The most important rule of writer's block rehab is self-care first. 

Distractions are the enemy of creativity.

Creativity is like a stream. It needs to flow to gain momentum.  If you are continually starting and stopping, you can’t take advantage of new imagination.  Instead, you are going to end up with a stagnant swamp.

If you can go find a space or time that will allow you to be distraction-free, capitalize on it.  You will be more successful at coming up with and keeping great ideas.  You will also have the room to grow and cultivate them upon inception.

Distractions do not only cause writer's block, but they also kill productivity.  It can take more than 23 minutes to get back on track after an interruption.   This time is just lost. 

Try your best to avoid distractions at all costs.  Not only will it take you forever to get back to work, but the frustration of multiple distractions will also likely put you off from working at all.

#5 Tips on How to get rid of Writer's block before it strikes.

There are ways to prevent or lessen the chance that you will encounter writer's block.  Writer’s block often strikes in response to pressure you have put on yourself or anxiety around the task.  There are a few ways to help to cure writer's block before it strikes.

• Start projects early so that you have the longest possible timeline.

• Break the process down until you have tasks that take 5 to 15 minutes to complete.

• Start thinking about what you want to write before you sit down to write it.

• Don't force yourself to work on a task if you are struggling with it.

• Be kind to yourself.

By setting yourself up for success from the start, you are much less likely to feel substantial adverse effects from writer's block. 

Writer's block does not need to be a moment to panic.  Instead, use this as an opportunity to explore the limits of your essay. 

Let go of the restrictions you put on your writing style and content.  Try getting back to the organic feel of writing by hand.  There ARE ways to cure writer's block, and they are literally at your fingertips. 

A draft will always suck.  Let it suck, and don't linger on how bad it is.

In learning how to get over writer's block, you can add much more context and detail to your essay.  Editing paragraphs that you have already written can lead to new insight and ideas to write about in the places you are struggling. 

Creating a brain dump can also help you to clear out blockages caused by overthinking and overwhelm.  Your brain is not working against you.  But sometimes, it just needs to clean out a little clutter to have room to be productive.

Are you writing an essay and don't know where to start?  Pick up our FREE essay checklist.  This simple list will guide you through creating and editing your essay.  We have simplified the entire process that will let you track your whole assignment on a single page.  Download it today and push your essay anxiety and writer's block to the side!

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