Four strategies for offsetting writer’s block.

Most graduate students and faculty members write under the looming presence of a deadline. For me, it can produce writer’s block. I’ve learned the hard way that a deadline quelches my ability to think creatively and introduces panic to my writing. Since becoming a mother eons ago, I’ve learned that I need to produce a draft well ahead of a deadline. I am a slow writer and need a lot of time to think. 

Reasons for Writer’s Block

There are a lot of reasons for writer’s block. A prominent once is a lack of confidence and feeling like an imposter in the world of scholarly writing. For academics another one is that you’ve simply not read enough or know enough about what you are trying to write. Others will say writer’s block means you haven’t really thought through your ideas in enough detail. Notes and a notebook can help with that. See related post.

Strategies to Address Writer’s Block

Academic writing, like reporting, requires a lot of background research and reading. That requires not only an efficient way to retrieve that information, but also time to process it and think through its implications. 

The first strategy to offset writer’s block, is to plan ahead enough to set aside more time to write a paper or article than you think it will need. That can take off some of the time pressure to think fast; write fast. Good writing is a slow, pain staking process. It generally involves a lot of rewriting. It can be easier to write a first draft if you have left enough time for rewriting. 

When I find it hard to write, I know it’s a sign that I need to walk away and give myself more time to think about it.

Of course, the best stalwart against writer’s block is a detailed outline. This doesn’t not foreclose on the possibility of writing yourself into a corner or an idea that peters out during the process of writing. An outline is a place start. I can’t write without thinking and rarely end up following the outline exactly as planned.

A third suggestion I have about writer’s block might offset anxiety about your ability as writer. Your goal in academic writing is to communicate as clearly and simply as you can. You need to know the literature, but forget the idea that you need to come across as some kind of genius. 

A fourth suggestion to avoid writer’s block is to approach writing in pieces rather than sitting down with the vague idea you will hammer the whole thing out in one sitting. If I am stuck and have some time, I will start on the reference list that can run from 30 to 50 items. Or, I will tinker with a table or figure. If you tell yourself, I will write the introduction today and you succeed then there is a sense of accomplishment and forward momentum.

In summary, 4 suggestions for writer’s block:

• Plan that it will take a lot longer than it should.
• Generate a detailed outline; tinker with it as you go.
• Set the intent to first, and foremost, to write simply and clearly.
• Break writing into sections that are manageable in small units of time.