Dear professor, I always have troubles with my compositions in class.
How can I overcome writer's block?
You might find consolation in the knowledge that you are not alone.
This is a common problem, even for very famous authors. Usually the difficulty stems
from anxiety about not being able to produce truly outstanding text. Remember
that creative output does not have to be absolutely perfect in order to qualify
as very, very good. Discovering what you
are capable of doing only takes practice.
It is usually helpful
to establish a set of strategies prior to actually writing, especially when a
deadline or time limit is a worrisome factor.
An effective preliminary tactic to overcome the fear of writing is to
take a few old sheets of paper, preferably recycled or used ones, and randomly
scribble words related to the topic you have been assigned. Do not put them
down in any particular order; just freely associate, without rejecting any
ideas, until your anxiety diminishes.
Visualize a friendly
audience for your writing. Imagine explaining one of your concepts to a curious
9-year-old child. Which examples would you use? Select one of the ideas that
you wrote down, and then quickly draft a few points that would help this kind
receptive reader understand the basic substance of what you want to express.
Anticipate questions from this fantasy reader, too; consider possible confusion
you think the imaginary reader may have about your statements; add clarifying
details to your notes.
Read what you have
written. Decide which elements you could include in the assigned composition,
and then generalize from them to produce a “working” (provisional) thesis
statement. Start a fresh list of related sub-topics, including ideas from the
old scratch paper. You will feel much more prepared to actually begin drafting
an essay. If you feel “blocked” again,
go back to the rough list of ideas for more inspiration. Encourage yourself by
recalling that writing is a process of exploration, not a final
destination.
By Professor
Penmanship.
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