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How To Fight Against Writer's Block

Author : Exforsys Inc. Published on: 4th Jul 2006 | Last Updated on: 7th Apr 2007

Writer's block is something that a lot of people face, but it can be especially troubling for students who are in college or high school. They will usually be sitting in their class when the instructor gives a writing assignment. It will almost always be in the form of an essay, unless it is a creative writing class. While some of the students easily come up with ideas, you may struggle to figure out what you should write about. If this situation sounds familiar, you were going through what is called writer's block.

If you are currently in this situation, don't feel discouraged. Even the greatest writers in history have had moments when they couldn't come up with ideas. In fact, if you write on a regular basis, it would be surprising if you didn't have writer's block at some point. There are a number of reasons why writer's block occurs. Many people are simply afraid, or have anxiety about writing.

This happens to many students who are in college or high school. They may not like writing, or they may not feel that they have the creativity to come up with good ideas. If you are a professional writer, you may simply be having trouble coming up with a good story.

Maybe you've written one successful story, and have been placed under a lot of pressure to come up with another. The good news is there are things you can do to fight against writer's block. One of the best things you can do is expand your horizons and try something you've never done before. Many people run into writer's block because they do the same things over again.

The strategies that you used to write one essay may not work on another. It is also important to work on a schedule. If you write at a specific time each day, both your body and mind will get used to this. If you write just 500 words each day, it is possible for you to write numerous books over the course of your lifetime.

If you have to write an essay for your college class, take the time to create a schedule. Many students procrastinate and wait to the last minute. Trying to write an essay at the last minute almost always leads to disaster. Your instructor has probably read through thousands of essays, and he or she will be able to tell if your essay was rushed. This can lead to you getting a low grade.

Taking the time to create and stick to a schedule can help you avoid this problem. Another problem that writers have is that they are too hard on themselves. Being hard on yourself is one factor which can lead to writer's block.

Another thing that may help you overcome writer's block is too think of writing as a job rather than a hobby. Writing can be likened to physical labor, with the exception that you are primarily using your brain rather than your muscles. When you start to look at writing as a form of labor, it will often become easier to deal with writer's block. When you write, you are basically putting words on a page which are lined up side to side. One thing you can do to avoid writer's block is to simply take a break after you've finished a project.

Writing a good essay will require large amounts of mental exertion. If you continue writing without giving your mind an ample time to rest, you could suffer from what is called mental burn out. For writers, having a burn out can be linked to writer's block.

If your mind is tired, it will be difficult for you to come up with ideas. If you take a break and go on a vacation, you will find that after you return your mind will be refreshed. You will be able to sit down and come up with ideas, and your writer's block is likely to have vanished. You may also find it helpful to work on multipe projects simultaneously.

The reason why this can overcome writer's block is because it will keep you from being bored, and will also stop you from being too comfortable with a specific topic. Studies have shown that working on numerous projects has helped many writers.

Read Next: How To Freewrite To Get Ideas For Your Essay

Essay Writing