Career Center

Division of student affairs, overcoming personal statement writer’s block.

You may need a personal statement, letter of intent, or application letter when applying to graduate or professional schools. This document can be very challenging to write, as you will need to concisely outline your strengths, goals, experiences, and qualifications while demonstrating good writing skills.

This can be a time-consuming project, so allow plenty of time to work on your statement.

Before you start writing, gather documents such as your transcript, resume and application. Brainstorm information you may need to include in your essay: names of past employers, applicable job titles, experiences, past successes, skills and personal traits you want to specifically communicate. Having the information right in front of you may ease the writing process.

Writing Tips

Answer the Question: If the application asks you to state the reason you are applying to a particular academic program, do not spend the entire letter talking about your qualifications. Instead, include details about what attracted you to the school. To keep yourself accountable to answering the questions, keep the questions in front of you as you write, and refer to them often.

Be sure to be truthful and honest. Do not embellish the truth.

Consider The “I” Problem: This letter is about you. It’s okay to use first person occasionally. However, do not start every sentence with “I.”

Avoid Unnecessary Duplication: Do not reiterate information that is available in other parts of your application, resume or transcript. If the reader has access to your transcript, you do not need to list your grades and course titles. You can be more general in mentioning these topics. For example, include “I was on the Dean’s List” or “I have taken several upper-level psychology courses” and then move on to discuss appropriate experiences in more detail.

Make Your Statement Distinctive: To make your letter unique, include at least one detailed example specific to your own experience. For example, describe how an important family member or personal moment influenced your decision to pursue a particular career or degree. Be careful when using humor to connect with the reader. It is difficult to make someone laugh whom we have never met before. The safe option is to avoid any inappropriate humor unless you are absolutely sure that it will work.

Keep It Brief: To keep your essay brief (essays are typically limited to 250–500 words, or one typed page), write concisely, yet be detailed.  Focus each paragraph on a single idea (for example, one paragraph on the strengths of the program, one on your research experience, one on your extracurricular activities) to keep the essay from becoming too long.

Use a dictionary and thesaurus to provide more word variation and to avoid repetition. However, be careful not to be overly zealous in your use of vocabulary.  Don’t use vocabulary you don’t normally use.

Personal Statement Format

Requirements for personal statements differ, but generally a personal statement includes certain information and can follow the format below:

Introduction: Gain the reader’s attention by starting with a catchy opening, such as the distinctive personal example mentioned earlier. Then, connect the example to the actual

program/position for which you are applying. Mention the specific name of the program. Be straightforward and avoid cheesy clichés and egotism. Avoid using famous quotes.

Detailed Supporting Paragraphs : These paragraphs should address specific application questions. Each paragraph should be specifically focused and support a topic sentence. For example, you may be addressing your qualifications or why you are interested in the program. Regardless, keep your examples relevant to supporting your qualifications.

Conclusion: In the last paragraph, tie together the various examples and claims you have stated in the essay, and reiterate your interest in this specific program. You might also mention how this program will support your long-term goals.

General Suggestions: When applying to multiple graduate schools, have at least one paragraph that you edit so that your essay is targeting that specific program. You might specify that you have a similar research interest that matches faculty interests at that institution.

Revising the Personal Statement

Your personal statement is pivotal to your graduate school application, so you must allow yourself enough time to revise it thoroughly. When revising, check both the content (Did I address the question? Is there enough detail?) and for technical errors (Is the writing clear? Are the mechanics and punctuation correct?). Spell- and grammar-checks are helpful, but do not rely on them exclusively. Read through the essay yourself and have at least three other set of eyes review it as well (e.g. faculty, Career Center staff, The Writing Center).

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Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block

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A description of common causes of writer’s block and advice for overcoming these blocks.

Written by Kylie Regan.

Most writers experience writer’s block at some point in their life, at various stages of the writing process. Often a solution can be found by speaking with your instructor (if you are a student) or a writing tutor. But there are ways to combat writer’s block on your own, too! When you’re having trouble figuring out what to write next, consider these common types of writer’s block and try the strategies that sound most promising.

If you're having trouble finding a starting place for the assignment...

  • Brainstorm topics that are interesting to you. Use the invention strategies suggested by a tutor or teacher to generate questions or thoughts that serve as useful starting places.
  • Write down all the primary ideas you'd like to express and then fill in each with the smaller ideas that make up each primary idea. This can easily be converted into an outline .
  • If your paper involves conducting research, you can look for places where you disagree with another thinker’s claim or feel more work needs to be done. Identifying gaps or conflicts in the existing conversation around a topic is often a great starting place.

Example: You’ve been asked to analyze a television commercial. You remember three commercials that you found interesting and re-watch them, taking notes on details that stand out to you. You freewrite for five minutes on each of the three commercials, and discover that you have much more to say about one than the others. You focus on that one, expanding your freewrite into the an outline for the entire essay.

If you have a topic and an outline, but can’t think of an interesting beginning…

  • After the paper is completely drafted, you can get all the sections in the correct order and read it start-to-finish to ensure that transitions are smooth.

Example: You have to complete a lab report and hate writing the “Introduction” section. In order to complete the project on time, you overcome your anxiety about writing that section by first writing the “Materials,” “Method,” and “Results” sections. You write the “Introduction” last, reorder, and revise holistically.

If you’ve chosen or been assigned a topic that bores you…

  • If you’ve chosen a common topic just because you thought it would be easy to write on, reconsider: it’s easiest to write about something in which you have a personal interest.
  • If you can’t change the major scope or goal of the assignment, try to understand why you’re being asked to write it. What knowledge will you gain from completing the assignment? What skills will you be able to practice? Who would benefit from reading my finished product, and how would that positively change that community?

Example: You work for your campus newspaper and have been assigned to write an article on an upcoming career fair. Although at first your editor asks you to simply inform students of what companies will be represented at the event, you find that you’re much more interested in profiling a certain company that’s new to the fair. You talk to your editor and get permission to write the article that engages you more.

Example: The same scenario as above, but your editor tells you that you have to write the original, more general article. Although it’s boring to you, you reflect that you’ll gain practice presenting a mass of information in concise language, certainly a useful skill for a journalist. Additionally, there are thousands of students on campus who would benefit from the information your article will cover. This motivates you to write the article.

If you don’t understand the assignment…

  • The better you can articulate the source of confusion, the more help others can give you.

Example: Your composition instructor has asked you to write a Digital Literacy Narrative. The assignment sheet provides a definition of “digital literacy,” and you have some class notes that further clarify the concept. But after reviewing these materials, you’re still not certain if your instructor would allow you to write about how you learned to use different coffee-making technologies, as they aren’t traditionally considered digital devices. You go to your instructor’s office hours to ask if this topic would be acceptable, taking your annotated assignment sheet and class notes with you.

If you’re worried that you’ll write the wrong thing…

  • Remember that the first draft is not the final draft. If you’re not sure that an argument will pan out, just start writing it and see where it takes you. You can always delete paragraphs that don’t work out later, but the best insights often come from pushing yourself into uncertain territory—if you never feel unsure about your claims, you’re probably just reproducing existing findings!
  • If you’re worried that a small detail is incorrect, that’s okay in the draft phase. Rather than spending a lot of time checking every small detail as you go, just leave a note to yourself to check your sources later. Or, leave the troublesome paragraph for later and work on a section that you’re more confident writing about.

Example: You’re writing a paper on King Henry VIII and can’t remember off the top of your head whether he beheaded two or three of his wives. The answer to this question wouldn’t change your major argument either way, so you decide it’s not important to look up right now. You write “two,” highlight it, and leave a note to yourself to check this minor supporting fact against your research notes later.

If you’re worried that your sentences aren’t polished enough…

  • Remember, again, that the first draft is not the final draft. The sooner you get some words on the page, the more time you’ll have to edit your prose for clarity and style later. Complete an entire draft before you start editing on the sentence level.
  • If you find yourself consistently obsessing over individual sentences as you go, try dimming or covering your laptop or computer monitor’s screen so that you can’t see what you’re typing. You can also try writing in a notebook and typing up your work later.
  • Consciously stop any non-productive comments running through your head by replacing them with productive ones. Rather than labeling yourself a “bad writer,” think about what parts of the writing process you excel at (idea generation, conclusions, sentence style, etc.) and plan to allot more time for the steps that take you longer.

Example: You’re writing a paper on the effects of all-nighters on college student’s health. You can’t think of the word “deleterious.” After a few seconds of futilely scanning your brain for it, you write “super harmful,” knowing that you can find the more professional word later.

If you’re so stressed out that you can’t seem to put a word on the page…

  • Take a short break! If you’re close to a deadline and worried about losing track of time, then set a timer for ten or fifteen minutes and use that short window to relax before getting back to work. Stretch, move away from your desk, and don’t neglect your sleeping and eating schedule. It’s much harder to write if you’re sleep-deprived or dehydrated.
  • If you have several days left before your deadline, break the assignment into manageable parts. Set measurable writing goals for yourself, like writing without interruption for thirty minutes every day, or writing a certain number of words by a given deadline.
  • Finally, ask for help! Writing is most stressful when you’re doing it by yourself for a long period of time. Asking a tutor or a friend to talk through your ideas can help you get some perspective on the assignment, and remind you that it’s nothing to be anxious about.

Example: You have a week before an important job application is due and you’re anxious that the search committee will dislike your cover letter before you’ve even written it. Since you still have plenty of time before the deadline, you plan to work on it for just thirty minutes every day. You talk to a friend who helps you make a list of reasons why you’re qualified for this job, and you stick to your writing schedule.

If you’re easily distracted when you open your computer to write…

  • Try temporarily disabling your internet access. Take your laptop to a space that doesn’t have internet access. Draft by hand in a notebook and type up your work later. Or, simply turn your computer’s wifi detector off, or put your document into full-screen or “Focus” mode: these obstacles are easy to overcome, but the time it takes to make the few extra clicks to open an internet browser is sometimes enough to stop yourself.
  • You can also try setting a timer forcing yourself to do nothing but write for a short period of time. Even a ten-minute focused writing session can help you break through initial writer’s block and build momentum on your project.

Example: You start to work on your paper, and after writing one sentence feel the impulse to watch just one YouTube video. However, as you have wisely decided to take your computer to the house of a friend who doesn’t have internet, your browser gives you a frowny face and an error message. You return to your paper and keep writing.

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writer's block personal essay

Stuck on Your College Essay? 8 Tips for Overcoming Writer’s Block

←How to Write a Last Minute Essay

11 Tips for Proofreading and Editing Your Essay→

We’ve all had that feeling. You know you have to write an essay, a research paper, or even a story, but you can’t seem to string two thoughts together. It’s frustrating, it’s disheartening, and you don’t know how long it’ll be before inspiration strikes again. 

This familiar feeling is commonly known as “writer’s block”. According to The New Yorker , it was once believed that writer’s block was caused by exhausting one’s supply of inspiration or a lack of external motivation. Now, thanks to the research of Jermone Singer and Michael Barrios, we know that there are four broad causes of writer’s block: 

  • Excessively harsh self-criticism 
  • Fear of being compared to other writers and their work
  • A lake of external motivation such as praise or attention 
  • A lack of internal motivation such as a desire to share a story with the world 

No matter which bucket your writer’s block falls under, you are certainly not alone, and you can definitely get your creative juices flowing again. Want to get over your writer’s block? Here are some proven techniques that will help re-inspire your writing. 

Tips For Overcoming Writer’s Block On Your College Essay 

1. freewrite .

A lot of people get stuck on the idea that what they write has to be perfect, and that pressure keeps them from writing down anything at all. If you find yourself feeling that weight on your shoulders, just take a step back for a minute. Give yourself some leeway to write whatever you want on the topic that you’re writing about, even if it’s grammatically incorrect or irrelevant. Just writing something down can often give the mind something to work with, and it can often lead to further inspiration.

Keep in mind that this freewriting can take whatever form you want it to. It can be full sentences, bullet points, even phrases randomly placed on a sheet of paper. Whatever gets your brain thinking in some capacity is a good step in overcoming writer’s block. 

2. Respond to Brainstorm Questions 

What if your writer’s block is so bad that you can’t even come up with a topic or subject for your essay? If you need a place to start, try thinking about something that is not directly related to your college essays. The easiest things to brainstorm are things that you know, like yourself. Here are some easy brainstorm questions to get you thinking: 

  • Who are my favorite characters on TV, Literature, and movies? Why are these my favorite characters? 
  • What is something that I would join a multi-day protest march for? Is there actually anything that I am passionate about?
  • Say I had to start a business selling something, and I would achieve the average level of success (financially, socially, etc) within that business, what would I choose to do?
  • What nonprofit or cause would I volunteer for assuming I could not choose an activity that I’ve already done or an activity available in my school?

While these questions may not be immediately relevant to the college essay you’re trying to write, they are introspective questions. So the more you think about answers to these questions, the more you are reflecting on yourself and your goals. If you can start writing down your answers, then you’re already well on your way to writing a personal statement or explaining your interests and passions to colleges.

3. Talk It Out With A Friend 

College essays always ask you to reflect on yourself, and who knows you better than some of your closest friends? While they shouldn’t write your essay for you, they can be a good sounding board for ideas while giving you some ideas of their own. Try contacting someone you trust and asking them how they would answer the essay prompt if they were answering it for you. See what comes to their mind. They may bring up an interesting approach to an essay that you hadn’t even thought about, or remind you about an aspect of yourself that you hadn’t already considered. Their ideas could help spark your ideas. 

Keep in mind, this doesn’t have to be a friend. It could be a close relative, a neighbor, or even a teacher. You just need to talk to somebody who knows you well and can give you insight on how you should approach the essay, not how they would. 

4. Read a Memoir or Listen To a Podcast 

Inspiration tends to fuel inspiration, and what better way to get inspired to write a creative essay about yourself than to read/listen to others’ creative essays about themselves. Perhaps listening to people tell their stories will give you some ideas on how you can tell your story for your college essays. 

People share their stories in a variety of ways, both offline and online. You could read the personal memoir of someone who inspires you, or of someone whose story you relate to. If you want something that takes a little bit less time, you could listen to a podcast or watch a TED Talk of people telling their stories. Some other places to find inspiration are The New York Times’ Modern Love column or stories from The Moth . Most of the above are short and quick and could possibly spark inspiration for your own essay. 

writer's block personal essay

5. Change Your Environment 

Maybe it’s not that you lack ideas or inspiration. Maybe you just can’t, for whatever reason, seem to get your ideas down on paper. That’s totally normal, and there’s a chance that your environment has something to do with it. If you’ve been brainstorming in your room for hours or if you’re not comfortable wherever you are, it’s going to be very difficult for you to be able to write creatively and vulnerably. 

Try going somewhere else to write, preferably somewhere with fresh air and sunshine. A simple change of scenery can be surprisingly helpful in getting your brain to work again and letting the creativity come through. As long as you’re peaceful and comfortable wherever you go, it’s a good place to be writing. 

6. Get Some Exercise 

It is commonly accepted that exercise releases endorphins and other helpful chemicals that stimulate your brain and keep you happy. In this way, exercise can be very beneficial in the writing process. If you’re feeling frustrated because of your writer’s block, exercise can lift your mood and give you a much-needed break. If you’re struggling to come up with ideas, the chemicals in your brain can help spark some creative inspiration for your essay. 

Of course, it might be a little bit difficult to go for a run or get exercise if you’re staying at home. Just remember that no form of exercise is better than another, and exercise doesn’t have to take up a lot of space. Do some jumping jacks in place, find an apartment-friendly workout video online, or just put on some music and dance in your room. The key is to get your body moving.

7. Use a Pen and Paper 

Most students type their essays on computers instead of writing them down, and this makes sense. Almost all college applications are submitted online now, and it’s easier to share your essays with others for editing. 

That being said, typing your essays may not be the best idea if you’re experiencing writer’s block. The blank screen in front of you may be a psychological deterrent to your creativity, and the internet may serve as a huge distraction. 

If you find yourself unable to come up with something to write on a computer, try going old school and writing your ideas with a pen and paper. If you don’t have any of that around, try jotting down some ideas on a dry erase board or chalkboard. Writing your ideas instead of typing them encourages you to jot down shorter ideas and think in an entirely different way. This can be a beneficial switch for your brain as you attempt to overcome your writer’s block.

8. Work On A Different Section 

Who says that you have to write your essay from start to finish? If you are having trouble coming up with the beginning, write the end or start somewhere in the middle! If you have an idea of what you want to say and how you want the essay to flow, you can write it down in whatever order you want. Write down the parts that come easiest to you and circle back to the parts you haven’t quite figured out yet. This way, you’ll at least have something written down, and you can use that something to inspire you to write the other parts of your essay later. 

Again, your essay does not have to be perfect on the first draft. If the different parts of your essay don’t seem to fit together because you wrote them at different times, that’s okay. At least you’ll have all of the parts written down, and you can edit from there. 

Want help with your college essays to improve your admissions chances? Sign up for your free CollegeVine account and get access to our essay guides and courses. You can also get your essay peer-reviewed and improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

writer's block personal essay

Writers.com

Writer’s block—wanting to write and not writing—is a persistent problem that every writer (yes, every writer, even Stephen King ) deals with. At its simplest, it manifests as a lack of ideas. What do I write about? At its most pernicious, writer’s block can convince you that you lack what it takes to be a writer. We’re here to tell you: that’s simply not true.

Writer’s block is certainly a tough problem to solve. If we all knew how to get rid of writer’s block, the world would be overflowing with books, completed effortlessly and ahead of schedule.

Nonetheless, writer’s block doesn’t have to be chronic, or debilitating. In this article, we’ll look deeply into what causes writer’s block, and describe how to overcome writer’s block—in whatever way it might be manifesting in your writing. But first, what is writer’s block?

What is Writer’s Block?

What is writer’s block? It manifests in different ways in different writers. It might feel like you’re turning on a faucet, but the water has run out; it might feel like you’re hitting your head against a brick wall, jostling language, waiting for the words to arrive.

No matter how it manifests, all strains and variants of writer’s block share the same issue: a desire to write, and an inability to do so.

More specifically, it’s an inability to get into the flow of writing . The moment you set your pen tip to paper (or fingers to keyboard), your brain is plagued with questions, concerns, distractions. What do I write about? I don’t know how to write that. Where do I start? That wouldn’t make sense. Is this something I would write? I should really do the laundry first.

What causes writer’s block, and how do you staunch the flow of intrusive thoughts? Let’s dive deeper.

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What Causes Writer’s Block

Every writer experiences different roadblocks on their writing journey. Some of those roadblocks are external: rejections from literary journals, disagreements with book publishers, a lack of time and resources, and the like.

However, far more of those roadblocks are internal: self-doubt, perfectionism, low motivation, etc. The internal roadblocks we face around our writing practice are what cause writer’s block.

Our internal roadblocks in our writing practice—self-doubt, perfectionism, low motivation—are what cause writer’s block.

In writer’s block, something internal dams the flow of creativity. Our internal worlds shape how we access our creativity , so getting rid of writer’s block means working through whatever psychological barriers are inhibiting us.

The secret to a successful writing habit is writing every day, without inhibition or prescriptive judgments. So, to overcome writer’s block, we need to work towards a productive writing mentality.

6 Manifestations of Writer’s Block

Below are six common types of writer’s block, broken down one by one. For each type, I give advice I’ve collected and experimented with over the years on how to cure writer’s block.

Here’s what to do when…

1. Writer’s block: You feel motivated but uncreative

Often, feeling boxed in mentally is the result of feeling boxed in physically. When we’re confined to the same familiar spaces, our brains fall into repetition, and we create habits of stasis rather than habits of imagination. You need something to kickstart that creative flow.

Sometimes, the solution is to simply daydream.

Sometimes, the solution is to simply daydream. What happens if you spend an hour staring at the ceiling or out the window—what worlds can you come up with when undisturbed from technology or other people?

Try putting yourself in new, unfamiliar spaces.

Other times, you might need to kick your brain in action by putting yourself in new, unfamiliar spaces. Maybe find a new space to write: a hidden park bench, the back of a library, your best friend’s balcony, anywhere.

2. Writer’s block: You feel creative but have no motivation

Sometimes the opposite is true: you can dream up new stories, worlds, and metaphors, but you can’t seem to put them on the page. Why won’t the words come out?

Create an environment and schedule conducive to writing.

This is where creating a writing habit becomes useful. We need to train our brains to write by creating an environment and schedule conducive to writing. If you can make yourself sit in the same space at the same time every day, you will encourage your creative motivation through sheer force of repetition.

Where do you feel most creative? It may be at your desk or in the kitchen; it may also be in the bathtub, on your roof, or squirreled away in the closet. Find where you’re most creative, and write there frequently.

3. Writer’s block: Self-doubt is getting in the way

For some people, overcoming writer’s block means overcoming the voice of self-doubt. Self-doubt is only natural: when we write, we’re creating new worlds and human beings. That’s a tall order, and it can be easy to doubt that you’re writing “the right way.”

Self-doubt is a natural response to writing, but it doesn’t have to inhibit your creative flow.

Self-doubt is a natural response to the writing process, but it doesn’t have to inhibit your creative flow. Otherwise, you end up justifying your own self-doubt, which prevents you from writing the next Pulitzer Prize-winning book.

This is one of the hardest writer’s blocks to work through, but you’re not alone in feeling it. Many successful authors have their fair share of self-doubt. John Steinbeck, for example, wrote that he was “assailed by [his] own ignorance and inability” while writing The Grapes of Wrath —that great American novel which did win a Pulitzer.

Often, self-doubters will assume their work will be meaningless before it even reaches the page. If you’re experiencing a bout of writer’s block and doubt your ability to create, try to hold back that judgment. Allow yourself to write, even if that writing doesn’t meet your standards: you can always edit later, and the act of creation is the most important thing a writer can commit to. Think of it this way: every word you write brings you a word closer to the Nobel prize.

4. Writer’s block: You’re out of ideas

You want to write, you’re feeling creative, and you have time to sit at your desk and produce something. There’s only one problem: what do you write about?

First, ask yourself this: are you struggling to come up with ideas at all, or are you dismissing every idea you come up with? If it’s the first one, then prompt generators are your best friend. Hit refresh as many times as you want, add or subtract certain requirements, and have fun in the sandbox of language. You won’t be out of ideas for long!

You might also find writing exercises, like the ones in this article on literary devices , useful for juicing your creativity.

If it’s the second problem, then you might need to take a step back and actually slow your thoughts down . You might be rushing through ideas too quickly, and rather than finding your groove and setting words on the page, your thoughts are spinning like tires in a ditch.

This is your reminder, then: slow down, chew through your thoughts slowly, and imagine yourself inside of your ideas. You might find something unique or surprising, and realize that everything you need as a writer is already inside of you.

5. Writer’s block: You’re too exhausted to write

Let’s face it: this world was not built for writers. Very few of us have the luxury of dedicating our entire lives to literature: we have jobs to work, bills to pay, kids to raise, and thousands of decisions to make. When we find time to sit at the writing desk, we don’t always have the energy to write.

Try to block out some time, even just 5 minutes, to journal or dream on the page before going to sleep.

Our personal and professional lives are often what causes writer’s block. If this is the case, but you really want to write, then take a step back and focus on your needs first. Try to block out some time, even just 5 minutes, to journal or dream on the page before going to sleep. Over time, this habit will start to produce the writing you want to create.

Overcoming writer’s block usually begins with habits, and habits can overcome even the fatigue of day-to-day life. Be gentle with yourself, but be diligent!

6. Writer’s block: You aren’t sure what causes writer’s block for you

If all writers knew the reason they couldn’t write, then they’d know how to cure writer’s block. Sadly, this isn’t the case. It might take a couple of weeks to diagnose yourself with writer’s block, and it might take a couple more weeks after that to figure out the block. This is something that, sooner or later, most writers grapple with.

If you’ve made it this far into the article and you’re not sure what’s causing your block, try the following. Grab an empty sheet of paper and write the words “I can’t write because…” and then finish the sentence. Jot down as many reasons as you want, including false reasons, made up scenarios, and creative fantasies. If you can’t write because you’ve been abducted by aliens, write it down—and, consider what that could be a metaphor for.

Then, write another sentence: “I want to write because…” and do the same thing. Write because you want to win an Edgar Award, or because you want to heal from something emotional, or because you want your book read in high school English classes.

Finally, write this: “I will write because…” and go from there. I will write because I can. I will write because I’m good at writing. I will write because I’m bad at writing. I will write because I want to, and that’s all the reasoning I need.

This is an exercise in self-dialogue, which helps us navigate our emotions through the sheer act of creation. Instead of overcoming a block in the flow of language, try diverting the river, see where it leads you.

How to Get Rid of Writer’s Block: Make Writing a Habit

Ultimately, working through writer’s block is about developing practices that make writing a habit—on good days, bad days, and everything in between. What this looks like is completely up to you and what will really work in your case. Start experimenting!

Overcoming Writer’s Block Starts with Experimentation

Experiment with where, when, and how you write.

Especially for newer writers, the best thing you can do is understand what writing habits are best for you. Experiment with where, when, and how you write to find a place and style of writing that consistently lets you get words onto the page.

Your next story or poem might be best written on a typewriter. It might also be best written while staring at your phone, tucked in bed at 1 in the morning. That’s not to promote unhealthy sleeping habits, only to suggest that “real writing” can happen in any space.

Maybe you’re too tired to write when you finish work at night. Try writing in the morning! Maybe your laptop keeps dragging you onto Twitter. Buy a notebook! Maybe writing feels boring and isolating. Try it in a coffee shop!

Another great way to get the words flowing is to join a writers group. Depending on where you live, you might find writing groups on sites like Meetup or Eventbrite. If all else fails, check your local library.

Clear away any preconceived notions of what “writing” looks like, and find what will make your writing process work for you. If you try to force yourself to write in one specific way, you might be stifling your creativity and preventing ideas from coming naturally.

Consistent Creative Motivation Comes from Creative Habits

Overcoming writer’s block means setting the words down, no matter how great, terrible, logical, or nonsensical they are. The most successful writers have learned how to get rid of writer’s block by experimenting with when, where, and how they write, found the processes that best suit their writing needs, and developed a rock-solid writing habit .

The most successful writers have found the writing processes that work best for them, and developed a rock-solid writing habit .

Stephen King writes 10 pages each day, even on weekends and holidays. Haruki Murakami runs a 5K to clear his mind. Allegedly, Agatha Christie liked to sit in the bathtub, eating apples and looking at crime scene photographs, especially when she was out of ideas. The lengths writers go to to write!

How to Stop Writer’s Block Before it Starts

Two practices are critical for both preventing and overcoming writer’s block: productive self-talk, and forming a writing habit.

Can writer’s block be prevented? Not entirely, but there are many things you can do to stave off a wave of blank pages. Each of the writer’s block exercises we’ll be recommending below involve at least one of the following two things:

  • Productive self-talk, and
  • Forming a writing habit.

These practices are critical. Even if you don’t have writer’s block, you should incorporate them both into your writing life.

Positive self-talk allows us to transcribe our emotional worlds onto the paper: if we believe in ourselves and trust in our feelings, then we can shut out the world and trust our fingers to create something beautiful.

And if we put ourselves in a certain place—both physically and mentally—we can “ Pavlov ” ourselves into being creative during certain parts of the day.

We have to coax our creativity out, in the same way you might coax a cat out from under the bed. Be patient, kind, and habitual; eventually, creativity will curl up in our laps.

Overcoming Writer’s Block: Join a Writing Community

Although writers are often solitary creatures, writing thrives best with community support . Involve some trusted writers into your creative habits: join our Facebook group or sign up for a creative writing class with our award-winning instructors. (We even have a course that’s all about juicing your creativity with daily writing prompts.) Let’s beat writer’s block together!

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Sean Glatch

[…] and we must have all faced what is commonly known as Writer’s Block, namely times when we feel totally uninspired and utterly bereft of ideas. This is indeed a terrible feeling, the desperate state of intellectual thirst and hunger in which […]

[…] Here’s a pretty good article to check out. […]

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“Imagine yourself inside of your ideas” I love this advice. Thanks for the links in #4– “prompt generator” and “literary devices.” I appreciate your motivation and techniques to CREATE A WRITING HABIT! —that’s my personal bugaboo. Great article to bookmark!

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Keeping up with a writing habit is definitely my biggest challenge as well. Thanks, Julia!

The tortured writer depicted at the start of this article could be a doppelgänger for someone I know…

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I feel so seen to know there’s a writer’s block from being too exhausted to write. That’s the story of my life. Thanks so much for the tips!

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How to Combat Writer’s Block and Finish Your College Essay

Ivy Divider

Flip your topic on its head

Maybe the way you’ve been thinking about writing your essay has limited your options! Think about the different ways you could tell your story. Could you start with the middle or end? Have you included any meaningful dialogue ? Is there a small part of the story that you could highlight? Try writing your story from someone else’s point of view or reworking your outline.

Get Everything Down

You can only fight for so long. If you know what you want to say but can’t seem to say it well, write it down anyway. It will be easier for future you with creative thoughts of gold to clean up the mess if there’s something already there. Do you know how hard it is to build a home without a foundation? Be okay with writing something that doesn’t live up to your expectations. You can fix it later.

We know that the last thing you want to do is leave your laptop without having anything to show for the time you spent in front of it — but a change of scenery and short break can do wonders for letting your brain reload with awesome ideas! Take fifteen minutes to get a glass of water, eat a slice of pizza, or solve a Rubik’s cube. Purposefully distract yourself, so when it’s time to revisit your Word Doc – you’re out of the rut. 

Remind yourself of the essay’s purpose

When you’re deep in the college application process, it can be easy to think of the personal and supplemental essays as horcruxes you need to destroy, but instead remember why Admissions is making you do this. There are so many similarly qualified applicants that they are comparing you against and without a window into your soul, they’re left to play eenie meenie miney mo. Writing a great essay is making their job easier.  Maybe visit your dream school’s website for some motivation or to remind yourself why you’re sitting here trying to crank this out – you’re trying to invite Admissions into your life and mind in 650 words to distinguish yourself from the competition. What is awesome about you?

With your new perspective, you might just be able to wiggle your way out of the writer’s war zone and into college essay success.

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Category: Admissions , College Admissions , Common Application , Essay Tips , Essay Writing , Productivity , Quick Tips , Tips , Uncategorized

Tags: 2017-18 college applications , 2017-18 common application , Admissions , admissions essay , admissions help , advice , brainstorming , College , college admissions , college admissions essay , college application , college application help , college applications , college essay , college essay advice , college essay advisors , college essay help , college essay tips , college essay topic , college essay writing , common app , common application , essay help , essay prompts , essay tips , essay writing , Essays , personal statement , procrastinators , supplemental essays , supplements , tips , writing

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Dealing with Obstacles and Developing Good Habits

Overcoming Writing Anxiety and Writer’s Block

two soldiers in twilight scaling a giant ladder on an obstacle course

You may be thinking, “All this advice is good, but sometimes I just get stuck! What I normally do just isn’t working!” That’s a familiar feeling for all writers. Sometimes the writing just seems to flow as if by magic, but then the flow stops cold. Your brain seems to have run out of things to say. If you just wait for the magic to come back, you might wait a long time. What professional writers know is that writing takes consistent effort. Writing comes out of a regular practice—a habit. Professional writers also know that not everything they write ends up in the final draft. Sometimes we have to write what Anne Lamott calls a “shitty rough draft.” One of my favorite writing professors, Duncan Carter, used to say that he was a terrible writer but a great reviser, and that’s what helped him write when inspiration wasn’t available. So how do writers get going when they feel stuck or uninspired? They develop a set of habits and have more than one way to write to get the words flowing again.

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You might associate the idea of writing anxiety or writer’s block with procrastination, and procrastination certainly can be either a cause or an effect of writing anxiety. You can learn more about  procrastination later in this section of the text.  But writing anxiety or writer’s block is more of a condition. We might even venture to call it an ailment. Uh oh. Do you have it? To aid you in self-diagnosis here, let’s take some time to figure out what it is. Then, if you find that you’re afflicted, we’ll help you to determine the best course of treatment.

What is Writing Anxiety and How Do You Know if You Have It?

Do you worry excessively about writing assignments? Do they make you feel uneasy or agitated? Do you have negative feelings about certain types of writing? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might suffer from writing anxiety. Writing anxiety simply means that a writer is experiencing negative feelings about a given writing task. The last of the questions above points out something important about this condition that has been afflicting writers everywhere for centuries: writing anxiety is often more about the audience and/or purpose for a given writing task than it is about the mere act of writing itself.

Let’s consider this situational nature of writing anxiety for a moment. Say you just bought a new pair of headphones. You brought them home, removed all the packaging, plugged them into your MP3 player, and they’re amazing!  So you decide to visit the company website, and you write a stellar review of the product, giving it a five-star rating and including descriptive details about the headphones’ comfortable fit, excellent sound quality, ability to cancel outside noise, and reasonable price.

Now, let’s say that the next day in biology class your instructor covers the topic of biomes, and you learn about animal habitats and biodiversity and the interrelation and interdependence of species within biomes. You find it fascinating and can’t wait to learn more. But then something terrible happens. Your instructor assigns a term project on the subject. As your instructor begins to describe the length and other specifications for the report, complete with formatting guidelines, citation requirements, and a bibliography at the end, your palms start to sweat, your stomach feels uneasy, and you begin to have trouble focusing on anything else your instructor has to say. You’re experiencing writing anxiety.

Writing anxiety is the condition of feeling uneasy about writing. Writer’s block is what you experience when you can’t manage to put words on the page. But your condition isn’t about the act of writing. Just yesterday you wrote a great review for those cool new headphones. So why do you suddenly feel paralyzed by the thought of writing the biology essay? Let’s consider some possible causes.

What Causes Writing Anxiety?

The causes of writing anxiety are many. Here are just a few:

  • Inexperience with the type of writing task
  • Previous negative experiences with writing (e.g. someone, maybe a teacher, has given you negative feedback or said negative things about your writing)
  • Negative feelings bout writing (e.g. “I’m not a good writer”; “I hate writing.”)
  • Immediate deadline
  • Distant deadline
  • Lack of interest in the topic
  • Personal problems or life events

Level of experience may explain why you felt comfortable writing the headphone review while you break out in a sweat at the thought of the biology paper. If you’ve never written anything similar to a specific assignment, maybe you’re unsure about whether or not you can meet the assignment requirements or the teacher’s expectations. Or maybe the last time you turned in a written report for school you received negative feedback or a bad grade from the teacher. Maybe you procrastinated most of the term and now the paper is due next week and you feel overwhelmed. Or maybe it’s the second week of the term and the finals week deadline seems so far away that you’re not motivated to write.

Knowing the cause of your writing anxiety can help you move beyond it and get writing, even if you can’t completely eliminate the problem. If the topic doesn’t interest you or if you’re having problems at home, those probably aren’t issues that will just disappear, but if you try some of the following strategies, I think you’ll find that you can at least move forward with even the most anxiety-inducing of writing assignments.

Strategies for Overcoming or Managing Writing Anxiety

There are a number of strategies upon which you can draw to help you move past the feeling of being lost or stuck. Consider if some of the following tactics can help you to get writing again.

Just Start Writing

It might sound like it’s oversimplifying the matter, but it’s true. Half the battle is to just start writing. Try some strategies like freewriting or dialectic notetaking. (For more on freewriting, see “ Strategies for Getting Started ” in the “Prewriting” section of this text, and for more on dialectic notetaking , refer to the section on “Writing about Texts”). You should also believe in the importance of writing badly. Bruce Ballenger, a well-known writer and professor of English at Boise State explains why writing badly is an important part of the writing process:

Giving myself permission to write badly makes it much more likely that I will write what I don’t expect to write, and from those surprises will come some of my best writing. Writing badly is also a convenient alternative to staring off into space and waiting for inspiration.

a large block of unsculpted pottery clay

Sometimes the biggest problem writers have with getting started is that they feel like the writing needs to be good, or well organized, or they feel like they need to start at the beginning. None of that is true. All you need to do is start.

Have you ever seen a potter make a clay pot? Before a potter can start shaping or throwing a pot, they have to bring the big wet blob of clay and slap it down on the table. It’s heavy and wet and messy, but it’s the essential raw material. No clay? No pot. “Bad writing” is a lot like that. You have to dump all the words and ideas onto the table. Just get them out. Only then do you have the raw material you need to start shaping the words into something beautiful and lasting. You can wait until the revision stages to worry about shaping your writing to be its best. For now, just get the ideas on the table.

Create Smaller Tasks and Short-Term Goals

One of the biggest barriers to writing can be that the task just seems too large, and perhaps the due date is weeks away. Each of these conditions can contribute to feelings of being overwhelmed or to the tendency to procrastinate. But the remedy is simple and will help you keep writing something each week toward your deadline and toward the finished product: divide larger writing tasks into smaller, more manageable tasks and set intermediate deadlines.

The process that the authors used for writing this text provides a good example. As authors, we had to divide the text into sections, but we also had to plan the process for a first draft, peer reviews, and revisions, along with adding images, links, and other resources, not to mention the final publication of the text online. Had we not divided up the larger tasks into smaller ones and set short-term goals and deadlines, the process of writing the text would have been overwhelming. We didn’t meet every single intermediate deadline right on time, but they helped move us along and helped us to meet the most important deadline—the final one—with a complete text that was ready to publish on schedule.

Imagine that you have a term paper that’s assigned during Week 1 of a eleven-week term, and it’s due during finals week. Make a list of all the tasks you can think of that need to be completed, from beginning to end, to accomplish all that the assignment requires. List the tasks, and assign yourself due dates for each task. Consider taking it a step further and create a task table that allows you to include a column for additional notes. Here’s an example:

Collaborate

Get support from a friend, family member, or classmate. Talk to your friends or family, or to a tutor in your college writing center, about your ideas for your essay. Sometimes talking about your ideas is the best way to flesh them out and get more ideas flowing. Write down notes during or just after your conversation. Classmates are a great resource because they’re studying the same subjects as you, and they’re working on the same assignments. Talk to them often, and form study groups. Ask people to look at your ideas or writing and to give you feedback. Set goals and hold each other accountable for meeting deadlines (a little friendly competition can be motivating!).

Talk to other potential readers. Ask them what they would expect from this type of writing. Meet with a tutor in your campus writing center. Be sure to come to the appointment prepared with a printed copy of the assignment and a short list of what you want to work on, along with a printed copy of your essay.

For more about getting help from a tutor see “Why Meet with a Writing Tutor?” and “Preparing to Meet with a Tutor” in the “ Giving and Receiving Feedback ” section of this text.

Embrace Reality

Don’t imagine the situation of your writing assignment to be any better or worse than it really is. There are some important truths for you to recognize:

  • Focus on what you do best rather than fretting about your perceived weaknesses.
  • Acknowledge that writing can be difficult and that all you need to do is do your best.
  • Recognize what might be new or unfamiliar about the type of writing that you’re doing.
  • Understand that confusion and frustration is a natural part of experiencing new things, and it’s okay; it’s part of the learning process.
  • Remember that you’re a student and that you’re supposed to be experiencing things that are new and unfamiliar (new formats, new audiences, new subject matter, new processes, new approaches, etc.).
  • Repeat the mantra, “It doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be DONE.”

Seek Out Experts

If you can, find more experienced writers (especially related to the type of writing that you’re doing) and ask them questions. Sometimes, this might just mean a friend or family member who’s already taken a couple years of college courses. Maybe it’s a fellow student who has already taken the class you’re taking now. Also, the tutors in your college writing center can be a big help at any stage in the writing process. Give them a call and make an appointment. And don’t forget the expert you see all the time throughout any class that you take: your instructor. Ask your instructor for suggestions. That’s what she’s there for.

Another way to learn from the experience of others is to look at examples of other pieces of writing of the type that you’re working on. How is this piece organized? Does it make use of source material? What sort of tone does it use? If you don’t know where to find examples, ask your instructor. If he doesn’t have them at the ready, he’ll likely be able to give you some suggestions about where to find some.

The Word on College Reading and Writing Copyright © by Carol Burnell, Jaime Wood, Monique Babin, Susan Pesznecker, and Nicole Rosevear is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Beating Writer’s Block

Julia de Raadt

Julia de Raadt

Head of research and lead admissions expert, table of contents.

  • Writer’s Block

Stay up-to-date on the latest research and college admissions trends with our blog team.

Beating Writer’s Block

Writer’s Block

One of the most important parts of writing a great college admissions essay is picking a compelling topic. But what do you do when you get stuck? In this article, we offer a number of starting prompts to get you past writer’s block and into writing your college essays.

We recommend you free-write for 10-15 minutes. We provide 2-3 different essay starters to get you off the starting block. Review these options if you like, then choose your favorite among them to continue. Writer’s block, en garde!

Sometimes our failures tell us as much, if not more than our successes. Have you ever tried at something and failed, despite your best efforts? How did you recover and/or what did you learn?

Note : this is a great way to start essays about failure, overcoming challenges, or to answer questions about personal growth.

Historical BFF

If offered the chance to meet any historical figure, who would it be and why, and what would you want to discuss with them?

This is a great way to demonstrate your knowledge of history and your creativity. Great for humanities majors.

Choose Your Own Adventure

If you were given the choice of becoming President of the United States or CEO of Apple, which would you prefer? Why?

Essentially: Business or Politics? This is a great topic for future lawyers, government officials, and entrepreneurs.

Galaxy Brain Action

Free will: fact or fiction?

Get philosophical with this prompt.

For the Bookworms

Which popular writers in our times will future generations continue to read? Which contemporary books, if any, will come to be regarded as future masterpieces? Why?

A good topic for students interested in literature and is also open to a humorous approach.

Your Fortune Says…

If all goes to plan, in 20 years I’ll be…

Can be used to address prompts about your future plans.

Change the World?

Can a Universal Basic Income solve the economic problems posed by increased automation, or would it simply disincentivize work?

Is work part of a meaningful and fulfilled life, or does increased automation allow us to pursue a world without work? What would people do with their time? Will it disincentivize work or open up new areas of creativity and exploration?

Adventure is Out There

Part of college is expanding your geographical, intellectual, and cultural horizons. What (or where) are you most excited to explore?

This is less about individual fields of study and more about the personal development aspect of college.

Influencers

Do you have a role model? If so, who and why? If no, then what takes its place, if anything?

This is an opportunity to write a great essay about a person who had a strong influence on your life and honor a friend, teacher, or other (ideally) non-family member.

If I Had A Jet Plane

Im agi ne you won a travel fellowship with free flights and hotels to travel for three months, where would you go and what would you do?

If you’re interested in international relations, or just interested in world travel, this gives you an opportunity to explore your wanderlust. This post blends creativity with worldliness.

iRobot Anyone?

Is artificial intelligence a boon which could potentially solve all of humanity’s pressing problems or is it a looming nightmare that poses an existential risk to human-kind?

Worried about the robot uprising? Explain your fears, or explain why they’re overblown and that AI will help us address our deepest concerns.

Small Idea, Big Impact

According to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation , the most important weapon in our arsenal against the scourge of Malaria is not a pharmaceutical miracle, nor a technological wonder; but instead, the humble mosquito net. Name a simple (or simple-seeming) tool, device, or invention with a disproportionate effect on human-kind (positive or negative). Explain the impact.

The Code You Live By

Write your own code of ethics for robots or AI units, and explain why such a code is important. How should AIs balance the value of human life? What rules will govern the behavior of legions of robots and AI scripts?

As our world becomes more automated and the internet of things expands further, robots and AIs will be forced to make moral decisions. Which ethical principles should they follow?

Prove Me Wrong

Throughout human history, many popularly held ideas have later been shown to be false. From geocentrism (in Astrophysics) to phrenology (in Biology/Medicine) to the phlogiston theory of combustion (in Chemistry), progress often comes at the expense of previously accepted theories. Which currently accepted ideas will we come to regard as false? Which ideas currently on the fringes of intellectual life will come to be commonly accepted?

People used to think the stars orbited around the earth. What else are we wrong about?

See how you feel about your writer’s block after this exercise! And of course, repeat as needed. Want more ideas? Work with one of our top tier counselors!  They have conquered writer’s block many times, and can help you write your best essay ever.

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College apps can be overwhelming, but you don’t have to do it alone. empowerly college counseling is in it with you., related articles.

Writing College Essays for Different Applications

Writing College Essays for Different Applications

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How to Write the NYU Supplemental Essay

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writer's block personal essay

From Staring to Starting: Overcoming Writer's Block for Your College Essays

September 10, 2014

writer's block personal essay

The personal statement and various supplemental college essays are some of the most difficult pieces of writing you will likely ever be confronted with in your life. With the stakes so high, the need for profundity under such word count and time limit constraints can be suffocating. However, you will find that once you get over the initial hump and get a first draft on paper, things will flow much more easily from there. Of course, that’s a lot easier said than done. Our college admissions experts are here to help you every step of the way. But before resorting to outside help, try giving it a shot on your own.

The first step to overcoming writer's block on your college essays is to realize is that you’re not alone. Not only is every other college applicant in the world struggling in the same way you are, but also almost every single professional writer in history has experienced this kind of writer’s block or is experiencing it at this very moment. For me, the process of staring at a blank document for hours until the ideas somehow magically flowed onto the page was such a common occurrence throughout high school, college, and law school that I began to think it was unavoidable. And, to some extent, I was right.

Since then, having worked with students on thousands of college essays and helping them overcome this common stumbling block, I have realized that this “staring until your eyes can’t take it any more” process is more about procrastination than about creative process. Of course, brainstorming and outlining are important, but they are both very active processes. The trouble with college essays is that you can write about literally anything in your life that you find significant. Thus, you need a way to ignite your creative pilot light. But how?

Start overcoming writer's block on your college essays by asking yourself questions. Dozens of them. And then write down lengthy answers to each of them. This will help you engage in an active self-reflection about your experiences in life. At the top of the page, you should have two objectives highlighted: Organization and Impressiveness. These objectives are both equally important because you want to write something that showcases your positive attributes that will make you an asset to a college’s incoming class while doing so in a cogent and concise way. Keep these goals in mind when you’re answering the questions you’ve written for yourself to keep you on track and help you beat writer's block on your college essays .

So, what kind of questions should you ask yourself? First, you should start with the Common Application prompts and see if you can sketch out an outline to any of them:

  • Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
  • Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure.  How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?
  • Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea.  What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?
  • Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content.  What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?
  • Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

If any good ideas come to mind, make sure to get them down on the page in some loose fashion right away. You can flesh out details later. Next, you should start to write your list of questions. They should look something like this:

  • What is the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to deal with in my life?
  • What has been my proudest accomplishment?
  • When have I felt weakest in my life?
  • What three experiences would I say made me who I am today?
  • What experiences have I had that most closely parallel what I think college will be like and how did I react to them?
  • What is the most thrilling discovery I have ever made?
  • When have I prevailed against naysayers or against all odds?
  • What is the most meaningful relationship in my life?
  • What is my most meaningful possession?
  • What makes me different from my peers?
  • How do people around me perceive me? How do I perceive myself?
  • If I had to write the title of my autobiography, what would it say?

These questions might seem ridiculous to be answering about yourself, but they are exactly what you might need to help get over writer's block on your college essays . Fill out this list with questions about yourself until you reach 25 questions. Then, begin answering them.

The next step will be outlining your essay so that you can achieve that critical goal of organization. Stay tuned on the  InGenius Blog for our next post about organizing your thoughts after a huge brain dump like this one...

Tags : college admissions expert , applying to college , supplemental essays , college application essay , college essays , college personal statement , college application counseling , admissions expert , college application expert

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OASIS: Writing Center

Writing a paper: writer's block.

Writing is a process, not a singular event. It is rarely an automatic occurrence and requires diligence, creativity, and practice. If you feel lost in the process of research, take a look at our strategies for critical reading and note taking. If you are stuck, here are tips for helping you put words onto the page.

Before you begin writing, take 20 min to construct a thesis statement with some of our prewriting strategies. Taking the time to prepare will give you direction and focus. A blank page does not mean that you are searching for the right word or words to begin your essay; it often means that you have no plan. As a scholarly writer, you should show up to your paper or computer full of information you have found in your research. Your goal is to compile a wide and deep knowledge base from which your own ideas will flow.

Find a Suitable Environment

Turn off your internal editor, write nonstop for a set period.

Find a timer or stopwatch, and set it for 1 min. Then, like a sprinter, type or hand-write nonstop until the time is up. Even if you type the letter A over and over again, you are still typing something! You are still defeating the blank page. Next, set the timer for 2 min, then 5 min, and repeat the process, with 1-min breaks in between. Soon enough, you will be surprised by what you see on the page!

Set Realistic Goals

Sometimes the blank pages in front of you can be incredibly intimidating—especially if you know that you are required to fill 25 of them. Rather than tackling the entire paper in one sitting, set goals for yourself. Setting goals will help you to work at a reasonable pace and form the paper in increments and pieces. Set time goals, such as these:

  • I will freewrite for 5 min.
  • I will work on the body paragraphs for 2 hr today.
  • I will complete my outline by Friday.
  • I will finalize my thesis statement by 3 p.m. today.

Hold yourself accountable to your goals.

Giving yourself a break (whether for 10 min, an hour, a day or two) will help clear your mind and make your words appear fresh on the page. Some ideas need time to develop without conscious thought—not all time spent away from the computer is unproductive time!

Change Perspective

Bounce ideas off classmates, friends, or family members.  Ask general questions to people who are familiar with your topic. What seems important to them? What background, terms, or other ideas will they need to know in order to understand your message? Do they disagree with your argument or the points you make? If so, why?

Summarize your own work.  In the margins of your paper (or using comment bubbles), write a one-sentence summary of the purpose of each paragraph. Review your summaries to get a clearer idea of your direction, the overall flow of the paper, and how far you still need to go.

Take another look. Ask yourself a few questions:

  • Is this information necessary?
  • Does it add to my argument?
  • What message am I trying to convey?
  • Are these ideas contributing to that message?
  • What ideas could I be missing?

When in doubt, read more on your topic—it is never a bad idea to go back to your sources and expand your knowledge when you are trying to work your way out of writer’s block.

Freewriting Video

Note that this video was created while APA 6 was the style guide edition in use. There may be some examples of writing that have not been updated to APA 7 guidelines.

  • Prewriting Demonstrations: Freewriting (video transcript)

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Overcoming Writer’s Block in Personal Statement Writing

writer's block personal essay

by Talha Omer, MBA, M.Eng., Harvard & Cornell Grad

In miscellaneous.

Personal statements are an important component of the college application process, but they can be difficult for many students to write. Writer’s block, which causes students to struggle to come up with ideas or put their thoughts into writing, is one of the most frequent problems they encounter. 

In this post, we’ll look at different methods and tactics for overcoming writer’s block and creating an engaging personal statement that highlights your accomplishments.

In this Article

Understanding the root causes of writer’s block in personal statement writing

Breaking down the personal statement prompt , brainstorming techniques to generate ideas and organize your thoughts, strategies for overcoming writer’s block, the importance of starting early and managing time effectively in personal statement writing.

Finding effective strategies to overcome writer’s block when composing personal statements requires an understanding of its underlying causes. Writer’s block may result from a variety of factors when writing a personal statement, including:

  • The fear of not being good enough : Many students have writer’s block because they are concerned that their writing will fall flat with college admissions committees. 
  • Lack of understanding of the personal statement prompt : If students are unsure of what the personal statement prompt is asking them to write about, they may find it difficult to come up with ideas and arrange their thoughts. 
  • Perfectionism: Some students could feel under pressure to produce a flawless personal statement, which could result in overanalyzing and trouble getting started. 
  • Burnout: Students who have been working on their personal statements for a long period or who have written several drafts without taking a break may also encounter writer’s block.

An important first step in overcoming writer’s block and gaining a thorough understanding of what is anticipated in the personal statement is to break down the personal statement prompt. To help you understand the personal statement prompt, consider the following advice:

  • Read the prompt thoroughly : Begin by carefully reading the personal statement prompt and ensuring that you comprehend what you are being asked to write about. 
  • Identify the main concepts and themes : Search the prompt for terms and phrases that point to the primary themes or concepts you should emphasize in your personal statement. 
  • Take into account the goal of the personal statement: Consider the reasons why universities want a personal statement and what they are looking for in an applicant. This might assist you in customizing your personal statement to meet the demands of each college.
  • Examine the prompt’s organization and what it asks you to include in your personal statement as you analyze the prompt’s structure. For instance, some writing prompts might urge you to describe a particular experience, while others might ask you to consider your beliefs or career aspirations.
  • Come up with ideas: Start formulating ideas for your personal statement once you have a clear grasp of the Consider the ways in which you can relate the themes and recommendations in the question to your particular experiences, achievements, and objectives.
  • Mind mapping

Write your personal statement’s primary topic or theme in the center of a sheet of paper before branching out into subtopics and supplementary ideas. This might assist you in structuring your ideas and identifying the relationships between various concepts.

Make a list of all the accomplishments, experiences, and character traits you wish to highlight in your personal statement. By doing so, you can make sure that you cover all the essential aspects and that your thoughts are organized.

  • Group brainstorming

Ask for opinions and suggestions from a group of peers or mentors as you discuss your personal statement with them. To better comprehend the objectives for your personal statement writing, you can also look for advice from professionals on websites like  https://mypaperwriter.com/personal-statement-writing.htm . This will enable you to develop fresh thoughts and see your personal statement from many angles.

  • Begin with a warm-up exercise : Begin with an activity to warm up like freewriting, listing, or thought mapping before beginning to write your personal statement. This can assist you in breaking through any early resistance and getting your ideas moving. 
  • Take breaks : Writing for extended amounts of time can cause exhaustion and make it challenging to come up with new ideas. Take regular pauses, go for walks, or do other enjoyable activities to clear your thoughts and prevent writer’s block. 
  • Modify your surroundings : If you’re having trouble writing, think about changing your surroundings. Try working somewhere else, like a coffee shop or even outside in the fresh air.
  • Set reasonable goals and timelines for your personal statement writing. This can help you keep focused and motivated while preventing writer’s block. 
  • Allows you time to reflect : Starting early allows you time to consider your accomplishments and experiences and to decide on the main themes and concepts you want to present in your personal statement. This might assist you in producing an insightful and engaging essay. 
  • Start early: Starting early provides you with lots of time to edit and polish your personal statement, making sure it is professional and free of errors. 
  • Lessens stress: Starting your personal statement last minute can be stressful and lead to hurried, unfinished, or poor writing. Starting early and using your time wisely will help you get your best work done while reducing stress.

Consider breaking down the writing process into smaller pieces, establishing realistic goals and deadlines, and using a calendar or planner to stay organized to properly manage your time when writing your personal statement.

Writing a strong personal statement requires getting over writer’s block. We hope that the information covered in this post has assisted you in resolving any difficulties you may have encountered when writing your personal statement.  

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Creative Writing News

How To Overcome Writer’s block {10 Tips + Personal Examples}

Dear writer, are you wondering how to overcome a writer’s block are you in the middle of a huge writing project and then you stumbled across the block then this is for you.

Writer’s block is a common condition that affects almost every writer. This term is often used to describe a situation where a writer loses their creative drive or experiences a creative meltdown of sorts. Many creatives often struggle to overcome writer’s block and are often in despair when they can’t get their creative juices flowing.

Studies suggest that it is possible to experience writer’s block and to overcome it several times. Many literary greats have written eloquently after various spells of writer’s block.

To make your job easier, we have compiled a list that may help you to figure out how to overcome writer’s block and in some ways, even, avoid this malaise.

Fighting Writer’s Block

Understand your writing style

Every writer has a unique voice. Every writer has their own style of writing. As a writer, you must be able to understand your own tune, your own voice and your style. Many a time when writers get mental blocks during their writing. This is because they suddenly did not know how to put their ideas down, how to write it or express it.

This is most times because they have gotten to a point where they no longer understand themselves. Most times they never understood themselves from the very beginning.

How to cure writer’s block

Some writers often aim to write like their favorite author. They put up this narrative in their head. The voice of another author writing, but when everything gets jumbled up, they stop.

Dear writer, discover yourself on your own. Do not aspire to write like anyone because they are well achieved or because you simply like their way of writing. Struggle to find what suits you, what is buried within you. This way, there is a chance you won’t get stuck on the way and wonder how to write down your own idea .

The following steps would help you discover your own voice:

  • Know your genre.
  • Read a lot of books , by different authors. When you see different writing styles, it would jumpstart yours.
  • Lastly, practice writing the genre you want to be an expert in. If you prefer short stories , write a lot of them. When you do this frequently, you’ll surely be able to uncover what tone you write it.

How to write a novel

Make sure your story idea is organized before you begin writing

When I began my writing journey , I was spontaneous. I wrote as it came to my head. I wrote without having it organized and it was fun. I thought that I would know it all as I wrote, that it would come to be anyhow and that it was better that way. But it was not. The story ended up having a lot of holes and at some point, I ended up not knowing where I stopped and where I was supposed to go on from. Now, a lot of us writers are like that. We think our story would figure itself out as we go and we find this fun.

Dear writer, stop starting a story when you’ve not fully organized it. When the plot has not been thought out. This would lead you to a dead end. Before you begin your story, figure it all out, from the beginning, middle and the end. Figure out the point of view you want to use, the names of characters, the narrative and descriptive arc  and also, the location. Figure out everything to the very spoon your character uses.

When you do this, it would be difficult for you to lose your way while writing. Many people talk about how to overcome a writer’s block, but have you asked yourself if there are ways to avoid it? Ways to just prevent it from ever coming? This is a way.

How to overcome writer’s block

Creating a Plot Outline Can Help You Get Rid of Writer’s Block. 

A plot outline is a plan. It helps you put all your organized ideas together and in a chronological order. Having a plot outline would make you more organized. All those jottings and whispers in your head would be in a single place.

More so, it is a plan that would remind you of what you are writing as you go. It would keep hitting you hard and telling you. “This is what you planned. This is what you wanted.” That way you don’t get lost.

Also, having a plot outline does not mean you cannot make changes or little tweaks. It does not mean that you cannot at some point feel the need to put Tunde in the car instead of in a truck — it just helps you understand your idea in blueprint. Dear writer, create a plot outline  today!

There are even apps that can help you through creating your plot outline. I understand that the excitement of a new idea would send you feeling the need to begin writing immediately. Avoid it. Use that energy to create your plan. You won’t regret it.

Start Writing

After you have taken all the steps above, begin your writing. Write. As you write, read through your plot outline, to remind yourself of that idea. Read it like you are reading an exotic story, one that is new to you. Write that story.

How to avoid writer’s block

Discard every self doubt

Avoid thinking that the idea was never good enough. That would set a writer’s block in. When you begin to doubt your idea, a creative block sets in.

As a writer you must remember that a story is of your own creation. Just like Chimamanda  Adichie said during her Purple Hibiscus Workshop. “Do not think about the audience when writing, think about the story.”

Chimamanda Adichie

Many times we writers like to think about what people might think or how they would view the story — yes, this is a good thought. However, always remember that a story doesn’t have to fit into the everyday life. It doesn’t have to be regular. It is fiction. Think about the best way to put your idea out, not the best way to bend it to be pleasing to the audience. Remember that a story is told so people can see or read what you have created.

Do not write when you feel exhausted

Every human is often preoccupied. You are often busy with many things at a go. Then you get exhausted by one thing and you are unable to actually do the other thing. Sometimes the other thing is writing. My dear, don’t kill your self, please. Write when your mind is fresh and not worried or exhausted from something else.

Ebook layout

No one is chasing you

Stop thinking that you have to meet up with time — except of course a publisher is on your tail. If no one is on to you then write at a pace that suits you.

Open-Form Writing Competition 2021

Many times we writers think we might lose something if we do not finish this story within this time frame. Stop that. It doesn’t matter how long it takes you to write that story. In the end what matters is that you do. Again I’m not saying procrastinate o. I’m saying when you feel overwhelmed, put aside your thinking and any thing that would involve you working mentally and just relax, rest, soothe yourself. Take your time.

Overthinking how you need to write fast or write this amount of words per day, could shut off your brain and boom, writer’s block. Take it slow, you’ll be fine.

Find Creative Activities that Trigger Your Creativity

Script example

As creatives, we are mostly inspired to be creative by other creative works. One time I was buying Sharwama and I was watching the guy make it. It was so random. He made it look as though he were creating something- which he was, but it was with attention, eagerness, zeal, passion. It was just wow. And I was struck. I began to imagine the ways in which I could put that scenario down in my story. It was just beautiful. I was inspired.

For some people it could be music, movies , reality tv shows like BBNAIJA , being in a quiet place, watching real life play out too —

one time I took the bus to go to a nearby mall because I wanted to see something that would inspire me. Then I saw a conductor jump down from the bus to stop a little girl from drinking a water she saw by the road side and I was simply motivated. It could be a random thing, so just find it.

For some people it could be writing for contests , call for submissions or even writing prompts that could set them ablaze. The adrenaline when writing something short and with a deadline attached to it can create an excitement and you just feel like writing again.

I also get inspired by movies, reading books by other authors, articles about relatable concepts or even listening to music and understanding their lyrics. Just find that thing that can help you overcome your writer’s block. That thing that fuels your creativity.

Create a writing routine

As a person who would have other things to do, you can create a writing routine that aligns with your everyday routine. Fix your writings for times when you know you’d be free, less busy and willing to write.

Writer’s block solution

This has worked for some people and it may likely work for you. If of course, you are determined and disciplined enough to follow it. You should give this a try. During these set times, you could also set a word count goal or just wing it, as little or as much as you write should be considered a plus.

Always remember why you began writing in the first place

  • Never forget your story, the inspiration behind it and most especially, the excitement to share it.
  • Re read your plot draft.
  • Find movies that relate to what you’re writing.
  • Seek people to talk out your ideas with – this is important! Talk about your work, ask for opinions, share your ideas. Most times when writing, you could find a beta reader (if you like) the person might be your ginger! Hyping you to go on and criticizing you as well. This could motivate you to keep going.

Writer’s block tips

I hope these few points help you overcome your writer’s block, or find what you’re looking for. Dear writer, you are amazing, never forget that.

About the Author 

Chiziterem Chijioke

Chiziterem Chijioke is a creative writer, editor and a student of mass communication. She has worked as a volunteer and is a member of Fresh Writers Community and currently works as an editor for Creative Writing News. She has authored four works some of which have been published on Pabpub .  She is purpose driven and passionate about writing.

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Maurice Bur

Mar 30, 2021 at 5:06 am

Those tips were super helpful, and they came just at the right time as I’m going through a rather lengthy WB. Thanks. Keep up the good work.

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Home / Book Writing / How to Get Over Writer’s Block: 25 Proven Methods

How to Get Over Writer’s Block: 25 Proven Methods

Writer's block. For some, it's as foreign as a disorder made up by a marketing company to sell mouthwash. But for others, it's a very real affliction that can affect their livelihood by preventing creativity from taking hold.

Luckily, writer's block isn't contagious and doesn't require medication to treat. Often, all it takes to get back to writing is a willingness to try something new. To that end, here are 25 tips you can use to get over writer's block.

  • 25 ways to get over writer's block that actually work
  • Additional questions about writer's block answered
  • What you can do to overcome writer's block

Table of contents

  • 1. Create a Daily Writing Habit
  • 2. Imitate the Pros
  • 3. Try a Writing Prompt
  • 4. Use Gamification
  • 5. Change Stories
  • 6. Jump Ahead
  • 7. Kill Your Characters
  • 8. Change Your Belief
  • 9. Take a Walk
  • 10. Try Dictation
  • 11. Use an App
  • 12. Don't Wait for Inspiration
  • 13. Read for a Bit
  • 14. Copy Down a Favorite Work
  • 15. Forget About Your Audience
  • 16. Get to Know Your Characters
  • 18. Do Some Push-Ups
  • 19. Inhale Some Caffeine
  • 20. Talk it Over
  • 21. Take it Elsewhere
  • 22. Address What's Bothering You
  • 23. Try Auditory Cues
  • 24. Power Through
  • 25. Use a Brainstorming Tool
  • What Causes Writer's Block?
  • What Are the Symptoms of Writer's Block?
  • How Long Does Writer's Block Last?
  • How Do You Cure Writer's Block?
  • How Do You Get Over Writer's Block Once and For All?

The best cure for writer's block isn't a cure at all — it's prevention. And the best prevention is a daily writing habit . By writing daily, whether you feel like it or not, you can turn writing into a habit instead of something you do when the muse strikes.

To be clear, you don't have to write every single day without fail, but a consistent habit is key to avoiding writer's block.

Many professional writers don't believe in writer's block. They can't afford to. After all, if you don't write, you can't call yourself a professional writer. And for those living off their words, not writing means not getting paid.

Since writer's block is, for many, a mental block, it helps to think of yourself as a professional. Visualize yourself having the kind of success you dream about when you're drifting off to sleep at night. What would that writer do? Would that super successful version of you get stuck? Or would that you power through and just get some words down on the page, even if they're the worst words ever?

See yourself as a pro to help release the mental block.

If you're stuck on a scene in your novel, a section of your college essay, or a sentence in a work email, breaking through the block often takes a change of pace. That's where writing prompts come in handy.

Selecting a prompt and writing a story that no one else will see can help you get back on track. You don't even need to finish the story — the point here is to get some words flowing to break the standstill. A good place to find creative writing prompts is Reddit .

If you’re experiencing writer’s block while working on fiction, you can try a character development exercise instead of or in addition to a writing prompt. 

Sometimes the creative process just needs a little push to get you back on track. Luckily, there are some gamification tools you can use to get that push. These tools use different tactics to turn writing into a game, so you can get over your fear of the blank page. Check out the following to give gamification a try:

  • Written? Kitten!
  • Write or Die

Sometimes all you need to overcome writer's block is a change of creative pace. If you find that you're stuck on one story, try writing on another one. This can be a new idea or an old one. By focusing on another idea, you may find that your block was a result of being stuck on a specific plot. 

Writing on another story for a few hundred words can free your subconscious mind to work on the other story in the background.

If you find that you can’t decide what happens next in your story, try jumping ahead in the plot. Chances are you have at least a vague idea of what will happen at the end of your story. Jump ahead and write the ending, then you can go back and fill in the blanks. Even if you don't end up using that specific ending, it can still help you get over your writer's block.

Sometimes overcoming writer's block is as easy as killing one of your beloved characters. Don't worry, your character doesn't have to stay dead (unless it works for your story). Really, this is just an exercise to get the creative juices flowing again.

Writing a scene or a chapter in which a main character dies can get your mind rolling and the words flowing again. It often brings up some strong emotions that get you back into the writing flow again.

This tip is easier said than done, but it bears considering. If you refuse to believe in writer's block, you won't suffer from it any longer. Like any other belief, this is all about faith — faith that you'll always be able to write something. Even if that something isn't very good, anything is better than a blank page.

A 2014 Stanford study found that walking actually improves creativity. The researchers found that subjects saw an average 60% increase in creativity when walking as compared to sitting. So the next time you get writer's block, take a walk to clear your head, gain some perspective, and get your creativity back on track.

Sometimes getting out of a creative funk is as easy as changing the mechanics of your writing. One great way to do this is by trying dictation. By talking your story out instead of writing it out, you may be able to clear your creative block and get back on track. You can use a tool or an app to record what you say, but sometimes just talking to yourself is enough to break through writer's block.

There are several writing apps that provide different ways of getting over writer's block. While these aren't magic bullets, they can certainly help. By keeping moments of inspiration organized on an app like Evernote , you can refer back to those notes to dust off your imagination.

Mind mapping apps like Miro can break you out of the ways of thinking that caused the block in the first place. Storyist is a great app that helps you map out your plot to keep you on track while writing.

Waiting for inspiration is basically like asking for writer's block. Between waiting until you feel inspired and dealing with everyday procrastination, you're not likely to get any writing done. This is why it's important to write on a schedule, even if you don't feel like it.

There's an excellent quote that sums this up:

“I write only when inspiration strikes. Fortunately, it strikes every morning at nine o'clock sharp.”

This quote, or some version of it, has been attributed to many writers, including William Faulkner and W. Somerset Maugham. It doesn't really matter who said it. It only matters what it means: Don't wait for inspiration to show up. Meet inspiration by keeping a writing schedule.

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Write and format professional books with ease.  Never before has creating formatted books been easier.

If the words really won't flow, combat writer's block by reading for a little bit. Sometimes it helps to get some perspective by reading a chapter or two in a favorite book. This can lend you inspiration and help shift your creative gears.

For another tactic to help you break writer's block, turn to other great writers. Grab one of your favorite books — preferably one with prose that really speaks to you — and copy a few pages down. This is best done by hand instead of typing, as writing by hand tends to activate certain portions of the brain responsible for memory and learning .

This writing exercise can get your prose flowing while also giving you a glimpse of a professional author's writing skills.

One of the most common causes of writer's block is fear of pleasing others. It can be scary to put your writing out there, whether it's a short story, a novel, or a nonfiction book. Even the most famous writer you can think of has to deal with fear from time to time. But writing with a large audience in mind is not very conducive to creativity.

If you're going to be a successful writer, you need to learn to forget about your potential audience while you write. You can do as Stephen King does and write for one single person (preferably someone you know and whose opinion you value). Or you can simply write for yourself.

On occasion, writer's block stops a writing session short because you're having character trouble. You may be asking yourself what a character would do in a certain situation, or wondering why something doesn't feel right with your protagonist.

If so, it's a good time to get to know your characters a little better. This is easily done with a character profile . Writing a character profile will not only help you with character development, but it will also help make you a better writer!

Sometimes smashing writer's block requires some creative movement, but other times all it needs is some physical movement. So if you're feeling a little sluggish and you just can't get the words down, try doing a few push-ups, jumping jacks, squats, or any other physical activity that can get your heart pumping. This could be all you need to get the creative juices flowing again.

A lot of authors out there would find it hard to operate without caffeine. And while I don't think you should literally inhale caffeine, getting up to get a cup of tea or coffee can help you break the monotony of the blank page.

Not only can caffeine in the bloodstream help you wake up and get thinking again, but the act of getting up from the computer can also help you clear your head and gain some perspective.

Clearing writer's block is often as easy as talking your problem over with someone else. We all know what it feels like to discuss a problem with someone and find a solution without them actually saying anything. Sometimes we just need to talk it out.

Every good writer will need help like this at some point, so there's no shame in discussing your problem with another person. It may help if the other person is a writer, but this isn't always the case. Simply mulling over the story out loud can help.

Some instances of writer's block don't actually have anything to do with the writing task at all. Instead, they're an issue with your surroundings. Maybe you've been cooped up in your room writing for too long and you just need a change of scenery. If it's nice outside, take your laptop out there. Or consider going to the local coffee shop for an hour or two. 

Sometimes taking your writing project elsewhere is all you need to get back into the creative flow.

It can be hard to focus on the writing process if you have other issues occupying your mind. Things like overdue bills, house cleaning you've been putting off, or stress from personal relationships can all interrupt the writing process.

If it's possible to address whatever's bothering you, get it taken care of. This is not to say that you should continue skipping your writing time in order to unload the dishwasher every day. That's a slippery slope. But, on occasion, you may want to take the time to address what's bothering you so you can get back to getting your day's word count done.

You may want to try changing things up to keep your writing routine fresh. More specifically, try audio cues. You could try a new kind of music while you write — there are plenty of kinds to choose from. You may also want to try ASMR or apps like BrainFM to help you focus. Any of these are worth a try to help you get your word count done if you're struggling.

Using brute force is another tactic that many writers use to clear their creative blocks. They simply write anything at all, keeping the words coming so they aren't sitting staring at a blank page. Some call this free writing, and it's a legitimate tactic for getting back on track. 

You can always come back and edit what you wrote or delete it all if it doesn't work for you. The important thing is that you keep writing when it matters most.

There are many different types of brainstorming tools you can use when you get stuck. There are decks of cards available for this very purpose. Narata Storytelling Cards are a great option for reinvigorating your story idea. They have cards for character, creature, goal, activity, society, event, situation, and location, to name a few. Simply draw a card and see where it takes you.

The Writer Emergency Pack is another good option for fiction writing. It has 26 illustrated cards, each designed to help you break through creative blocks. The nice thing about both these packs is they're small and easy to take wherever you go.

Writer's Block FAQs

Writer's block has several possible causes. The block may be due to a problem with the writer's work itself, such as plot or character problems. Other causes include an overly harsh inner critic, relationship problems, fear of failure, procrastination, and other personal issues or distractions.

Anxiety and a sense of creative paralysis are the most common symptoms of writer's block. The inability to write can also cause stress, worry, depression, and lethargy. Some writers don't experience other symptoms aside from the inability to write.

There's no set amount of time that writer's block lasts. It can last for five minutes, five months, or even five years. Luckily, it's within every writer's power to take action and break through writer's block using the tips and tactics listed above.

There's no one proven cure that works for every writer experiencing writer's block. Every writer is different, but there's one thing that professional writers say helps: taking action to get back to writing. Persistence is the best cure for writer's block. It comes in many forms, you just have to find the right one for you.

 Don't give up! Push through to cure your writer's block.

The best way to get over writer's block once and for all is to write on a schedule no matter what. Create a word count goal that you achieve on a schedule. This will help you create a habit. And once your writing habit is ingrained, writer's block will be a thing of the past.

Whether you're in the middle of a school writing assignment, a blog post, or a novel, writer's block can strike at any time. Luckily, there are many ways to overcome this affliction, most of which include developing a regular writing habit or changing your mindset to clear the creative blocks.

From writing exercises and apps that facilitate creativity to physical movement and changing stories, there's no shortage of ways to combat writer's block.

To sum things up, I'll leave you with a quote from Steven Pressfield's The War of Art , which is a book every creator should have on their shelf:

“The most important thing about art is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and trying.”

Dave Chesson

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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Messages and replies, applicant notifications, global notifications, overcoming writer’s block on your personal statement.

By Gurufi - Jul 18 , 14:52 PM Comments [0]

writer's block personal essay

Writer’s block can derail your Personal Statement before you even begin! Too often, we let ourselves feel overwhelmed by the stakes involved. We think that every word has to be perfect, and this desire for perfection paralyzes us. This is 100% the WRONG approach to take to the early stages of writing a Personal Statement. Instead, just think in terms of getting your ideas down on paper, and then go from there! What you want to do is begin your writing process unconstrained by feelings of stakes or consequences. Just write, explore ideas, and use the initial phase as a time to generate ideas that perhaps you want to explore.

With this in mind, here is a brainstorming exercise designed to jumpstart your mind into thinking about stories and content… and in the process remove you from that place of perfection paralysis.

For more help, check us out at  Gurufi.com . Our editors have decades of experience helping clients get into top Masters and Ph.D. programs in STEM, humanities, fine arts, and social sciences. Our specialty is helping you craft compelling personal statements that move the needle in your admissions process! For questions, shoot us an email at  [email protected] . Check us out on  Facebook ,  Twitter , and  LinkedIn .

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Last updated on Apr 03, 2023

What is Writer’s Block? A Guide to the Writer’s Worst Nightmare

Writer's block is a common challenge in the creative process that causes writers to stagnate while writing their works. It occurs when authors struggle to think of ideas or generate new material. 

It can affect writers at any stage in their career — from absolute beginners to best-selling novelists. This condition can last anywhere from a few hours to multiple years.

Many writers will try to push through it and hope it goes away on its own. While this often works, the specific cause of chronic writer’s block needs to be diagnosed before it can be dealt with.

In this post, we explore some of the common causes behind writer's block and show you how other authors have struggled with the same thing. 

You lack of motivation, which saps your creative drive

You find yourself overflowing with ideas , but every time you sit down to write, your mind goes blank and you can’t get the words to come, so you take a break, or you find yourself procrastinating: endlessly researching or turning to neglected chores. When a short break isn't enough or turns into a much, much longer break, it's clear that motivation is the problem, specifically a lack of incentive.

Not having a reason to write can often make it feel impossible to get anything done. Writing just to write isn’t particularly motivating. When you are told to write an essay in school “just because” it immediately kills any joy you’d get from doing it. But when you’re interested in the topic — or your grade depends on it — you suddenly have the incentive to do it well.

Without consequence, there is no motivation

For some writers, like Notes from the Fog author Ben Marcus, finding that reason is just part of the larger writing process, as he explained in an interview with Literary Hub .

“Part of the beginning of any project is the discovery of what matters to me , followed by an attempt to conceive of it in terms of fiction. That’s what it is to start a project: engineering a set of delusions that the act of writing has consequence and simply must be done.” 

If you’re not reaching for something, if you don’t care to write it, if there’s no consequence, it makes sense that you’d have a hard time putting anything on the page.

If you struggle to write consistently, sign up for our How to Write a Novel course to finish a novel in just 3 months.  

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Alternatively, it’s possible that your motivation is perfectly intact, but your creativity is suffering instead. 

You feel like you don’t have ideas

Sometimes the urge to write comes at the most inopportune times — namely, when your ideas aren’t ready yet. You might have a concept that’s based on a web of thoughts and hunches that you can’t get to come together in any meaningful way. You may find yourself staring blankly at your notebook or computer screen waiting for the muse, only to throw your hands up in frustration and give up. 

If you go to the well too many times and come back empty-handed, you’ll soon question whether your past ideas were any good and start doubting your general worth as a writer. 

Every idea needs time to brew

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri doesn’t think this kind of writer’s block is necessarily a bad thing. For her, it’s all just a time during which you gather material . 

“I think a lot of what people refer to as ‘writer’s block’ is the period during which ideas gestate in the mind, when a story grows but isn’t necessarily being written in sentences on the page.” 

Jhumpa Lahiri

According to Lahiri, the time you spend thinking, simply letting your story develop in your mind, counts as writing too. A flower doesn’t grow overnight. It has to be watered and nurtured before it can sprout even the smallest shoot. The same can be said of ideas. 

But then, sometimes it’s the ideas you do have that could be the problem. 

What’s causing your writer’s block?

Find out here! Takes just 1 minute.

Your ideas aren't resonating with you

You have your story set up and ready to go. Everything is outlined and you’re writing. Things are going great! Until they aren’t. Suddenly, no matter what you do, you just can’t move forward. The words won’t come and you delete every paragraph before you finish typing them out. It feels like you’ve stalled out in the middle of your story and don’t know how to get it started again. 

If this sounds like you, then you’re in the same boat as acclaimed science fiction author Ray Bradbury, whose mind would often go blank in the middle of writing. In a speech (which appropriately took place back in 2001) , he diagnosed his personal strain of writer’s block: “You’re being warned, aren’t you? Your subconscious is saying ‘I don’t like you anymore. You’re writing about things I don’t give a damn for.’” 

It's hard to work on things that don't matter to you

When a story isn’t working, the writer’s subconscious will often know it long before their conscious mind catches on. A structurally flawed plot can be fixed. Characters can be given greater depth. But ultimately, if an author tries to embark on a full-length manuscript about stories and protagonists that they aren’t enamored with, the entire process will quickly turn into an almighty slog. For this reason, writers find that their best works are often the ones that are most personal to them — whether it’s drawn from their own experiences or examining a theme or facet of human behavior that fascinates them.

Listen to that little voice and discover what’s going wrong in your story. Sometimes it’s better to kill your darlings than let them fester, especially if they’re blocking you from continuing. If you can’t find anything wrong with your story, the problem might be more related to your own fears than any inherent issues with your plot or characters.

📚 Head over to our post on the 10 best Ray Bradbury books for reading recommendations written by this sci-fi giant.

But what if you’re a highly motivated writer with great, fully-fleshed ideas, writing about topics you love and know intimately? If you’re still struggling to get words on the page, maybe you’re just a no-good talentless hack. Right?

You're anxious over the quality of your work

What right do you even have to be creating stories? Everything you turn your cack-hand to reads like a child wrote it! To think: you’ve subjected all your readers and friends to your terrible stories — and any praise they’ve given you has likely been out of politeness. This is so embarrassing.

If your inner monologue sounds anything like this, you’re probably struggling with imposter syndrome. 

At the root, this kind of anxiety is about your own perceived worth. Your admiration of other writers and lack of belief in your own abilities blocks you from even attempting to write. 

Everyone feels like that sometimes, and it’s okay! Even award-winning fantasy author Neil Gaiman sometimes feels like he’s an imposter among people who’ve done much more amazing things than him. 

Nobody knows what they're doing

He relates his experience meeting Neil Armstrong at a conference where the great astronaut felt out of his depth. He muses that “maybe there weren’t any grown-ups, only people who had worked hard and also got lucky and were slightly out of their depth, all of us doing the best job we could, which is all we can really hope for.” 

Neal Stephenson, Neil Armstrong, and Neil Gaiman

Self-doubt is a fundamental part of the modern human experience. Social media has no shortage of creative folks putting only their best foot forward, giving the impression that their prolific output comes to them as easily as taking breath. But the truth is, nobody knows what they’re doing 100% of the time. 

Even if you’ve come to realize that you are not a fraud, you still might be dealing with anxiety. It’s possible that it stems from an urge towards perfectionism, and you would certainly not be the first writer to face that .

You can’t overcome your perfectionism

Perfectionism can be a great motivator — wanting to work at something until it’s just right is a tremendous trait for an artist. But, more often than not, the desire to create exclusively great art can lead to greater anxiety about the quality of your work. 

If you’re a beginner, you’ll naturally want your work to be as good as the books you’re reading. But when you are frustrated that you can’t match up to your favorite authors, it can have a paralyzing effect instead. 

The gap between where you are and where you want to be might seem vast and uncrossable. It’s important to remember that it just takes time to get there. A golfer doesn’t give up the moment they first pick up a club and discover they’re not shooting holes-in-one. You need practice and experience, and you’ll only get that if you continue writing. 

Perfect is the enemy of good

Reflecting on her writing career in the WMFA podcast , Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere , acknowledged that even after publishing two novels, she struggled with perfectionism. 

“It’s very hard to turn off that critical voice in your head. There’s a saying, ‘Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.’ I love that idea because I am myself a perfectionist. I feel like you have to find your own comfort point on the continuum of being a perfectionist versus charging full steam ahead.” 

For other writers, however, the idea of being stymied by one’s own streak of perfectionism may seem like a luxury. In too many cases, the cause of a writer’s block is entirely out of their control.

Your real-life problems are getting in the way

Everyone has a life outside of their craft work. We need to raise kids, do laundry, clean the house, go to work, catch up with friends and family, and generally keep our lives organized and functioning. The demands of real life often get in the way of our literary aspirations, especially when things get hard. It’s difficult to sit down and write if you’re burned out from your day job or suddenly faced with a series of important family commitments, let alone if you’ve been recently bereaved, are caring for someone in your family, or struggling with your health.

Perhaps writing shouldn't be an artist's #1 priority

When the real world becomes too hard to ignore, writer’s block can be inevitable. In a three-way tug-of-war between caring for others, maintaining your mental health, and working on a writing project, your weekly writing goals should probably be the first to give in.

George Saunders

But if you’re not currently writing, does that mean you are no longer a writer? In one of his must-read Story Club newsletters , Booker-winning novelist George Saunders encourages writers not to make their identity as an artist conditional on exceptional output.

“Even if you're not actively writing because you are too busy, you are still a writer, because of the way you regard the world — with curiosity and interest and some sort of love.” 

When life gets in the way, there’s very little a writer can do except work with the tide until it recedes, and refrain from punishing themselves for things they cannot control.

Writer’s block is the bane of creators everywhere. In identifying why it’s happening, you can make a plan to beat it or at least give yourself the grace to let it be.

In the next post, we look at methods that can help you overcome writer’s block.

6 responses

heath shedlake says:

12/07/2018 – 15:40

A very informative and encouraging piece - thank you. I have completed a trilogy and am now working on the fourth in the series. Whilst I feel my characters are well-rounded, I've lost a little steam as my sales have virtually dried up! I know this happens to many writers, and it's hard to rekindle one's 'mojo'. But I shall refer to your piece when I'm beginning to doubt myself. I shall retweet also:)

22/06/2019 – 15:30

Very helpful! But what about creative burn-out? I don't think it falls under the four main causes/types of writer's block. I'm a violinist and composer as well as a writer, and when faced with writer's (or artist's) block, I can normally cycle through my different creative tasks. They feed each other. My go-to when I'm truly burned out is to enjoy others' art -- read a book, watch a movie, listen to music, etc. But sometimes I'm so far gone that nothing helps me recharge. (I wonder if try to be a musician and a writer is actually detrimental, rather than helpful? That being said, I'm not giving up either of them.) Does anyone have any tips for when you're well is dried up in the middle of a drought?

↪️ Candace replied:

01/08/2019 – 23:53

I wanted to write a poem, but I'm very bad at it. So I decided to try my hand at creating one about how I couldn't write poetry! I simply wrote down the images that popped up in my head, and to my surprise, they actually sounded like poetry! That being said, perhaps it was just a moment of inspiration. Perhaps your music will help you gain traction in your writing and vice versa; both help you describe sensations. Good luck!

Dorothy says:

08/08/2019 – 14:37

Create a rough draft, similar to 'school reports. Let them pose as temporary chapter markers. This is especially helpful if you are distracted easily or find your mind daydreaming, or get frustrated easily.

David says:

27/01/2020 – 22:19

I enjoyed many of the tips in this article: Particularly about outlining, self-criticism which gets ramped up when reading feedback by one of its relatives, and reminder to relax during the first draft. There is a "wealth" of info herein, thanks much!

Laura B Sherman says:

23/03/2020 – 02:17

Excellent points! I believe a writer should write. I find it helps to switch things up sometimes. If I'm working on a novel and get stuck, I will sometimes pen a blog article. It can even help to email a friend. I consider it priming the creative pump. Thank you for your article!

Comments are currently closed.

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writer's block personal essay

You've cancelled your plans . You've hired a babysitter. You've quit your job and moved into the mountains with only a typewriter and a jar of peanut butter for company. In short, you've done whatever it takes to set aside some time to actually freaking write for one solitary hour. So you sit down at your desk, thrilled to finally have some hard-earned time to work on your novel/screenplay/collection of found poetry and... nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Your mind is blank and the page is blank and suddenly you are terrified that you will never ever write again. You have writer's block. It's so dreadfully common that it's a bit of a cliche. But having writer's block is still one of the great trials of writing, whether you're a professional or a hobbyist or somewhere in between. The most important thing is that you don't panic, because there have been many, many writers who've had writer's block before you, and who've managed to come out on the other side of it. Here are a few of the best writing memoirs for when you need some block-busting inspiration.

Not all of these writers suffered extreme, debilitating writer's block — but all of them dealt with the struggle at some point or another, and they have plenty of words of encouragement for the rest of us:

'Let Me Tell You: New Stories, Essays, and Other Writings' by Shirley Jackson

writer's block personal essay

Let Me Tell You combines all the best that queen of horror Shirley Jackson has to offer. There are wonderfully creepy short stories, hilarious essays about her big, sprawling family, lovely and weird illustrations, and, of course, a collection of straightforward lectures on writing. Jackson keeps it real while still inspiring young writers to try their own thing (and yes, she did push through a bout of midlife writer's block herself).

Click here to buy.

'The Way of the Writer: Reflections on the Art and Craft of Storytelling' by Charles Johnson

writer's block personal essay

Charles Johnson is an award-winning author of novels, essays, and screenplays, as well as a philosopher, professor, and cartoonist. It's pretty safe to say that he knows his stuff. The Way of the Writer offers practical advice as well as writerly philosophy, with plenty of reflections on Johnson's life as well as writing exercises that you can actually use to trick yourself into actually writing.

'Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life' by Anne Lamott

writer's block personal essay

Annie Lamott got the title for her beloved book on life and writing from a report on birds that her brother once had to do for school. He put it off for three months and ended up panicking the night before it was due, paralyzed by stress and surrounded by unopened bird books. Their father's advice was to "just take it bird by bird." This is Lamott's advice for writing, too: don't let yourself freeze up when confronted with the hugeness of the task ahead. Just take it one step (or bird) at a time.

'Unstuck: A Supportive and Practical Guide to Working Through Writer's Block' by Jane Anne Staw

writer's block personal essay

Unstuck is a bit lighter on the memoir aspects (although Jane Anne Staw certainly draws on her own experiences as a poet). But if you're looking for a practical book to help you get through writer's block with your dignity intact, this is the lovely, supportive guide for you.

'Where the Past Begins: A Writer's Memoir' by Amy Tan

writer's block personal essay

If you've read Amy Tan's fiction, then it'll come as no surprise to you that her memoir is a nuanced, gut-wrenching, beautifully written look at childhood trauma and a career in the literary arts. Tan candidly shares her own self-doubt as a writer, and how she's turned to storytelling to make sense of the turbulent relationships in her own past.

'The Writer's Block Myth: A Guide To Get Past Stuck & Experience Lasting Creative Freedom' by Heloise Jones

writer's block personal essay

The Writer's Block Myth isn't trying to gaslight you into thinking that writer's block is just a myth and you, therefore, are totally making it up. But Heloise Jones makes the excellent point that "writing" isn't solely the process of putting pen to paper: you're still writing when you're researching, when you're gathering information and making plans and mulling things over in your head. Don't discount all that work just because it hasn't yet found its way onto the page.

'A Room of One's Own' by Virginia Woolf

writer's block personal essay

Yes, everyone experiences writer's block, not just women. But sometimes you need a reminder that writing has, historically, been really difficult for women to pursue. Women have had a pretty tough time finding their own space for long enough to come up with a dang idea and then put it on paper. A Room of One's Own is a classic feminist essay that'll put your struggle in perspective, because sometimes writer's block just means that you haven't had enough time alone with your thoughts.

'The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles' by Steven Pressfield

writer's block personal essay

Look, I'm not a huge fan of war metaphors when it comes to making art. But if imagining yourself going into pitched battle against your own writer's blocks is going to help you, then go for it. This book is no-nonsense and fairly light on the personal anecdotes, but it's a great kick in the pants when you need an extra dose of ferocious motivation.

'The Writing Life' by Annie Dillard

writer's block personal essay

Annie Dillard seems to view the profession of writing as somewhere between a horrible burden and a divine, nearly religious vocation, and I'm very much here for it. She's equally good at commiserating and inspiring. The Writing Life is, simply, a memoir of a life as a writer, with all the frustrations, anger, and small victories that it entails.

'What I Talk About When I Talk About Running' by Haruki Murakami

writer's block personal essay

Look, I know that, strictly, this is a memoir about running, not about writing. However, Murakami cleverly manages to hide a writing memoir within a running memoir, weaving the two pursuits together until it is almost impossible to separate them. Plus, this book as a whole makes for excellent advice for any blocked writer: step away from the computer, and go for a walk. You'll be shocked at how much moving your sad, defeated body can help.

'The Motion Of Light In Water: Sex And Science Fiction Writing In The East Village' by Samuel R. Delany

writer's block personal essay

Samuel R. Delany didn't suffer from writer's block so much as he suffered from being terrified to stop writing even for a second, no matter how much the rest of his life was spinning out of control. His memoir is just as important a read for blocked writers, though. One of the lessons of Delany's wild youth as a sci-fi writer on the Lower East Side was that it is perfectly OK to take a break from your work if it's not bringing you joy. And that's a reminder we all need from time to time.

'The Artist's Way' by Julia Cameron

writer's block personal essay

Everyone responds differently to writer's block. Some writers need a swift kick in the rear, or a reminder to take a break. Some writers need to go for a walk. And some writers might even need to take a moment to re-discover their creative selves. The Artist's Way is a lovely, gentle approach to finding your voice again, filled with reminiscences on Cameron's own journey to artistic peace.

'On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft' by Stephen King

writer's block personal essay

Of course, no list of painfully honest writing memoirs is complete without Stephen King's On Writing. King is famously prolific, the author of over 58 books. Yet even he has faced stretches of frustration with his own writing. After a near fatal accident, he essentially had to learn the discipline of writing all over again. And he is still writing today, just as weird and brilliantly creepy as ever, and still inspiring generations of young writers to pick up a pen for the first (or 58th) time.

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How to Overcome Writer’s Block and Craft a Perfect College Essay

EssayEdge > Blog > How to Overcome Writer’s Block and Craft a Perfect College Essay

Have you ever felt depressed because you do not know how to start writing an essay? If yes, it means that you came across writer’s block. It is a state when a person cannot start the writing process or proceed with it.

It can become a great problem, especially for applicants who need to prepare several application essays. The good news is that there are various solutions. Thus, we prepared a review of the most effective ways to overcome your writing block. But first, let’s look thoroughly at the origin of this psychological state. 

Table of Contents:

What Do Specialists Suggest?

Psychologists mention that writer’s block is quite a frequent problem. More than 70% of students come across this issue occasionally. The research shows that various causes are related to this problem. Let’s look through the most common ones:

How to Overcome Writer's Block and Craft a Perfect College Essay

The specialist mentions that everyone should find an individual way to overcome writer’s block. Still, psychologists mention the most effective solutions: 

  • Physical activity . It is helpful to refresh your mind. For instance, yoga, walking, or mild exercising can boost brain activity.  
  • Reward yourself. It is a nice way to get the additional stimulus. 
  • Ask for help. It is OK to ask for help. Sometimes, applicants lack support or professional advice. All these results in writer’s block.

Best Tips to Get Rid of Writer’s Block

Writer’s block is a widespread problem not among the applicants or students. Even famous writers suffer from this issue.  

Did You Know? Dan Brown, a famous American writer, practices an unusual approach to dealing with writer’s block. It’s called inversion therapy. Just imagine: your favorite author puts on gravity boots and hangs upside down. After finishing this procedure, he continues writing his next bestseller. Sounds funny? But it really works!

And Dan Brown is not the only famous person who uses such extraordinary methods. Ernest Hemmingway , Virginia Woolf , Charles Dickens , and Lewis Carrol preferred to walk miles to take a rest from writing. 

Daily rituals are also effective in overcoming writer’s block. For instance, Stephen King mentioned once in an interview that he preferred to start his day with a cup of tea and vitamins. Also, the papers are always arranged in exactly the same way on his table. 

We also prepared the five best tips to deal with a writer’s block : 

  • Relax.  This tip may sound strange, but it definitely works. When you feel stressed and do not know what to do, the best decision is to take some time for a rest. Choose the best way to relax. For example, go to the local park and enjoy the natural beauty or spend some time with your friend. After some rest, you will feel inspired and full of great ideas.
  • Change the Location.  Sitting and writing all the time can lead to stagnation. To avoid this state, you can try to move to another location. Writing an essay will become a pleasant experience while sitting in your favorite cafe and drinking coffee. No doubt, the new atmosphere will help get some insights, and it will be easier to write a couple of paragraphs. But if you still need additional inspiration, our Samples page will help to find out more ideas.
  • Mind Mapping. This method works when you visualize the text. You need to create a map of your text. Write the topic of your essay in the big circle in the center. Then draw small circles around—they will be subtopics (or paragraphs). Under each of them, write down all your thoughts and ideas related to the paragraph. This way, you will create a visual map of the essay, and it will be easier to write the whole text.
  • Brainstorming Ideas. Brainstorming is another great technique to deal with writer’s block. All you need is to write down any idea that comes to mind. It can be words, sentences, or anything related to the college essay. If it’s hard for you to brainstorm ideas, our EssayEdge Premier package will allow you to get full guidance from Ivy League graduates. Together, it will be easier to find out the best insights for your essay.
  • Stop Writing for Admission Officers.  Sometimes, applicants are worried about impressing the admission officers. It often becomes a dilemma that causes writer’s block. That’s why do not try to write what they expect—focus on your unique story and think about what you want to share. Do not forget that you are the main character of the plot.
  • Forget About Structure (At Least for a Moment).  Very often, an introduction is the hardest part of the essay. And the applicants feel depressed because they don’t know how to attract the committee’s attention right from the beginning. If you come across this problem, we recommend you not focus on the structure.

If you feel that it’s hard for you to begin your essay, start writing from the end or main body. Do not be afraid to experiment with the text—let the conscious help you with writing. Of course, the structure and formatting are very important. And you will fix it after finishing the essay. Or you can ask our editors to help make your essay ordered and well-formatted.

Need help? Check out EssayEdge editing services:

Key Takeaway

If you come across writer’s block, do not forget that you are not alone! It is quite a common issue that is possible to solve. Hope that our tips will be useful for dealing with this problem. If you still need some help, our editors are always ready to support you with professional recommendations. 

In most cases, writer’s block is what prevents students from crafting a good application essay. Not the lack of skills and motivation, but the mental block. The more you practice writing, the faster you’ll destroy your superstitions. Please, don’t stop trying. Our experts know how to proofread college essays, so send us your drafts to get the improved version of your paper.

We wish you inspiration and good luck!

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Writer’s Block: What It Is, Causes, and How to Overcome It

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by  Antony W

September 3, 2021

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There has never been a time when writing was a singular event. It’s a process with many moving elements and it requires creativity, practice, diligence, and attention to details.

Sometimes writing takes more time than initially perceived, and it’s easy to hit a breaking point and get lost in the process. It’s that moment when you feel as if there are no more words to put down or ideas that flow well that you experience what we call a writer’s block.

Writer’s block isn’t particularly a bad thing. However, it can be a frustrating experience, particularly if you’re trying to write a last minute essay or a research paper due in less than 48 hours.

In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about writer’s block, from what it is and how to manage it so that you can get your assignment completed faster and submitted on time.

What is Writer’s Block?

what is writers block

Writer’s block is a common scenario where you stare at a blank page for a long time because you can’t find the right words to start an essay or a research paper .

The problem isn’t limited to best-selling authors and upcoming news writers alone.

Even students of different academic levels find themselves unable to complete their writing sometimes.

To be clear, being stuck in your writing doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a bad writer.

There are times when you’ll lack the right words to express an idea or an argument and that’s completely fine. That’s because writer’s block is a phenomenon you can easily control.

What Causes Writer’s Block?

what causes writers block

While there are many reasons why you may develop a writer’s block, the following tend to be the most common ones:

1. You Have Ideas but You Can’t Easily Express Them

There’s nothing worse than having brilliant ideas for your essay or research paper but not know how to bring them to light.

You can easily feel disappointed if this ever happens.

Sometimes taking a short break from writing is all you need to give your mind the ability to reflect on and express those ideas.

Other times, talking to someone who has been in a similar situation can guide through expressing your thoughts and making your ideas clear .

2. You Don’t Have Enough Ideas

Have you ever found yourself just trying to figure out ideas you can use to defend claims in your argument but felt rather stuck?

Maybe you’re about to advance your learning but you can’t quite figure how to write a college essay for an admissions committee?

Or maybe you’re an IB student struggling with writing a TOK commentary because your mind doesn’t allow you to express the real-world context of your objects?

There is a high chance you don’t have enough ideas to explore, hence the cause for experiencing writer’s block.

It’s easy to feel shut and seemingly lost if you don’t have enough ideas to express. However, it’s important to keep in mind that writer’s block is only temporary and it’s not an indication that you’re a poor writer.

3. You Have Many Ideas

You can have too many ideas for your research paper or persuasive essay and not know where to start.

Not knowing where to start makes it hard to determine which idea to include in the essay – and exactly what to leave out.

Having too many ideas create confusion, mostly because it’s hard to bring forth the best ideas that you already have.

It often results in FOMO (fear of missing out) as there’s an uncertainty that you might fail to bring out the ideas that can take your writing to the next level.

4. You’re Not Utilizing Your Freedom of Expression

Sometimes you experience writer’s block because you’re afraid of what people will say or think about your writing.

In academic writing in particular, you worry too much about what your professor will say about the construction of your arguments, the expression of your ideas, or the style of your writing.

Fear of the unknown causes a resistance to writing, which may make it difficult for you to write the things you know you should write.

Each time you develop emotional resistance, you create an opportunity for creative resistance, which can easily cripple your ability to write excellent assignments.

5. You Have Too Many Personal Commitments

You so much want to write that position paper , dissertation, term paper , or whatever assignment it is and submit it on time.

However, you have additional responsibilities that easily distract you and you just can’t focus on getting your assignments done.

Sometimes you feel as if you have limited resources, and let’s not even get started on the idea that you have finite time within which you want to complete quite too many things besides the writing.

If anything, your personal commitment can play a big role in promoting writer’s block.

How to Overcome Writer’s Block

how to overcome writers block

Here’s how you can overcome writer’s block and get that school assignment completed within the respective deadline:

Take a Break

It’s easy to lose focus and objectivity if you write the same piece of assignment nonstop for hours.

Take a break in between your writing sessions.

Doing so not only keeps writer’s block in full control but also lets you generate new ideas that you can include in your writing.

Use an Outline

Always create an outline before you start writing.

As simple as an outline may look, it’s a powerful writing tool that allows you organize your ideas and thoughts in an order that makes them easy to explore further in your paper.

With the help of an outline, you end up writing only what really matters and completing the assignment in time.

Ask for Writing Help

If you can’t write at all, and you have an urgent assignment that you would like to complete, it’s best to ask for help. Help for Assessment is a good place to start. We will help you evaluate and refine your ideas for any kind of paper and then help you through the writing process to get your assignment completed.  Click here to get started.

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

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writer's block personal essay

Barbara Dee on How She Got Her Writing 'Unstuck'

Barbara Dee is the author of 14 middle grade novels, including Violets Are Blue and Maybe He Just Likes You . In her essay for PW , Dee reflects on her creative process and her forthcoming book, Unstuck , about a girl who struggles with anxiety and writer’s block.

Every writer knows the feeling: you’re sitting at the computer, or your writing notebook, staring at the same blank page as the day before, and the day before that. So you force yourself to write a sentence, but it’s terrible, so you delete it. Then you write a single word and delete that too. Now your head is buzzing and your heart is racing. You’re starting to panic, because what if you never write anything again?

For me that sort of paralysis—writer’s block, to use the technical term—came as I was writing my second book. My debut middle grade novel had done reasonably well; PW had even given it a star! So I told myself that my next MG should be bigger, more literary, more ambitious.

To make a mental break with my debut, I decided to switch from the first person to the third. And, to give the story intellectual heft, I buried myself in research, reading book after book about all sorts of esoteric topics: secret codes, the Enigma machine, decoding Mayan hieroglyphics, amphibian ecosystems. The more I read, the more I realized how much I needed to know before I could even think about starting my story. And now, as I was finally ready to write... nothing.

One day my son asked me what my book was about. I launched into a description of all my research.

He blinked at me. “Okay,” he said. “But what’s it about?”

I couldn’t answer that question. All I knew by that point was that I felt like a complete imposter.

But then it hit me: I should use that —the feeling of being an imposter, a fake writer, convinced I had no real talent—as the way to connect to my main character, and to her story. So while I did use some of my research, Solving Zoe mostly ended up being about a kid who suspected she wasn’t as “gifted” as her peers, until eventually she discovers what makes her special.

My middle grade novels tend to be about tough topics like sexual harassment, mental illness, and climate anxiety. As background for these books I’ve researched a wide range of subjects, including special effects makeup, crayfish, and Greek mythology. I’ve just finished writing my 2025 novel, Tear This Down, about a seventh grader who wants to remove the statue of a local historical figure who didn’t believe women should vote. Because I didn’t know much about the suffragette movement, I needed to spend many hours in the library.

But these days I’m careful not to let myself go down bottomless rabbit holes of research. I also don’t wait to complete my research before I begin writing; I write and research simultaneously, figuring out what I need to know as I go along. This way I’m not merely procrastinating, or pressuring myself to do justice to the copious notes I’ve taken.

We often hear “write what you know”—but sometimes what you “know” is simply information, not the basis for a story. Writing tough topics means my focus should never stray from the protagonist’s emotions. I’ve found that staying in the first person helps me connect the character’s emotions to my own, and to go on a journey with her.

Of course, sometimes writing anxiety still flares up, and I end the day, or the week, with a negative word count. So it probably won’t surprise anyone to hear that I feel a strong connection to the protagonist of Unstuck, my 14th middle grade novel with S&S. Unstuck is about Lyla, who is struggling with writer’s block as she attempts to write a fantasy novel for her seventh grade ELA class.

Part of Lyla’s problem is that, as a voracious reader of fantasy fiction, she feels compelled to engage in overly detailed world-building. She tells herself she’s not writing to compete with Rick Riordan or Kelly Barnhill, but she desperately wants her story to be worthy of the genre, so she can’t stop drawing maps and lists and family trees. Fortunately, Lyla has Ms. Bowman, a fantastic teacher who supports her need to “gestate,” but also tells her: “Pre-writing can be helpful... but at a certain point it’s good to jump in with both feet. I always find that ideas come as you’re working. You really don’t have to have it all figured out before you begin.”

Another powerful bit of advice Ms. Bowman shares with Lyla: Write your feelings . At first Lyla is writing her story from her head, not from her heart—but as she comes to see parallels between her fantasy story and her real life, the words start to flow, and she discovers her own feelings, as well as her voice.

Whenever kids ask me for advice about how to get their own stories “unstuck,” I share some of my go-to strategies: I read screenplays of my favorite movies and TV shows (for example, Succession , which has some of the best dialogue ever written). Or I take my dog for a long walk and listen to a podcast. Or I eat cookies.

But I tell them those are just my strategies. In Unstuck , I suggest “Twenty-Five Ways to Get Unstuck,” which I collect in the back of the book (for example, writing a scene in verse, or as a play). As Ms. Bowman tells Lyla, not all of these strategies will work for every writer; the goal is to find the strategy that works for you.

Although for any writer struggling with writer’s block, it might help to start with this question: “Okay, but what’s your story about? ”

They might describe their topic or their research—but really, I think the answer is an emotion.

Unstuck by Barbara Dee. Aladdin, $17.99 Feb. 27 ISBN 978-1-534489-86-8

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You have to read this story about a woman who was scammed out of $50,000

  • New York Magazine's personal finance writer just published a personal essay about how she was scammed.
  • Believing she was talking to the FBI, she handed a shoebox with her $50,000 in savings in cash to a stranger.
  • Trust me, you have to read this. 

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We all like to think we're too smart to fall for a scam, like the kind where someone tricks you over the phone into liquidating your bank account, putting the cash in a shoebox, and handing it to a stranger in a car. And hopefully, you are!

But the truth is, people get scammed all the time — even smart people.

New York Magazine published an astonishing personal essay from one of their writers (a personal finance writer, no less!) who says she was the victim of a phone scam that bilked her out of $50,000 by convincing her that she was a victim of identity fraud and that to fix it she would need to transfer money.

That's selling it short — the details of the scam are SO MUCH more wild. I don't want to spoil it all because reading it for yourself, your eyes popping further and further out of your head, and your stomach churning, is all part of the fun.

This story is being endlessly dissected on social media by readers who are either appalled or sympathetic or simply believing that even under waterboarding, they'd never reveal they had fallen for this.

Just read it : The Day I Put $50,000 in a Shoe Box and Handed It to a Stranger

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The Lure of Divorce

Seven years into my marriage, i hit a breaking point — and had to decide whether life would be better without my husband in it..

Portrait of Emily Gould

This article was featured in One Great Story , New York ’s reading recommendation newsletter. Sign up here to get it nightly.

In the summer of 2022, I lost my mind. At first, it seemed I was simply overwhelmed because life had become very difficult, and I needed to — had every right to — blow off some steam. Our family was losing its apartment and had to find another one, fast, in a rental market gone so wild that people were offering over the asking price on rent. My husband, Keith, was preparing to publish a book, Raising Raffi, about our son, a book he’d written with my support and permission but that, as publication loomed, I began to have mixed feelings about. To cope with the stress, I asked my psychiatrist to increase the dosage of the antidepressant I’d been on for years. Sometime around then, I started talking too fast and drinking a lot.

I felt invincibly alive, powerful, and self-assured, troubled only by impatience with how slowly everyone around me was moving and thinking. Drinking felt necessary because it slightly calmed my racing brain. Some days, I’d have drinks with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which I ate at restaurants so the drink order didn’t seem too unusual. Who doesn’t have an Aperol spritz on the way home from the gym in the morning? The restaurant meals cost money, as did the gym, as did all the other random things I bought, spending money we didn’t really have on ill-fitting lingerie from Instagram and workout clothes and lots of planters from Etsy. I grew distant and impatient with Keith as the book’s publication approached, even as I planned a giant party to celebrate its launch. At the party, everyone got COVID. I handed out cigarettes from a giant salad bowl — I had gone from smoking once or twice a day to chain-smoking whenever I could get away with it. When well-meaning friends tried to point out what was going on, I screamed at them and pointed out everything that was wrong in their lives. And most crucially, I became convinced that my marriage was over and had been over for years.

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I built a case against my husband in my mind. This book of his was simply the culmination of a pattern: He had always put his career before mine; while I had tended to our children during the pandemic, he had written a book about parenting. I tried to balance writing my own novel with drop-offs, pickups, sick days, and planning meals and shopping and cooking, most of which had always been my primary responsibility since I was a freelancer and Keith had a full-time job teaching journalism. We were incompatible in every way, except that we could talk to each other as we could to no one else, but that seemed beside the point. More relevant: I spent money like it was water, never budgeting, leaving Keith to make sure we made rent every month. Every few months, we’d have a fight about this and I’d vow to change; some system would be put in place, but it never stuck. We were headed for disaster, and finally it came.

Our last fight happened after a long day spent at a wedding upstate. I’d been drinking, first spiked lemonade at lunch alone and then boxed wine during the wedding reception, where I couldn’t eat any of the food — it all contained wheat, and I have celiac disease. When we got back, late, to the house where we were staying, I ordered takeout and demanded he go pick it up for me. Calling from the restaurant, he was incensed. Did I know how much my takeout order had cost? I hadn’t paid attention as I checked boxes in the app, nor had I realized that our bank account was perilously low — I never looked at receipts or opened statements. Not knowing this, I felt like he was actually denying me food, basic sustenance. It was the last straw. I packed a bag as the kids played happily with their cousins downstairs, then waited by the side of the road for a friend who lived nearby to come pick me up, even as Keith stood there begging me to stay. But his words washed over me; I was made of stone. I said it was over — really over. This was it, the definitive moment I’d been waiting for. I had a concrete reason to leave.

A few days later, still upstate at my friend’s house, I had a Zoom call with my therapist and my psychiatrist, who both urged me in no uncertain terms to check myself into a psychiatric hospital. Even I couldn’t ignore a message that clear. My friend drove me to the city, stopping for burgers along the way — I should have relished the burger more, as it was some of the last noninstitutional food I would eat for a long time — and helped me check into NYU Langone. My bags were searched, and anything that could be used as a weapon was removed, including my mascara. I spent my first night there in a gown in a cold holding room with no phone, nothing but my thoughts. Eventually, a bed upstairs became free and I was brought to the psych ward, where I was introduced to a roommate, had blood drawn, and was given the first of many pills that would help me stop feeling so irrepressibly energetic and angry. They started me on lithium right away. In a meeting with a team of psychiatrists, they broke the news: I had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder; they weren’t sure which kind yet. They gave me a nicotine patch every few hours plus Klonopin and Seroquel and lithium.

I wasn’t being held involuntarily, which meant I could write letters on an official form explaining why I ought to be released, which the psychiatrists then had three days to consider. I attached extra notebook pages to the letters explaining that I was divorcing my husband and was terrified I would never be able to see my kids again if I was declared unfit because I was insane. These letters did not result in my release; if anything, they prolonged my stay. I got my phone back — it would soon be revoked again, wisely — but in that brief interim, I sent out a newsletter to my hundreds of subscribers declaring that I was getting a divorce and asking them to Venmo me money for the custody battle I foresaw. In this newsletter, I also referenced Shakespeare. The drugs clearly had not kicked in yet. I cycled through three different roommates, all of whom were lovely, though I preferred the depressed one to the borderline ones. We amused ourselves during the day by going to art therapy, music therapy, and meetings with our psychiatrists. I made a lot of beaded bracelets.

In the meetings with the shrinks, I steadfastly maintained that I was sane and that my main problem was the ending of my marriage. I put Keith, and my mother, on a list of people who weren’t allowed to visit me. Undaunted, Keith brought me gluten-free egg sandwiches in the morning, which I grudgingly ate — anything for a break from the hospital food. My parents came up from D.C. and helped Keith take care of our children. I was in the hospital for a little more than three weeks, almost the entire month of October, longer than I’d ever been away from my kids before in their lives. I celebrated my 41st birthday in the hospital and received a lot of very creative cards that my fellow crazies had decorated during art therapy. Eventually, the drugs began to work: I could tell they were working because instead of feeling energetic, I suddenly couldn’t stop crying. The tears came involuntarily, like vomit. I cried continuously for hours and had to be given gabapentin in order to sleep.

writer's block personal essay

On the day I was released, I didn’t let anyone pick me up. I expected the superhuman strength I’d felt for months to carry me, but it was gone, lithiumed away. Instead, I felt almost paralyzed as I carried my bags to a cab. When I arrived at my apartment, I couldn’t figure out where I should sleep. It didn’t feel like my home anymore. We couldn’t afford to live separately, even temporarily, but the one thing that our somewhat decrepit, inconveniently located new apartment had in its favor was two small attic bedrooms and one larger bedroom downstairs. I claimed this downstairs room for myself and began to live there alone, coming into contact with Keith only when we had to be together with our children.

You might assume that my fixation on divorce would have subsided now that my mental health had stabilized and I was on strong antipsychotic medication. But I still did not want to stay in my marriage. If anything, I felt a newfound clarity: Keith and I had fundamentally incompatible selves. Our marriage had been built on a flaw. My husband was older, more established and successful in his career. These were the facts, so it had to be my job to do more of the work at home. Unless, of course, I decided to take myself and my work as seriously as he took his. But that was unappealing; I had managed to publish three books before turning 40, but I didn’t want to work all the time, like he does.

I wondered if my marriage would always feel like a competition and if the only way to call the competition a draw would be to end it.

We picked the kids up from school and dropped them off, or really mostly Keith did. I appeared at meals and tried to act normal. I was at a loss for what to do much of the time. I attended AA meetings and the DBT meetings required by the hospital outpatient program, and I read. I read books about insanity: Darkness Visible, The Bell Jar, An Unquiet Mind, Postcards From the Edge. I tried to understand what was happening to me, but nothing seemed to resonate until I began to read books about divorce. I felt I was preparing myself for what was coming. The first book I read was Rachel Cusk’s Aftermath, which has become the go-to literary divorce bible since its 2012 publication. In it, Cusk describes the way her life shattered and recomposed after the dissolution of her marriage, when her daughters were still very young. She makes the case for the untenability of her relationship by explaining that men and women are fundamentally unequal. She posits that men and women who marry and have children are perpetually fighting separate battles, lost to each other: “The baby can seem like something her husband has given her as a substitute for himself, a kind of transitional object, like a doll, for her to hold so that he can return to the world. And he does, he leaves her, returning to work, setting sail for Troy. He is free, for in the baby the romance of man and woman has been concluded: each can now do without the other.”

At our relationship’s lowest moments, this metaphor had barely been a metaphor. I remembered, the previous winter, Keith going off on a reporting trip to Ukraine at the very beginning of the war, leaving me and the kids with very little assurance of his safety. I had felt okay for the first couple of days until I heard on the news of bombing very close to where he was staying. After that, I went and bummed a cigarette from a neighbor, leaving the kids sleeping in their beds in order to do so. It was my first cigarette in 15 years. Though that had been the winter before my mania began, I believe the first seeds of it were sown then: leaving the children, smoking the cigarette, resenting Keith for putting himself in harm’s way and going out into the greater world while I tended to lunches, homework, and laundry as though everything were normal.

In Nora Ephron’s Heartburn, as in Aftermath, I found an airtight case for divorce. The husband was the villain and the wife the wronged party, and the inevitable result was splitting up. I felt an echo of this later on when I read Lyz Lenz’s polemic This American Ex-Wife, out this month, marketed as “a deeply validating manifesto on the gender politics of marriage (bad) and divorce (actually pretty good!).” The book begins by detailing how Lenz’s husband rarely did household chores and hid belongings of hers that he didn’t like — e.g., a mug that said WRITE LIKE A MOTHERFUCKER — in a box in the basement. “I didn’t want to waste my one wild and precious life telling a grown man where to find the ketchup,” Lenz writes. “What was compelling about my marriage wasn’t its evils or its villains, but its commonplace horror.”

This was not quite the way I felt. Even though I could not stand to see my husband’s face or hear his voice, even though I still felt the same simmering resentment I had since I entered the hospital, I also found myself feeling pangs of sympathy for him. After all, he was going through this too. When we were inevitably together, at mealtimes that were silent unless the children spoke, I could see how wounded he was, how he was barely keeping it together. His clothes hung off his gaunt frame. And at night, when we passed in the kitchen making cups of tea that we would take to our respective rooms, he sometimes asked me for a hug, just a hug. One time I gave in and felt his ribs through his T-shirt. He must have lost at least 15 pounds.

It began to seem like I only ever talked to friends who had been through divorces or were contemplating them. One friend who didn’t know whether to split up with her husband thought opening their marriage might be the answer. Another friend described the ease of sharing custody of his young daughter, then admitted that he and his ex-wife still had sex most weekends. In my chronically undecided state, I admired both of these friends who had found, or might have found, a way to split the difference. Maybe it was possible to break up and remain friends with an ex, something that had never happened to me before in my entire life. Maybe it was possible to be married and not married at the same time. Then I went a little further in my imagination, and the idea of someone else having sex with my husband made me want to gag with jealousy. Maybe that meant something. I was so confused, and the confusion seemed to have no end.

I read more books about divorce. I received an early copy of Sarah Manguso’s Liars, marketed as “a searing novel about being a wife, a mother, and an artist, and how marriage makes liars out of us all.” In it, John, a creative dilettante, and Jane, a writer, meet and soon decide to marry. Liars describes their marriage from beginning to end, a span of almost 15 years, and is narrated by Jane. The beginning of their relationship is delirious: “I tried to explain that first ferocious hunger and couldn’t. It came from somewhere beyond reason.” But the opening of that book also contains a warning. “Then I married a man, as women do. My life became archetypal, a drag show of nuclear familyhood. I got enmeshed in a story that had already been told ten billion times.” I felt perversely reassured that I was merely adding another story to the 10 billion. It made it seem less like it was my fault.

The beginning of my relationship with my husband wasn’t that dramatic or definitive. I thought I was getting into something casual with someone I didn’t even know if I particularly liked, much less loved, but was still oddly fascinated by. I wanted to see the way he lived, to see if I could emulate it and become more like him. He lived with roommates in his 30s — well, that was the price you paid if you wanted to do nothing but write. I wanted what he had, his seriousness about his work. We went on dates where we both sat with our laptops in a café, writing, and this was somehow the most romantic thing I’d ever experienced. On our third date, we went to his father’s home on Cape Cod to dog-sit for a weekend, and it was awkward in the car until we realized we were both thinking about the same Mary Gaitskill story, “A Romantic Weekend,” in which a couple with dramatically mismatched needs learn the truth about each other through painful trial and error. Our weekend was awkward, too, but not nearly as awkward as the one in the story. On the way home, I remember admiring Keith’s driving, effortless yet masterful. I trusted him in the car completely. A whisper of a thought: He would make a good father.

In Liars, cracks begin to form almost immediately, even before John and Jane get engaged; she is accepted to a prestigious fellowship and he isn’t, and he is forthright about his fear that she will become more successful than he is: “A moment later he said he didn’t want to be the unsuccessful partner of the successful person. Then he apologized and said that he’d just wanted to be honest. I said, It was brave and considerate to tell me. ”

Through the next few years, so gradually that it’s almost imperceptible, John makes it impossible for Jane to succeed. He launches tech companies that require cross-country moves, forcing Jane to bounce between adjunct-teaching gigs. And then, of course, they have a baby. The problem with the baby is that Jane wants everything to be perfect for him and throws herself into creating a tidy home and an ideal child-development scenario, whereas John works more and more, moving the family again as one start-up fails and another flourishes. Jane begins to wonder whether she has created a prison for herself but pacifies herself with the thought that her situation is normal: “No married woman I knew was better off, so I determined to carry on. After all, I was a control freak, a neat freak, a crazy person.” The story John tells her about herself becomes her own story for a while. For a while, it’s impossible to know whose story is the truth.

I thought about Keith’s side of the story when I read Liars. Maybe it was the lack of alcohol’s blur that enabled me to see this clearly for the first time — I began to see how burdened he had been, had always been, with a partner who refused to plan for the future and who took on, without being asked, household chores that could just as easily have been distributed evenly. Our situation had never been as clear-cut as it was for Lyz Lenz; Keith had never refused to take out the trash or hidden my favorite mug. But he worked more and later hours, and my intermittent book advances and freelance income could not be counted on to pay our rent. As soon as we’d had a child, he had been shunted into the role of breadwinner without choosing it or claiming it. At first, I did all the cooking because I liked cooking and then, when I stopped liking cooking, I did it anyway out of habit. For our marriage to change, we would have needed to consciously decide to change it, insofar as our essential natures and our financial situation would allow. But when were we supposed to have found the time to do that? It was maddening that the root of our fracture was so commonplace and clichéd — and that even though the problem was ordinary, I still couldn’t think my way out of it.

Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story, by Leslie Jamison , is in some ways the successor to Aftermath — the latest divorce book by a literary superstar. It is mostly an account of Jamison’s passionate marriage to a fellow writer, C., and the way that marriage fell apart after her career accelerated and they had a child together. It then details her first months of life as a single mother and her forays into dating. In it, she is strenuously fair to C., taking much of the blame for the dissolution of their marriage. But she can’t avoid describing his anger that her book merits an extensive tour, while his novel — based on his relationship with his first wife, who had died of leukemia — fails commercially. “It didn’t get the reception he had hoped for,” Jamison writes, and now, “I could feel him struggling. He wanted to support me, but there was a thorn in every interview.” C. grows distant, refusing to publicly perform the charming self that Jamison fell in love with. “I wished there was a way to say, Your work matters, that didn’t involve muting my own,” Jamison writes.

For all my marriage’s faults, we never fought in public. Friends encouraged us to reconcile, saying, “You always seemed so good together.” (As if there were another way to seem! Standing next to each other at a party, it had always been easy to relax because we couldn’t fight.) And we never did anything but praise each other’s work. Until this last book of my husband’s, that is. I had read Raising Raffi for the first time six months before it was published, while I was out of town for the weekend. I had, at that time, enjoyed reading it — it was refreshing, in a way, to see someone else’s perspective on a part of my own life. I even felt a certain relief that my child’s early years, in all their specificity and cuteness, had been recorded. This work had been accomplished, and I hadn’t had to do it! There had been only a slight pang in the background of that feeling that I hadn’t been the one to do it. But as publication drew nearer, the pang turned into outright anger . The opening chapter described my giving birth to our first son, and I didn’t realize how violated I felt by that until it was vetted by The New Yorker ’s fact-checker after that section was selected as an excerpt for its website. Had a geyser of blood shot out of my vagina? I didn’t actually know. I had been busy at the time. I hung up on the fact-checker who called me, asking her to please call my husband instead. (In case you’re wondering, Keith has read this essay and suggested minimal changes.)

I related to the writers in Splinters trying to love each other despite the underlying thrum of competing ambitions. But most of all, Jamison’s book made me even more terrified about sharing custody. “There was only one time I got on my knees and begged. It happened in our living room, where I knelt beside the wooden coffee table and pleaded not to be away from her for two nights each week,” she writes. Envisioning a future in which we shared custody of our children made me cringe with horror. It seemed like absolute hell. At the time we separated, our younger son was only 4 years old and required stories and cuddles to get to bed. Missing a night of those stories seemed like a punishment neither of us deserved, and yet we would have to sacrifice time with our kids if we were going to escape each other, which seemed like the only possible solution to our problem. Thanksgiving rolled around, and I cooked a festive meal that we ate without looking at each other. Whenever I looked at Keith, I started to cry.

We decided to enter divorce mediation at the beginning of December. On Sixth Avenue, heading to the therapist’s office, we passed the hospital where I’d once been rushed for an emergency fetal EKG when I was pregnant with our first son. His heart had turned out to be fine. But as we passed that spot, I sensed correctly that we were both thinking of that moment, of a time when we had felt so connected in our panic and desperate hope, and now the invisible cord that had bound us had been, if not severed, shredded and torn. For a moment on the sidewalk there, we allowed ourselves to hold hands, remembering.

The therapist was a small older woman with short curly reddish hair. She seemed wise, like she’d seen it all and seen worse. I was the one who talked the most in that session, blaming Keith for making me go crazy, even though I knew this wasn’t technically true or possible: I had gone crazy from a combination of sky-high stress and a too-high SSRI prescription and a latent crazy that had been in me, part of me, since long before Keith married me, since I was born. Still, I blamed his job, his book, his ambition and workaholism, which always surpassed my own efforts. I cried throughout the session; I think we both did. I confessed that I was not the primary wronged person in these negotiations, and to be fair I have to talk about why. Sometime post–Last Fight and pre-hospitalization, I had managed to cheat on my husband. I had been so sure we were basically already divorced that I justified the act to myself; I couldn’t have done it any other way. I had thought I might panic at the last minute or even throw up or faint, but I had gone through with it thanks to the delusional state I was in. There aren’t many more details anyone needs to know. It was just one time, and it was like a drug I used to keep myself from feeling sad about what was really happening. Anyway, there’s a yoga retreat center I’ll never be able to go to again in my life.

At the end of the session, we decided to continue with the therapist but in couples therapy instead of divorce mediation. It was a service she also provided, and as a bonus, it was $100 cheaper per session. She didn’t say why she made this recommendation, but maybe it was our palpable shared grief that convinced her that our marriage was salvageable. Or maybe it was that, despite everything I had told her in that session, she could see that, even in my profound sadness and anger, I looked toward Keith to complete my sentences when I was searching for the right word and that he did the same thing with me. As broken as we were, we were still pieces of one once-whole thing.

My husband would have to forgive me for cheating and wasting our money. I would have to forgive him for treading on my literary territory: our family’s life, my own life. My husband would have to forgive me for having a mental breakdown, leaving him to take care of our family on his own for a month, costing us thousands of uninsured dollars in hospital bills. I would have to forgive him for taking for granted, for years, that I would be available on a sick day or to do an early pickup or to watch the baby while he wrote about our elder son. I would have to forgive him for taking for granted that there would always be dinner on the table without his having to think about how it got there. He would have to forgive me for never taking out the recycling and never learning how to drive so that I could move the car during alternate-side parking. I would have to forgive him for usurping the time and energy and brain space with which I might have written a better book than his. Could the therapist help us overcome what I knew to be true: that we’d gone into marriage already aware that we were destined for constant conflict just because of who we are? The therapist couldn’t help me ask him to do more if I didn’t feel like I deserved it, if I couldn’t bring myself to ask him myself. I had to learn how to ask.

No one asked anything or forgave anything that day in the couples therapist’s office. After what felt like months but was probably only a few days, I was watching Ramy on my laptop in my downstairs-bedroom cave after the kids’ bedtime when some moment struck me as something Keith would love. Acting purely on impulse, I left my room and found him sitting on the couch, drinking tea. I told him I’d been watching this show I thought was funny and that he would really like it. Soon, we were sitting side by side on the couch, watching Ramy together. We went back to our respective rooms afterward, but still, we’d made progress.

After a few more weeks and a season’s worth of shared episodes of Ramy, I ventured for the first time upstairs to Keith’s attic room. It smelled alien to me, and I recognized that this was the pure smell of Keith, not the shared smell of the bedrooms in every apartment we’d lived in together. I lay down next to him in the mess of his bed. He made room for me. We didn’t touch, not yet. But we slept, that night, together. The next night, we went back to sleeping alone.

Pickups and drop-offs became evenly divided among me and Keith and a sitter. Keith learned to make spaghetti with meat sauce. He could even improvise other dishes, with somewhat less success, but he was improving. I made a conscious effort not to tidy the house after the children left for school. I made myself focus on my work even when there was chaos around me. Slowly, I began to be able to make eye contact with Keith again. At couples therapy, we still clutched tissue boxes in our hands, but we used them less. Our separate chairs inched closer together in the room.

That Christmas, we rented a tiny Airbnb near his dad’s house in Falmouth. It had only two bedrooms, one with bunk beds for the kids and one with a king-size bed that took up almost the entirety of the small room. We would have to share a bed for the duration of the trip. The decision I made to reach across the giant bed toward Keith on one of the last nights of the trip felt, again, impulsive. But there were years of information and habit guiding my impulse. Sex felt, paradoxically, completely comfortable and completely new, like losing my virginity. It felt like sleeping with a different person and also like sleeping with the same person, which made sense, in a way. We had become different people while somehow staying the same people we’d always been.

Slowly, over the course of the next months, I moved most of my things upstairs to his room, now our room. We still see the therapist twice a month. We talk about how to make things more equal in our marriage, how not to revert to old patterns. I have, for instance, mostly given up on making dinner, doing it only when it makes more sense in the schedule of our shared day or when I actually want to cook. It turns out that pretty much anyone can throw some spaghetti sauce on some pasta; it also turns out that the kids won’t eat dinner no matter who cooks it, and now we get to experience that frustration equally. Keith’s work is still more stable and prestigious than mine, but we conspire to pretend that this isn’t the case, making sure to leave space for my potential and my leisure. We check in to make sure we’re not bowing to the overwhelming pressure to cede our whole lives to the physical and financial demands, not to mention the fervently expressed wants, of our children. It’s the work that we’d never found time to do before, and it is work. The difference is that we now understand what can happen when we don’t do it. I’m always surprised by how much I initially don’t want to go to therapy and then by how much lighter I feel afterward. For now, those sessions are a convenient container for our marriage’s intractable defects so that we get to spend the rest of our time together focusing on what’s not wrong with us.

The downstairs bedroom is now dormant, a place for occasional guests to stay or for our elder son to lie in bed as he plays video games. Some of my clothes from a year earlier still fill the drawers, but none of it seems like mine. I never go into that room if I can help it. It was the room of my exile from my marriage, from my family. If I could magically disappear it from our apartment, I would do it in a heartbeat. And in the attic bedroom, we are together, not as we were before but as we are now.

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  1. Even Published Authors Get Stuck: How to Overcome Writer’s Block

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COMMENTS

  1. Overcoming Personal Statement Writer's Block

    Overcoming Personal Statement Writer's Block - Career Center - UMBC Overcoming Personal Statement Writer's Block You may need a personal statement, letter of intent, or application letter when applying to graduate or professional schools.

  2. Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block

    Most writers experience writer's block at some point in their life, at various stages of the writing process. Often a solution can be found by speaking with your instructor (if you are a student) or a writing tutor. But there are ways to combat writer's block on your own, too!

  3. Stuck on Your College Essay? 8 Tips for Overcoming Writer's Block

    Keep in mind that this freewriting can take whatever form you want it to. It can be full sentences, bullet points, even phrases randomly placed on a sheet of paper. Whatever gets your brain thinking in some capacity is a good step in overcoming writer's block. 2. Respond to Brainstorm Questions.

  4. How to Write a Personal Statement: 6 Exercises to Conquer Writer's Block

    Just the anticipation of writing a personal statement can cause writing paralysis, otherwise known as writer's block. Writer's block happens to the best of us, including experienced and published writers. Since I have your attention, I'd like to share with you my exercises for conquering writer's block and starting a personal statement.

  5. What Is Writer's Block? How to Overcome Writer's Block With Step-by

    Writer's block is a phenomenon experienced by writers that is best described as an overwhelming feeling of being stuck in the writing process without the ability to move forward and write anything new. While overcoming writer's block is usually a different process depending on the individual, there are ample tools to help writers along the way.

  6. Writer's Block: Exploring the Cause and the Cure

    Writer's block—wanting to write and not writing—is a persistent problem that every writer (yes, every writer, even Stephen King) deals with. At its simplest, it manifests as a lack of ideas. ... Turn ambient pain into powerful words in this transformational personal essay workshop. From Memory: Writing Fiction or Memoir from Lived ...

  7. How to Combat Writer's Block and Finish Your College Essay

    Remind yourself of the essay's purpose. When you're deep in the college application process, it can be easy to think of the personal and supplemental essays as horcruxes you need to destroy, but instead remember why Admissions is making you do this. There are so many similarly qualified applicants that they are comparing you against and ...

  8. Overcoming Writing Anxiety and Writer's Block

    You're experiencing writing anxiety. Writing anxiety is the condition of feeling uneasy about writing. Writer's block is what you experience when you can't manage to put words on the page. But your condition isn't about the act of writing. Just yesterday you wrote a great review for those cool new headphones.

  9. Beating Writer's Block

    Writer's Block. One of the most important parts of writing a great college admissions essay is picking a compelling topic. But what do you do when you get stuck? In this article, we offer a number of starting prompts to get you past writer's block and into writing your college essays. We recommend you free-write for 10-15 minutes.

  10. Overcoming Writer's Block on Your College Essays

    Start overcoming writer's block on your college essays by asking yourself questions. Dozens of them. And then write down lengthy answers to each of them. This will help you engage in an active self-reflection about your experiences in life. At the top of the page, you should have two objectives highlighted: Organization and Impressiveness.

  11. Academic Guides: Writing a Paper: Writer's Block

    Summarize your own work. In the margins of your paper (or using comment bubbles), write a one-sentence summary of the purpose of each paragraph. Review your summaries to get a clearer idea of your direction, the overall flow of the paper, and how far you still need to go. Take another look. Ask yourself a few questions:

  12. Overcoming Writer's Block in Personal Statement Writing

    Understanding the root causes of writer's block in personal statement writing. ... Strolling through the campus nowadays, it's not just about cramming for exams or pulling an all-nighter to finish an essay. It's more - we're gearing up students for those real-world challenges, for a career that's more puzzle-solving than paint by ...

  13. Unblock Writer's Block with These 3 Steps

    Lindsay Kramer Updated on February 3, 2023 Writing Many of us write every day to communicate with coworkers, friends, and family. But if you're a student or work in a field that involves writing, writing is one of your regular tasks. So what happens when you need to write but just . . . can't? There's a good chance you've got writer's block.

  14. Overcoming Writer's Block in College Essays

    The project appears futile and you see no way you'll complete it in time. This is also known as writer's block: a problem that plagues college essay writers, especially during the finals week. Fortunately, almost all students get past this difficult point and complete the paper on time, even if it calls for an all-nighter.

  15. How To Overcome Writer's block {10 Tips + Personal Examples}

    The following steps would help you discover your own voice: Know your genre. Read a lot of books, by different authors. When you see different writing styles, it would jumpstart yours. Lastly, practice writing the genre you want to be an expert in. If you prefer short stories, write a lot of them.

  16. How to Get Over Writer's Block: 25 Proven Methods

    A found that walking actually improves creativity. The researchers found that subjects saw an average 60% increase in creativity when walking as compared to sitting. So the next time you get writer's block, take a walk to clear your head, gain some perspective, and get your creativity back on track. 10. Try Dictation.

  17. Overcoming Writer's Block On Your Personal Statement

    Writer's block can derail your Personal Statement before you even begin! Too often, we let ourselves feel overwhelmed by the stakes involved. We think that every word has to be perfect, and this desire for perfection paralyzes us. This is 100% the WRONG approach to take to the early stages of writing a Personal Statement.

  18. PDF Strategies for Essay Writing

    understand why it's worth writing that essay. A strong thesis will be arguable rather than descriptive, and it will be the right scope for the essay you are writing. If your thesis is descriptive, then you will not need to convince your readers of anything—you will be naming or summarizing something your readers can already see for themselves.

  19. What is Writer's Block? A Guide to the Writer's Worst Nightmare

    Writer's block is a common challenge in the creative process that causes writers to stagnate while writing their works. It occurs when authors struggle to think of ideas or generate new material. It can affect writers at any stage in their career — from absolute beginners to best-selling novelists.

  20. 13 Memoirs About Writer's Block

    Zip. Zilch. Your mind is blank and the page is blank and suddenly you are terrified that you will never ever write again. You have writer's block. It's so dreadfully common that it's a bit of a ...

  21. How to Overcome Writer's Block and Craft a Perfect College Essay

    Daily rituals are also effective in overcoming writer's block. For instance, Stephen King mentioned once in an interview that he preferred to start his day with a cup of tea and vitamins. Also, the papers are always arranged in exactly the same way on his table. We also prepared the five best tips to deal with a writer's block: Relax.

  22. Writer's Block: What It Is, Causes, and How to Overcome It

    Writer's block is a common scenario where you stare at a blank page for a long time because you can't find the right words to start an essay or a research paper. The problem isn't limited to best-selling authors and upcoming news writers alone.

  23. The Real Reason For "Writer's Block" : r/writing

    Failure to let go: You outline too much, rarely allowing your character time to speak for himself. You finally begin to write your scene, realize your character doesn't have a voice, and judge yourself. Which gets you blocked. Use writer's block for the instruction it is, then make the adjustment. Writing is messy.

  24. Constantly switching personal essay topics, writer's block

    Freewrite. The goal of freewriting is to write without second-guessing yourself - free from doubt, apathy, or self-consciousness, all of which contribute to writer's block. Do non-writing activities. Real-life events and observations are key to keeping your idea box full and can serve as the inspiration for your best writing.

  25. Barbara Dee on How She Got Her Writing 'Unstuck'

    Unstuck by Barbara Dee. Aladdin, $17.99 Feb. 27 ISBN 978-1-534489-86-8. Barbara Dee is the author of 14 middle grade novels, including 'Violets Are Blue' and 'Maybe He Just Likes You.'. In her ...

  26. Story About Woman Scammed Out of $50K Is Blowing up the Internet

    Feb 16, 2024, 9:11 AM PST. A scammer, ready to scam. Virojt Changyencham. New York Magazine's personal finance writer just published a personal essay about how she was scammed. Believing she was ...

  27. How I Fell for an Amazon Scam Call and Handed Over $50,000

    On a Tuesday evening this past October, I put $50,000 in cash in a shoe box, taped it shut as instructed, and carried it to the sidewalk in front of my apartment, my phone clasped to my ear. "Don't let anyone hurt me," I told the man on the line, feeling pathetic. "You won't be hurt," he answered.

  28. Should I Leave My Husband? The Lure of Divorce

    The book begins by detailing how Lenz's husband rarely did household chores and hid belongings of hers that he didn't like — e.g., a mug that said WRITE LIKE A MOTHERFUCKER — in a box in the basement. "I didn't want to waste my one wild and precious life telling a grown man where to find the ketchup," Lenz writes.