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Written by Samantha Katz, MA Education
If you’ve ever procrastinated or didn’t know how to start when sitting down to write, this one’s for you! Here are 5 tips to help you get started in those moments when writer’s block creeps in:
Brainstorming
You’d be surprised with how many ideas you can come up with once you let go of the pressure to write in complete sentences or to write a specific amount! Give yourself some space to jot down individual words or phrases that come pop into your head without judging them or stopping to think. Seeing words on the paper will help give you more ideas of which parts of the brainstorm you want to develop in your writing.
Write Out of Order
It makes sense to have a beginning, middle, and end for your readers to logically follow and understand your thoughts. However, while the writing is in progress, you can write it in any order you want! Many times when writers have a block, it’s because they can’t decide how to start. If you don’t know what you want your beginning to be, but you have an idea for the middle, then start in the middle! This way you already have some of your work done and it will also likely give you ideas for what to add before and after.
Thesis/Theme Work
Writing often comes down to one key point a writer makes for their readers. If you’re writing a non-fiction piece, that’s typically your thesis and if you’re writing a fiction piece, it’s often your main theme. Sometimes when writers are not sure what to write, it’s because they’re not yet sure of their one key point. Spending some extra time just writing down a one sentence main point of your writing can help with writer’s block because it feels more doable than writing an entire piece and helps give you clarity and build ideas since everything else is going to connect back to this one sentence.
Talk it Out
There’s been many times for me as a teacher when I’ve heard young writers say something brilliant and I’ve immediately said, “Write down what you just said!” Many people are verbal processors so saying ideas first can help you decide what to write down. Also, sometimes when you’re not sure what to write, it’s helpful to talk out the ideas with other people. Share your ideas and see what someone else says or what questions they might have to help you clarify some of your thoughts before writing. If someone else is not around, you can also record yourself talking about a topic and then play it back to have a brainstorm before writing.
Time Yourself and Take Breaks
Writer’s block can often come from procrastinating because you might avoid starting if you’re feeling like there’s going to be a lot of work or it’s going to take a lot of time. Keeping a timer next to you and working for 15-20 minutes and then allowing yourself to take a break can be a motivating way to get some writing done without losing too much time to procrastination.
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