More Ideas about Drafting and Overcoming "Writers' Block"

(taken from Jane Aaron's LB Brief, 2nd ed.)

"Procrastination may actually help if you let ideas simmer at the same time."

(I call this "percolating.")

Start Writing:

1.) Read over any assigned readings from the course.

2.) Read over what you've already written--notes, outlines, and so on--and immediately start your draft with whatever comes to mind.

3.) Freewrite some more.

4.) Write scribble or type nonsense until usable words start coming.

5.) Pretend you're writing to a friend about your subject.

6.) Describe an image that represents your subject--a physical object, a facial expression, two people arguing over something, a giant machine gouging the earth for a mine, whatever.

7.) Skip the opening and start in the middle.  Or write the conclusion first.

8.) Write a paragraph.  Explain what you think your essay will be about when you finish it.

9.) Start writing the part that you understand best or feel most strongly about.  Using your outline, divide your essay into chunks--say, one for the introduction, another for the first point, and so on.  One of these chunks may call out to be written first.

Maintain Momentum:

1.) Set aside enough time for yourself.  For a brief essay, a first draft is likely to take at least an hour or two.

2.) Work in a quiet place.

3.) Make yourself comfortable.

4.) If you must stop working, write down what you expect to do next.  Then you can pick up where you stopped with minimal disruption.

5.) Be as fluid as possible, and don't worry about mistakes.  Spontaneity will allow your attitudes toward your subject to surface naturally in your sentences, and it will also make you receptive to ideas and relations you haven't seen before.  Mistakes will be easier to find and correct later, when you're not also trying to create.

6.) Keep going.  Skip over sticky spots.  Leave a blank _____ if you can't find the right word.  Put alternative ideas or phrasings in brackets [ ] so that you can consider them later without bogging down now.  If an idea pops out of nowhere but doesn't seem to fit in, quickly jot it down on a separate sheet, or write it into the draft and bracket [ ] or boldface it for later attention.  You can use an asterisk * or some other symbol to mark places where you feel blocked or uncertain.  On a word processor you can find these places later by using the "Find" command to locate the symbol.

7.) Resist self-criticism.  Don't worry about your style, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and the like.  Don't worry about what your readers will think.  These are very important matters, but save them for revision.  On a word processor help yourself resist self-criticism by turning OFF automatic spelling or grammar checkers or by turning OFF the monitor so you can't see what you're writing.

8.) Use your tentative thesis statement--if you have one--and your scratch/informal outline.  They can remind you of your planned purpose, organization, and content.

9.) But don't feel constrained by your thesis and outline.  If your writing leads you in a more interesting direction, follow it.