WRITER’S BLOCK: TIPS TO PREVENT IT THAT YOU NEED TO

START INCORPORATING IN YOU WRITING

POSTED ON JANUARY 26, 2022 BY EMILY TAKAKI

Introduction:
When going out to a party the last thing that one expects is to talk about writing papers.
Although this party was different, everyone was more interested in exchanging knowledge on
writing instead of dancing. I joined a conversation with a couple of scholars when I first entered
the party and I ended up staying there the whole night! I was so intrigued by their conversation
and decided to take in their wisdom, being an undergraduate myself I knew I could use it in the
future. One of the main topics that was mentioned in our conversation was the writing block,
which is a temporary block that keeps an author from putting words on a paper. I could not tear
myself away from the conversation, as this is a topic I struggled with for a long time, so now let
me take some time to share some of the knowledge I acquired with you.

Christina Crosby’s View on The Writing System

One of the first authors I talked to was Christina Crosby, she has always been a well
distinguished writer who voices her opinions on the writing system. Being in the presence of
these scholars was breathtaking especially when they asked me, a
new writer, what one of my main struggles is during the writing
process. I proceeded to explain my difficulties with writer’s block and
how I always get so stumped on the introduction paragraph. Chrisitna
was so engaged and began to explain how this is something she
noticed in a lot of young writers. She sees writing blocks differently
than most authors, instead of seeing it as a flaw in the author, she
sees it as a flaw in the system. She believes there is so much stress
on the writer to create this amazing piece of writing they start to lose
focus of their creativity. I expressed how much I related to this and
explained how more often than not I base my papers on the grading
rubric. In doing this, I lose sight of creating a paper that is actually my
own and instead base it on reaching a word count or including
enough sources. Christinia told me how common this is in young writers and instead of
focusing on the content, they are focusing on the incentive. Whether this be money or a grade,
the system praises quantity over quality and it has had an everlasting effect on the writing
process. 1

Likewise, the ideas of incentives seemed to get a lot of acceptance by the other authors,
especially Jimmy. Jimmy Butts, a university teacher, agreed with
Chrisitna significantly and began to build off of her ideas. Jimmy
understood the idea of how much creativity is so commonly overlooked

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in the writing process. Oftentimes students are used to following routine steps so they are only
focused on getting the final product and tend to leave out the creativity, which can be a main
reason for writing block because they are so focused on getting it over with. 2 This has led to a
problem of writing being seen as more of a product instead of a process. I really liked this
scholar's take on writer’s block and I could tell the others did as well because he got the nod of
acceptance. I feel like this is a relatable concept to many writers because we are often more
focused on things such as reaching the word count or the page minimum instead of the
information we are putting into the actual project.

My Personal Take on the Conversation

. I explained to these authors how

much of an issue writer’s block is to
some of my friends and I. No matter
what we do, sometimes writer’s
block does not allow you to write out
your thoughts. I also stressed how
important it was that the
assignments we are writing allow
creativity that makes the paper more
personal. They all agreed and thought that the amount of drafts, and restrictions on papers were
a bit extreme. I then turned to one of the scholars who happens to be one of my close friends,
Geoffrey, and could see him shaking his head with disagreement.

Do the Writer’s Have Themselves to Blame for the Mental Block?

Not everyone was agreeing with my statement or the previous scholars. In fact, Geoffrey Carter
began the conversation with his personal view on writer’s block. He begins the conversation by
explaining that these students that are procrastinating are getting writer’s block for a reason.
That reason is that they are “slackers.” He explains that everyone has equal intelligence, so
writer’s block is due to the person.3 I told him this was a very unfair view to have, and it sounds
like he is someone who has never experienced writer’s block. I expressed how it is not fair to
blame the writers especially when not everyone has “equal intelligence.” He understands that
his views are a little bit harsh and there are often other reasons for writer’s block, with this he
gives one of his solutions. One of them being to write about anything you can at the time, not
just the subject you are focusing on, and then sooner or later something might come to you.
This was something that I actually agreed with, usually just being able to write something on the

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paper helps get the brain flowing. Geoffery’s views were followed by some other scholars in the
conversation who wanted to give advice on how to help writer’s block.

TRY THIS TO HELP

WRITER'S BLOCK
In contrast, Lesle Lewis has a different approach when it comes to
the idea of the author being at fault. She explains how sometimes
The student has different issues that cause them to have writer’s .
block. She begins to explain that some students have their procrastination habits. Some of
these students are having great ideas but are able to express them on paper, and this is due to
something like undiagnosed
Try New Things ADHD, concluding that some of these students are not doing it
FIVE STEPS TO BEAT WRITER’S BLOCK on purpose.4 It is not fair to label them as slackers,
FROM DANA SHAVIN5 because a lot of times, serious procrastination can lead to writer’s
-Shut off Distractions block. There are sometimes issues that are far beyond what the
-Take Breaks eye can see when it comes to writer’s block.
- Make it fun
-Having a Clean Space Furthermore, Procrastination is a big part of writer’s block.
-Do Research Before!! Beth Rap Young put her own spin on Lesle’s idea and
explained how procrastination can be such a big factor when beginning to write. If you are
already not wanting to write because you have been putting it off, it is not going to be easy to be
creative in your writing. I could not have agreed more and shared one of my own stories which a
lot of the authors found intriguing. I told them about the one time I had put off a paper until the
last night, and then when it came to creating my paper, I could not think of a single thing to
write. Beth found this interesting and explained how she had previously done a study on
procrastination and how it affects students. They found that so many college students
procrastinate and it ends up affecting them in the long run. It's causing them financial troubles
because they have to retake classes along with depression and high amounts of anxiety for
these students because they procrastinate and aren't able to finish their writing in enough time
or make it good enough.6 I really think this is an interesting point that Beth made because
procrastination is so common in students today, but so is writer’s block and it is important to
raise awareness of ways to prevent writer’s block.

For a good majority of this conversation I was listening to these scholars

explain all of the information they have learned throughout the years. I
thought it was extremely interesting that
they each had a different approach to
writer’s block. While some of the scholars began to leave the
party, Judith Kish stayed behind to talk to me a little more
about her opinion on writer’s block.7 She finds that many
students are experiencing writer's block during the introduction
or the beginning of writing. As a writer, I can agree. I can never

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seem to start my introduction so I usually start with the body paragraphs. One of her arguments
is that writing on electronics can help with writer's block. I thought about how different this idea
was then all of the other scholars that were in the conversation, but
I liked it a lot. I realized how it has always been easier for me to begin typing over beginning to
write. That is one of the main reasons I have stopped writing my drafts, it is so much easier for
the ideas to flow when writing because it is faster.

Conclusion:

Once everyone had left the party, I was left there to ponder my thoughts. After everything I have
heard, I am still very much interested in learning more about some of the psychological issues
that can cause writer’s block. After hearing how much procrastination is a factor, and knowing
that ADHD is as well, I wonder if other undiagnosed issues can be resolved in order to help
these students with their mental blocks. In the end, I could clearly tell how close in thought
Chrisitnia and Jimmy were when they began the conversation, but all of the other scholars
seemed to have strong opinions that did not fit well with each other. Together, all the ideas that
these authors could help make very valuable solutions to writer’s block. In conclusion, no matter
what you decide to do on your Friday nights, no harm can come from going to an academic
party.

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REFERENCES

2
Butts, Jimmy. The More Writing Process, the Better. Bad Ideas About Writing,
109.Retrieved February 14 2022.

3
Carter, Geoffrey. Writer's Block Just Happens to People. Bad Ideas About Writing, 99.
Retrieved February 14 2022.

1
Crosby, Christina. (2003). Writer's block, merit, and the market: Working in the university of
excellence. College English 65.6, 626-645. Retrieved February 14 2022.

4
Lewis, Lesle; Peg Alden. (2007). What we can learn about writing blocks from college
students with output problems, strong writing skills, and attentional difficulties. Journal of
Teaching Writing 23.1, 115-146. Retrieved February 14 2022.

7
Mara Kish, Judith. (2000). Breaking the Block: Basic Writers in the Electronic Classroom.
Journal of Basic Writing, 19(2), 141-159. Retrieved February 14 2022.

5
Shavin, Dana, et al. “15 Of the Most Common Causes of Writer's Block – and How to Cure
Them.” The Writer, Retrieved February 14 2022.
https://www.writermag.com/writing-inspiration/creativity-inspiration/curing-causes-of-writers-
block/

6
Young, Beth Rapp; Barbara A. Fritzsche. (2002). Writing center users procrastinate less:
The relationship between individual differences in procrastination, peer feedback, and
student writing process. Writing Center Journal 23.1, 45-58. Retrieved February 14 2022.