You may feel like you can’t keep on working on your college paper. We have some simple tips and tricks on how to get unstuck and cope with the task on time.
What to Do When You Cannot Start Your Paper?
Have you ever had a paper to write, but absolutely no clue how you are going to start it and what to write in in general? Alternatively, you may have a pretty good idea of what you want to say, but the right words keep eluding you. Some students may spend hours staring at a blank page, incapable of writing a single word because they constantly feel that it is not the best way to express their thoughts. Whatever the situation in your case, it falls under the definition of writer’s block – an unpleasant condition most writers find themselves in from time to time. Some people believe that there is no way around it – the best you can do is wait it out and hope your inspiration comes back. However, when you have an essay due tomorrow, it is just not an option – you have to write it, and you have to write it now. Fortunately, there are ways to tackle writer’s block that is effective in most cases – and in this article, we will discuss some of them.
1. Reread the Assignment
Have you read the assignment carefully? Perhaps you can get an idea of what you can write if you pay closer attention to it. Sometimes the essay question or prompt gives transparent clues as to the direction in which you should take your research.
2. Do Additional Research
One of the reasons why you feel like you don’t have anything of value to say is that, well, you don’t have anything of value to say. You don’t know enough about the topic, you have not done enough research, you have only read the most basic sources on the subject. If this is the case in your situation, you should rectify it before you proceed. You may:
- Ask a librarian to help you find suitable sources of information you will be able to study quickly;
- Single out relevant keywords and run a few searches using online academic databases;
- Look through the bibliography sections of the sources you already have – they may lead you to additional publications on the topic. Keep an eye out for the sources that are referred to in more than one publication.
3. Narrow Down the Scope of Your Work
Sometimes, after doing a bit of research on the subject, you may discover that there is way too much information to cover it all in one assignment, even a relatively large one, like a term paper. In this case, even starting to write may feel overwhelming, because you do not know where to start and how you are going to deal with all this data. Try narrowing down the research question. Ask yourself, “What is absolutely necessary to drive my point home? What can I discard and still successfully do my paper?” When you do research, especially if you work on a well-known topic, it is easy to make too many notes and gather too many sources. You should learn to get rid of insubstantial details and focus on what really matters.
4. Focus on Writing Anything at All
One of the reasons why students often feel apprehensive when starting a paper is that they are afraid they are not going to sound smart enough. They set too high a standard for themselves. They believe that they should write a perfect paper right off the bat. Perhaps they do not put these feelings in precisely these words, but this is what, deep down, directs their actions.
Do not fall into this trap. You don’t have to write an ideal text the first time around; it may pass through several drafts before you get everything right. For now, focus on expressing your thoughts in your own words, as simply and concisely as possible. Don’t bother if you make mistakes or if your sentences are ungrammatical. Right now, you have to get yourself going – there will be plenty of time to improve the text later on.
5. Look for Help
Sometimes you may have no other choice but to delegate some of your work to someone who is currently better equipped to deal with it. These days, you can easily find numerous cheap academic assistance services where you can hire specialists to help you with your writing. Just make sure you choose somebody reliable for that purpose.
6. Don’t Start with the Introduction
Many people find introductions to be the most difficult part of a paper to write. Don’t feel bad if it is your problem – even experienced writers often struggle with penning the initial sentences of their papers. One remedy for this predicament is writing the introduction last of all, or at least after writing the body paragraphs. This way you will work on it while already knowing what the rest of your paper is about, and thus will be better prepared to foreshadow the contents of your assignment. If you start your writing with the introduction, you may have to rewrite it later anyway, because it will be poorly aligned with the rest of the contents.
7. Write a Provisional Introduction
If you find it impossible to write without having an introduction in front of you, give yourself a very short time limit and write something just to get things going. Write a very rough draft of what your eventual introduction will look like with the intention to rewrite it after the rest of the paper is done.
8. Take a Break
Take a break from writing. If you can afford it, set writing aside for a day and try not to think about it until you sit down to write again. Make it clear to yourself that you do it not to procrastinate but to let yourself rest from the task and later look at it with a fresh outlook. The important thing in dealing with writer’s block is to understand that your writing is not fully dependent on inspiration. There are tricks and techniques that can help you get your creative juices flowing – you just have to experiment and find out what exactly works for you.
