Overcoming Writer’s Block: A Strategy for Academic Writers

As a writing coach, I regularly encounter people who get stuck when writing. They don’t know where and how to start. They describe carving out time to write, but sitting for much of the allotted time, staring at a blank screen.

They simply can’t manage to get ideas out of their head. They have completed their research. They’ve gathered their sources. They’re ready to write. Now, all they need to do is write.

But, that task seems insurmountable.

What Causes Writer’s Block?

Many things can create writer’s block:

• Perfectionism

• Writing anxiety

• Red ink trauma

• The usual routine not working

• The lack of a systematic approach to writing

• Waiting for inspiration

  
  

Writer’s block can be caused by one of these issues, several of them or none of them. You may regularly experience writer’s block, or you can encounter it unexpectedly.

Regardless of the reasons or the frequency, you’re likely reading this blog because you need an answer to writer’s block.

While I don’t have THE answer to writer’s block, I have an answer in the form of a strategy. I present this strategy at every workshop I conduct on the writing process. Also, when asked about how to overcome writer’s block, whether in a coaching session or during a workshop, I respond in one word: 

Freewriting

What is Freewriting?

As the name implies, freewriting is writing freely with no plan, no agenda and no structure. You don’t have to know where you’re going; you don’t have to have the first word formulated in your brain.

You must do one thing: write. And, you must write continuously for a period of time. I recommend that you set your timer for no more than five minutes.

Why? Because the key to freewriting is writing nonstop, so you must select an amount of time that is doable for physically writing or typing the entire time.

For example, to get starting writing for the day, you can freewrite by setting a timer on your phone for three and a half minutes. Once your timer starts, you must write until the timer stops.

You may begin by writing, “I don’t know where to start. I’m drawing a blank.” for the first 5 seconds. You may write the same sentence, again and again, for 30 seconds. So what? 

The goal is to write non-stop.

How does Freewriting Help with Writer’s Block?

Freewriting removes the thinking from writing, especially the pressure associated with research-based writing. In freewriting, you’re free to write. You don’t have to write something good, something profound or something significant. 

You don’t have to follow a writing process. You don’t need to revise. You don’t need to think of the perfect word. You don’t need to sound scholarly. You don’t need to spell words correctly. You don’t need to stop and verify your ideas with research.

Think of freewriting as the written version of brainstorming. You’re not judging your writing. You’re not assessing your writing. And this one is big for scholars: you’re not critiquing your writing.

You’re simply writing. 

You’re freeing yourself mentally to write. And, nothing can get you writing more than the act of writing. Sometimes, sitting with your thoughts won’t get you started. Staring at a blank screen waiting for inspiration won’t motivate you to write. Finding or reading one more source won’t get you writing.

Freewriting returns you to the simplicity of writing. Freewriting makes writing accessible because it doesn’t require hours. Let’s say you start freewriting with where you are at the time. You can’t think of anything to write about your topic, so you write:

“I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to say.”

Keep going because eventually, another thought will likely enter your mind. So, your next sentence becomes:

“I don’t know what to say about my topic because…”

Now, you’re getting closer to writing about your subject. You’re thinking about what you don’t have anything to write. Do you need to explain something else or understand a concept? Do you have three different points in mind and don’t know whether to start with point A, B or C? Your next few sentences can explore these reasons, questions and answers.

Typically, writer’s block doesn’t occur because you, as a scholar, researcher, student or faculty member, don’t have ideas. You have plenty of ideas, but you probably also have plenty of pressure or some ambiguity about how you should be expressing those ideas.

Maybe you deal with someone’s words in your head about the quality of your writing. Or, you want the perfect opening sentence or introduction. You could be comparing your writing with a colleague’s writing or a published work you recently read. Or, you don’t think your writing is “academic” enough.

When freewriting, you can write in a way or using language that may never make it to the final version, but the idea is present in seed form.

Just remember, the goal of freewriting is to get unstuck!

What to Do Once Your Freewriting Session Ends?

Once your timer ends, read what you’ve written and look for something useful:

• Have you written an idea worth developing?

• Did you explain a concept more clearly in one sentence?

• Did a question emerge that you need to answer?

• Did you identify what was causing you difficulty?

• Can you pinpoint a phrase or thought that could become the beginning of a paragraph?

  
  

If you find one useful sentence in three and half minutes of freewriting, you can consider the time worth it. Otherwise, you would have been sitting with your thoughts for much longer and demotivated to write.

At the end of your freewriting session, you have a starting point for writing. You have a spark that can lead to a firestorm of writing. 

Explore Other Strategies

Freewriting is only one strategy for overcoming writer’s block. Look up other strategies online. Talk to colleagues to see what they do. Work with a writing coach. Visit your campus writing center for resources. Ask a mentor for recommendations.Your goal is to gather as many writing strategies as possible so that you know what to turn to when you hit a wall.

Writer’s block can be frustrating, but feeling stuck doesn’t mean you have to stay stuck.