{"id":64,"date":"2021-11-22T20:07:12","date_gmt":"2021-11-22T20:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/books.chrisfriend.us\/2020\/chapter\/writers-block-is-easily-preventable\/"},"modified":"2024-04-30T20:19:48","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T20:19:48","slug":"writers-block-is-easily-preventable","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/books.chrisfriend.us\/2020\/chapter\/writers-block-is-easily-preventable\/","title":{"raw":"Writer's Block is Easily Preventable","rendered":"Writer’s Block is Easily Preventable"},"content":{"raw":"You open your laptop to write your English assignment. Your teacher assigned it today and you decided to get an early start so you\u2019re not cramming at the last minute. The page is blank. You know it and you\u2019d swear the assignment knows it too. You can\u2019t help but start to feel bad for yourself because you have no idea how to start the assignment. The anxiety starts to set in and you get overwhelmed. You close your laptop in defeat and decide to write it later in the week. This scenario I just described is called \u201cprocrastination\u201d or in writers' terms \u201cwriter\u2019s block.\u201d A lot of writers, as well as students, experience this at one point or another in their careers. Writer\u2019s block usually happens during high-pressure situations like an essay a student isn\u2019t prepared for or a work deadline coming up fast. People believe that writer\u2019s block just happens for no reason. While writer\u2019s block is a normal part of the writing process, it is easily preventable. There are precautions that writers can take. The precautions that can be taken are not referring to the rubric, sleeping on it, or doing an activity that calms your nerves.\n\nThe term \"writer\u2019s block\" has always had a negative connotation attached to it. People think that writer\u2019s block is the worst thing in the writing world. When in reality, writer\u2019s block should happen every time a student writes something. And if it doesn\u2019t, it means what they\u2019re writing isn\u2019t challenging enough. Writer\u2019s block is normal, but if necessary, there are precautions that can be taken to lessen how frequent writer\u2019s block occurs. Not referring to the rubric is the first precaution. This is what helps me when I complete writing assignments for all six of my writing classes. If the writing assignment comes with an outline and rubric, I will skim it to get the overall gist, then write and write and write. This can be extremely dangerous depending on how well your skimming skills are. Since I\u2019ve been doing this since my sophomore year, I pride myself on my skimming skills. Do not read the rubric word for word, that\u2019s what will contribute to your writer\u2019s block. Knowing every single requirement for a writing assignment will lead you to discourage yourself from writing because you\u2019ll be aware if you don\u2019t hit every single requirement. Ignorance (in this sense) is complete bliss. Skim over the rubric, write until you hit the page requirement, look back, make adjustments and submit.\n\nThe next precaution is sleeping on it. I know for many students, this is a given. Having trouble with an assignment always equals taking time for a nap and, thankfully, this is indeed a good practice to use in order to avoid the frustrations that come from writer\u2019s block. If you\u2019re having trouble with an assignment, it\u2019s best if you close the laptop for the day and, if possible, sleep on it. This gives your brain a chance to not worry about the assignment for a few hours, get a new perspective on it, and gain more energy to complete it when you come back to it. Once again, this precaution is an unconscious standard practice I do. If I am able to, I will take a 30 minute, 2-hour, or 8-hour nap. If I\u2019m in a horrible situation where an assignment is due within 2 hours, I close my laptop and lay down without falling asleep. This calms my brain and takes away some of the stress that comes from staring at a blank screen with no words coming to mind.\n\nDoing an activity that calms your nerves is my favorite precaution to take. This said activity can be anything, whether it be watching tv, listening to music, going for a walk, dancing, etc. Just like the other two, this precaution has become an unconscious standard practice for me. Anytime I write, whether it be academic or creative, I listen to slow music. The reason why I do this is because slow music calms my nerves down. When I\u2019m really feeling writer\u2019s block, I\u2019ll do a 15-minute dance break. I know that sounds ridiculous, so let me explain. Dancing, just like listening to music, is something I do every single day. I dance after I eat, before I go to sleep, when I want to do a routine, or whenever I feel like it. It\u2019s something that is second nature to me because I\u2019ve been doing it for so long. So when I\u2019m getting discouraged with a writing assignment, I take a break and do what I love, which is listening to music and dancing. It takes my mind off the assignment and brings me happiness for the time being. After doing that for 15 minutes, I feel even more motivated to complete my assignment. Completing an activity that calms your nerves is a good practice because just like sleeping on it, it gives the brain a break and allows dopamine to change the attitude you may have about your assignment.\n\nIn Writer's Block is Preventable<\/a>, written by Megan Boley, the effects that writer\u2019s block has on the writing process are discussed. Writer\u2019s block is inevitable, says Boley, she\u2019s discovered through her own experiences with writer\u2019s block that it can be prevented as long as certain precautions are taken. She makes a good point by saying writers don\u2019t need to write every day to be good at it. Writing is like any other hobby. Breaks are allowed and even encouraged with writing. Boley gives two different tips that I discussed, which are to let your work rest and write what you feel like writing. These two tips are similar to mine, in the sense that taking a break away from your writing helps when it comes to preventing writer\u2019s block. When in doubt, take a break, step away, do other activities other than writing, and come back to finish what you started.\n\nWriter\u2019s block is something that happens to every writer, therefore, it is a very familiar concept in the writing community. There are many precautions writers can and should take to prevent it from happening. A lot of writers, like myself, have been taking most of these precautions without thinking about the fact that these even are precautions. Since writer\u2019s block isn\u2019t something that writers can avoid, it's important to follow the precautions that can be taken, which are, not referring to the rubric, sleeping on it, and doing an activity that calms your nerves. These three precautions, if taken correctly, can prevent the effects of writer\u2019s block.","rendered":"

You open your laptop to write your English assignment. Your teacher assigned it today and you decided to get an early start so you\u2019re not cramming at the last minute. The page is blank. You know it and you\u2019d swear the assignment knows it too. You can\u2019t help but start to feel bad for yourself because you have no idea how to start the assignment. The anxiety starts to set in and you get overwhelmed. You close your laptop in defeat and decide to write it later in the week. This scenario I just described is called \u201cprocrastination\u201d or in writers’ terms \u201cwriter\u2019s block.\u201d A lot of writers, as well as students, experience this at one point or another in their careers. Writer\u2019s block usually happens during high-pressure situations like an essay a student isn\u2019t prepared for or a work deadline coming up fast. People believe that writer\u2019s block just happens for no reason. While writer\u2019s block is a normal part of the writing process, it is easily preventable. There are precautions that writers can take. The precautions that can be taken are not referring to the rubric, sleeping on it, or doing an activity that calms your nerves.<\/p>\n

The term “writer\u2019s block” has always had a negative connotation attached to it. People think that writer\u2019s block is the worst thing in the writing world. When in reality, writer\u2019s block should happen every time a student writes something. And if it doesn\u2019t, it means what they\u2019re writing isn\u2019t challenging enough. Writer\u2019s block is normal, but if necessary, there are precautions that can be taken to lessen how frequent writer\u2019s block occurs. Not referring to the rubric is the first precaution. This is what helps me when I complete writing assignments for all six of my writing classes. If the writing assignment comes with an outline and rubric, I will skim it to get the overall gist, then write and write and write. This can be extremely dangerous depending on how well your skimming skills are. Since I\u2019ve been doing this since my sophomore year, I pride myself on my skimming skills. Do not read the rubric word for word, that\u2019s what will contribute to your writer\u2019s block. Knowing every single requirement for a writing assignment will lead you to discourage yourself from writing because you\u2019ll be aware if you don\u2019t hit every single requirement. Ignorance (in this sense) is complete bliss. Skim over the rubric, write until you hit the page requirement, look back, make adjustments and submit.<\/p>\n

The next precaution is sleeping on it. I know for many students, this is a given. Having trouble with an assignment always equals taking time for a nap and, thankfully, this is indeed a good practice to use in order to avoid the frustrations that come from writer\u2019s block. If you\u2019re having trouble with an assignment, it\u2019s best if you close the laptop for the day and, if possible, sleep on it. This gives your brain a chance to not worry about the assignment for a few hours, get a new perspective on it, and gain more energy to complete it when you come back to it. Once again, this precaution is an unconscious standard practice I do. If I am able to, I will take a 30 minute, 2-hour, or 8-hour nap. If I\u2019m in a horrible situation where an assignment is due within 2 hours, I close my laptop and lay down without falling asleep. This calms my brain and takes away some of the stress that comes from staring at a blank screen with no words coming to mind.<\/p>\n

Doing an activity that calms your nerves is my favorite precaution to take. This said activity can be anything, whether it be watching tv, listening to music, going for a walk, dancing, etc. Just like the other two, this precaution has become an unconscious standard practice for me. Anytime I write, whether it be academic or creative, I listen to slow music. The reason why I do this is because slow music calms my nerves down. When I\u2019m really feeling writer\u2019s block, I\u2019ll do a 15-minute dance break. I know that sounds ridiculous, so let me explain. Dancing, just like listening to music, is something I do every single day. I dance after I eat, before I go to sleep, when I want to do a routine, or whenever I feel like it. It\u2019s something that is second nature to me because I\u2019ve been doing it for so long. So when I\u2019m getting discouraged with a writing assignment, I take a break and do what I love, which is listening to music and dancing. It takes my mind off the assignment and brings me happiness for the time being. After doing that for 15 minutes, I feel even more motivated to complete my assignment. Completing an activity that calms your nerves is a good practice because just like sleeping on it, it gives the brain a break and allows dopamine to change the attitude you may have about your assignment.<\/p>\n

In Writer’s Block is Preventable<\/a>, written by Megan Boley, the effects that writer\u2019s block has on the writing process are discussed. Writer\u2019s block is inevitable, says Boley, she\u2019s discovered through her own experiences with writer\u2019s block that it can be prevented as long as certain precautions are taken. She makes a good point by saying writers don\u2019t need to write every day to be good at it. Writing is like any other hobby. Breaks are allowed and even encouraged with writing. Boley gives two different tips that I discussed, which are to let your work rest and write what you feel like writing. These two tips are similar to mine, in the sense that taking a break away from your writing helps when it comes to preventing writer\u2019s block. When in doubt, take a break, step away, do other activities other than writing, and come back to finish what you started.<\/p>\n

Writer\u2019s block is something that happens to every writer, therefore, it is a very familiar concept in the writing community. There are many precautions writers can and should take to prevent it from happening. A lot of writers, like myself, have been taking most of these precautions without thinking about the fact that these even are precautions. Since writer\u2019s block isn\u2019t something that writers can avoid, it’s important to follow the precautions that can be taken, which are, not referring to the rubric, sleeping on it, and doing an activity that calms your nerves. These three precautions, if taken correctly, can prevent the effects of writer\u2019s block.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"menu_order":9,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":["miramire"],"pb_section_license":"cc-by-nc"},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[78],"license":[56],"class_list":["post-64","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","contributor-miramire","license-cc-by-nc"],"part":46,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/books.chrisfriend.us\/2020\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/64","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/books.chrisfriend.us\/2020\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/books.chrisfriend.us\/2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/books.chrisfriend.us\/2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/books.chrisfriend.us\/2020\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/64\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65,"href":"https:\/\/books.chrisfriend.us\/2020\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/64\/revisions\/65"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/books.chrisfriend.us\/2020\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/46"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/books.chrisfriend.us\/2020\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/64\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/books.chrisfriend.us\/2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/books.chrisfriend.us\/2020\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=64"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/books.chrisfriend.us\/2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=64"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/books.chrisfriend.us\/2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=64"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}