The last couple of days have been really tough. We all had plans that suddenly can’t take place anymore (assuming we’re all being responsible). No vacations. No live sports. No concerts. No conferences. No religious gatherings. At least for me, all of these pass times being snatched away from us has resulted in more time on social media. Here, I constantly see the same things: Coronavirus, the loss of human life, anger towards the United States’ healthcare system, event cancellations, etc. The pandemic’s rightful place in our global conscience makes it unavoidable; a constant source of anxiety and a reminder of our losses.
For myself and other college seniors, this comes at a bad time. The thought of leaving Athens, GA, where I’ve grown so much as a person and met some of my best friends, has been unsettling. At least I had these last two months as closure: an opportunity to spend time with my friends and plan for the future, wrap up my degree, complete my extracurricular responsibilities, attend my graduation, etc. Now there’s just a whole lot of uncertainty. My classes this semester have allowed me to bring together multiple facets of my education; I felt like they were really preparing me for the future. Will online courses allow for the same feeling? Will I even have graduation? When can I see my friends (and what about my relationships with those that live further away)?
I find comfort, however, in the fact that I’m not going through this alone; many of my friends are feeling the exact same thing. Similarly, I find feelings of gratitude in my current situation: I’m not struggling to pay bills because I’m suddenly out of work, I’m not sick, and I still have my family around me. Ultimately, as much as all of these precautions hurt, they’re incredibly important. As I sit here socially distancing myself, I have to remember that this is about so much more than myself. What I’m doing to stop the spread of disease is selfless and I hope that fact can keep me going.
Now you’re probably wondering what any of this has to do with writer’s block…
I actually debated whether or not I wanted these two topics to be separate blog posts. I decided to make them one for a simple reason: my writer’s block hits me the hardest in times of stress. Even when I have so much to say, it prevents me from getting my words out. I begin doubting my knowledge of basic grammar conventions, my word choice, the organization of my thoughts, etc. These past few days have been no exception. I’ve repeatedly tried to think of a topic for a blog post and I’ve repeatedly failed up to this point. So in the spirit of stress, failure, not knowing what to say, and then finally overcoming our obstacles, here we go:
Muhammad’s Tips for Writing When You Feel Like You’ve Forgotten How to Write:
- Read: I can’t overstate how important this one is. We all require sources of inspiration. Often times, we are stuck simply because we don’t have enough fleshed-out thoughts and opinions on a certain subject. Reading solves this. Read a scholarly article, a Wikipedia entry, a blog post, or anything really. Chances are you’ll be much more passionate and well-informed about a topic than when you first started thinking about it. You’ll have ideas to anchor onto in your work and the effort that went into reading will clearly show in your final piece. If you’ve already started writing, re-read what you already have! That’ll help you logically transition into the ideas you may still have remaining on your mind.
- Create a Concept Map: Whatever you want to call it (e.g. brainstorming, outlining,etc.), you need to get your thoughts down on paper. Look, this doesn’t need to be an exercise to determine the final organization of your work. What it does accomplish, however, is creating broad connections between all of your ideas. When I create a concept map, I typically scribble out all of my ideas on a sheet of paper (paying no mind to whether or not these ideas will all appear in my final work). From there, I draw arrows between them in order to see how certain ideas fit within others. Often, you’ll begin to see the larger implications of a certain topic and begin to rule out others that may irrelevant. At some point, you’ll feel like a lightbulb just appeared over your head; you now have a vision for what your work will focus on. Now you’re a lot more prepared to create a proper outline and start writing.
- Talk to Someone: Often, what stops us from writing is self-doubt. Do my ideas make sense? Would the reader even be interested? In order to clear our heads and actually begin writing, I’ve found that talking to another person is one of the most effective things one can do. Typically before writing a major essay, I’ve gone to a professor and rambled. Not only do I have the opportunity to make sense of my laundry list of thoughts, but I also get the feedback of another person. Receiving approval or a list of recommendations suddenly makes it significantly easier to proceed with your writing. And the person you consult doesn’t have to be a professor. I’ve received a lot of feedback from friends and family!
- Record Yourself: Shoutout to my professor/faculty mentor Dr. Payton for this one! When writing my personal statement for medical school, I found that I was easily able to talk about my story, but completely unable to translate it onto a page. What I decided to do was record myself speaking as if I were reading an essay or answering an interview question. Despite the constant stutters and pauses in my recording, I reached a headspace where I felt equipped to start writing. I had a tangible piece of evidence that showed me that I know what I was talking about; listening to it also provided constant feedback so I was certain I wasn’t missing any major points while writing.
- Take a Shower/Go on a Walk: For me, it’s during simple mindless acts such as taking a shower or going on a walk where I come up with my best ideas. Here, I feel like I have no distractions. I’m not sitting in front of a computer, where a screen stares at me with expectation. With this lack of pressure, I’m able to reflect in peace. Typically, right after, I immediately run to my computer with a number of new ideas. Taking breaks to do these things has certainly helped me produce richer work.
- Just Do It: Sometimes, the only way to get past writer’s block is to face it head-on: just write. I’m the kind of writer that has difficulty taking this advice. My essays typically take very long to write because I meticulously craft every sentence in order to create a polished product and avoid large amounts of revision. I recently learned, however, that most writers don’t produce their best work until late in the writing process when their ideas have been subjected to long periods of reflection. Earlier this week, as I revised an essay in the hopes of achieving my first publication (keep me in your thoughts and prayers), I realized how important of a process this really is. I re-wrote my entire introduction, conclusion, and heavily modified several body paragraphs. The work is so much better than where it began as a result. So with that in mind, understand that your first draft does not have to be perfect. It does not have to reflect your maximum potential as a writer. In fact, it can be downright terrible, but you have to start somewhere. Always try to write your very best, but if it comes down to writing or staring at a blank screen, just do it.
With that being said, happy writing. Stay safe, wash your hands, and avoid large groups of people. This sucks, but it’ll all be over soon. Writing is a great outlet, so I encourage you to check it out.
— Muhammad
Really good article!! 🙂
I’m so sorry you had such a formative life experience snatched away from you without any concrete form of closure. It must really suck. I’m glad you have made lifelong friends that you can lean on, though. On writers block: Never heard of recording yourself before, that’s a great tip!