The Panic Button!

First and foremost—don’t panic! Yes, it’s natural to feel anxiety over an assignment, but do what you need to get yourself in a calm and quiet place. Try to eliminate as many distractions as possible. (I used to do a lot of my work starting at 11 p.m., simply because there was nothing to watch on TV, no one to call, kids and pets were asleep, and I could work without distraction for a few hours.)

There. Feeling calm? OK, let’s begin.

(from the general rubric)

Can’t seem to get started? Take ten minutes and do this exercise.

· All writers—you, me, and Ernest Hemingway—have experienced writers’ block. You just can’t seem to get the words to form in your brain. It is normal and does not have to be a major barrier to doing the assignment.

· Waiting is not always a good idea for dealing with writer’s block; sometimes it goes away on its own, but often you need to take some kind of action to make it go away

· Find some kind of timer or alarm clock, and set it for ten minutes. Start writing. Anything. Even if you have to write words like “I don’t know what I am doing. I can’t think of anything. This is a silly exercise, but I’m going to do it anyway.” Just get your fingers moving on the keyboard. Do this for ten minutes straight. Do not stop for a sip of coffee. Do not run to the restroom. Do not look at the clock. Do not pause to think. Focus on the screen and type, type, type until the alarm sounds. As you type, start thinking about the assignment. Type out some choices you have, or some thoughts, or some opinions on the topic. Let it flow. When the alarm sounds, take a moment and review what you’ve written. You’ll probably be surprised that some useful content has spilled onto the page.

· Find something worthwhile on the page that makes sense to you, set the clock for another ten minutes, and repeat. Soon, ideas will indeed take shape and your writer’s block will go away. It works! Try it!

· Give yourself time; good work does not begin the night before it is due; ideally you have at least two weeks notice on an assignment—spend the first week picking up information and making research observations and notes; start drafting a hypothesis and simple outline; a week before the due date, fill out a sentence outline and prepare a first draft. Let it sit a day or so. Come back to the draft and edit. Perhaps share it with someone else (like the professor). Make final changes and turn it in.

I suggest using the Detailed Writing Rubric to build your paper step-by-step!