Getting It “Write” — Tips for Tackling Writer’s Block

Forgive me for stereotyping, but having taught English at an all-boys school for the past 20 years, I can say this with a degree of certainty: at times, it can be very difficult to get boys to write. I've seen it again and again, the glazed over look, eyes searching the computer screen for some kind of inspiration, followed by that defeated comment, "I just don't know what to write." 

The thing is, there is no magical trick for turning a reluctant writer into William Shakespeare. In today's world of social media and sound bites, it's understandable why some find writing to be a chore. Even writers often find the process daunting. Journalist Gene Fowler famously quipped, "Writing is easy. You only need to stare at a blank piece of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead." 

So though there is no secret formula to cure writing hesitation, there are three things to keep in mind: 

It may be that students equate writing with essays, which are boring for just about everyone involved, including the teacher who must read them. That's a shame because writing has so much more potential to be engaging and to tap into the inner spirit. 

Personal narratives, opinion pieces, short stories, poetry, reviews, letters, sports stories, screenplays, emails, even certain social media posts — all of these are forms of writing, just not in a five-paragraph essay format. 

To find your inner writer, try to find a topic that you're interested in and just roll with it for a while. One of my colleagues finds interesting visuals online and has students write off of them without restrictions on where the piece ends up--the results can be funny, serious, ridiculous, or strangely insightful. Those are the types of qualities we look for in good writing!

Ray Bradbury said that "Thinking is the enemy of creativity." This rule applies to writing as well. Yes, in school we English teachers take you through the writing process (you know, brainstorm, draft, revise, edit, blah blah blah), and if that helps some people in an academic setting, good. However, at some point, you just have to put your fingers on the keyboard and let those wonderful ideas at the forefront (or maybe even in the depths) of your brain onto the computer screen. Don't fret over grammar and mechanics at this stage; just let the inner thoughts out and the momentum should carry you. You can always fix grammatical things when you go to edit. 

This approach might help with the "I don't know what to write" problem because often what that statement actually means is, "I'm not sure if what I am thinking about writing will be good once I've written it." Well, you can't possibly know until it's on the page. If it's not good, you can just hit delete and try again. And, as is more likely the case, it will be good—it might even have the potential to be great (once it's edited!). 

For those who struggle with or simply do not enjoy writing, it may be because they are not confident with their ability. 

I understand that. Although I appreciate the wonders that math does for the world, I was never a good math student until I got to college. Previous to that, when I felt challenged by something in math, I would sort of shut down and hope to make it through with a B somehow. 

However, once I got an excellent math teacher my freshman year in college (a funny guy from Louisville with a great southern drawl), something clicked and I thought, "Well, maybe I could be just a little bit better at math." That belief, and a little bit of extra work, helped me elevate my performance in this subject area. Well, not by too much—I am an English teacher after all! But I was better than before, which was the point. 

The same thing can be true of writing. Just take little steps. Identify an area that you think you could work on. For example, maybe you could write better opening sentences. That's something specific and concrete on which to work; and it's not too much, so you won't feel overwhelmed. Once you have mastered one skill, identify another area to work on and keep practicing. The more you practice and improve, the more confidence you will gain.

And keep telling yourself the most important thing: It's not that "I'm not a great writer." It's that "I'm not a great writer YET!" You’ll get there!