Writing papers makes me anxious!

Dear Alice,

I have terrible anxiety about writing papers. Because of this, I put them off, need to ask for extensions, and then have more anxiety about completing the assignment. In addition, when I start writing, I find it difficult to keep going, especially because I hit what may seem to others as small roadblocks, like uncertainty about citation format. I don’t experience nearly as much stress about other types of work (e.g., studying for and taking exams). What can I do to get over or at least cope reasonably with this fear?

Health topics
Mental and Emotional Health
Stress and Anxiety
Answer

Dear Reader,

Just thinking about writing anxiety made this answer more difficult to compose. You see, writing anxiety and writer’s block are concerns for both students and professionals of all ages and academic levels. In fact, even the most seasoned writers experience anxiety or writer’s block now and then. Fortunately, writing is a complex process that, with practice and patience, may be improved. Read on for some strategies for overcoming the roadblock you’re experiencing.

Writing anxiety comes in multiple forms such as an inability to form an idea, a physical struggle to manifest words on the paper, or a fear of not meeting expectations that hinders your progress. The four main causes of writer’s block include psychological, motivational, cognitive, and behavioral reasons. Psychological causes often include mood or stressors that affect cognitive processing. Motivation-related blocks often arise from a fear of failure. Similarly, those categorized as cognitive causes stem from perfectionism and obsession with details, much like you described in your uncertainty when formatting citations. Lastly, the most common cause of writing anxiety is behavioral changes such as procrastination. Procrastination may lead to a domino effect in which more work doesn’t get done and the pile-up becomes overwhelming. Writer’s block is different for everyone not only in its cause but also in its manifestation and how long it lasts. For some, it may occur for a few minutes and for others it may take decades to overcome, but it’s good to know that it’s possible.

It’s worth noting that more and more research has been dedicated to understanding the psychology behind writer’s block in order to help conquer it. Multiple studies have concluded that writer’s block is most effectively combated by giving the brain a break. This period of time is called the incubation period and could include activities such as going on a walk, playing a word game, or getting a full night’s sleep. When done for an appropriate amount of time, these mental breaks could help writers to think more creatively and find inspiration. Fortunately, writing anxiety is typically a product of a writer’s habits, and habits are changeable! You’ve already made a great first step by identifying a few things that don’t work for you — procrastination and obtaining deadline extensions provide you little or no relief. Now, the next step is to try out or adopt some new habits. To help relieve the anxiety and fear you feel about writing papers, implementing any of the following strategies may be useful:

  • Stay on top of your reading assignments and do your best to attend classes — that way you won’t have to cram or teach yourself course material before writing your papers.
  • Prior to writing, brainstorm ideas. Create a chart or write down topics of interest to refer back to while writing.
  • Follow the guidelines your professor talked about in class or included in a syllabus or grading rubric. If you’re not sure about the guidelines, ask for clarification early.
  • Start writing even before you envision your entire argument. Getting words down on paper may help you come up with the rest of your writing assignment. Try free writing or diagramming to inspire ideas.
  • Compose different parts of your paper in whatever order feels easy. You’re not required to write in sequential order, as long as the final product is well-organized. Some find it helpful to start with the sections that come naturally and move toward the more challenging parts.
  • Avoid stopping and editing each sentence as you write. This will slow you down. Instead, consider writing your paper in several whole drafts, and take breaks between editing. Remind yourself that the first draft is low-pressure and exploratory.
  • Write your paper in several sittings rather than trying to crank it out in one marathon session. Attempting to write a paper in one sitting may overwhelm you, thereby distracting you from your task.
  • Avoid distractions by turning off your internet and cellphone or writing a draft by hand.
  • Get feedback from others. Many schools offer writing support services such as helping you develop and structure ideas, find research, connect thoughts, strengthen your understanding of grammar, and much more.
  • Seek out additional support. If you’re wondering if your writing block is related to a learning disability, you can check to see if your school as an office of disability services that provides support to students. 

You can also reach out to instructors or a tutor to help implement these strategies for combating writing anxiety. Remember that writing anxiety is common — and you’re certainly not alone. However, if you continue to experience these feelings and need additional support, you might find it helpful to reach out to a mental health professional.

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Health resources
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Informative links: other Q&As
Help! I struggle while classmates seem to breeze through coursework
How to find a therapist
How do I implement time management strategies and avoid procrastination?
Summary of informative links

Related Q&As:

  • Time Management
    • The reader is advised to consider what they value. By using a planner of some sort, the reader can lay these values out. If there are too many, they should re-evaluate how important something is to them. Additional tips are given. The reader should also limit possible distractions. Overall, time management is a working process that takes a while to get the hang of.
  • Procrastination
    • Procrastination is reassured to be common. While there are factors that may lead to its cause, there are ways to overcome it. A few time management strategies are listed. Likewise, the reader is advised to reflect on why they procrastinate. They are encouraged to speak to a therapist to receive more advice.
  • Help! I struggle while classmates seem to breeze through coursework
    • The reader is advised to reflect on themselves rather than comparing themselves to others. There is always the chance that their peers are lying and are too struggling. By using study groups, office hours, and other alternatives, the reader can get help. Likewise, the reader is advised to see their major in a new light. There are always counseling services available where one can talk through this.
  • How to find a therapist
    • The reader is given a few resources to look through. They are meant to guide the reader towards a therapist. A few questions the reader should ask a therapist’s office are suggested for when they are deciding. Likewise, a few reflection questions are asked. The most important detail is that the reader feels comfortable with their therapist!

 

Definitions:

  • Incubation period: When an individual, who is working on a creative/problem-solving process, diverts their attention from that task to work on something else. After this period, they gain a surge of creative inspiration/get the solution to the problem in their mind.   

 

Source 1: Give your ideas some legs

SUMMARY

This source dives into the benefits of walking on creative thinking. The application of this phenomenon can help writers who lack inspiration or are facing writer’s block. 

 

In the studies’ first experiment, individuals were asked to walk after being given an assignment. After walking, the assignment would be repeated. There was a 60% increase in creative output among participants. In the studies’ second experiment, participants were asked to walk then sit to work on a task. Compared to individuals who were only asked to sit, those who walked prior to sitting experienced an advantage in creative production. Thus, walking both before and after sitting to work on assignments shows increased creativity output. (These experiments used treadmills for walking)

 

The studies’ third experiment asked participants to walk in outdoor environments, which are far more accessible to the general public. Trends were similar to experiment one and two, showing an increase in creativity. Experiment four makes use of the outdoors, with the addition of someone either walking themselves or being pushed in a wheelchair. Walking had increased creative output in comparison to being pushed in a wheelchair. 

 

Although the specific mechanisms that allow walking to increase creativity are unclear, there are known benefits. For this reason, walking when struggling to find inspiration is advised.

 

Source 2: Creativity - the unconscious foundations of the incubation period

SUMMARY

This source explains the incubation period (defined above). Research over this phenomenon appears disputed, though there has been a majority of studies agreeing that this period has benefits. Given that individuals pursue activities during this period (eg. talking, word games, etc.) significant effects on creativity were found.

 

Of course, the time of this incubation period can vary. While one’s mind can wander for a few seconds, another can put off a problem for weeks. In one study, participants were asked to solve a set of problems. Compared to groups that were assigned no break, pursued another difficult task, and had the ability to rest, those who engaged in undemanding tasks during the incubation period saw an increased ability to solve these problems. More research is needed on the effects of putting off assignments for extended periods of time.

 

Another major incubation period is sleep. As discovered, sleep plays an important role in memory processing. In other words, this is an example of “delayed learning” (information isn’t retained immediately when one studies). Experiments have shown that if one is more sleep-deprived, they are less likely to solve problems compared to those who receive eight hours of sleep. While the idea of a dream’s association with creative output is intriguing, more research is needed in this area.

 

Regarding unconscious thoughts, it is not fully understood just how much unconscious thoughts contribute to creative output. To some scientists, a lot. To others, conscious thought is far more significant. Overall, the mechanisms that contribute to creativity are poorly understood. More research is needed to better understand them.

 

Source 3: Symptoms and cures for writer’s block

SUMMARY

This source dives into advice on how to overcome writer's block. Given that a student does not wish to reach out to an instructor or tutor, this advice is aimed at someone who wishes to work against writers’ block on their own (though the former is highly advised).

 

Providing multiple points, they are summarized as follows:

  • Trouble with starting place: Brainstorm any idea, write down topics of interest, create a web chart, point out the most basic gaps in the field one is writing about
  • Trouble with topic/outline: start in the middle; write the introduction later; once drafted, one can rearrange paragraphs in their correct order
  • Boring topic: engage with an instructor on how to personalize a topic
  • Low understanding of the topic: read instructions, jot down any questions, consult a friend or teacher
  • Worried about being wrong: remember you can edit your draft! If one finds difficulty with a paragraph, mark it down and move on. Work on areas one is more confident in first
  • Worries about unpolished work: remember working on a draft first is more important; try covering the laptop screen to not see previous sentences; engage with productive comments in your head (eg. I'm great at writing conclusions!)
  • Too stressed: take a short break to eat/hydrate; break the assignment into manageable parts; push yourself to ask for help
  • Easily distracted: draft by hand, disconnect internet, set a timer to free write and work off of that

 

Source 4: An Analysis of Writer’s block

SUMMARY

This source dives into the nature of writer’s block. As it appears, writer's block comes in multiple forms: inability to make an idea, inability to come up with the “correct” words to use, fear one won’t meet expectations, and so on (pg.10). Of course, writer's block is different for everyone, lasting a few minutes to even decades. 

 

Four causes of writer's block are presented (starts at pg.11): 

  • Psychological/affective causes: impair the cognitive process we use to write
    • Stress and one’s mood appear to highly influence this cause
    • Induce stress, anxiety, and fatigue
  • Motivational causes: one is unable to write out of fear of failure
    • Anxiety and  a loss of interest influence this cause
  • Cognitive causes: wanting perfect work, adhering too much to the rules of the assignment
    • Perfectionism, attitudes of writers, and over-detailed outlines contribute to this cause
    • Over detailed outlines, make writers assume that is how the piece should be written, leaving little space to break these boundaries
  • Behavioral causes: procrastinating too much, bad schedule
    • Procrastination is the biggest cause; leads to a domino effect of not getting stuff done and being overwhelmed

 

Following the research’s findings, solutions that served multiple functions helped participants overcome writer’s block. These occur as talking through one’s ideas with others, using someone to hold yourself accountable, and walking. (pg.51)


 

OVERALL CONCLUSIONS:

The previous response does a great job of tackling the writer’s anxiety. There are, however, a few additional details we can add to make our response more detailed.

 

The first paragraph accurately describes how common writer’s block/anxiety is. It should be kept.

 

Creating a new paragraph, we should dive into why someone may face writer’s block. Using source 4, we can explain the four found causes and what they mean. Using the source summary will help with this. It seems that the reader’s condition aligns most closely with motivational and cognitive causes. 

 

Adding a new paragraph, we should dive into what research has found over individuals who face writer’s block. Running through the source 1 summary, we can explain what we know about the benefits of walking on creative thinking. Using this strategy may help the reader find inspiration for their writing, thus easing their anxiety.

 

In a new paragraph, we can run through another research point: the incubation period. Using source 2, we can run through why it is important to take breaks from tasks sometimes. The incubation period appears to help individuals find inspiration whether when performing unrelated tasks or getting a full night’s rest.

 

Now, we can dive into tips that we can provide the reader. Looking at the current second paragraph of the previous response, it does a great job of doing this. 

 

Looking at the current list of advice, we should use source 3 to add any additional tips that the reader can use. Likewise, we should add the finding from source 4 that solutions that served multiple functions helped participants overcome writer’s block (examples provided in source summary).

 

To close this response, we should reassure the reader that their anxiety is common to all. There are always ways to seek help either through a friend, professor, or the writing center.

 

Notes on research:

Research on this topic was limited. Because writer’s block is common, responses usually came from blogs giving personal advice. If there were studies conducted, they were usually outdated compared to the time constraints we use. After researching once again, most was based on the anxiety foreign students face in college if English is not their first language. Unfortunately, this is not related to the reader’s question.

 

 

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