Work through chronic procrastination and writer’s block - Drafting your paper - Research and writing

A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations, Ninth edition - Kate L. Turabian 2018

Work through chronic procrastination and writer’s block
Drafting your paper
Research and writing

If you can’t seem to get started on a first draft or if you struggle to draft more than a few words, you may have writer’s block. Writer’s block is tremendously frustrating. Some cases of it arise from mental health issues related to school pressures, and for those you should consider seeking professional help. But most cases have causes you can address: you may be stuck because you have no goals or have goals that are too high; you may feel so intimidated by the size of the task that you don’t know where to begin; you may feel that you have to make every sentence or paragraph perfect before you move on to the next one; you may just allow yourself to be easily distracted. Here are some good practices that can help with all of these causes:

✵ ▪ Create a routine and set small, achievable goals.

✵ ▪ Use devices to keep yourself moving, such as a progress chart or a timer for writing sessions.

✵ ▪ Write routinely as you research, not just after.

✵ ▪ Lower the bar by telling yourself that you’re not writing a draft but only sketching out some ideas.

✵ ▪ Write without looking at the page or with your screen turned off.

✵ ▪ Disconnect your computer from your network, or turn off wifi.

✵ ▪ Find a writing partner or join a writing group.

✵ ▪ Visit your school’s learning center or writing center, which will be staffed with consultants who can help.

And remember that if you take perfection as your goal, you will never finish or, worse, never start. We all have to compromise to get the job done.

On the other hand, sometimes writer’s block is a sign that you need to let your ideas simmer in the back of your mind, where they might combine and recombine into something new and surprising. If you’re stuck but have time (another reason to start early), do something else for a few hours: go on a run, read a book, take a nap. If you have even more time, put your draft aside for a day or two. Then return to the task to see if you can get back on track.