Overcoming Writer’s Block

 　　Because writers have a various ways of writing, a variety of reasons can cause writer's block. When you are blocked, consider these causes and try the strategies that sound most promising¹.

　　IF

　　You have attempted to begin a paper without doing any preliminary work such as brainstorming² or outlining...

　　THEN

　　work with a tutor

　　use invention strategies suggested by a tutor or teacher

　　refer to the Writing Lab handout³ "When You Start to Write"

　　IF

　　You have chosen or been assigned a topic which bores you....

　　THEN

　　choose a subject you are interested in (if the teacher will allow it)

　　talk to a tutor about how you can personalize a topic to make it more interesting

　　IF

　　You don't want to spend time writing or don't understand the assignment...

　　THEN

　　resign yourself to the fact that you have to write the paper

　　find out what is expected of you (consult a teacher, textbook, student, or tutor)

　　try some of the strategies listed above

　　IF

　　You are anxious about writing the paper...

　　THEN

　　refer to the OWL⁴ Handout Coping with Writing Anxiety

　　see a Writing Lab tutor

　　IF

　　You're self-conscious about the writing situation, you may have trouble getting started. So, if you're preoccupied⁵ with the idea that you have to write about a subject and feel you probably won't express your most original thoughts regarding the subject...

　　THEN

　　talk over the subject with a friend or tutor

　　use one of the specific strategies listed below

　　IF

　　You can't stand to write down an idea until it is perfectly⁶ worded or if you don't want to leave a poorly worded section on the page after you've written it...

　　THEN

　　ease up on your self-criticism

　　force yourself to write down something, however poorly worded that approximates your thought (you can revise this later) and go on with the next idea

　　use some of the specific strategies below

　　break the task up into steps. Meet the general purpose of the assignment.

　　IF

　　You are worrying about what your teacher or other reader will think of your paper or how harshly he or she will evaluate it...

　　THEN

　　think of the present draft as a practice run. Write the draft quickly, and revise it later.

　　use some of the specific strategies below

　　Specific Strategies

　　These specific strategies in overcoming writer's block will prove more helpful when you're drafting the paper. If you're having trouble coming up with a thesis or generating details, see a Writing Lab tutor or the handout "When You Start to Write."

　　Begin in the Middle

　　Start writing at whatever point you like. If you want to begin in the middle, fine. Leave the introduction or first section until later. The reader will never know that you wrote the paper "backwards⁷." Besides, some writers routinely save the introduction until later when they have a clearer idea of what the main idea and purpose will be.

　　Talk the Paper

　　"Talk" the paper to someone--your teacher, a friend, a roommate, a tutor in the Writing Lab. Just pick someone who's willing to give you fifteen to thirty minutes to talk about the topic and whose main aim is to help you start writing. Have the person take notes while you talk or tape your conversation. Talking will be helpful because you'll probably be more natural and spontaneous in speech than in writing. Your listener can ask questions and guide you as you speak, and you'll feel more as though you're telling someone about something than completing an assignment.

　　Tape the Paper

　　Talk into a tape recorder, imagining your audience sitting in chairs or standing⁸ in a group. Then, transcribe⁹ the tape-recorded material. You'll at least have some ideas down on paper to work with and move around.

　　Change the Audience

　　Pretend that you're writing to a child, to a close friend, to a parent, to a person who sharply disagrees with you, to someone who's new to the subject and needs to have you explain your paper's topic slowly and clearly. Changing the audience can clarify your purpose. (Who am I writing to when I explain how to change the oil in a car? That guy down the hall who's always asking everyone for help.) Changing the audience can also make you feel more comfortable and help you write more easily.

　　Play a Role

　　Pretend you are someone else writing the paper. For instance, assume you are the president of a strong feminist¹⁰ movement such as NOW and are asked to write about sexist advertising¹¹. Or, pretend you are the president of a major oil company asked to defend the high price of oil. Consider being someone in another time period, perhaps Abraham Lincoln, or someone with a different perspective from your own on things--someone living in Hiroshima at the time the bomb was dropped. Pulling yourself out of your usual perspective can help you think more about the subject than writing about the subject.

1 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

2 brainstorming   

献计献策,合力攻关

参考例句：

• With Brainstorming, treat the view on how to solve the problem rightly. 利用脑激励法(Brainstorming)，正确对待学生实验中的问题解决观。
• We are going to do some brainstorming soon. 我们很快就要做些脑力激荡。

3 handout   

n.散发的文字材料；救济品

参考例句：

• I read the handout carefully.我仔细看了这份分发的资料。
• His job was distributing handout at the street-corner.他的工作是在街头发传单。

4 owl   

n.猫头鹰，枭

参考例句：

• Her new glasses make her look like an owl.她的新眼镜让她看上去像只猫头鹰。
• I'm a night owl and seldom go to bed until after midnight.我睡得很晚，经常半夜后才睡觉。

5 preoccupied   

adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式)

参考例句：

• He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anything wrong. 他只顾想着心事，没注意到有什么不对。
• The question of going to the Mount Tai preoccupied his mind. 去游泰山的问题盘踞在他心头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

7 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

8 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

9 transcribe   

v.抄写，誉写；改编(乐曲)；复制，转录

参考例句：

• We need volunteers to transcribe this manuscript.我们需要自愿者来抄写这个文稿。
• I am able to take dictation in English and transcribe them rapidly into Chinese.我会英文记录，还能立即将其改写成中文。

10 feminist   

adj.主张男女平等的，女权主义的

参考例句：

• She followed the feminist movement.她支持女权运动。
• From then on,feminist studies on literature boomed.从那时起，男女平等受教育的现象开始迅速兴起。

11 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。