Guest post written by Alex Phuong
In 1998, the film Shakespeare in Love was a wild success. It won seven Academy Awards, including “Best Original Screenplay” and the coveted “Best Picture” honor. Part of the success of this film is its celebration of William Shakespeare. The original trailer mentions how Shakespeare (played by Joseph Fiennes) suffered from “a nasty case of writers block.” That depressing type of headache can make writing difficult for anyone struggling to make words on the page or word processor. Nevertheless, there are some interesting techniques that people can use in order to metaphorically “cure” that challenge. Please enjoy the following tips and tricks to combat writer’s block.
First of all, it would be best to just take a breath, sit down, and let ideas come into the mind. A former professor who administered an essay exam in a literature course suggested to the students to simply think about the prompt before beginning the essay exam. That is actually a wonderful idea since writing under a time limit can be very difficult. Reading a prompt might be intimidating, but writing an essay (or any other written work, creative, academic, or otherwise) might not be that scary after all. It really is just a matter of approaching the writing process.
Many students and creative writers might be afraid to write, but some wonderful college professors offered great advice about how to simply start writing. A common assignment in school is “the quick-write,” in which students simply hear a prompt or question, and then just jot down as many ideas as quickly as possible that still pertains to that particular topic. Writing with speed is actually essential since students oftentimes need to learn how to write under a time limit. Instead of being frozen with fear, it would be beneficial to remind oneself to simply write down whatever comes into the mind and then have those ideas form words on the page or computer screen.
Two of the most intimidating types of writing are essay exams and long papers (such as essays ranging from ten to fifteen pages). A wise teacher actually knew a basic truth about essay exams. Students might be able to study for multiple choice tests, but there really is no way in order to study for an essay test. Instead, all that happens in an essay exam is receiving a question, writing a response to that question with an introduction, some body paragraphs, and a conclusion, and then the exam is over. That’s it! Maybe reminding oneself that an essay test is not even a test can help students and writers have their ideas appear on the page instead of bottled up in the nervous mind.
When it comes to long essays, it would be best to simply break down the long assignment into manageable chunks. For example, instead of procrastinating and doing a ten page essay ten hours before the due date, simply write one page per day for ten days in a row. Of course, students need to manage their time when juggling numerous assignments and personal commitments, but 300 words (which equates to one page in a double-spaced Word document) is actually not that long considering the fact that full-length novels are often times two hundred pages long.
Writer’s block might make life difficult for students, but it can also hinder the development of creative writing. Just remember that poetry and fiction are all very subjective forms of writing, and that the opinions of others should not stop writers from pursuing their passions. A poem or story does not have to be perfect; it just has to be written. That fact resulted in every published piece of writing imaginable, including Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, contemporary fiction like The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, and even this article that people might (or might not) be reading right now.
Writer’s block really is simply a psychological phenomenon. Instead of being on the fence, jump off and let the pieces of writing exist. Write and create for the sake of creativity and productivity simply because the ultimate form of failure is the failure to try. Therefore, at least try, and then the written piece will come about. Finally, never fear criticism simply because those comments can help writers improve their skills. Rather than feeling offended by constructive criticism, accept them as helpful tips, and then the next piece of writing can be better next time.
Remember…writing does not have to be “perfect,” it just has to be written.
Alex Andy Phuong graduated from California State University, Los Angeles with his Bachelor of Arts in English in 2015. He currently writes online articles and film reviews. He is very passionate about art, literature, cinema, and anything related to creative expression. His main goal in life is to help others selflessly, and he fully supports those who dare to dream.
