With midterm exams and research papers coming up, writer’s block is a big issue for students

It’s only a few hours before that writing assignment is due, but every sentence making it onto the screen sounds too much like a third-grade book report. Anything longer than three sentences makes no sense at all. The flow of creativity has dried up and the brain is burned out. Frustration mounts. No amount of coffee can help.

Blame yourself. Blame the professor. Blame the computer program that fails to write the assignment for you. Blame the cat.

In reality it isn’t anyone’s fault.

It’s writer’s block.

“If you’ve ever sat there and watched the cursor blink at you, you know what it’s like. It’s taunting you,” said Dr. Brenda Tuberville, assistant professor of literature and languages.

She also is director of the University Writing Center, located in Room 202 of the Business Building. The program assists all University students with writing assignments.

The center assisted 1,900 students with writing assignments last year, she said, many of whom were struggling to overcome writer’s block.

Michael Wiley, a graduate mechanical engineering student, has experienced the effects of writer’s block.

“There have been times when I was chugging along and a wheel has fallen off. I found it best to walk away from whatever I am doing, regardless of my interest in the subject matter, and eventually resume the task,” he said.

“Writer’s block defies definition and it’s different for everybody,” Tuberville said. “It happens at different times for different people. Some get through their first draft but can’t expand it, some get it later in revision, others can’t get started at all.”

The same person could experience it at different stages on different assignments, as well, she said, which makes it difficult to teach students how to handle it.

Don’t procrastinate

“Writing is a time intensive process. Waiting until the last minute only makes it worse,” Tuberville said.

She recommends students begin an assignment the moment they receive it, because putting it off until the last minute adds anxiety. It also allows students to work on the project over time.

“Don’t try to eat the elephant in one bite. Break it into smaller chunks,” she said.

Mike Lantz, vice president of the East Texas Writer’s Guild, recommends keeping a notebook handy at all times.

“I write down ideas as they come, because believe me, they come and go. Sometimes I’ll be writing in my notebook at a traffic light and someone will honk at me, letting me know the light has turned green,” he said.

Focus on completion, not perfection

“It will never be perfect, just as good as it can be on the day it is due,” Tuberville said. “Students think every comma has to be in place but if they focus on it, it will shut everything down.”

She recommends students focus their attentions on the subject matter rather than on possible mistakes.

“Don’t fixate on bad experiences you’ve had with writing. Then you’re not thinking of the subject, but on how you are going to mess it up,” she said.

Students may have also been told in the past that they can’t write or they are not a writer, which always has a negative impact, she said.

In November, Lantz plans to participate in a nation-wide challenge, writing a 50,000 word novel in 30 days.

“Sometimes I get stuck, and then I begin to get the feeling I can’t move on. When that happens, I write a note to myself about what I’m thinking, then begin a new scene,” he said.

Lantz said the idea is to write sections separately and then pull the entire piece together during the revision process.

Tuberville also recommends this process to students who are writing assignments. “Once that first word or sentence is down, you can build from there,” she said.

The easy way isn’t always best

“Writers block can also lead students to make dangerous choices like plagiarism. They get the assignment and put it off because they can’t get going, and then choose plagiarism because it seems easier,” Tuberville said.

Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary proceedings, according to the Undergraduate Catalog.

“The ramifications of plagiarism are very, very serious. Students forget that,” she said.

Get help

Tuberville recommends a student first communicate with the professor who gave the writing assignment.

“Most teachers want to know beforehand if there is a problem. Talk to them. There may be something you don’t understand in the assignment that is creating writer’s block,” she said.

Another help is to talk about the subject with a peer.

“Bouncing ideas off friends and getting another’s opinion can help a great deal. Also, being a part of a writing group, such as the East Texas Writers Guild, is a great way to network with other writers,” Lantz said.

The Writing Center is another option available to students.

Tutors at the center assist stumped students in everything from reviewing the assignment to helping with the paper’s format.

The tutors will not, however, edit or proofread the paper, or write a paper for a student, according to guidelines posted on the Writing Center’s Web site.

“The tutors get them talking about the anxiety, they ask them questions,” Tuberville said. “Inevitably, the more you talk it out, it releases that anxiety and things come together.”

By Melissa Greene Associate Editor