All of us come across writer’s block at some point in our your life at university – both academics and students alike.  And sooner or later it will happen to you if you write regularly. Here’s some tips for dissolving your writer’s block and getting through.

Create an outline
Make sure before you sit down to write your essay  or assignment that you create an outline for what you wish to write. This well help build some structure into your and make sure you are on track in addressing whatever the assignment is asking you to answer. Highlight key points or concepts from the assignment question and make sure you build these into your outline.

Stop writing
If you keep staring at the same sentence over and over, keep looking out the window or just can’t seem to concentrate, stop , take a break and refocus. Trying to force the creative juices to flowb won’t make them flow any easier or quicker.  Give them space to flow in your brain and they will.

Rest
Resting, and relaxing can be a boon for a frustrated brain. Get back to writing when you’ve recharged your batteries and your block has been broken down.

Do something creative
Creativity begets creativity. So if you’re really struggling to get creative, go and do something creative. Take up knitting, draw something, play the guitar or just put some music on and dance around the room. The writing block will be gone in no time.

Avoid Procrastination
Procrastination as we’ve learnt before, is a time killer. And while it can provide scope for creativity to flow, when you procrastinate and leave the things to the last minute, it often means you might have to write under pressure. This can work well for some people, it is not the case for many. Avoid procrastination so you have time work properly through and not rush the process.

Don’t pressure yourself
Don’t place too much pressure on yourself to deliver perfection. By all means you should aim to do your best, but do realise that perfection is mostly about perception. Aim for your personal best rather than a universal best.

Manage expectations
Much of the time, writer’s block comes from not properly managing your own expectations. That is, expecting that you can write your assignment all in one hit. And, expecting that need to write the essay perfectly the first time. Neither of these are realistic expectations.  

Get help
If after all this , you still can’t seem top get yoru creative writing juices flowing, go back to your lecturer or supervisor. Show them what you’ve done so far, and ask for some guidance on direction. Or perhaps just clarify the question. They are a resource and their to help, so use them!

What else do you to get rid of writer’s block?