Hi Galina, I am fellow grad student in the humanities currently writing (or trying to write) her dissertation. I am writing in English - not not my first language. This plus self-doubt and the fear of having nothing interesting to write is blocking me. I have an incredibly hard time writing. I am reading a lot, taking notes, making connections, jotting down questions but I am unable to open my computer and start writing. I am not sure how to start or develop my chapter. Any suggestion on how to
[cont] Sorry-still the fellow grad student! Any suggestion on how to overcome the fear to write? I feel so discouraged! Thank you for your help!
Hi anon – firstly well-done for all your hard work, you’re doing great. All I can really offer is lots of encouragement, and to repeat some good advice I’ve received in the past:
Try warming up. Write 500 words or so of anything you like–it could be a diary, observations about breakfast, anything–then once you feel like words are flowing easily switch to your essay and don’t give yourself time for doubt, just begin. It’s kind of a way to trick oneself into writing.
Don’t start with a blank page. Write into a skeleton essay or a plan, bullet points or even start by writing “this will be an introductory paragraph, this will be a paragraph which defines my terms, this will be my conclusion”. Or put your questions down and try answering one or two. That way there’s never a horrible blank page to overcome.
Don’t edit when writing. Often when I’m writing I will get stuck on a word or the best way to phrase a particular concept – instead of stopping at these points, just leave them or write [edit here] and carry on. Write everything, then go back and re-write the most difficult and complex sections once the body of work is there.
Have fun. Write your favourite sections when you’re not sure what to work on, then work up to the difficult stuff. Sometimes when writing the ‘fun’ parts, the hard parts work themselves out.
Take breaks. For the same reason that when you come back to it, difficult sentences will be completed easily, mistakes will seem clearer, etc.
All my posts on essay-writing are here: FAQ
Hope this helps – good luck! You’ve got this. And look at this way: once you start writing, you’ll have something, and that’s a lot better than nothing. : - )
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