<p>So I'm trying to get these college essays done, which means I'm more or less rolling around the floor and groaning about how I need to get these things over with but I can't. (Well, okay, not really, but I might as well be.)</p>
<p>What are your tips and tricks for dealing with writer's block? How do you get "unblocked"?</p>
<p>Ok so here’s what I did the other night, which I think turned out to be pretty helpful!
First I opened a word document and just started listing random facts about me. A unique talent, favorite food, favorite color, what i like to do etc… seeing if I could get inspired with a creative spin on something about me. Then I decided okay what do I need to make sure colleges know about me. I reviewed the list and concluded it is very important for them to hear more about a certain EC of mine. So then I started listing out just any moments I could recall from my EC, and eventually I thought of something I wanted to focus on. Not so far along on the essay, but hopefully this works… especially since I already spent hours on one that I don’t even want to use anymore lol. Good luck! :)</p>
<p>Good tips, cakebatter. flyingkitty, just start by putting pen to paper and free associating, don’t start by using essay format. Just see if you can describe things or write about things that are interesting to you. Often when you are writing, one thought can lead to another and something might jell and make the foundation for a good essay. You can’t do this just going in circles in your head. </p>
<p>If you are discouraged by the prompts you have, try a prompt from somewhere else, like the Chicago prompts. Something this can stimulate you and you can modify it for other essays. My daughter used a modified version of her Chicago essay for the Common Application. She wouldn’t have thought of telling her story from that angle except for the idea that the Chicago prompt put in her head.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice! :)</p>
<p>Though I should have clarified: I already know my topic (for this particular essay, at least; I’ll probably be using the tips here for the other essays I have to write). My problem is getting the words out. If I can start writing a new paragraph, I will often finish writing it within minutes. Unfortunately, I have trouble (read: hours of head-thumping) getting those new paragraphs started. </p>
<p>I think my brain is just leisurely leafing through possible paragraph transitions while being simultaneously picky and lazy. :P</p>
<p>Well, you write by writing, not by thinking about writing. You don’t have to think ahead about paragraph transitions. You can develop them while writing or add those later. Focus on the main concepts and making them strong and cohesive. One thing about the shortness of the allowed words, is that you don’t have to be so formal about transitions as long as you aren’t making the reader think they are missing something. Don’t be so picky about first drafts-- you just want to enhance the flow of ideas, not make roadblock of needing it to come out right or finished the first time. Being critical and judgmental is just a way of being lazy too try. That’s not writers block.</p>
<p>I got most of my break throughs in the shower and before i went to sleep</p>
<p>I find a list of college interview questions and write down what I think I would say. I don’t think about what I’m going to write before I write it. It helps me with interviews (or at least I hope it will…I haven’t done an interview yet) and also with my essays.</p>
<p>I also like to write in the car. I mean, when someone else is driving.</p>