How to Study

What If You Get Stuck?
Got writer’s block already? Here are a few tricks to get you unstuck:
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Pretend you’re writing to a good friend. Just tell him or her
everything you’ve learned about your subject and why you
believe your thesis is correct. 
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Use everyday language. Too many people get so hung up on
using fancy words and phrases that they forget that their goal
is to communicate. Simpler is better. 
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Just do it. Type something…anything. Once you have written
that first paragraph—even if it’s a really bad first paragraph—
your brain will start to generate spontaneous ideas. 
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Don’t edit yourself! As you write your rough draft, don’t 
keep beating yourself up with negative thoughts, such as 
“This sounds really stupid” or “I’m a terrible writer. Why 
can’t I express that better?” Remember: Your goal is a rough
draft—it’s supposed to stink a bit. 
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Keep moving. If you get hung up in a particular section, don’t
sit there stewing over it for hours— or even for many minutes.
Just write a quick note about what you plan to cover in that
section, then go on to the next section. Force yourself to
make it all the way through your paper, with as few stops 
as possible.
Chapter 7 
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How to Write Terrific Papers
157

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Freewriting and Brainstorming
Focused freewriting and brainstorming are two methods used by 
professional writers when the waters of creativity are dammed 
up somewhere in their brains. While similar, there are a couple of
important differences between the two methods of getting started.
In both cases, set a brief time limit (perhaps 10 or 15 minutes), sum-
marize your main topic in a phrase or sentence to get your thoughts
moving, and do not edit or even review what you have written until
the time is up.
Brainstorming is writing down everything you can think of that relates
to the topic. It does not require that you work in any sequence or that
your notes be logical or even reasonable. Asking yourself questions
about the topic, no matter how strange, may help you generate new
ideas.
In focused freewriting, the emphasis is on writing…anything…with-
out worrying about whether what you put down is even vaguely
related to your topic. The key is just to start writing—a diary entry,
the biography of your dog, your thoughts about current rock videos—
and not to stop until the time is up.
Brainstorming is useful when you are ready to write but just can’t 
get a handle on exactly where to begin. Freewriting is useful when
you can’t get your brain to work at all. Both methods will help you
start writing, which is all you are trying to do.