Removing the Fear of The Blank Page

There’s nothing more daunting than a blank page. When you have to write an essay or assignment and the words won’t appear. So how do you remove the fear of the blank page? How do you pluck thousands of words from the farthest corners of your brain when you have no motivation to do it? Simple. You just write words. We are often intimidated by the blank page, but we mustn't, read on for more tips on tricks on how to remove your fear of the blank page.

Release the pressure

First of all, you need to release the pressure on yourself. We all get stuck sometimes and beginning any task is always the hardest part. But you need to release the tension and stress of needing to complete something. If you are organized, you should give yourself plenty of time to complete the tasks or assignments given to you. Once you have your notes and a plan of what you are going to write, the only thing left to do is to write it. I know it’s daunting to think about the thousands of words you have to come up with, all perfectly linked together with a good introduction, thoughtful argument, and conclusion but the great thing about writing essays or papers are that you can draft and edit as many times as you need to before you need to submit it. So, my first piece of advice would be to give yourself plenty of time to do your assignment, this will alleviate some of the stress and pressure to get your task done.

Read, brainstorm, make notes, write

Before you even put pen to paper or words to a document, think of some other activities you could be doing to work towards your end goal. Do you have multiple sources to find to gather information? Reading books from the library, searching the internet for citations, or making notes to come up with an essay plan. These are all productive ways you can be preparing for your assignment if you are finding it difficult to get started.

Write any words to get started

The best way to get over your fear of the blank page is to fill it with words. It doesn’t have to be a sentence that makes sense or has anything to do with what you are writing about. You could just write “I am struggling to write this essay because I don’t know how to start.” Once you start to put words together, the rest will flow and if it doesn’t, take a break and return to it later.

Break it down into bite-size chunks

When we divide a larger task into smaller chunks, we don’t only remove the pressure of achieving the end goal, we give ourselves plenty of time to complete it. If you are writing an essay, just focus on the introduction. Once you have completed that, then begin the main body of the work, taking it one point or argument at a time. It might be a good idea to set a schedule and write down when you are going to complete each section of your assignment. You will complete it at a slower pace, but you will feel more in control of your productivity and know you have done your assignment to the best of your ability.