Trips to Wawa and hanging out on the Terrace define my experience here at William and Mary, but so does the struggle to begin writing papers. Here a few strategies from my arsenal that make getting started on paper-writing just a little simpler.
When getting started, make a checklist.
And not a checklist that says “write paper.” That can only be checked off, well, in that distant time when the paper is finally done.
Instead, I have a checklist that is much more focused on each step of writing. My average paper-writing checklist looks something like this:
- brainstorming
- refine brainstorming by sequencing ideas
- flesh out thesis
- figure out topic sentences
- go outside and find a dog to pet**
- write intro and conclusion
- develop body paragraph structure
- plan structure of body paragraphs based on topic sentences
- ⅓ paragraphs done
- ⅔ paragraphs
- binge watch Parks and Rec**
- channel my inner Ann Perkins and do something nice for another person**
- all body paragraphs done
- adjust intro and conclusion accordingly
(**Optional-ish)
When I check off a box on the checklist, I am motivated to stay productive because I know that I have at least begun the writing process. This system might not work for everyone, but the age-old tip of breaking large tasks into small, bite-sized steps is pretty golden advice.
When brainstorming, don’t dismiss your own ideas.
One trap that I fall into when brainstorming is dismissing ideas as “too dumb” to be included in the paper. Simple ideas form the basis of more complex ideas; when dismissing ideas, you narrow the scope of ideas that have the potential to form the foundation of your paper. It’s one thing to remove ideas from your paper once you’re finished outlining – that likely means that the idea may not be relevant to your thesis. At the brainstorming stage, however, all ideas are game. Once all ideas are on paper in the form of questionably legible half-sentences in a notebook (my way of brainstorming, though that might not be the best format for everyone), you’ll discover trends in your ideas. These trends and patterns in your ideas will form the basis of your thesis.
It’s super important to begin the first stage of writing with self-validation in order to stay motivated. Don’t doubt the strength of your ideas when brainstorming!
When done with your writing, take time to appreciate what you’ve created.
Part of what makes writing so daunting is not taking the time to look back and appreciate what you have created. Seeing what you’ve written is a reminder that you seriously did transform some ideas in your head into a real paper. The real world calls for people to take concepts and turn them into something tangible through the writing process. It is an incredibly powerful gift to have the chance to take your ideas and systematically validate them. While writing papers can be challenging, they are part of what makes our liberal arts education so valuable.
I never write papers in Swem.
After joining the staff at the Writing Resources Center, I was surprised by the number of talented consultants who can both reach an accord with their consultees and strike a chord with their choirs. As a singer myself, I wondered if our center’s connection to singing ensembles was just an anomaly; however, the more I considered the two activities, the more I saw writing and performing as different ways of exploring the same creative process.