5 tips for managing writing anxiety

academics expository writing High School writing

Some writing anxiety is inevitable and even useful. But if your anxiety is keeping you from producing your best work, try the strategies below to improve your writing process.

Write a "bad" first draft

Contrary to popular belief, revision is not a remedial task for weak writers. In fact, professional writers embrace revision. The writer Anne LaMott says that most good writing comes out of bad first drafts. Instead of pressuring yourself to create a polished paper on the first try, require yourself to explore, go off on tangents, and even make a mess. Draft your way to new, surprising ideas that would not have occurred to you if you had adhered rigidly and joylessly to a mechanical outline. Write without judgment in your early drafts, knowing that you can refine your work later.

Set small goals

Break writing projects into small steps that you can accomplish in a single writing session. For instance, aim to write a specific number of words, integrate quotations, or complete a particular section within a designated timeframe. Achieving these smaller goals not only makes the writing process more approachable but also gives you a sense of accomplishment and wellbeing around writing.

Write with a timer

Long, high-pressure writing sessions fuel anxiety. Instead, consider using shorter, focused writing sessions to increase your productivity. Start by setting a timer for 15-45 minutes of uninterrupted writing time. If you are experiencing so much writing anxiety that 15 minutes feels daunting, begin with just 5 minutes and gradually increase the duration. Encourage yourself to write quickly and messily, without judgment, for that time. During this designated writing time, remove all non-essential technology and distractions. When the timer goes off, take a mandatory 15-minute break. Even if you are in the zone, taking regular breaks helps maintain your stamina for future writing sessions. Just as running a marathon can leave you unable to move the next day, pushing your brain too hard can leave you intellectually listless.

Talk to ChatGPT

Yes, I am an English professor recommending ChatGPT. No, ChatGPT should not write your papers (it can’t yet write very good essays, anyhow). But ChatGPT can be a writing tool just as a calculator can be a math tool. Use it in as a sounding board for your ideas, as a brainstorming tool, as inspiration, or as a confidence booster to confirm that your ideas are on the right track. Of course, the analysis and final writing product must be your own.

Write the assignment as a parody

If you feel intimidated or bored by an assignment, write a draft of it as a parody. Playing with the genre you’re working in is a great way to learn its rules and structures. This tactic can also loosen you up to write creative, memorable work—often by accident. 

Writing your piece as a parody of itself can also help with boredom. Boredom and anxiety often live close together and can even be mistaken for one another. If you feel underwhelmed by the topic you’re required to write about, adopt the role of an actor. Write from the perspective of a character who is utterly, even comically, fascinated by the dry topic. You might even write a draft of the paper as a dramatic monologue. Ham it up, have fun, and revise later.

Comments

topicTopics
academics study skills medical school admissions MCAT SAT college admissions expository writing strategy English MD/PhD admissions writing LSAT physics GMAT GRE chemistry academic advice graduate admissions biology math interview prep law school admissions ACT language learning test anxiety personal statements premed career advice MBA admissions test prep AP exams homework help creative writing MD mathematics computer science study schedules Common Application history summer activities secondary applications research philosophy organic chemistry economics supplements admissions coaching 1L dental admissions grammar statistics & probability PSAT psychology law legal studies ESL reading comprehension CARS PhD admissions SSAT calculus covid-19 logic games engineering USMLE medical school mentorship Latin Spanish admissions advice biochemistry parents AMCAS case coaching verbal reasoning DAT English literature STEM dental school excel genetics political science skills French Linguistics MBA coursework Tutoring Approaches academic integrity astrophysics chinese classics freewriting gap year letters of recommendation mechanical engineering technical interviews units Anki DO Social Advocacy algebra amino acids art history artificial intelligence business careers cell biology cold emails data science diversity statement first generation student geometry graphing kinematics linear algebra mental health pre-dental presentations quantitative reasoning revising software engineering study abroad tech industry time management work and activities writer's block 2L AAMC DMD IB exams ISEE MD/PhD programs MMI Sentence Correction adjusting to college algorithms analysis essay argumentative writing athletics business skills executive function fellowships finance functions genomics infinite information sessions international students internships logic networking office hours outlining poetry proofs resume scholarships science social sciences trigonometry 3L ADHD Academic Interest ChatGPT EMT FlexMed Fourier Series Greek Health Professional Shortage Area Italian JD/MBA admissions Japanese Lagrange multipliers London MD vs PhD Montessori National Health Service Corps Pythagorean Theorem Python Shakespeare Step 2 TMDSAS Taylor Series Truss Analysis Zoom acids and bases active learning architecture art art and design schools art portfolios bacteriology bibliographies biomedicine boarding school brain teaser burnout campus visits cantonese capacitors capital markets central limit theorem centrifugal force chem/phys chemical engineering chess chromatography class participation climate change clinical experience community service competitions constitutional law consulting cover letters creative nonfiction curriculum dementia demonstrated interest dimensional analysis distance learning econometrics electric engineering electricity and magnetism embryology entropy escape velocity evolution extracurriculars fundraising harmonics health policy history of medicine history of science hybrid vehicles hydrophobic effect ideal gas law immunology induction infinite series institutional actions integrated reasoning intermolecular forces