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Table of Contents

• 1. Don't Confuse Motivation with Passion

2. Outline First

3. create small, attainable goals, 4. make it a daily practice.

• 5. Don't Be Perfect—Vomit on the Page

6. Focus on the Reader

7. practice self-care, 8. announce the book, 9. recognize and face your fear, 9 ways to boost your writing motivation (that actually work).

No one wakes up every single day with the motivation to write —not even Authors with major bestsellers under their belt (like me).

There will be days when you simply don’t feel like staring at a blank page.

As someone who’s been there, here’s my writing advice : push through and do it anyway.

Even on the days when you don’t feel like it. Otherwise, it’s easy to fall into a pattern of procrastination.

One day of “not feeling like writing” can easily turn into 2, then 10…until eventually, you give up entirely.

I’ve seen so many Authors give up the first, second, or even third time they tried to write a book—mostly because they lost their motivation and gave in to procrastination or fear.

If you want to publish a book , you have to dig deep and find the motivation to write every single day. Even if it’s terrible. Even if you hate it.

The only way to become a better writer—and to finish your book—is to push through those hard moments.

Here are 9 proven ways to motivate yourself to write—even when you don’t want to.

9 Proven Ways to Motivate Yourself to Write

1. don’t confuse motivation with passion.

Forget everything you’ve ever learned about writing “out of passion.” If you wait to feel passionate about what you’re writing, you’ll never finish writing your book.

You can’t rely on passion. It comes and goes too easily. You’re not going to feel passionate every single day.

The same goes for writing inspiration. There’s rarely a bolt of lightning that makes the words flow.

Writing is hard. That’s why a lot of aspiring Authors give up before they’ve finished their first draft.

Motivation doesn’t always mean loving what you’re doing. Sometimes it means digging your heels in and just doing it.

For example, I don’t always love going to the gym, but I do it anyway. And in the end, I’m glad I did (after I’m done).

Don’t confuse passion for motivation.

It’s okay to write when you don’t “feel motivated” if what you really mean is, “I’m not stoked about doing this right now.”

You don’t have to be stoked about it. You just have to start writing.

If you feel passionate, that’s great. But don’t expect more of yourself than necessary.

If you’re writing, you’re motivated. Period. You’re doing it.

At its core, writing is just communicating ideas. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that.

Of course, you want the ideas you capture to be relevant to your book. That’s why you should always outline first—so you can capture all your ideas about a specific section before you move on to the next one.

Then, when you do sit down to write, you’ll already have all the relevant ideas gathered. That makes things a lot easier.

An outline is also your greatest defense against fear and writers’ block . It’s a lot harder to get stuck when you’ve got a roadmap guiding the way.

Scribe’s suggested outline is different from the one you might have learned in school. It’s not a bullet point list of every step of the argument.

We’ve found that traditional outlines aren’t flexible enough for most Authors. Plus, sometimes, you can’t get to that level of detail until you’re actually in the middle of writing.

What makes our outline different is that it’s designed specifically to help you write your book.

In fact, our writing process has helped thousands of Authors write successful nonfiction books. It works.

All it takes is 3 simple steps:

• Brainstorm your chapters
• Make a table of contents
• Fill in the outline structure with your chapter’s hook, thesis, supporting content, stories and examples, key takeaways, and a callback to the hook.

If you want a template or more details, you can find them here .

Once you see your book in outline form, writing it will seem easier.

Conceptually, you’re not writing a whole book anymore. You’re looking at a clear collection of ideas and stories, most of which are already in your head.

You’ll be more motivated to write once you’ve broken your book into manageable pieces. It’s easier to climb a mountain when you take it one step at a time.

The reason an outline is so powerful is that it helps you see your book in terms of smaller, more attainable goals. You should do the same with all of your writing goals.

Many people start out thinking, “I have to write as much as possible.” Or, they set a high word count goal, like 1,000 words per day. And when they don’t reach those goals, they get disappointed. They feel like a failure.

That’s the worst way to motivate yourself to write.

With large goals, it’s easy to get intimidated (that’s usually when writer’s block sets in). But attainable goals make it easier to get over that hump.

Remember, motivation has nothing to do with passion. If you’re writing at all , you’re already motivated.

You don’t have to go overboard and shoot for the moon just to show you’re passionate about your book. When people do that, it’s usually because they’re trying to prove something to themselves.

You won’t prove anything by setting unattainable goals.

Rewire your brain and think small. Set goals that will set you up for success.

I recommend writing 250 words per day. That word count is low enough to be easily achievable. It leaves you with no excuses.

You could write 250 words on your phone between meetings. You could even dictate 250 words to your phone while you’re in the shower.

If you do end up writing more than 250 words, that’s great. Keep going as long as you want.

But if it’s one of those days where writing feels like a slog, you can still meet that word count and avoid being disappointed with yourself.

It’s more important to be consistent with writing than to have epic writing sessions.

When I was writing full-time, I blocked off 4 hours a day to write—but I rarely used that whole time to actually write. I read or did other things related to writing.

It’s hard to write for hours on end. And like most things in life, you’ll get diminishing returns.

Aim for 250 words every day, and stick with it. And remember, if you’re doing it, you’re motivated.

Notice that I said you need to write 250 words every single day . That’s because you’ll be much more motivated to write when it becomes a daily practice.

In addition to the 250 words per day, I recommend that you come up with a writing routine to help keep you on track.

Pick a designated writing time and stick to it every day. Are you better at writing in the morning, or do you like to write right before bed? Maybe it’s easier to squeeze 250 words in over your lunch break.

There’s no right or wrong answer. Just pick a time whenever you do your best writing and stick with it.

The same goes for your writing place. Maybe you write well in a quiet office. Or, maybe it’s easier for you to focus in a coffee shop.

We worked with one Author who wrote in his Tesla while it was charging in his garage. He put the same playlist on every day, turned up the volume, and spent the next 45 minutes writing.

The reason you need a writing routine is the same reason you teach your kids to brush their teeth every morning.

They may grumble or whine, but once they get into the habit, they do it anyway—no matter how much they don’t want to.

It works the same way when you’re writing a book. Writing habits keep you motivated to write and do it again the next day.

A writing routine gives you the fuel to keep going, even when you think your tank is running low. When writing becomes an automatic part of your day, it’s a lot harder to procrastinate.

5. Don’t Be Perfect—Vomit on the Page

Don’t intimidate yourself by trying to be a perfect writer.

First of all, there’s no such thing.

Second, if you do that, you’ll never finish your book because you’ll never live up to your own expectations.

I’m dead serious. I’ve seen countless Authors get stuck writing the first draft of their book. They’ll get off to a good start—but then they’ll re-read what they’ve written, delete it, and start over.

They do that 50 times and eventually give up (spoiler: they never finish their book).

Don’t fall into the same trap of unrealistic expectations . Just aim to get words on a page.

In fact, don’t even think of your writing as “writing a book.” You’re not writing a book. You’re just collecting your thoughts.

That’s why I call my first drafts “ vomit drafts .” I spew words and thoughts onto a page. I don’t stop to edit, re-read, or think about how the writing flows.

Like vomit, it’s not pretty. But after you’ve written all your ideas out, you’ll feel so much better.

Plus, it’s a lot easier to motivate yourself to write when you free yourself from the need to be perfect.

When you write a vomit draft, you don’t give yourself time to stare at a blank page. There’s no room for intimidation.

You just start writing and let whatever’s inside your brain come out. It’s not going to be perfect. In fact, it will probably be terrible.

But that’s okay. Most first drafts are terrible. Even books that go on to become bestsellers started as terrible first drafts.

Embrace it. Realize that bad writing is a natural part of the writing process.

A first draft is exactly what the name implies—a first step.

Your book will go through multiple drafts before anyone even sees it.

Of course, you’ll eventually have to wade through the vomit. You’ll have to trim, add, and edit . And you’ll probably have to move things around and rethink the structure of your chapters . That’s normal.

For now, stop worrying about how good or bad your writing is and start capturing your ideas. You can make them sound great later.

Don’t edit as you go. Just write. Vomit on the page.

It’s a lot easier to fix writing when you actually have writing to fix.

Many people find it easier to motivate themselves during the “vomit” phase. Once you get into the groove of spewing 250 words per day, it can be refreshing.

The part that’s harder is when you have to go back through all that writing to turn it into a coherent, well-written book.

Here’s my advice when you reach that phase: hold on to your motivation by keeping your focus on the reader.

You’re writing a nonfiction book for a reason. What made you want to do this in the first place?

At some level, it’s because you want to help your readers solve their problems.

If you’re writing a memoir , it’s because you want to share your story with people who can benefit from hearing it.

If you’re writing a knowledge-share nonfiction book , you’re trying to prove to your readers that you’re the person that can meet their needs.

Whatever kind of book you’re writing, your reader is at the heart of your motivation.

If you feel stuck or don’t feel like writing, remember that. Think about the people you’re going to help and how their lives will change because of your book.

When readers pick up a nonfiction book, they aren’t looking for perfection or a sublime writing style . They’re looking to learn information that’s going to make their lives better.

Here are 4 essential writing principles to help you deliver information in a way readers will appreciate:

• Keep your writing short. Readers tune out when you wander.
• Keep your writing simple. Readers want content they can easily understand, even if the ideas are complex.
• Keep your writing direct. Get to the point, and make each sentence a single, direct statement.
• Keep it about the reader. Ask yourself this question about everything you write: “Why does the reader care?”

Imagine having a conversation with a client or a close friend. What would you tell them, and how would you deliver the information?

Don’t make writing harder than it has to be. To stay motivated, imagine speaking directly to your reader and making an impact on their lives.

If you’re still unmotivated after all that, you might want to reconsider your intentions. If it’s that hard to motivate yourself, maybe writing a book isn’t something you really want to do.

This may seem odd to include in an article on motivational writing tips, but if you want to motivate yourself, you have to take care of yourself.

If you’re super stressed out or exhausted, you’re not going to function well. And you’re definitely not going to feel motivated to write.

I won’t lie. Writing can be a slog. And completing a book will take an emotional, mental, and sometimes physical toll on you. If you don’t take care of yourself, it’s easy to lose steam.

There are many ways you can take care of yourself. For example, you can:

• Get plenty of sleep
• Take nature walks
• Talk to a therapist
• Visit an energy healer or masseuse
• Try acupuncture
• Go for regular float sessions
• Sit in a sauna
• Take a bath with Epsom salts

Basically, take time to do things that will make your body and mind feel better. You want to develop good writing habits, not become a writing machine.

To do that, you need to check in with yourself from time to time to make sure you’re at the top of your game.

Being refreshed will make you a better writer. Self-care will revitalize you so you can come back the next day, ready to meet your writing goals.

While some people thrive on routines and self-care, others are more motivated by external accountability.

If you’re one of those people, I recommend announcing that you’re working on a book.

Tell people on social media. Write a guest post for your favorite blogger. Email your friends and family.

Whatever method works best for you, use it to announce your intention to the world.

And if you’re serious about writing, I recommend announcing your book on the platform that makes you the least comfortable.

Yes, that may seem like a lot of pressure. But it’s important to identify any points of resistance you have and push through them.

You’ll get a lot of positive feedback, which will help you become more motivated. And when your motivation wavers, you’ll be reminded that there are people eagerly awaiting your book.

I believe that every person has a book in them. But one of the major things that holds people back from writing those books is fear .

They’re afraid that their book won’t be good enough, original enough, or meaningful enough. They’re afraid of looking stupid or making people angry.

Those kinds of fears are normal, but you shouldn’t let them get in the way.

You have a story that’s worth telling. The only way to truly motivate yourself to tell it is to conquer your fear.

If you allow those fears to stick around, they only lead to procrastination , frustration, and surrender.

If you want to overcome your fear, I recommend facing them head-on. Write down all your fears about the writing process, self-publishing, or fears about how people will react once they read the book.

Evaluate each fear and recognize what those fears mean. Fear has a point and a purpose. It’s an indicator of risk.

Every Author who writes a book worth reading is taking a risk. If you’re scared, congratulations. It means you have something worth saying.

Fear isn’t the problem. The problem is when you let fears take over.

Keep in mind what your book is going to do for you and what it’s going to do for your readers.

Then, make a plan for facing your fears. For example, if you’re afraid you’ll never finish writing your book, use that fear as motivation. Create a writing routine and resolve to stick with it through the whole writing process.

The Scribe Crew

Read this next.

How to Choose the Best Book Ghostwriting Package for Your Book

How to Choose the Best Ghostwriting Company for Your Nonfiction Book

How to Choose a Financial Book Ghostwriter

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March 13, 2019, by Alina

Tips on writing an essay that you’re completely stuck on

Regardless of whether you’re a fresher who is stumped on an essay relating to a topic that you’ve never even though about, let alone know much about, or whether you’re a final year student that currently has mush for a brain due to processing endless information for your other modules, we can all get stuck on an essay but there are things that you can do to overcome that barrier! I’ve put together a few tips which should help you change the way you see your essay, and hopefully will aid you in graduating with that wonderful 2:1 that we all think about!

Try to enjoy it!

Don’t sigh at your screen at this one, it can actually help! I recently overcame a week-long slump relating to writing up my dissertation, and at the end of the week I was completely disheartened! However, I remembered that I had chosen my topic  for a reason.  That reason being that I enjoyed it and found it interesting! Try to find elements of the topic that interest you and engage your brain into thinking ‘how can I actually have fun with this?’. You’re much likely to be a little more proactive with the essay and it can help you come up with different ideas that you would never have originally thought of.

What does everyone else think of the topic?

Ask everyone! Ask your friends, family members, people on your course, your lecturers – anyone! Try to find out what other people have to say on your topic and start looking at where you stand amongst their opinions. Remember to use NUsearch (www.nusearch.nottingham.ac.uk) to find reliable sources for your essay, and start browsing at what academic literature exists surrounding your topic. It can be interesting to what many authors agree or disagree on, and you can then use these arguments to form your own argument. It also shows extensive reading which is likely to be outside of your original reading list which can help you grab those extra marks!

Little by little…

If you have a day where you have completely ran out of ideas and have no idea on how to approach the question, then come back to it the next day! During my crisis last week, I ended one day with tears after a sadly unproductive day at the library, but, the next day I somehow came up with a different approach and was able to be focused on completing another section of my dissertation! You cannot force your brain to come up with a new idea, however, with some rest and some time to reflect on it you’re more likely to have a better chance at achieving it the next day. This is also a reason to start working on your essay earlier, rather than later, as it gives you that extra time to reflect and come back to it if needs be!

Good luck with your essays – remember that all the stress of it will be over after the deadline date! 🙂

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9 Ways to Force Yourself to Write When You Don’t Want To

Amateur  writers think that if they don’t want to write, they shouldn’t; you can’t force inspiration, right?

I like people like that. While they’re busy struggling, I’m busy soaring.

Of course, I’m just kidding. I want to help writers like that. That’s why I’m writing this post!

No, you can’t force inspiration. But you can channel and encourage inspiration , and drop the belief that you  need to feel inspired every time you write .

Professional writers don’t wait for inspiration to compel them to the keyboard. They discipline themselves to write even when they don’t have those creative blasts of writing utopia.

For the first two months of this year, I actually dreaded writing.

I’ll talk more about that in another post about the importance of parental support in your writing, but during that time, I did learn some valuable tips about disciplining myself to write anyway.

Following are the tips I put into practice to help me crank out words even when I was hating it, and thus came out a better, stronger writer.

1. Are You Taking Your Writing Seriously?

If writing is just a fun hobby for you, don’t worry about writing when you don’t feel like it! You can throw discipline and motivation out the window.

During my writing-for-fun stage, I started hundreds of stories, but only finished five first drafts. ? And boy, was it ever fun.

But what if writing is your calling in life? I know it’s mine. God said it is.

When the going gets tough, do you keep going? How seriously do you take your writing? Are you committed to it enough that you’ll sit down and write even through the hard days?

2. Create a Consistent Writing Schedule

To avoid schedule conflicts, you need to create a consistent writing schedule.

Even if it’s only 15 minutes a day, be consistent with it. This will:

• instill an everyday writing habit in you
• train your brain to say “okay, it’s writing time now!”
• make you feel less guilty about taking time to write

This will blow a lot of your problems out of the water. The only reason I struggled so much about forcing myself to write during the first two months of 2018 was because I didn’t have a writing schedule.

Talk to your parents about a realistic writing schedule that works for both of you. Be sure to pray about it, too; my parents would  never let me stay up during the night to write if God hadn’t assured them that it was best!

3. Snippet War

And even after I had my dream writing schedule, sometimes it was hard to make those words come.

That’s where writing buddies come in! Since Josie and I were both writing our WIPs at the time, we conducted snippet wars.

What’s a snippet war?

A snippet war is when you and a writing buddy (or buddies) comment snippets from your stories back and forth. This is extremely motivating.

She comments the newest line of her WIP; you are quickly forced to write one to respond with. And while you’ve been writing that one, she’s been writing another snippet to respond back with!

Here’s an example of a snippet in action (at the time of this screenshot, I was writing a short story, not my WIP):

(Ignore the “Xander: Then it’s not fun.” We were roleplaying at the same time. XD)

It’s super fun to force yourself to write with a buddy like this, and to comment on each other’s snippets.

However, some writers aren’t comfortable with people seeing their brand-new work without editing it first. In that case…

4. Word Sprint

Word spriiints !

Those timed, adrenaline-laced and competition-fueled moments where you do nothing but barf on the page for as fast as you can in hopes of grinding your fellow sprinters’ word counts in the dirt. MWAHAHAHA!

Ahem. I wrote all about word sprints here .

Even though I don’t word sprint anymore for quality’s sake, there were a few times where I just had to stop worrying about how things sounded and get the stinking scene on the page.

I did sacrifice a little quality, but it actually wasn’t as bad as I thought.

When you’re really stuck, get competitive, get going, and get fast with word sprints!

5. Word Crawl

And if sprinting’s not your thing? Taken from TobyMac’s awesome “‘Til the Day I Die (feat. NF)”…

Blood, sweat, tears, it’s a calling. And if I can’t walk, then I’m crawling…

Can’t sprint? Don’t stop. Crawl!

The NaNoWriMo forum has these cool things called word crawls. You go about your day and, according to the circumstances, write a certain amount of words.

Here’s a quick example based off one I saw last year.

• You wake up. For each pillow on your bed, write 10 words.
• You get dressed. If you take a shower, write 100 words.
• You eat breakfast. For each item (toast, egg, milk, etc.), write 20 words.
• If you did school, write 100 words for each subject.

I tried this last year, actually, and while it didn’t work for me too well, I know a lot of people love them.

There are a ton of different word crawls out there. Here’s an extremely cool Cinderella choose-your-own adventure word crawl (for each choice you make in the story, you have to write a certain amount of words). Bonus points if you can find my comment on there.

Check all of them out here ! (You have to log into your NaNoWriMo account to view it.)

(I don’t go on the NaNo forum often, so when I logged in, I had 26 private messages. ? To everyone who added me to their buddy list, sorry for the delay! I added you back.)

6. Turn the Faucet On

The following is a Camp Care Package I wrote for my cabin last April:

I hate trying to build my consistency.

It’s hard. It requires a lot of effort and discipline.

But as any successful author will tell you, consistency is the key to their success.

During Camp, we’re building our consistency by aiming to finish our goals in 30 days. That requires us to be consistent (or procrastinating and then cramming the final week, which isn’t any fun!).

But when our goals seem daunting and other parts of life call for our attention, how do we tackle our goals day by day?

My biggest tip: “Turn the faucet on” by just committing to a bite-sized fraction of your goal.

Take a minute to stop and think about the next teeny-tiny chunk you can take out of your project.

Commit to just a few words, 1/8 of a page, or a couple minutes of your goal. Make it a small commitment. It won’t be that much.

Then sit down, read what you’ve previously written or turn on some inspiring music, and get ready to do that small thing you committed to do.

It’s small, right? It’s easy.

But oh… you’re already immersed in your story world now. You’re already sitting down at your desk. And you just wrote a sentence or a section of a page or put in a couple minutes. Might as well do a few more.

The ball is rolling now! The faucet is turned on. Now that you’ve gotten started, it’s harder to stop. So you keep going.

Before you know it, you’ll be knocking out today’s goal.

It can be daunting to sit down and work when you’ve got so much else going on and so much to write. I know the feeling. I hate it.

But if you commit to a bite-sized fraction of your goal, you’ll be more motivated to get started on it. It won’t take that long, and once you’ve gotten started… it’s all downhill from there!

So don’t sweat it! Get started with something tiny and watch yourself put out more work than you thought.

7. List Reasons & Debunk Excuses

I haven’t been able to get enough sleep for the past few months (even when not doing nightly writing) and my body is fighting an autoimmune disorder. So the last thing I wanted to do this afternoon was write this post and the first thing I wanted to do was lie down on the couch and take a never-ending nap.

Instead, I listed all the reasons I needed to finish this post, and—the funnest part, in my opinion—debunked all the excuses with epic quotes and strategies!

Reasons I Need to Write This Post:

• If I don’t, I won’t have anything to post on Wednesday.
• If you’re not consistent, you’re nonexistent.
• If I don’t, I won’t be able to check it off my to-do list.
• I’m too epic and committed to be lazy.
• Training myself to finish things will make finishing the next project easier.

Excuses Debunked:

• My back hurts. I want to lie down. // I’m trained to work with the pressure of pain. >:D
• I’m tired. // Another round of green tea. It’s all mental; start thinking and declaring you have energy. Your brain’ll believe you eventually.
• I don’t wannaaa // But I wanna make my post more awesome than my rival’s. I don’t play this game to lose; I like to win! Success in every breath as I proceed. >:)

(Ideally, you want to be less arrogant, but if it’s how you motivate yourself… go for it! ? Just keep the arrogance hush-hush. ?)

Can you believe I almost always forget this tip?

I am here to help you. – God, Isaiah 41:13

God is very much interested in your writing.

Whether it’s a hobby or a calling, as long as you’re not writing when you’re supposed to be doing something for your parents or writing something full of trash, He wants to help you succeed!

God jumps at the chance to help someone honoring Him with their gifts and talents. Don’t hesitate to ask Him for help! That’s what He’s here for.

(Uninitiated? Get full access to this tip and a lot of other things like eternal salvation by clicking here .)

9. Just Do It

I just adore Nike’s slogan. (And then Under Armour’s comeback “I will.”).

Grit your teeth, gather up your resolve and determination, and grind those words out (or outline/edit/read; whatever your writing session may include today).

Serious writing isn’t for the lazy. Get out there and rip procrastination to shreds!

Am I helpful? Hover over me to pin!

Click on the image to enlarge it so you can read it better.

I Challenge You

Have you written yet today? No? Take a few minutes, pick one of these tips, and write. Just write. Then tell me how it went in the comments below. If a sleep-deprived, sickness-battling-but-winning teenager can do it, so can you!

Expert challenge: Can you beat me? This post has 1,772 words, all written today. ?

About the Author: Madison Grace

Related posts, 54 comments.

Madi. You just saved my life. I wasn’t feeling like writing so I stalled by checking my email. Then I saw your post, and now I’m going to go write. THANK YOU!

YAYYY EMMIE! I hope you have an awesome time writing!

Eek, I have written in like a week. Ugh. Well I’ll TRY to write on the way to the grocery store. XD

You can do it! Sometimes I have to write in the car, too.

XD XD I actually did, I only got like one paragraph written though. My dad was trying to talk to me. XD

Trying to write and have a conversation is all new amounts of difficult. XD

Great post! At this point in my life, I’m not writing seriously (though I hope to someday), so I don’t force myself through dry spells of inspiration. But, I wanted to comment anyway cause I thought this post was great and can help other people out a lot! 🙂

Thanks, Olivia! For sure; writing for just fun should be 100% fun. (And I didn’t mean to imply that you’re amateur/don’t have discipline; I meant writers who want to be serious but don’t want to do the work ?) Thanks for commenting!

Yes! And oh no, I didn’t mean to imply that you implied that, haha. 😉

Oh, phew! ?

I’m not keeping track of my writing from today, but I did a bunch of writing on paper. ? I want to work on The Storm Inside though, so we’ll see about that.

Writing on paper is very freeing! Good luck on TSI; it’ll be great.

AWESOME, GIRL!!! I started writing a crossover fanfic today, lemme check how many words… 299?!? NOOO. But I also wrote some of my Fanfiction series, but I actually wrote it on paper and I don’t want to have to count the words myself. ???? As for my novel, I’m still outlining. (BTW, I UNDERSTAND SCENES A LOT BETTER NOW AND WAS ABLE TO LECTURE MY LITTLE BROTHER ON IT! ???? HE DIDN’T REALLY CARE BUT OH WELL IT WAS GREAT!!! THANKS AGIAN, MADI!!)

Thanks so much, Hope! OOH YAY! 299 words is 299x better than 0 words. ? And oh my goodness, YAAAY! Isn’t scene structure so fascinating? You are so welcome!

Gosh Madi, you’re so optimistic! I’M SO JEALOUS.

I challenge myself to be optimistic in every case! It’s serious fun.

This was a great post! I loved it and it really helped me because often I don’t feel like writing, even though I really should. Also, I love the song “Till the Day I Die” It is so wonderful and really speaks the truth.

Thanks, Carlye! Same here. It’s always a discipline to write when I don’t feel like it. Me too! It’s such an epic song.

Great post, Madi! I like all the tips! ??

Thanks so much, Caleb!

“But what if writing is your calling in life? I know it’s mine. God said it is.”

I’d really like to believe God called me to write too! I’m almost sure I was given this gift for a reason, since nobody in my classes could ever write as well as me…lol.

I didn’t pin your photo (sorries ?) but I did save it to my laptop, and when I get home from my vacation, I’ll print it and hang it on my desk. I’ve been watching way more YouTube then writing and I’m ashamed of it ?

Thanks again Madi!

I’ll totally bet you are! You’ve published books before, right?

WHY U NOT PIN MY PHOTO. Just kidding ?? Awww, that means so much! I hope it’s a helpful reminder! Oh my goodness, yeah, distractions are everywhere. I text more than write. ?

Also, I’m pretty sure I can beat you! During Camp NaNo, at least. ?

Ooh, competition! Bring it on! ?

So rude. I’m being sent to bed and you challenge me to beat you in writing. ? *sigh* it’ll have to wait until tomorrow…. (I had to give myself the ‘you’re too epic to give up now’ pep talk this afternoon when I started having a breakdown doing algebra today…it kinda worked??? I finished it without crying TOO much) Most crazily, ~Olive

HEHE IT’S TOMORROW. ARE YOU GOING TO BEAT ME.

Pep talks are so helpful! Awww, I hope you’re feeling better now. Math doesn’t make me feel so good, either.

This was such a great post, Madi!!!! Thank you!! <3 Also I'm praying for you, being sick is no fun 🙁

Aww, thank you so much, Liz! I’m so glad you liked it And thank you so much for praying. ❤️

Also, I got your email! I can’t reply to it today, but I’ll reply ASAP.

I needed to read this. Thank you!!

Thank you so much for reading, Laura!

You’re welcome!

awesome post madi!! I’ll definitely have to try some of these tactics sometime. 😉

Thanks so much, Carol! If you ever try them, let me know how it goes.

This is SUPER helpful!

Yay, I’m so glad!

This is exactly the predicament I’ve been in. I haven’t felt like writing, so I haven’t. Thank you so much for reminding me that I should, even on the days when my mind is uninspired. And I LOVE that TobyMac song!! *has a fan-girl moment* XD

Aww, yay! I hope you get tons of writing done! Thank you so much, Kendra. (Me too! His stuff is awesome. XD)

OM me too Kendra!

[…] blog. At all. In fact Madi just made a post about this, that you should totally go check out here. It’s meant for writing novel’s, but honestly I think it applies to blogging a little […]

Thank you for this! This is a problem with me often, but at the current stage of my life, I simply have no time. I am hoping Camp NaNo will help me swing back in, if only for a month. 🙂

It’s always tough to try to write when life takes up all your time! But yes, Camp NaNo is super great for getting back into it.

HELPFULNESS IS THY NAME, MADI.

WAIT… I THOUGHT MADI WAS MY NAME. ?

OH, YEAH, THAT TOO.

Wow, this is a great post! Definitely helpful. 🙂

Thanks so much, Anastasia!

This is so inspiring, Madi!

Thanks for reading, Victoria!

Your welcome!

Thanks for the tips, Madison!

You bet, Abigail! Sorry for my late reply.

1772 words? I wrote 2134. Draft 1 of my second book is almost over! (It’s around 92,000 words right now.) 🙂

CONGRATULATIONS, you beat me! And good luck with finishing your first draft of your second book — that’s amazing!

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• EXPLORE Random Article

How to Write an Essay Without Procrastinating

Last Updated: January 31, 2023 References

This article was co-authored by Megan Morgan, PhD . Megan Morgan is a Graduate Program Academic Advisor in the School of Public & International Affairs at the University of Georgia. She earned her PhD in English from the University of Georgia in 2015. There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 27,302 times.

Procrastinating is a common problem for professional writers and students alike. The causes of writing procrastination include fear of failure, lack of interest in the topic, embarrassment, and a desire to simply be doing anything else. By organizing your time and breaking your workload down into more manageable chunks, you can avoid staring at a blank screen for hours and progress through your essay more steadily. It's perfectly normal to procrastinate a bit, so try to set aside enough time and don't too put much pressure on yourself.

Drawing up a Work Plan

• If you start from scratch with a blank page and want to write the whole essay in one sitting, you could find it a very imposing task. This could put you off and lead to procrastination.
• The blocks you could use include: research, essay plan, introduction, first draft, part one of essay, part two of essay, conclusion, referencing, and proofreading.
• Knowing you are only doing one thing at a time can make it easier to maintain motivation. [2] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source

• Remember that you are writing an essay, not a book, so you need to limit the amount of research you do and ensure that you don't let it take up all your time. Ending up down a research rabbit hole will not help you finish your essay on time.
• If you have made endless pages of notes on your research, you won't necessarily be able to use it all in your essay anyway.
• Try to keep your research tightly focused to the topic of your essay and avoid the temptations to broaden it out too far.

• When you are writing, you might give yourself a set number of pages or words to write each day. Two pages or 1000 words can be a good and reachable daily target.
• Be sure to cross off items as you complete them. This can be a satisfying moment. You will see your list of tasks diminishing as you progress, which will help you to maintain motivation and focus. [3] X Research source

Organizing Your Time

• Try to be realistic about the amount of time each task is likely to take you. There's nothing worse than being too optimistic about how quickly you can work and finding yourself behind schedule right from the start. [5] X Research source
• Writing is very personal and different people will have different approaches, so think about whether you are someone who writes freely but needs more time to proofread. Perhaps you write more slowly, but your writing is very accurate. [6] X Research source

• This schedule will also reveal how much time you really have to do the essay, which is likely to be less than you think.
• Once you have a clearer picture of how your time is occupied, you will be able to plan your work schedule more effectively.
• You might think you have two weeks to do the essay, but once you have factored in all your commitments you could discover the number of free hours you have shrinks dramatically. [7] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source

• Reward yourself as you progress through your work. Anything from a cup of tea to a break watching an episode of something on TV can be a good reward to work towards. [8] X Research source
• Taking scheduled breaks can help you study more effectively and be more focused. [9] X Research source The Pomodoro Technique encourages you to set a timer for a certain period of time, such as 35 or 50 minutes, and then take a break when the timer rings.
• Although it's important to have scheduled breaks, you need to be mindful not to let a 10 minute break extend into a 30 minute break, or a half hour break stretch into an hour.
• If you notice that a break has run on, don't give yourself a hard time, but do make up for it by rescheduling the lost time. You may need to take time away from other fun things to make up for the extra break.

• Learning how long tasks actually take you is an important part of improving your study skills and your essay writing.
• Learn from the experience so you set aside enough time to write the best essay you can every time. [10] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source

Writing Your Essay

• Plan your essay with a clear basic structure of: Introduction, Discussion, Conclusion.
• One way to plan an essay is to break the question down into sub-questions, but be sure you keep returning to the main question and answer it fully. For example, if your essay topic asks you to "Discuss the impact of nature vs. nurture on human development," sub-questions could include "What is the impact of nature?" and "What is the impact of nurture?" You could even break it down further by asking questions of those, such as "What are sources of nature and nurture?"
• Planning makes it easier for you to have a clear trajectory and coherent argument in your essay.

• A first draft can give you the opportunity to get your basic ideas down on paper and get some momentum going with writing.
• Analyzing a draft will also help you see where there are gaps and weaknesses in your knowledge and argument.
• When you look through the draft, ask yourself if you are really addressing the essay question. If you aren't sure, ask a friend or fellow student to see if s/he thinks you're on track.
• If you finish the draft before the due date, you can also ask your teacher or professor to look over your essay. You could also make use of facilities such as tutoring or a writing center consultation.

• For example, if you say your introduction will be half a page long, stick to it.
• Keeping the word count in mind will also help you see the progress you are making in the essay.
• Monitoring the word count as you write and revise your essay will give you the best chance of producing a well-balanced and structured essay which doesn't end before you have fully made your argument.
• If you're having trouble meeting your word goals, try something silly such as Written Kitten, a website that rewards you with funny cat pictures for every set number of words you write. [12] X Research source If you respond more to fear as a motivator, you can try Write or Die, which will sound alarms or start deleting your writing if you don't meet your set goal in a certain timeframe.<re> http://writeordie.com/ </ref>

• If you have gone over the word or page limit, proofreading enables you to see which parts you can cut out to get you back under the limit.
• When you are proofreading, think about the precision and concision of your language, too. Things like the passive voice make your writing less clear. (In passive voice, that sentence would be "Your writing is made less clear by the passive voice," which you can see is wordier and not as clear.) [13] X Research source
• Be sure to check you have written and referenced it according to the appropriate style guidelines.
• The more practice you get proofreading your essay critically, the better you will be able to analyze your writing in the future. [14] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source

• You can even install browser applications that will block specific websites like Facebook, but still allow you to use the internet for research.
• Make sure everyone in your house knows you are studying and not to disturb you unnecessarily.
• Only listen to music if it doesn't distract you. For some people instrumental music can help them focus, but this doesn't work for everyone.

• You might consider starting or joining a writing group with friends where you sit and write quietly in the same room.
• Being in a room full of people writing can be a good motivational tool, especially if you are going to discuss your essays together at the end.

Expert Q&A

Things You'll Need

• Research materials
• A quiet space
• Clear goals

You Might Also Like

• ↑ http://www.law.georgetown.edu/academics/academic-programs/legal-writing-scholarship/writing-center/upload/kaavya-just-do-it-tips-for-avoiding-procrastination.pdf
• ↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/procrastination/
• ↑ http://simpson.edu/hawley/study-skills/
• ↑ http://www.topuniversities.com/blog/how-stop-procrastinating
• ↑ http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/02/09/taking-breaks-found-to-improve-attention/23329.html
• ↑ http://writtenkitten.net/
• ↑ http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/proofing_grammar.shtml

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How to Write About Yourself in a College Essay | Examples

Published on September 21, 2021 by Kirsten Courault . Revised on May 31, 2023.

An insightful college admissions essay requires deep self-reflection, authenticity, and a balance between confidence and vulnerability. Your essay shouldn’t just be a resume of your experiences; colleges are looking for a story that demonstrates your most important values and qualities.

To write about your achievements and qualities without sounding arrogant, use specific stories to illustrate them. You can also write about challenges you’ve faced or mistakes you’ve made to show vulnerability and personal growth.

Table of contents

Start with self-reflection, how to write about challenges and mistakes, how to write about your achievements and qualities, how to write about a cliché experience, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about college application essays.

Before you start writing, spend some time reflecting to identify your values and qualities. You should do a comprehensive brainstorming session, but here are a few questions to get you started:

• What are three words your friends or family would use to describe you, and why would they choose them?
• Whom do you admire most and why?
• What are the top five things you are thankful for?
• What has inspired your hobbies or future goals?
• What are you most proud of? Ashamed of?

As you self-reflect, consider how your values and goals reflect your prospective university’s program and culture, and brainstorm stories that demonstrate the fit between the two.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Writing about difficult experiences can be an effective way to show authenticity and create an emotional connection to the reader, but choose carefully which details to share, and aim to demonstrate how the experience helped you learn and grow.

Be vulnerable

It’s not necessary to have a tragic story or a huge confession. But you should openly share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences to evoke an emotional response from the reader. Even a cliché or mundane topic can be made interesting with honest reflection. This honesty is a preface to self-reflection and insight in the essay’s conclusion.

Don’t overshare

With difficult topics, you shouldn’t focus too much on negative aspects. Instead, use your challenging circumstances as a brief introduction to how you responded positively.

Share what you have learned

It’s okay to include your failure or mistakes in your essay if you include a lesson learned. After telling a descriptive, honest story, you should explain what you learned and how you applied it to your life.

While it’s good to sell your strengths, you also don’t want to come across as arrogant. Instead of just stating your extracurricular activities, achievements, or personal qualities, aim to discreetly incorporate them into your story.

Brag indirectly

Mention your extracurricular activities or awards in passing, not outright, to avoid sounding like you’re bragging from a resume.

Use stories to prove your qualities

Even if you don’t have any impressive academic achievements or extracurriculars, you can still demonstrate your academic or personal character. But you should use personal examples to provide proof. In other words, show evidence of your character instead of just telling.

Many high school students write about common topics such as sports, volunteer work, or their family. Your essay topic doesn’t have to be groundbreaking, but do try to include unexpected personal details and your authentic voice to make your essay stand out .

To find an original angle, try these techniques:

• Focus on a specific moment, and describe the scene using your five senses.
• Mention objects that have special significance to you.
• Instead of following a common story arc, include a surprising twist or insight.

Your unique voice can shed new perspective on a common human experience while also revealing your personality. When read out loud, the essay should sound like you are talking.

If you want to know more about academic writing , effective communication , or parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Academic writing

• Writing process
• Transition words
• Passive voice
• Paraphrasing

 Communication

• How to end an email
• Ms, mrs, miss
• How to start an email
• I hope this email finds you well
• Hope you are doing well

 Parts of speech

• Personal pronouns
• Conjunctions

First, spend time reflecting on your core values and character . You can start with these questions:

However, you should do a comprehensive brainstorming session to fully understand your values. Also consider how your values and goals match your prospective university’s program and culture. Then, brainstorm stories that illustrate the fit between the two.

When writing about yourself , including difficult experiences or failures can be a great way to show vulnerability and authenticity, but be careful not to overshare, and focus on showing how you matured from the experience.

Through specific stories, you can weave your achievements and qualities into your essay so that it doesn’t seem like you’re bragging from a resume.

Include specific, personal details and use your authentic voice to shed a new perspective on a common human experience.

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Courault, K. (2023, May 31). How to Write About Yourself in a College Essay | Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved March 25, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/college-essay/write-about-yourself/

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I Can’t Write Essays: Tips to Overcome Struggle Writing Essays

overcome Struggle Writing Essays

Picture this; you want to write an essay, and you switch your computer and hold your pen and paper. But wait a minute, you freeze in your tracks, you don’t know how and where to begin. Does this sound like you? If so, say, ‘I can’t write my essay’, then you are struggling writing essays, and you need to solve the situation fast.

Don’t worry yourself; it’s a struggle that many students face trying to write an essay. At Grade Bees, we have practical solutions for students with the problems of writing essays. Apart from offering you essay writing help , we have this guide to help you do it yourself.

Here are a number of tips and guides on how to overcome the common difficulties and struggles that students have when writing essays. You will learn how to write essays like a pro and sometimes force yourself into it.

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Problems Why you Can’t Write your Essay

If you are struggling to write an essay, chances are you are not having a problem with all aspects of essay writing but just a few of them. You cannot have issues with all the areas.

Most probably, you are struggling with either the structuring or the idea parts of the academic writing process. Below are some of the areas that students struggle with.

Fear of Failing the Essay

Success and failure are twins; missing that mark in your essay should not depress you and cause psychological tension. All you have to do is to relax, concentrate, put pen to paper, and focus on your writing.

Poor Punctuation of the Essay

Stuffing your essay with unnecessary commas, full stops in a sentence, and other grammatical errors, makes your article look unorganized.

Many students compromise the content and quality of their essays by making this mistake.

Being Unaware of your Targeted Audience

When writing your essay, focus on your target audience. Missing to understand your audience will give you more problems than you can imagine. You will not be able to achieve the quality you intend while writing your essay.

Unorganized Essay structure

Essay writing follows a specific structure, ranging from sentence structure, introduction, body of the essay, and the conclusion. Do you want your audience to read and understand your essay? Then follow the laid down structure when writing. You can check our guide on how to write good paragraphs and learn how to organize points for short essays.

Problems students have with writing their essays

Knowing the problems students face when writing an essay, why is it so hard to write an essay? 

1. Many Students Fail to Read Widely

Reading opens your mind, and a lot of information is gathered on a variety of topics when it comes to essay writing. It is no surprise that Stephen King was quoted saying that,

“You have to read widely, constantly refining your own work as you do so. It’s hard for me to believe that people who read very little should presume to write and expect people to like what they have written, but I know it’s true.” Stephen King

It’s the only way one can be able to sharpen the writing skills intended.

2. Lack of Focus

As much as you have read widely and want to show your professionalism when it comes to writing, you cannot write everything that comes into your mind. Focusing on the essay assigned is your ultimate goal.

3. Lack of Concentration when writing the essay

Many students are struggling to write essays because they handle several issues while writing. Being busy on the phone, listening to music, attending to a friend, and other distractions make writing difficult.

But here’s something exciting. Did you know you can force yourself to write an essay? Allow me to share these tips with you.

Also Read : Is Academic Ghostwriting Illegal? The Truth from the Myths

How to Write an Essay Like a Pro

Well, I’ll walk you through the whole process. Remember, each essay has its purpose, but they have a standard structure.

1. Decide on your Essay Topic

What do you intend to write? How well do you understand your topic? Can you write without getting stuck? Therefore, choose an item that you can quickly and comfortably handle.

2. Write Down your Thesis

Communicate to your readers what you intend to put forward, your points, and what you plan to argue about in your essay.

3. Outline your Essay

Always ensure you have an outline of your ideas. Put everything on paper, even if it means having diagrams to help you write efficiently, then do so. An overview of your work will help you remember everything when you get down to writing.

4. Have your Essay Structure

As mentioned earlier, essays have a standard structure, but it is crucial to put your structure down to make it easier to follow while writing. Usually, the structure of your essay should entail the following:

• An introduction, which makes your readers more encouraged and interested in reading your essay.
• The body of an essay; the shape of your piece should have main points and sub-points. This helps your readers follow a specific flow while reading your essay.
• Essay conclusion; always keep your readers glued to your essay by summing up all the points in your end. Give your essay a perfect closure.

What to do when Struggling to Write an Essay

Having known all the above information, and you still find yourself struggling? Here is what you should do:

• Always read and read a lot. You won’t improve unless you are reading what others have written. Don’t forget; the best writers are good readers.
• Share your work with other writers who have gone through the same. They will be able to correct your work and also offer encouragement.
• Practice a lot. You have heard people say practice makes perfect, and yes, this is the ideal time to apply that. Write as many essays as you can.

How to force yourself to write an essay

• Keep a tight timetable and schedule your writing time and ensure you stick to it. 
• Have a place set aside for writing. Establish your workstation or even an office where you can concentrate on your essay.
• Shut out the world from your working environment. If it means not having your phone around your place of work or even not having the internet, then so be it.
• Limit your movement during writing. In most cases, when you fear you are struggling writing essays, make sure that you remain seated and write.

Also Read : Are Essay Titles italicized: How to Italicize Words in essays

How do you Begin Writing an Essay?

Beginning an essay shouldn’t be a daunting task; you can always start by:

• Having a perfect introduction that captures readers’ attention. It builds the reader’s trust in your work, which translates into quality.
• That first paragraph that welcomes your reader is all you have to give a sneak preview of your essay.
• Draft a strong thesis statement. Communicate openly about what you are putting forward in your essay. Your thesis statement is your selling point and should convince your readers of what you are writing. 
• Never undermine the power of those catchy strong opening statements and sentences. These statements build the reader’s confidence in your work and you. Use these sentences as a hook that holds your readers to your work.
• Know about your topic of choice. How do you prove that you know about the topic? Support your work by quoting the points of reference and supporting your ideas.

Tips if you don’t know how to Write an Essay

• Decide on your essay topic. It’s a huddle that many faces when writing the essay, making an informed judgment on the item you are comfortable with, propels you quickly when you start writing.
• Have a proper understanding of your topic. Do proper research and try to know everything on the item you want to write on.
• Proper knowledge will enable you to have authority and enjoy your work.

Parts of an Essay and their Meaning

• Have an outline of your essay. As mentioned earlier, an essay follows a specific structure. Therefore, putting down the framework basing on the fabric will make your work easier. Put the following structure in mind:
• Have an introduction paragraph. Invite your readers with a persuasive introduction that will automatically keep them glued to your work.
• Have the body of your essay. Your essay body should have information on the topic, research about the problem, and also give statistics, if any.
• Have a conclusion on your subject. Like the introduction, the end provides a summary of your essay and must be given a perfect touch as the introduction.
• Write a thesis statement. Tell your readers why you are writing your essay. Stating your topic and proving your argument is what you include in your thesis. For instance, when writing an essay on animal testing thesis , you will need to take a stand on the ethics of animal testing.
• Get down to work and start writing. Remember to follow the outline structure that you have drafted.

Also Read : The 5 Best Essay Writing Services as per Reddit reviews

Where to get help Writing an Essay

But again, if you are struggling to write essays, then look for help. Some sites are resourceful when it comes to essay writing. Here at Grade Bees, we have proven essay writing services that will help you earn that grade if you cannot write your essays for one reason or another. Take advantage of the resources in such sites.

Order an Excellent Essay today!

Let us help you get that A in your next assignment. Place your order today, and you will enjoy the benefits.

With over 10 years in academia and academic assistance, Alicia Smart is the epitome of excellence in the writing industry. She is our managing editor and is in charge of the writing operations at Grade Bees.

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Really Struggling to Write an Essay? Tips To Get You Started

Essay writing can sometimes become a complicated task, especially when you lack enough confidence in your writing skills. Some students consider this activity so hard that studies indicate that about 16 percent of them cannot write credible essays independently. This percentage is willing to pay online writers to write for them essays for any given topic.

Whether you are a student or a professional, remember that experiencing writer’s block during essay writing is expected, and you should not panic.

Therefore, this article discusses why you are really struggling to write an essay and the strategies you could adopt to become a better essay writer.

Why is it so hard for Me to Write Essays?

As earlier mentioned, writing a complete, legible, and credible essay is not an easy task. Even the best writers can attest that composing a good essay is not a walk in the park.

However, some people write essays without much more struggle than others. Below is a list of reasons why you find it hard to complete an essay.

• You Are Rushing Through the process

Essay writing is a process that requires you to brainstorm and research the topic, develop a thesis and an outline for the essay, write the essay, proofread, and edit.

Remember, each of these steps requires adequate attention and time. Therefore, when you rush through or bypass any of these steps, you can be assured that the writing process will be more difficult.

• Unhealthy Perfectionism

The fact that you are a perfectionist is a good reason why you are struggling to write essays. As a perfectionist, you will often find yourself trying to replace words and phrases in your paper to make it perfect, which can be very exhaustive.

In the end, you will find yourself overwhelmed and annoyed by the writing process, which can deter you from composing the essay at all.

• You Don’t Focus on the Essay Question Properly

Deliberating and researching your essay’s topic is one of the most vital steps to effective essay writing. If you are a student, you focus primarily on pleasing your teacher and getting a good grade and forget about the primary objective of your essay question altogether.

If you are the type, you will often find yourself lost along the essay writing process, which makes essay writing more time-consuming and generally more challenging.

Also check: Are essay mills legal? 

• Lack of Writing Confidence

Most of us lack the confidence to communicate verbally, but some of us lack confidence in writing. Lack of confidence to communicate through an essay might be why you find it hard to write an essay.

For example, you feel like you cannot spell some words, make many grammatical errors, or feel like your points do not ‘hold much water’. If you are a person who considers your writing techniques inferior, then composing a full-blown essay will be hard for you.

• You Do Not Practice Writing Consistently

You cannot excel in something that you don’t practice often. Remember, practice makes perfect. If you have an inconsistent writing schedule and you are out of practice, then writing a complete and sound essay will be a challenging task for you.

When you stay for long without writing, your research skills and typing skills will depreciate so that whenever you try writing an essay next time, the process will be harder for you.

What Do You Do When You Are Struggling to Write an Essay?

First, it is vital to remember that whether you are an experienced or an amateur writer, it is okay to experience writer’s block.

The important thing is what you decide to do next after getting stuck. Below are techniques you could apply when struggling to write an essay and get back on track.

• Start Composing the Essay Soon Enough

If you struggle to write an essay, make sure you start composing it as early as possible. For example, if you are supposed to submit an essay in a week, do not wait until its two days to the deadline.

This gives you ample time to research your topic, compose coherent arguments, and proofread and edit your essay appropriately before you submit it.

• Moderate Your Perfectionism

As earlier said, you are struggling to write the essay because you are trying to be too perfect. As a perfectionist writer, you will often find yourself championing excessive caution, which will limit your essay writing capability significantly.

In such a case, try to be flexible and avoid overthinking. Instead, work on the ideas before stressing on precision.

• Don’t Panic and Begin Writing

In the beginning, you will have disjointed thoughts that might make you panic before you start writing the essay. However, the secret to overcoming this struggle is to begin writing.

When you begin, thoughts and supporting sentences start forming. Even when the arguments are inadequate at first, you can always go back and rectify them.

• Brainstorm and Freewrite on the Topic

If you are experiencing writer’s block, one of the best ways to go about that is brainstorming and freewriting on the topic.

Think and write about anything on the subject without considering whether it is grammatically relevant or not. Through this, you may find inspiration or the right topic to write about.

• Change Your Environment

Maybe it’s your environment that is making you experience writer’s block. If you feel your surroundings is uncomfortable and limiting your ability to write your essay creatively, move to a new location.

Go to a peaceful environment, for example, outdoors where there is fresh air and sunshine.

How Do I Force Myself to Write an Essay?

The urge to procrastinate, writer’s block, or fatigue can always hinder writing a good essay. However, how do you force and motivate yourself to write the essay even if you don’t feel like it? The pointers below indicate crucial tips to help you with that.

Also check: What to do when you have an essay due tomorrow 

• Find a quiet environment

Look for a writing spot free from distractions, an environment that motivates you to be creative and helps you keep focused on the essay.

For example, try writing when you are outdoors where you get a feeling of nature and reduced distractions such as your phone or the TV.

• Set yourself writing goals

Set a writing goal and stick to it. Your goal could be how many words you should write or the amount of time you should spend on your writing daily.

A set goal stays in your subconscious and evokes a regenerated passion for meeting the goal. Therefore, you could refer to the goal and get on with the writing whenever you feel demotivated.

• Reward Yourself

Remember, rewards boost motivation. So a practical way to force yourself to write the essay is by promising to reward yourself after writing.

Gift yourself with whatever brings you joy, and I can assure you that you will write the essay wholeheartedly.

Sometimes, some advice or a little push is all the motivation you need.

For example, you could consult your friend, tutor, or a professional writer whenever you are stuck during essay writing. Such people will help you get new writing ideas or help you point out mistakes.

• Set a deadline

A set deadline is one of the most effective motivators. Therefore, estimate the time you could write the essay, set a deadline and force yourself to meet the deadline.

Setting a deadline will force you to dedicate some time every day to complete the essay.

How Long Does It Take to Write a 3000-Word Essay?

There is no standard time that one can take to compose a 3000-word essay entirely. For example, one writer would take hours while another one would take days. Typically, the time one consumes to write such an essay is a subject of the complexity of the essay’s topic and the writer’s research and writing skills.

An essay whose topic is not as complex will take you less time to compose than an essay covering a technical subject. For example, a topic you are conversant with will take you less time in research and spend less time writing the full 3000-word essay.

In addition, as a writer, your research and typing skills will dictate the amount you consume to complete the 3000-word essay.

For example, a seasoned essay writer with proficient research and typing skills would consume hours to complete the essay. However, an amateur writer would take days to compose a similar essay.

By reading this article, you get to know that really struggling to write an essay is fine. Fortunately, you are not the only person who faces such problems.

However, the best action to take in such a scenario is to take control of your situation, get your writing resources together and start writing.

Why Many Students Are Struggling With Writing Essays And How To Force Yourself To Write A Paper

Mike russel, reasons why you are stuck on an essay and what to do.

All students know the feeling when the deadline is coming, and they haven’t even started working on their paper yet. There are various theories on why young people prefer to procrastinate and leave tons of assignments for later. This article will describe the main reasons that push students to avoid writing. Moreover, it will suggest some useful tips to overcome the difficulties and complete an essay rapidly. 

Let’s start with the things that make us postpone writing. 

Why Is It So Hard To Write An Essay And Main Reasons For Procrastination?

Do you wonder how to motivate yourself to write an essay ? Is it challenging to push yourself and start working on the project? 

But have you thought about what the main reasons for postponing the task are? There are plenty of things that make us avoid writing and keep procrastinating.

Lack Of Motivation

One of the main reasons for not working on an assignment is a lack of motivation. Sometimes students understand that some written tasks aren’t really important. They leave them for later with the hope to complete them rapidly, just before the deadline. As a result, they either forget about these assignments or create low-quality content. It surely results in getting bad marks. And students feel upset about it.

How to solve this issue? Find something that makes you feel happy and promise that you will reward yourself as soon as you finish the assignment. Create a list with all the papers you need to finish and divide them into some categories. Set your own deadlines and strictly follow them in order to complete all the assignments in advance.

No Deadlines

Have you got some papers that don’t have strict deadlines? Use the recommendation mentioned above. Set your own timing and prepare all the assignments as soon as possible. Think about the rules that will help you follow your deadlines. For instance, what can you do if you fail to complete a paper on a suggested date? Ensure that you stop wasting your time and write it instead of walking or going to the cinema with friends.

Harsh Self Criticism

Some students are perfectionists. They keep criticizing themselves for their tiniest mistakes and never feel satisfied or pleased. Even though they often complete all essays in advance. 

Try not to pay attention to various shortcomings and always reward yourself even for some small victories.  

Difficult Or Controversial Topics

It is one of the most common reasons that make students avoid writing. Controversial topics or ideas that haven’t been properly explained make them feel confused and lost. If they can’t find any samples and templates they literally have no idea how to start to work on their essay.

In this case, the best way is to ask your professor to explain the topic and provide some relevant examples. Don’t hesitate to ask your teacher to recommend some resources that can help you understand the topic better.

How To Make Yourself Write An Essay Even If You Don’t Want To

What if it seems that everything is clear, but you still can’t push yourself to start preparing your paper? Check out the ideas that will motivate you to create an outstanding essay:

Check Multiple Samples

Do the research and start by reading various samples available online. It will help you understand the topic and find relevant examples and facts. Don’t copy or rewrite the thoughts mentioned in the works. Try to come up with your own ideas and create a template for your future essay. 

Find Motivation To Write Essay

As mentioned above, the best way to start writing a paper is to promise that you will reward yourself as soon as you finish it. Plan purchase or think about how you will spend your spare time when the paper is ready. 

Start Working On Your Paper In Advance

When the deadline is coming, all students think about is how to create a paper rapidly. They feel scared as they suggest that there is a high chance of missing the timing. That is why it is a good idea to start working on your project in advance. 

You will have enough time to do research, verify facts, and find out how to end your essay properly.

Brainstorm The Ideas

Why not use one of the most popular methods that positively affect brain activity? Spend some time brainstorming and write down some ideas that can be useful for the creation of your future essay.

Create A Thorough Plan Of Your Paper

Create an outline of your work so that you can follow a strict plan. It will help you feel confident and let you verify that your essay is logical and well-structured. Don’t forget to check the data and facts you mention in the paper.

Have Some Rest 

As soon as you finish the assignment, take some time to rest. Listen to music, go for a walk, or take a bath. It will help you relax and detach from writing for a while. Reread your essay a bit later to ensure that it doesn’t have any grammar or punctuation mistakes. 

What if you feel that you have tried all the methods mentioned above and nothing helps? What if you prefer to keep procrastinating and just want someone to create a paper for you? Luckily, there is an option that can make your life easier. You may ask for professional help, and qualified writers will complete any type of essay rapidly.

Is It Legit To Ask For Writing Essay Help

Some students still wonder if it is legit to ask for professional writing help. Many companies provide diverse paper help. They are glad to offer high-quality service for comparatively low prices. Some companies specialize in particular spheres while others suggest a wide range of writing services . 

Undoubtedly, students need to pay attention to various criteria when selecting a service:

• it should be legit and reliable
• it should have much positive feedback both on the website and on various trusted review sources
• the website should be modern and has a user-friendly interface
• it is excellent if a service has an informative blog
• the prices should be reasonable
• it should have a clear money-back policy
• it should provide guarantees to its customers
• it is great if it offers various perks and additional bonuses to its loyal users

The majority of writing companies meet these requirements. Nevertheless, it is better to take some time and verify that a company is reliable. Contact customer support in case you have any questions. And don’t forget that it is better to place an order in advance. If not, you may need to pay extra for urgency. 

All in all, plenty of young people are really struggling to write an essay nowadays. They face multiple issues when preparing tons of assignments. Sometimes they feel lost if the topic is difficult or it is not possible to find any samples online. They often wonder how to get motivated to write an essay. Students keep searching for diverse articles with useful tips. However, the majority of them only give advice on how to write an essay or describe peculiarities of different types of assignments.

The best idea to stop procrastinating and start working is to begin writing. Even though it may sound ridiculous, it works in most cases. Those who are good at writing usually suggest to:

• check multiple examples devoted to the topic of your essay
• brainstorm the ideas and create an outline of your work
• motivate yourself by promising something special
• write a paper in several stages and necessarily leave some time for rest

Nevertheless, many students prefer not to burden themselves and ask for professional writing help. They pick reliable companies and let qualified writers prepare assignments for them. It is totally legit as such services provide full confidentiality and privacy. So, it is up to you to decide which option to choose. But, we still suggest taking care of your paper in advance. If you want to complete it on your own, you will need time to do research and edit and proofread it after finishing. On the other hand, if you decide to pick professional help, placing an order in advance will save you some money. Companies always charge more if you want to get your assignment rapidly.

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Procrastination

Force yourself, yes, force yourself to do that task, a superficial yet effective, baby-step approach to reducing procrastination..

Posted November 1, 2019 | Reviewed by Kaja Perina

• What Is Procrastination?
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Conventional wisdom is that forcing yourself to do a task that you're procrastinating on doing isn't an enduring solution. It’s argued that forcing yourself ignores the underlying fear of failure, which needs to be addressed if procrastination is to be enduringly reduced.

Fellow Psychology Today blogger and procrastination expert Tim Pychyl argues that procrastinators’ desire to feel good now too often trumps the long-term benefit of doing the task. Procrastinators usually choose one marshmallow now rather than two later. So Pychyl feels that key is to build procrastinators' frustration tolerance.

Earlier in my career , I tried to help my clients reduce their procrastination using those two approaches: Addressing the fear of failure and increasing frustration tolerance. But in recent years, I’ve found greater success by inviting my clients to force themselves, yes force themselves, to get started on tasks they know they should do but procrastinate. I ask them to take a true baby step.

I'll say something like, "Force yourself, yes force yourself, to do the first few-second part of the task, then the next few-second part. Often, after just a few of those, you’ve gotten yourself going." Client after client has told me that the hardest part is getting started. Well, the few-second-part tactic often gets them started.

For example, I wasn’t in the mood to write this article. So I procrastinated for a few hours, doing less difficult, often pleasant tasks. I was finally able to get myself started by asking myself, “What’s my first few-second part?” It was to name the Word file. I named it “forceyourself.doc.” The next few-second task was to think of a title, then the first sentence. At that point, I was hooked and kept writing.

The other point at which people tend to procrastinate is when reaching a hard part. What’s helped most is the one-minute struggle tactic. Generally, unless you’ve made progress in a minute, you’re unlikely to. You’re more likely to sit and struggle for quite a while, which makes you more likely to not only give up on that task but creates such an unpleasant memory of doing such tasks that it increases the tendency to procrastinate in the future. So, after just one-minute of struggling unsuccessfully with that hard part, I suggest that my clients ask themselves, "Should I struggle some more, ask for help, come back to it later with fresh eyes, or see if I can continue the task without solving that hard part?”

In writing this article, the hardest part was to distill Pychyl’s position into just a couple of sentences. I broke that sub-task into few-second tasks. First, I used my computer’s search function to find my email exchange with him. I read it That took a minute and it wasn’t hard. Next, I reread his short Psychology Today post that he said summarized his position. Then I had to struggle: How could I fairly summarize his core position in just a couple of sentences—the length that, in the context of this post, would be appropriate. So I forced myself, yes forced myself to keep struggling with that. At the one-minute mark, I had made some progress but hadn’t solved it. I decided that a bit of additional struggle could result in success, so I kept thinking and trying out wordings, and two minutes later, I felt I had done it. The one-minute struggle or a variant was crucial to my getting it done.

Ultimately, procrastination is most likely to be cured by a foundational factor: a deep sense of responsibility, of consistently being willing to be uncomfortable for the larger long-term benefit, to routinely forgo one marshmallow now for two later.

But I’ve found it difficult to engender such a foundational change in most of my procrastination-prone clients. More helpful, ironically, has been the more superficial approach I’ve described here: Force yourself, yes, force yourself to do that first and perhaps second and third few-second part , and, when reaching a roadblock, use the one-minute struggle. Or as the Nike ad said, "Just do it!"

I read this aloud on YouTube.

Marty Nemko, Ph.D ., is a career and personal coach based in Oakland, California, and the author of 10 books.

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