Using Psychology
Do you have an essay-writing phobia.
by jmalouff | Sep 30, 2011 | Uncategorized | 87 comments
A few years ago another academic and I were walking with a student (“Kiki”) who said that she always handed in essay assignments two weeks after they are due — the last day before she would receive a 0. Each time she lost 20% of the total possible points due to an automatic penalty of 2% per work day late. Over the long run she was ruining her chances of going on to postgraduate study. The other academic walking with us started to tell Kiki that the university had now extended the penalty period to three weeks with a maximum penalty of 30%, but I elbowed him right away and shook my head. I knew that if Kiki heard this news she would change to submitting three weeks late and suffer an extra 10% penalty. I knew that because I understand phobias, and Kiki had one — essay-writing phobia.
This phobia involves fear and avoidance of writing an assigned essay and/or submitting the essay. In addition to lateness penalties, the avoidance can lead to last-minute writing with its attendant stress, poor quality, and low marks. This phobia is more common than you might think.
What causes essay-writing phobia? The causes are similar for all types of phobias. The main factors likely to contribute here are genetic, biological predispositions to feel anxious, perfectionism in general, setting an unrealistically high goal for the essay, low self-efficacy for writing in general or for the specific essay, and low levels of self-control. Two other possible factors: Avoidance helps the person feel much better in the short run by reducing anxiety, and avoidance with frantic last-minute writing gives the person an ego-protecting excuse for earning a low mark.
So what is the way out of essay-writing phobia? I’ll suggest 10 strategies in order of value for most individuals:
1. Change your goal to something realistic and valuable, like doing your best under the circumstances or submitting on time or ending your avoidance. Put aside goals of being perfect and impressing the heck out of someone.
2. Gradually expose yourself to what you fear. Write the easiest part of the essay first — start with your name or the title. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Then write the next easiest part and so on, all the way to submitting. Praise yourself for courage at each step. Use my favorite definition of courage: Doing the right thing even tho scared. There is a great deal of research evidence that gradual exposure helps eliminate phobias.
3. Discuss your fears with someone who cares about your welfare or write in a journal about your fears. Bringing them out in the open will help you deal with them.
4. Calm yourself thru deep breathing, meditation, or some other means.
5. Focus on the task at hand — tell yourself what to do next on the assignment. Think that you are writing a draft that you will improve later, if necessary. Positive thoughts often lead to positive behavior.
6. Challenge self-defeating thoughts such as “Ï can’t do this” by thinking clearly about what “this” is and by looking for evidence from the past about whether you can do it.
7. Think of times you have written good essays and submitted on time.
8. Think of how you overcame some fear before in your life.
9. Think of individuals you admire who acted bravely.
10. Write in a new location or using a different method, e.g., paper rather than laptop. The change of procedure might give you a new perspective or expectation.
Those are my thoughts. For a case study describing treatment of essay-writing phobia, see http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0005796786900422.
What helps you reduce essay writing fear and avoidance?
John Malouff, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology
[Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash]
87 Comments
I never liked writing papers, stories were easy, essays were always hard. It didn’t help that we were never really taught how to write a paper and I never had encouraging peers to help me. My best friend through part of high school helped me on my first essay of the year for a teacher and I got a B, but when I asked for her help again she refused and I got a D. Plus this teacher didn’t like me or my family, our grades were lower by default. No matter what we did. My cousin once switched the names on two papers, his and another student who always got A’s in her class, and the paper the other kid wrote with my cousin’s name on it received a D and the one my cousin wrote with the other student’s name on it received an A. But still, I am always scared about my papers, maybe that teacher was right and I am terrible at writing papers. My college career has suffered terribly because some part of me in convinced that I’ll never get better and that no one can help me. I haven’t told my school’s counselor yet, due to fear of judgement and I endlessly skip classes after a paper is due because of fear of judgement too. I really want to end the fear but it just feels like it’s eaten me alive and biting down on me.
Hi Kim. A counselor or psychologist might help you change your thinking and reduce your suffering. Those of us who work in mental health (and who are competent) do not judge clients. Our goal is to understand them and help them.
Writing is a skill, like riding a bike. With good training, practice, and helpful feedback, almost anyone can improve. It helps to set improvement, rather than perfection, as a goal.
Best wishes, John
So, if writing anxiety is having a debilitating effect on your life, how do you find skilled professionals who can focus on this issue specifically, as opposed to just general anxiety counseling?
Hi Doug. When you go to a psychologist or counselor, state your goal of reducing writing anxiety (and related avoidance, probably). Say you want to focus on that problem alone for now.
You won’t find a mental health professional who specializes in writing phobia, but in a big urban area you could find someone who specializes in anxiety treatment or phobia treatment.
John, thank you for this post. I feel less worthless just being able to formulate my problem to myself. Is it possible to develop an essay writing phobia over time? I am a first year postgrad and I consistently receive good grades, I have even won prizes for my writing and for being top in some of my classes in undergrad. I never had to try very hard in school. Over the years I have procrastinated on essays, but it got worse over time. I started off just doing all-nighters, starting essays the night before they were due but but still handing them in on time, and getting top marks, justifying to myself that I might procrastinate but at least I never miss a deadline. This probably started in mid high school. Then, in my 2nd and 3rd years of university I would start to hand things in after the deadline, counting on the fact that my lecturers knew me and didn’t really care that much about deadlines, as long as I produced top quality work. I would usually get away with it, even though I know I shouldn’t have, but there were a couple times when I’m sure I could have gotten a better grade if I started earlier. And I know I have never produced my personal best work, but only what I deemed the minimum to get the grade I wanted. The thing is I love university, I go to lectures, generally have no difficulty studying for exams, or making presentations, doing readings, other kinds of homework and assignments etc… I remember one friend of mine was puzzled by my behaviour when I missed a deadline for an essay, I told him “I’m just lazy”, but he said he knew that wasn’t the case, because he had seen me do my readings weeks before class had started. However, recently, I had to submit a 4000 word article. It is not particularly difficult at all, and I know it is well within my abilities to do it, I have all the research I need at hand and just need to write, but for some reason I haven’t been able to do it. I am almost a month overdue without a good excuse, and dread even opening the document. When I do, I can barely work for 5 minutes without panicking over how much I have to do and giving up, even when I compartmentalise it. I am constantly filled with guilt and self-loathing. In the morning I over-sleep because I dread getting up, knowing I haven’t finished this article. I feel so bad about it, and I keep telling myself that I will get it done today, but inevitably I never do, and just stay up all night procrastinating.
Hi Jan. You are suffering and not functioning completely as a student. It is time for you to consult a psychologist or counselor at your university. That counseling service is a great free benefit at most universities. Use the benefit now.
Jane’s scenario is similar to mine. I started college in 2006 and now 2018 I’m still struggling. I’ve taken multiple breaks, dismissed twice, failed the course 4 or 5 times thinking it would be different but it’s always the same result…. nothing to submitted after staying up all night trying to write it. I have so many papers incomplete because of not being able to finish them. I really would love to get over this phobia, it’s ruining my life.
Hi Tammi. You have had it tough. Is it time for you to consult a psychologist? If you are enrolled at a university, free counselling is likely available.
Dear John, First of all thank you, as have others I encountered the writer’s block. I have taken into account your advice and it really helped to find my own way of overcoming this problem. The trick I came up with is to change who I had in mind when writing my essay. I initially have to write a 20 page-long essay that sums up my year of research. So I wanted to write the way I thought my teacher would expect me to write. But nothing came to mind, and I was left feeling deprived of the ideas that had crossed my mind during my research. And then I thought about the perfectionism, it came with the idea that my teacher would read my essay and I kept thinking about what was expected instead of what I wanted to say. So I decided to write as if my sister was the one I explained my work to. She doesn’t speak english and would in actuality not understand a word of my essay, but she would hypotheticaly not know anything of the subject (this helps to develop the arguments, as if I were teaching her about the subject) and it easied my mind to picture her as the reader of my piece, someone that I don’t associate with grades and judgment. After that, it was simply a matter of time and patience and I have already writen 8 pages that I would be proud of.
I leave that here so that someone might use it as a clue to find their own trick, or simply replicate it. (Forgive me if someone already mentioned this trick in the previous commentaries, I haven’t read them all :))
Excellent, Alix!
As is so very common, “essay writing phobia” is presented as an individual pathology whereas it is actually largely a response to structural and cultural problems in the Academy. One problem is that universities (and psychology departments are esp. guilty of this) do not allow students enough leeway to develop their own voice (as you have done). I am shocked by how often students in social science degrees are told not to write in the first person. That prescription is about 20 years out of date!
Cheers, tjarlz
Thank you so much forthis article and all sharing. I am in tears with a ‘serious’ meeting due with the principle…having missed yet another deadline & extension for a research report that would see me complete my course. I have procrastinated ‘trying to fix everything else in my life’ befire getting down to starting and now I feel paralysed with anxiety, and still avoidance in getting a 2000 word research report done for much of what has been mentioned in the comments before. I am going to do my best to get it done for myself though, even though I think it may be the ‘end’ of my time trying to finish my course at my establishment. The thought of going to this meeting has me so upset to the point I don’t even want to show up at all. The article and your sharing has helped the hurting and worry. Thank you and all the best everyone. I’ll try to give it my best shot and get some help and support from here.
Yes, do the best you can. Then consider what you have learned from the experience.
I’m a 30-year-old software engineer who has had writing anxiety for…well since I was 7 and first had to write a 5-sentence summary of a book that I read. I’ve tried very hard to find a solution to it because it has caused me a great deal of suffering over the years and definitely caused me to be fired at least once. However, while I’ve found academic work on the subject, I’ve not yet succeeded in finding anyone who treats Writing Anxiety or who does Writing Process Training. Do you know of a way to find a professional who has experience in helping people overcome Writing Anxiety? I live in London but would probably want to work with someone over videochat so that I can do so outside of work hours.
Hi Alex. I don’t know any experts on treating writing phobia. I am an expert on treating phobias, but not specifically writing phobias. I could try to help you over Skype, but the times might not be inconvenient.
Hi John. Thanks for writing about this. I was about to send this on to one of my students who’s not handed in an essay but then stopped as I can’t send students something asking them to get naked. An edited version of this would happily go up as a link on my essay-advice page on our intranet. Cheers.
At your request, I changed strategy 10. Also, I added an image to suit the altered strategy, and I added meta-tags to help individuals find the suggestions.
Writing on a mountain, I like it. Looks like it might be Aotearoa New Zealand too, which is even better. Thank you.
I feel exactly like Jtxz! My goodness, I just don’t understand where this resistance comes from! I can do exams, class presentations, case studies etc etc… really well and without any stress… – but not essays! As the end of every semester looms nearer and due dates approach, I seriously think that I spiral into depression as a result of the essays. I can write really good essays, so for me it’s not even about the planning or structure, but I am overcome by the massive internal resistance, anxiety and stress as it comes time to doing them! I have finished my undergraduate degree and am now studying masters and so far it has been almost 10 years of tertiary study. But for the whole time I’ve been constantly docked marks over and over again – some times I’ve even had to repeat subjects because I’ve lost so many marks on papers that would have otherwise been distinctions. I feel like a failure the fact that although I’ve obviously learned the subject content well enough to get distinction level quality papers, I can’t seem to hand them in timely enough to prevent failing the subject. No idea what to do. What I find even crazier is that the course I am doing has nothing to do with writing essays, so why use this method of assessment at all?!?!? I feel like the field i’m studying is where my future purpose lies, but the journey to get there requires strengths that are outside of the skillset required for the field I wish to get into.
Totally feel like giving up – the only reason I haven’t is because I am stubborn. But it’s at the point now, where it’s not just affecting me, its affecting my wife,my son, my friendships etc.
They seriously are the bane of my life!
You and many others are in the same boat. Try all the methods I suggest in the blog entry. Best wishes.
This is what i’m exactly experiencing and i am happy to find articke like this and made me realize that there is really a condition like this. I thought this was a weird to have a problem like this… I have this phobia in essays when i read my essays and essay of my smart cousin, ive realized how lacking i am in putting ideas, the grammars , etc. My esteem on making essays became really low.. I feel like at suck at doing it and my ideas are too shallow etc, i think of things like that. when my prof gives us essay tasks, i dont have the motivation to do it and i ended up cramming and becoming stress.
Elle, I hope you keep writing. Strive not for perfection or for superiority but for competence and timely completion.
I have struggled unsuccessfully with this problem for years. I have consulted an educational psychologist and counsellors and explained the irrational feelings of fear and terror that spring up and pounce at random periods in the writing process. I have either been told that there is no problem or that it is too complex to solve. I weep in shame and I am distraught at not being able to identify the cause. I have always had good grades and years ago I had a couple of articles published in peer-reviewed journals. I have lost confidence in all aspects of writing and I no longer am able to judge what is good or bad in anything I compose. Thus I am plagued with doubt and my writing is stymied. I would like to hope that someone has further suggestions about how to tackle this problem when it strikes. I do want to write and to enjoy writing again.
Hi. I am sorry that you have suffered so much for so long. Try the methods in the blog. If none helps, consult a beahvioral psychologist. You may benefit from gradual-exposure treatment.
I can definitely relate to the essay writing anxiety when I first started university it took a me a while to understand how to write a university essay with the whole citing and referencing system I of course fail my way through essay. I did get some good grades and passed a few of my essay however now I get so much built up anxiety before writing an essay that it does take me two weeks after the due date to hand it in (if I even do that) then of course I get a low grade because of that and so the cycle continues. I have the same thoughts running through my head when I begin to write such as your gunna fail anyway why bother, your not good enough to be at uni, your a failure so why even try, your just wasting everyone time etc I’ve tried to start my assignments early but I just get anxious and end avoiding it then I freak out near the due try to start but end up not finishing it and then I fail which makes me feel worst
Hi there. You are struggling and suffering. Your self-doubt and procrastination are self-defeating. Time to make changes! I suggest facing your fear and taking one or more writing courses. Aim to improve your writing every day. Learn writing rules and apply them Then go on with your usual education — always facing fear like a soldier. If you do not make good progress, consult a psychologist.
One of the things that always helped me personally when it came to research papers/thesis papers was to go through one book at a time, take a TON of notes for what might be relevant (noting page numbers in case I had to go back and quote or clarify context), and then sort my notes by where they might belong: introduction, supporting arguments for idea 1, idea 2, etc., or closing. Then I’d repeat the process with the next book, and keep going until I’d used all of the possible sources. From there, I could then sort the ideas and place them in a more sensible order, and then link the ideas with a narrative. Sometimes I’d toss out certain ideas or notes completely, because they didn’t belong anymore. Another helpful tool for me was to write down an outline of the different ideas I wanted to discuss, and that helped to keep me on track and focus on which parts needed more support or where I didn’t have to keep looking. There were also at least two re-writes – 3 if I could get someone else to look at it for feedback!
Thank you so much for this article! I used to be scared of essays and long answers; the longer the assignment to be written, the greater my fear. Fortunately, we have essays only in languages ( I mean like narrative essays, descriptive, picture composition etc.)
I realise this is horribly behind the last person who submitted a comment, but I thought it might help me to respond, even though no one may read it. I have been out of fulltime study for many years now and so am very out of practice. But 9 months ago I enrolled on a Masters course and am so far floundering badly. My first essay, I confidently approached it, the same way I remember constructing essays when I was at Uni the first time, and I submitted well before the due date and I was confident I had done well. But! (And this is the crux really) the feedback I received was awful. I had just finished a very bad job where I was under ridiculous amounts of stress and used as a scapegoat and my confidence was already shaky. The comments I received from my tutor destroyed me and each essay I have handed in since have been received just as badly that now the anxiety is so great that I can’t even bring myself to begin. How can I get over the crippling anxiety I feel whenever I think about submitting another essay with the knowledge that I will get back, not just a disappointing grade, but a lot of nasty feedback which I am scared to read. I didn’t open my last email to see what my grade was for over a week because I was far too scared to do so, and when I did, it was not at all a pleasant experience.
Hi. You are having an unpleasant return to education! You may need to take a writing course before you take any other courses. For the time being, aim to get as many points as you can. Read the comments and try to improve your writing. Keep in mind that writing is a complicated skill but one that a person can improve with training, practice and feedback. Do the best you can under the circumstances.
As for nasty comments, they have no place in education. You might want to rethink where you are studying.
Best wishes!
I’ve this problem in my whole life. It’s not only caused my bad assignment, but also caused my inability. So whenever my Turkish language teacher gave an assignment, I felt like I was drowning while writing in middle school. More interesting that I wrote more realistic than figurative but this time it caused fault of grade, so I hate literature and writing, but I was a strict reader that times interestingly.
As a result: In my situation, couldn’t write perfect article with great imagination drive me avoiding writing. I want to write again. Thank you
I am reading this page and I know the last comment was 2017, but I still feel the urge to comment! I am a fourth-year university student, I have six months left of my course and I am in the middle of writing my last essay before my dissertation! I made a detailed plan weeks ago, and I have the resources I need for it, but yet I cannot start. I can relate to a lot of these comments and some of them made me cry because I can relate! I have cried for days because I have felt such an intense fear about this essay. I feel it like a burning sensation in my chest, and one day I felt paralyzed with fear over it and fought to even get out of my bed, I felt so low that these feelings were back again. This is something I have dealt with for as long as I can remember. As a child, I grew up in an abusive home and my father would yell at me if I got the answer to a homework question wrong, and would often call me stupid. One time he shouted at me so much, I blacked out, he was in my face shouting at me and calling me names for not knowing the answer, and when the rest of my family came home, he made me lie about it and tell them I passed out because I sniffed tipex (which was untrue but saved him from telling the truth). I believe this is why I have such a phobia of writing! I often am afraid for others to read my work for fear of them laughing at me or not being smart as others. I have this fear even though I have been to university twice and even have written reports to the sheriff, without any complaints about my writing, yet the fear remains. I have a psychologist and do not see her until 1st Dec, so I am currently trying techniques I hope will help me finish this essay. This post has helped me feel like I am not alone, thank you to the writer and everyone who commented. Much love to everyone, we are not alone in this!
Hello. You had a damaging childhood. Your’s father’s abuse may have damaged your self-confidence so much that you doubt yourself. Freud would say that you have introjected your father’s view of you. See: https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/introjection
Now would be a good time to break free of his negative influence and to write. You have nothing practical to lose and much to gain. Write one word. Then perhaps you will write a sentence. Freedom could be your reward.
Thank you so much for this article, John. Your tips and reading all of the comments have really helped me feel less alone in this post-graduate essay writing phobia hellscape I’ve found myself in. I’m having trouble thinking about something (emotionally) worse than not being able to execute something that is supposed to be your bread and butter- for me, writing has always come naturally, but deadlines have made me want to, well, die. They are called DEADlines after all. Anyway, thank you for this article and this space to engage with others who have this experience. I learned that my procrastination doesn’t come from perfectionism but from avoiding the fear/anxiety that comes with a task.
Thanks again, M.
Feeling alone when completing a challenging task is something to avoid. You could talk with your supervisor/teacher or with someone who provides counselling to students — a free service too few students use.
Thank you for this article. I am on the verge of academic probation due to my intense fear of writing essays. When I receive an essay assignment, I’m always thinking of what I’m going to write, but I physically can’t just sit down and write. I often don’t turn anything in at all and it causes intense panic attacks.
Hi Laila. I can sense your fear. I suggest consulting a mental health professional so you can find the cause of your problems and find a way to solve them.
Submit a Comment
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Submit Comment
Subscribe by Email
You can unsubscribe at any time.
Please, insert a valid email.
Thank you, your email will be added to the mailing list once you click on the link in the confirmation email.
Spam protection has stopped this request. Please contact site owner for help.
This form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Blog categories
- Behaviour Modification
- Bereavement and Grief
- Child Psychology
- Cursing and Swearing
- Health-related behavior
- Human Thinking and Behavior
- Job hunting
- law and psychology
- Mental health problems
- Observational learning
- Organizational Psychology
- Parenting Support
- Personality
- Political psychology
- Positive psychology
- Problem solving
- Psychotherapy
- Reinforcement
- romantic relationships
- Sexual assault
- Social confidence
- Social media
- Social psychology
- Social Support
- Strategies for Teachers
- Uncategorized
- Weight control
- Weight Loss
An official website of the United States government
The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.
The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.
- Publications
- Account settings
- My Bibliography
- Collections
- Citation manager
Save citation to file
Email citation, add to collections.
- Create a new collection
- Add to an existing collection
Add to My Bibliography
Your saved search, create a file for external citation management software, your rss feed.
- Search in PubMed
- Search in NLM Catalog
- Add to Search
Essay-writing phobia in undergraduates
- PMID: 3753388
- DOI: 10.1016/0005-7967(86)90042-2
PubMed Disclaimer
Similar articles
- Role-reversed systematic desensitization in the treatment of a writing phobia. Johnson CH, Shenoy RS, Gilmore JD. Johnson CH, et al. Percept Mot Skills. 1982 Aug;55(1):255-9. doi: 10.2466/pms.1982.55.1.255. Percept Mot Skills. 1982. PMID: 6127664
- Behavioral techniques in the treatment of a writing phobia. Menks F. Menks F. Am J Occup Ther. 1979 Feb;33(2):102-7. Am J Occup Ther. 1979. PMID: 34987
- Exposure as a treatment for social phobia: some instructive difficulties. Butler G. Butler G. Behav Res Ther. 1985;23(6):651-7. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(85)90060-9. Behav Res Ther. 1985. PMID: 4074278 No abstract available.
- [Treatment of social phobia in childhood and adolescence]. Melfsen S, Schwieger J, Kühnemund M, Stangier U, Stadler C, Poustka F, Heidenreich T, Lauterbach W, Warnke A. Melfsen S, et al. Z Kinder Jugendpsychiatr Psychother. 2006 May;34(3):203-12; quiz 213-4. doi: 10.1024/1422-4917.34.3.203. Z Kinder Jugendpsychiatr Psychother. 2006. PMID: 16771034 Review. German.
- [Behavior therapy]. Kallinke D. Kallinke D. Z Psychosom Med Psychoanal. 1990;36(2):119-26. Z Psychosom Med Psychoanal. 1990. PMID: 2191520 Review. German. No abstract available.
- Search in MeSH
LinkOut - more resources
Full text sources.
- Elsevier Science
- MedlinePlus Health Information
- Citation Manager
NCBI Literature Resources
MeSH PMC Bookshelf Disclaimer
The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Unauthorized use of these marks is strictly prohibited.
Writing Anxiety
What this handout is about.
This handout discusses the situational nature of writer’s block and other writing anxiety and suggests things you can try to feel more confident and optimistic about yourself as a writer.
What are writing anxiety and writer’s block?
“Writing anxiety” and “writer’s block” are informal terms for a wide variety of apprehensive and pessimistic feelings about writing. These feelings may not be pervasive in a person’s writing life. For example, you might feel perfectly fine writing a biology lab report but apprehensive about writing a paper on a novel. You may confidently tackle a paper about the sociology of gender but delete and start over twenty times when composing an email to a cute classmate to suggest a coffee date. In other words, writing anxiety and writers’ block are situational (Hjortshoj 7). These terms do NOT describe psychological attributes. People aren’t born anxious writers; rather, they become anxious or blocked through negative or difficult experiences with writing.
When do these negative feelings arise?
Although there is a great deal of variation among individuals, there are also some common experiences that writers in general find stressful.
For example, you may struggle when you are:
- adjusting to a new form of writing—for example, first year college writing, papers in a new field of study, or longer forms than you are used to (a long research paper, a senior thesis, a master’s thesis, a dissertation) (Hjortshoj 56-76).
- writing for a reader or readers who have been overly critical or demanding in the past.
- remembering negative criticism received in the past—even if the reader who criticized your work won’t be reading your writing this time.
- working with limited time or with a lot of unstructured time.
- responding to an assignment that seems unrelated to academic or life goals.
- dealing with troubling events outside of school.
What are some strategies for handling these feelings?
Get support.
Choose a writing buddy, someone you trust to encourage you in your writing life. Your writing buddy might be a friend or family member, a classmate, a teacher, a colleague, or a Writing Center tutor. Talk to your writing buddy about your ideas, your writing process, your worries, and your successes. Share pieces of your writing. Make checking in with your writing buddy a regular part of your schedule. When you share pieces of writing with your buddy, use our handout on asking for feedback .
In his book Understanding Writing Blocks, Keith Hjortshoj describes how isolation can harm writers, particularly students who are working on long projects not connected with coursework (134-135). He suggests that in addition to connecting with supportive individuals, such students can benefit from forming or joining a writing group, which functions in much the same way as a writing buddy. A group can provide readers, deadlines, support, praise, and constructive criticism. For help starting one, see our handout about writing groups .
Identify your strengths
Often, writers who are experiencing block or anxiety have a worse opinion of their own writing than anyone else! Make a list of the things you do well. You might ask a friend or colleague to help you generate such a list. Here are some possibilities to get you started:
- I explain things well to people.
- I get people’s interest.
- I have strong opinions.
- I listen well.
- I am critical of what I read.
- I see connections.
Choose at least one strength as your starting point. Instead of saying “I can’t write,” say “I am a writer who can …”
Recognize that writing is a complex process
Writing is an attempt to fix meaning on the page, but you know, and your readers know, that there is always more to be said on a topic. The best writers can do is to contribute what they know and feel about a topic at a particular point in time.
Writers often seek “flow,” which usually entails some sort of breakthrough followed by a beautifully coherent outpouring of knowledge. Flow is both a possibility—most people experience it at some point in their writing lives—and a myth. Inevitably, if you write over a long period of time and for many different situations, you will encounter obstacles. As Hjortshoj explains, obstacles are particularly common during times of transition—transitions to new writing roles or to new kinds of writing.
Think of yourself as an apprentice.
If block or apprehension is new for you, take time to understand the situations you are writing in. In particular, try to figure out what has changed in your writing life. Here are some possibilities:
- You are writing in a new format.
- You are writing longer papers than before.
- You are writing for new audiences.
- You are writing about new subject matter.
- You are turning in writing from different stages of the writing process—for example, planning stages or early drafts.
It makes sense to have trouble when dealing with a situation for the first time. It’s also likely that when you confront these new situations, you will learn and grow. Writing in new situations can be rewarding. Not every format or audience will be right for you, but you won’t know which ones might be right until you try them. Think of new writing situations as apprenticeships. When you’re doing a new kind of writing, learn as much as you can about it, gain as many skills in that area as you can, and when you finish the apprenticeship, decide which of the skills you learned will serve you well later on. You might be surprised.
Below are some suggestions for how to learn about new kinds of writing:
- Ask a lot of questions of people who are more experienced with this kind of writing. Here are some of the questions you might ask: What’s the purpose of this kind of writing? Who’s the audience? What are the most important elements to include? What’s not as important? How do you get started? How do you know when what you’ve written is good enough? How did you learn to write this way?
- Ask a lot of questions of the person who assigned you a piece of writing. If you have a paper, the best place to start is with the written assignment itself. For help with this, see our handout on understanding assignments .
- Look for examples of this kind of writing. (You can ask your instructor for a recommended example). Look, especially, for variation. There are often many different ways to write within a particular form. Look for ways that feel familiar to you, approaches that you like. You might want to look for published models or, if this seems too intimidating, look at your classmates’ writing. In either case, ask yourself questions about what these writers are doing, and take notes. How does the writer begin and end? In what order does the writer tell things? How and when does the writer convey their main point? How does the writer bring in other people’s ideas? What is the writer’s purpose? How is that purpose achieved?
- Read our handouts about how to write in specific fields or how to handle specific writing assignments.
- Listen critically to your readers. Before you dismiss or wholeheartedly accept what they say, try to understand them. If a reader has given you written comments, ask yourself questions to figure out the reader’s experience of your paper: What is this reader looking for? What am I doing that satisfies this reader? In what ways is this reader still unsatisfied? If you can’t answer these questions from the reader’s comments, then talk to the reader, or ask someone else to help you interpret the comments.
- Most importantly, don’t try to do everything at once. Start with reasonable expectations. You can’t write like an expert your first time out. Nobody does! Use the criticism you get.
Once you understand what readers want, you are in a better position to decide what to do with their criticisms. There are two extreme possibilities—dismissing the criticisms and accepting them all—but there is also a lot of middle ground. Figure out which criticisms are consistent with your own purposes, and do the hard work of engaging with them. Again, don’t expect an overnight turn-around; recognize that changing writing habits is a process and that papers are steps in the process.
Chances are that at some point in your writing life you will encounter readers who seem to dislike, disagree with, or miss the point of your work. Figuring out what to do with criticism from such readers is an important part of a writer’s growth.
Try new tactics when you get stuck
Often, writing blocks occur at particular stages of the writing process. The writing process is cyclical and variable. For different writers, the process may include reading, brainstorming, drafting, getting feedback, revising, and editing. These stages do not always happen in this order, and once a writer has been through a particular stage, chances are they haven’t seen the last of that stage. For example, brainstorming may occur all along the way.
Figure out what your writing process looks like and whether there’s a particular stage where you tend to get stuck. Perhaps you love researching and taking notes on what you read, and you have a hard time moving from that work to getting started on your own first draft. Or once you have a draft, it seems set in stone and even though readers are asking you questions and making suggestions, you don’t know how to go back in and change it. Or just the opposite may be true; you revise and revise and don’t want to let the paper go.
Wherever you have trouble, take a longer look at what you do and what you might try. Sometimes what you do is working for you; it’s just a slow and difficult process. Other times, what you do may not be working; these are the times when you can look around for other approaches to try:
- Talk to your writing buddy and to other colleagues about what they do at the particular stage that gets you stuck.
- Read about possible new approaches in our handouts on brainstorming and revising .
- Try thinking of yourself as an apprentice to a stage of the writing process and give different strategies a shot.
- Cut your paper into pieces and tape them to the wall, use eight different colors of highlighters, draw a picture of your paper, read your paper out loud in the voice of your favorite movie star….
Okay, we’re kind of kidding with some of those last few suggestions, but there is no limit to what you can try (for some fun writing strategies, check out our online animated demos ). When it comes to conquering a block, give yourself permission to fall flat on your face. Trying and failing will you help you arrive at the thing that works for you.
Celebrate your successes
Start storing up positive experiences with writing. Whatever obstacles you’ve faced, celebrate the occasions when you overcome them. This could be something as simple as getting started, sharing your work with someone besides a teacher, revising a paper for the first time, trying out a new brainstorming strategy, or turning in a paper that has been particularly challenging for you. You define what a success is for you. Keep a log or journal of your writing successes and breakthroughs, how you did it, how you felt. This log can serve as a boost later in your writing life when you face new challenges.
Wait a minute, didn’t we already say that? Yes. It’s worth repeating. Most people find relief for various kinds of anxieties by getting support from others. Sometimes the best person to help you through a spell of worry is someone who’s done that for you before—a family member, a friend, a mentor. Maybe you don’t even need to talk with this person about writing; maybe you just need to be reminded to believe in yourself, that you can do it.
If you don’t know anyone on campus yet whom you have this kind of relationship with, reach out to someone who seems like they could be a good listener and supportive. There are a number of professional resources for you on campus, people you can talk through your ideas or your worries with. A great place to start is the UNC Writing Center. If you know you have a problem with writing anxiety, make an appointment well before the paper is due. You can come to the Writing Center with a draft or even before you’ve started writing. You can also approach your instructor with questions about your writing assignment. If you’re an undergraduate, your academic advisor and your residence hall advisor are other possible resources. Counselors at Counseling and Wellness Services are also available to talk with you about anxieties and concerns that extend beyond writing.
Apprehension about writing is a common condition on college campuses. Because writing is the most common means of sharing our knowledge, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves when we write. This handout has given some suggestions for how to relieve that pressure. Talk with others; realize we’re all learning; take an occasional risk; turn to the people who believe in you. Counter negative experiences by actively creating positive ones.
Even after you have tried all of these strategies and read every Writing Center handout, invariably you will still have negative experiences in your writing life. When you get a paper back with a bad grade on it or when you get a rejection letter from a journal, fend off the negative aspects of that experience. Try not to let them sink in; try not to let your disappointment fester. Instead, jump right back in to some area of the writing process: choose one suggestion the evaluator has made and work on it, or read and discuss the paper with a friend or colleague, or do some writing or revising—on this or any paper—as quickly as possible.
Failures of various kinds are an inevitable part of the writing process. Without them, it would be difficult if not impossible to grow as a writer. Learning often occurs in the wake of a startling event, something that stirs you up, something that makes you wonder. Use your failures to keep moving.
Works consulted
We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.
Hjortshoj, Keith. 2001. Understanding Writing Blocks . New York: Oxford University Press.
This is a particularly excellent resource for advanced undergraduates and graduate students. Hjortshoj writes about his experiences working with university students experiencing block. He explains the transitional nature of most writing blocks and the importance of finding support from others when working on long projects.
Rose, Mike. 1985. When a Writer Can’t Write: Studies in Writer’s Block and Other Composing-Process Problems . New York: Guilford.
This collection of empirical studies is written primarily for writing teachers, researchers, and tutors. Studies focus on writers of various ages, including young children, high school students, and college students.
You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Make a Gift
Writer's Anxiety
Where all this worry is coming from and what to do about it..
Posted July 13, 2017
- What Is Anxiety?
- Take our Generalized Anxiety Disorder Test
- Find a therapist to overcome anxiety
Writing is practically synonymous with graduate school. As grad students, not only are we encouraged to publish, publish, publish, but we’re also required to write excellent dissertations, compose flawless ethics applications, and hash out insightful term papers.
Not writing is rarely an option.
Yet, writing can be a major source of stress and anxiety for students. In fact, some research has suggested that around 50 percent of doctoral students in the U.S. and Canada drop out during the research proposal or dissertation-writing phases of their degrees before finishing their programs [1][2] .
(This, by the way, is not an encouraging statistic for a person who’s currently in the middle of drafting her proposal. But I digress.)
So what’s getting in the way of all this writing? In a study published this month in the Higher Education Research & Development journal, authors Huerta, Goodson, Beigi, and Chlup explored writing anxiety, self-efficacy , and emotional intelligence (EI) amongst graduate students (N = 174) at a large, research-intensive university in the US [3] . Before I dive into their findings, I’ll briefly describe what they mean by each of these three factors:
- Writer’s anxiety : Feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure when faced with a writing task.
- Self-efficacy [4] : A belief in one’s capability (or confidence ) to write in a given situation.
- Emotional intelligence (EI) [5] : The ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and use them to guide thinking and action (in the case of writing, using them to guide writing tasks). [6]
I imagine all grad students have faced hiccups in at least one of these areas at one time or another. However, these authors wanted to know more about these constructs, how they were related, and if there were any differences amongst students in how they experienced them.
Results revealed that, perhaps unsurprisingly, self-efficacy exhibited a significant negative association with writing anxiety (that is, higher self-efficacy was related to lower writing anxiety). In contrast, the authors found that EI accounted for very little of the students’ writing anxiety, and that this contribution was not statistically significant. However, the sample included highly emotionally intelligent individuals to begin with; thus, as the authors noted, the lack of variability in EI scores amongst participants may have skewed results.
Additionally, demographic differences contributed to the ways in which different groups of students experienced writing anxiety. For example, higher writing anxiety was reported amongst women, master’s students (as opposed to doctoral students), and students for whom English was not their first language.
So what do we do with this information? The authors of the study concluded by outlining ways in which universities can help reduce writing anxiety and increase self-efficacy amongst graduate student writers. They cited literature that has found tactics such as self-regulating one’s writing, writing regularly, and participation in a writing group as helping academic writers increase self-efficacy and decrease anxiety.
While these suggestions are likely helpful, they left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. It’s also important, I think, to uncover where writing anxiety is coming from. Is it unpleasant experiences with writing during grade school? Or systemic pressures for academics to be “natural writers” who do not need support?
Additionally, I can’t help but think about how so much of academic writing is devoid of creativity and personality . In an article written by Antoniou and Moriarty in the Teaching in Higher Education journal [7] , the authors stated that:
Where guidance and support on academic writing has existed, the focus has been on technical issues, e.g. structuring journal articles, and procedures and protocols for publishing. Little attention has been paid to the more holistic aspects, such as the lecturer-writer’s sense of self and identity , their emotional orientation to their writing and their creative process.
This quote highlights what I believe are imperative aspects of the writing process; that is, that it is often deeply personal, emotional, and creative. However, academic demands and the belief that academic writing is purely an intellectual task can lead to disenchantment with the writing process, creating resentment amongst many academics. However, Antoniou and Moriarty argue that writing in any genre requires all aspects of the self, and they encourage academic writers to take a step back from the mechanics of writing and ask themselves questions such as: Who am I? What are my values? What does writing mean for me? Only after that should they ask themselves what they want to say through their writing and how they want to say it.
Furthermore, the authors suggest several beliefs about writing that can be used by faculties and graduate students to support writing anxiety:
- Writing is a skill that can be taught : Given practice, guidance, and support, the authors assert that anyone can write academically. However, faculties need to commit to offering this support to their students, as students should not be solely responsible for developing their writing skills.
- Writing well involves building confidence and establishing safety: Because writing involves “emotional risk-taking ,” writing groups should prioritize creating a safe space where vulnerabilities and worries can be voiced. Academic writers often struggle in silence about their writing concerns; however, seeking help with one’s writing should be supported and encouraged amongst academic communities.
- Successful writing requires community: While creative writers often share early drafts of their work with other writers, there is a stigma amongst academic writers that their work should almost always appear polished. However, writing groups can help academic writers share the more raw versions of their work with others, eliciting precious feedback, helping them let go of perfectionism , and allowing them to get into the flow and joy of writing.
Antoniou and Moriarty also note that, “the most important lesson in developing one’s writing is to WRITE.” With this quote, I’m reminded of an undergraduate journalism course I took many years ago. My instructor reminded us that we wouldn’t expect to learn how to play an instrument without practice; similarly, we cannot expect to develop self-efficacy for writing without putting pen to paper (or hands to keyboard).
Council of Graduate Schools (2008), PhD Completion and Attrition: Analysis of Baseline Program Data from the PhD Completion Project. Washington, DC: Council of Graduate Schools.
Huerta, M., Goodson, P., Beigi, M., & Chlup, D. (2017). Graduate students as academic writers: Writing anxiety, self-efficacy and emotional intelligence. Higher Education Research & Development, 36(4), 716-729.
See Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York, NY: Freeman.
See Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9, 185-211.
Bastug, M., Ertem, I. S., & Keskin, H. K. (2017). A phenomenological research study on writer’s block: Causes, processes, and results. Education & training, 59(6), 605-618.
Antoniou, M., & Moriarty, J. (2008). What can academic writers learn from creative writers? Developing guidance and support for lecturers in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education, 13(2), 157-167.
Amy Green, M.A., is a doctoral student in Counselling Psychology at the University of Calgary.
- Find a Therapist
- Find a Treatment Center
- Find a Psychiatrist
- Find a Support Group
- Find Online Therapy
- United States
- Brooklyn, NY
- Chicago, IL
- Houston, TX
- Los Angeles, CA
- New York, NY
- Portland, OR
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- Seattle, WA
- Washington, DC
- Asperger's
- Bipolar Disorder
- Chronic Pain
- Eating Disorders
- Passive Aggression
- Personality
- Goal Setting
- Positive Psychology
- Stopping Smoking
- Low Sexual Desire
- Relationships
- Child Development
- Self Tests NEW
- Therapy Center
- Diagnosis Dictionary
- Types of Therapy
Sticking up for yourself is no easy task. But there are concrete skills you can use to hone your assertiveness and advocate for yourself.
- Emotional Intelligence
- Gaslighting
- Affective Forecasting
- Neuroscience
Anxiety about academic writing: I'm afraid
- Am I the only person who feels like this?
- I never have enough time
- I'm a bad writer
- I don't know enough
- Writing is too hard
You might be feeling:
- I'm afraid that I'm not as smart or capable as other students.
- I'm feeling overwhelmed and I don't even know where to start.
- I'm already struggling in my class, and I'm afraid I'm going to fail this essay. If I don't pass the essay, I'll fail the course. If that happens, I may have to quit my program, and then I'll have failed myself and the people who support me.
What can you do right now?
Emotional strategies
- Consider your fear from a rational perspective and ask yourself these questions: What are you actually afraid of? How realistic is the outcome you're afraid of? What can you do to protect yourself from that outcome?
- Pay attention to where you're feeling the fear in your body. Now try a few long, slow, deep breaths. How does that part of your body feel now?
- Try facing your fear straight on by setting yourself a small writing goal and then do it.
- Ask for help from the Counselling Centre, the Writing Centre, and your instructor to give yourself the best opportunity to feel supported.
Writing strategies
- Listen to a pep talk about the anxieties typically experienced by new graduate students: Gradschoolitis.
- If you're feeling overwhelmed, start at step one ("Understand the Assignment") in " How to write an undergraduate-level essay " or " How to write a graduate-level essay ". Use the 12-step process provided in each guide to help you move step-by-step through the process. of completing your document.
- Make an appointment to speak with your instructor to learn more about what you need to do to ensure you pass the essay. Once you have that information, book an appointment to speak with us in the Writing Centre so we can provide suggestions and information to help you succeed.
Creative Commons
Where can you learn more?
Counselling Services
- "A guide to fear mastery"
Writing Centre
- " I'm a new graduate student at RRU and I'm terrified by academic writing. Can you help me? "
- " How to write an undergraduate-level essay "
- " How to write a graduate-level essay "
Ask for help
[email protected] (250) 391-2600 ext. 4515 Book an appointment
[email protected] (250) 391-2600, ext. 4353 or 1-800-788-8028 Book an appointment
- << Previous: Am I the only person who feels like this?
- Next: I never have enough time >>
- Last Updated: Sep 9, 2023 2:11 PM
- URL: https://libguides.royalroads.ca/anxiety
- DOI: 10.1016/0005-7967(86)90042-2
- Corpus ID: 42547893
Essay-writing phobia in undergraduates.
- J.P.N. Phillips
- Published in Behaviour Research and… 1986
- Education, Psychology
7 Citations
When a high distinction isn't good enough: a review of perfectionism and self-handicapping, perfectionism and evaluative threat, the significance of the academic word list among esl tertiary students in a malaysian public university, the dreaded essay exam, factors contributing to the delay of mba research reports at the university of stellenbosch business school: an exploratory study, undergraduate students’ preferences for constructed versus multiple-choice assessment of learning, a cognitive behavioural coaching intervention for the treatment of perfectionism and self-handicapping in a nonclinical population, 10 references, increasing the writing productivity of "blocked" academicians., behavioral techniques in the treatment of a writing phobia., contingency management in writing and the appearance of creative ideas: implications for the treatment of writing blocks., applied analysis of human behavior: an alternative to conventional motivational inferences and unconscious determination in therapeutic programming, in vivo exposure vs cognitive restructuring in the treatment of scriptophobia., a procedure for eliminating writer's block in a college student☆, accelerating dissertation writing: case study, role-reversed systematic desensitization in the treatment of a writing phobia, experimental and clinical treatments of writing blocks., contingency contracting as a therapeutic tool in the deceleration of amphetamine use, related papers.
Showing 1 through 3 of 0 Related Papers
The Freshmen Writing Phobia
All eighteen students in my College Writing course this fall showed up prepared and on-time for their 15-minute, one-on-one meetings with me during week three of the semester. I had a short list of questions for them — what’s your intended major? do you like to write? and what are your goals for this course? Now, many would say there’s no point in asking a Freshman about their major, as it’s likely to change at least once before the end of this….sentence. (…and several times throughout their college careers.) But it’s the way in which they answered — their delivery and the words they used, that helped me see past the student to get glimpses of the writer.
Their answers varied, but many of them had a common tone: “I’m going to work on Capitol Hill so I’m majoring in Political Science and Minoring in International Studies”… “I’m getting into Ross [UM’s very prestigious and competitive pre-business program] and then I’ll be an I-Banker” … “Pre-Med. I’ll probably be a doctor but I’d like to try out surgery to see which one I like better.”
I loved their confidence. Many of them spoke in firm declaratives about their futures and felt their paths were hammered in stone. Bold, brave, and ready to take college by the horns — my Freshmen were gunning for success. But with the very next question, these first-year lions turned into lambs.
So, do you enjoy writing? You can be honest. It’s okay if you don’t.
“Writing? Oh, um, no. Well, N-not really. I’m just not very good. And it’s not fun to do something you suck at.”
“Are you kidding? I’d rather fall head first off my bike than write a paper.”
“No. I’ve written a lot for school but I never get better. It’s just too hard. It’s not like I want to avoid all hard things in life, but I tried it and I’m pretty much sure writing is not my thing.”
Their modes of delivery were unique, but the messages were the same. About 14 of the 18 students who filtered through my office hours admitted to a fear of writing — a fear that for most of them began early in high school and had four years to incubate and become an all-out avoidance (and even a hatred!) for the craft. Several of them indicated that they’d basically checked it off their list of academic interests and (politely) laughed at the possibility of choosing it as a major or minor.
But what I’ve forgotten to mention in this blog is that by the time one-on-one meetings rolled around, these students had already turned in their first paper for the semester, an assignment I called, “The Personal Impact of a Public Event.” Each student was asked to select an event that held some significance to them: changed the way they viewed themselves, the world, their families, etc. And although these first essays were certainly not ready for publication…(and of course were not expected to be)… one thing became apparent: the very same students who sat in my office and said they “sucked” at writing, feared it, hated it…. many of them wrote with glints of pathos, rhythm, voice, style, humor, narrative momentum, creativity. They were swollen with the potential to be talented writers… and they had no friggin’ idea.
So I started to wonder… when and where did this fear of writing begin? How did this insidious seed of doubt and insecurity get planted in these students? Is the phobia merely innate to most people? Or is there something about “the system” that leads bright young students to so easily believe they are terrible, inept writers?
Throughout the semester, the students worked their butts off — filtering in and out of office hours, sending emails timestamped at 2AM so they could run a newly problematized thesis by me… making delightfully out-of-control outlines and “thought-webs” that required two pieces of paper to be taped together… And after a few serious grammatical facelifts and a couple truly re-visioned revisions, these students started turning out some pretty impressive work; stuff that made me think, challenged some of my own beliefs, and helped me see important social issues through a modified lens. One student addressed the issue of removing potatoes from public school lunches by writing a thoughtful, well-researched, and kind of romantic love letter to the “wrongfully targeted and victimized spud.” Another student wrote a very convincing piece about the history of high fashion and its dismal evolution from a mode of self-expression into just another way to alienate “outsiders.” One student even made me feel pangs of sincere sympathy for…. God forgive me…. Michael Vick.
Now, I don’t want to be too plucky here… there were, of course, some students who said writing just wasn’t their “thing” and by the end of the semester… their feelings (and their writing) changed minimally. But I was surprised by how difficult it was to convince these otherwise confident students of their strengths. Many accused me of “just being nice” when I said their paper impressed me, showed improvement, or taught me something new. (Trust me, some of the stuff you guys turned in was not pretty… and I think my comments reflected that.) So although I can’t offer any practical answers to the questions I’ve posed about the writing phobia and its origins, I’ll say…. it seems largely unfounded… and I fear it’s becoming a silent, uncontrolled epidemic.
I have no solutions right now, but for what it’s worth, all you college freshmen (and anybody else who’s still reading this post): you may very well be a heinous writer, but I have a sneaking suspicion you’re not giving yourself enough credit. And I know a group of really bright students who *I think* have conquered this phobia and could write you a damn good paper convincing you to give writing a chance.
Related Posts
You are what you eat., leave a comment cancel reply.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Notify me of follow-up comments by email.
Notify me of new posts by email.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .
Are You In An Emergency?
How to overcome anxiety over writing papers?
- Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) (Morningside)
- Counseling Services (CUIMC)
Cite this Response
Alice! Health Promotion. "How to overcome anxiety over writing papers?." Go Ask Alice!, Columbia University, 24 Jun. 2022, https://goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/how-overcome-anxiety-over-writing-papers. Accessed 14, Aug. 2024.
Copy Citation
Alice! Health Promotion. (2022, June 24). How to overcome anxiety over writing papers?. Go Ask Alice!, https://goaskalice.columbia.edu/answered-questions/how-overcome-anxiety-over-writing-papers.
Dear Alice,
I have terrible anxiety about writing papers. Because of this, I put them off, need to ask for extensions, and then have more anxiety about completing the assignment. In addition, when I start writing, I find it difficult to keep going, especially because I hit what may seem to others as small roadblocks, like uncertainty about citation format. I don’t experience nearly as much stress about other types of work (e.g., studying for and taking exams). What can I do to get over or at least cope reasonably with this fear?
Dear Reader,
Just thinking about writing anxiety made this answer more difficult to compose. You see, writing anxiety and writer’s block are concerns for both students and professionals of all ages and academic levels. In fact, even the most seasoned writers experience anxiety or writer’s block now and then. Fortunately, writing is a complex process that, with practice and patience, may be improved. Read on for some strategies for overcoming the roadblock you’re experiencing.
Writing anxiety comes in multiple forms such as an inability to form an idea, a physical struggle to manifest words on the paper, or a fear of not meeting expectations that hinders your progress. The four main causes of writer’s block include psychological, motivational, cognitive, and behavioral reasons. Psychological causes often include mood or stressors that affect cognitive processing. Motivation-related blocks often arise from a fear of failure. Similarly, those categorized as cognitive causes stem from perfectionism and obsession with details, much like you described in your uncertainty when formatting citations. Lastly, the most common cause of writing anxiety is behavioral changes such as procrastination. Procrastination may lead to a domino effect in which more work doesn’t get done and the pile-up becomes overwhelming. Writer’s block is different for everyone not only in its cause but also in its manifestation and how long it lasts. For some, it may occur for a few minutes and for others it may take decades to overcome, but it’s good to know that it’s possible.
It’s worth noting that more and more research has been dedicated to understanding the psychology behind writer’s block in order to help conquer it. Multiple studies have concluded that writer’s block is most effectively combated by giving the brain a break. This period of time is called the incubation period and could include activities such as going on a walk, playing a word game, or getting a full night’s sleep. When done for an appropriate amount of time, these mental breaks could help writers to think more creatively and find inspiration. Fortunately, writing anxiety is typically a product of a writer’s habits, and habits are changeable! You’ve already made a great first step by identifying a few things that don’t work for you — procrastination and obtaining deadline extensions provide you little or no relief. Now, the next step is to try out or adopt some new habits. To help relieve the anxiety and fear you feel about writing papers, implementing any of the following strategies may be useful:
- Stay on top of your reading assignments and do your best to attend classes — that way you won’t have to cram or teach yourself course material before writing your papers.
- Prior to writing, brainstorm ideas. Create a chart or write down topics of interest to refer back to while writing.
- Follow the guidelines your professor talked about in class or included in a syllabus or grading rubric. If you’re not sure about the guidelines, ask for clarification early.
- Start writing even before you envision your entire argument. Getting words down on paper may help you come up with the rest of your writing assignment. Try free writing or diagramming to inspire ideas.
- Compose different parts of your paper in whatever order feels easy. You’re not required to write in sequential order, as long as the final product is well-organized. Some find it helpful to start with the sections that come naturally and move toward the more challenging parts.
- Avoid stopping and editing each sentence as you write. This will slow you down. Instead, consider writing your paper in several whole drafts, and take breaks between editing. Remind yourself that the first draft is low-pressure and exploratory.
- Write your paper in several sittings rather than trying to crank it out in one marathon session. Attempting to write a paper in one sitting may overwhelm you, thereby distracting you from your task.
- Avoid distractions by turning off your internet and cellphone or writing a draft by hand.
- Get feedback from others. Many schools offer writing support services such as helping you develop and structure ideas, find research, connect thoughts, strengthen your understanding of grammar, and much more.
- Seek out additional support. If you’re wondering if your writing block is related to a learning disability, you can check to see if your school as an office of disability services that provides support to students.
You can also reach out to instructors or a tutor to help implement these strategies for combating writing anxiety. Remember that writing anxiety is common — and you’re certainly not alone. However, if you continue to experience these feelings and need additional support, you might find it helpful to reach out to a mental health professional.
Additional Relevant Topics:
How do i implement time management strategies and avoid procrastination, what are some tools for managing stress, what should i do if my classmates seem to breeze through coursework while i struggle, how can i find a therapist.
IMAGES
COMMENTS
The first is 'scriptophobia' (Biran, Augusto and Wilson, 1981) or 'writing phobia' (Johnson, Shenoy and Gilmore, 1982), which is an irrational fear of writing in front of another person. Although an underlying fear of shame before someone else may be common to essay-writing phobia and scriptophobia, the presenting problem is different.
Albert Bandura would say that low self-efficacy about doing an assignment adequately is at the heart of essay-writing phobia. For students with a phobia, a better goal than doing the assignment adequately (which to some of them means perfectly) is to do the assignment as a good (or perfect!) student does: following a preparation/writing ...
As is so very common, "essay writing phobia" is presented as an individual pathology whereas it is actually largely a response to structural and cultural problems in the Academy. One problem is that universities (and psychology departments are esp. guilty of this) do not allow students enough leeway to develop their own voice (as you have ...
Essay-writing phobia in undergraduates. Essay-writing phobia in undergraduates. Essay-writing phobia in undergraduates Behav Res Ther. 1986;24(5):603-4. doi: 10.1016/0005-7967(86)90042-2. Author J P Phillips. PMID: 3753388 DOI: 10.1016/0005-7967(86)90042-2 No abstract available. MeSH terms ...
adjusting to a new form of writing—for example, first year college writing, papers in a new field of study, or longer forms than you are used to (a long research paper, a senior thesis, a master's thesis, a dissertation) (Hjortshoj 56-76). writing for a reader or readers who have been overly critical or demanding in the past.
Graduate students as academic writers: Writing anxiety, self-efficacy and emotional intelligence. Higher Education Research & Development, 36(4), 716-729. See Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy ...
Writing strategies. Listen to a pep talk about the anxieties typically experienced by new graduate students: Gradschoolitis. If you're feeling overwhelmed, start at step one ("Understand the Assignment") in "How to write an undergraduate-level essay" or "How to write a graduate-level essay". Use the 12-step process provided in each guide to ...
Semantic Scholar extracted view of "Essay-writing phobia in undergraduates." by J.P.N. Phillips
Michigan Quarterly Review, founded in 1962, is the University of Michigan's flagship literary journal, publishing each season a collection of essays, interviews, memoirs, fiction, poetry, and book reviews.. 3277 Angell Hall 435 S. State St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1003 Main Office: (734) 764-9265 [email protected]
Ways to Combat Writing Anxiety. Talk to someone. "Talk to professors, peers, tutors [and] writing consultants," Tigges said. "You may find out that you're not alone, that students everywhere are struggling with this. They can also give you advice and show you how to get started on assignments that you might not be familiar with.".
To help relieve the anxiety and fear you feel about writing papers, implementing any of the following strategies may be useful: Stay on top of your reading assignments and do your best to attend classes — that way you won't have to cram or teach yourself course material before writing your papers. Prior to writing, brainstorm ideas.
The issue of perfectionism in difficulty writing essays is by know means a new one, in 1986 J Phillips wrote "Essay-writing phobia in undergraduates" and talked of "a fear of preparing written work, which is highly disabling, and can therefore endanger the academic career of able and intelligent undergraduates whose performance is otherwise satisfactory and well-regarded by staff." 1 ...
It sounds like you have serious anxiety that's triggered by writing. Here are some things you might try if you can't afford a therapist. First, pick a book and copy the text out of it. This will help you get used to the physical activity of typing or writing by hand without being concerned with what you are writing.
Dealing with writing anxiety requires two parts. The first is managing the symptoms of writing anxiety. That means, elimninating the queasiness, tension, and brain fog that often accompanies anxiety attacks. The second part is to find strategies that keep you moving forward, even when you're stressed.
Essay-writing phobia in undergraduates (Q69609109) From Wikidata. Jump to navigation Jump to search. scientific article published on 01 January 1986. edit. Language Label Description Also known as; English: Essay-writing phobia in undergraduates. scientific article published on 01 January 1986. Statements. instance of.
Personally, I am afraid of three things. My top fears are heights, darkness and public speaking. My first fear is heights. Whenever I'm in a really high place, I get dizzy and uncomfortable. I ...
We've compiled a list of 116 phobia essay topic ideas and examples to help inspire you. Whether you're writing a research paper, a personal essay, or a creative piece, there's sure to be a topic on this list that sparks your interest. The psychology behind phobias: causes, symptoms, and treatment options ...
These are the challenges students must overcome when writing their supplemental essays.Supplemental essays are a critical component of college applications—like the personal statement, they ...
Writing the personal essay for your college application can be tough, but we're here to help. Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started, but the sooner you begin, the more time and thought you can put into an essay that stands out. Check out some tips: 1. Keep it real.
The study aimed to investigate impact of examination phobia on students' academic achievement. It is concluded that, examination phobia is caused by different personal, parental and teacher related factors. Some of the major personal factors are nervousness, poor preparation, fear of parents and teacher, punishment, not getting admission in a ...
College Admissions Essays about Anxiety. The rise of flickering cell phone screens, social media, and the insane competition of college admissions will define this era in history. Alongside the innovations and competition of the 21st Century is a rise of anxiety amongst all age groups, including, and perhaps especially, teenagers.
I'm wondering if this is too out-there for an essay topic. I have emetophobia, a phobia of vomitting coupled with mild to moderate claustrophobia. I mean it-this is a full blown PHOBIA, a disease, the kind of thing that sets me crying and shaking and my heart racing if I feel the slightest bit ill or am around someone who's sick. I work as a camp couselor with 3 to 5 year olds, and one ...
The impact of fears and phobias on mental health and well-being can be profound, leading to increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Individuals with phobias may experience a range of physical symptoms, including rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, and nausea. These symptoms can be debilitating, interfering with daily ...
School Anxiety and Phobia in Children. Fear of school is a widespread phenomenon in the modern world, so it is essential to track the symptoms as quickly as possible and eradicate the cause of stress. We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts. 185 writers online. Learn More.
As we know Phobia is extreme anxiety (fear) to a certain objects, conditions or people. Medical phobia is known to be fear of health related objects and conditions (e.g. blood, death, diseases, cancer, infections, injections, and bacteria). From a survey done by our group members the statistics show that 26% of males suffer from medical phobia ...
Students Striving To Write More Authentic Essays. The Supreme Court's ruling to end affirmative action has caused a great deal of consternation among people of color in the nation.
As students reveal upsetting personal information to us, we must help them transform it in ways that become meaningful, writes Deborah J. Cohan. When I started teaching in the mid-90s, student disclosure of terrifying and heartbreaking memories felt sacred. It was even before I heard the phrase "hold space," but I realized that I was indeed being tasked with holding something carefully and ...
Essay Writing Stress As a fellow college student, I completely. AI Chat with PDF. Expert Help. Study Resources. Log in Join. Chapter 2 Apply what you have learned.docx - Chapter 2... Pages 2. Riverside City College. COUNSELING. COUNSELING 6. BailiffFrog305. 10/24/2023. View full document. Students also studied. BMAL 703 Effective Team ...
Consider the Essay Structure: Begin by outlining the word count and organizing the essay into clear, concise paragraphs. Gather Information: Research the history and significance of Independence Day and decide on the order in which to present the information. Start with the Basics: Begin by explaining the origins of Independence Day and how it is celebrated at home or in school.
For literature reviews or other types of essays or response or reaction papers, you might describe how you used the tool in your introduction. In your text, provide the prompt you used and then any portion of the relevant text that was generated in response. ... and students learn, write, and work with new technologies. Reference. American ...