{"id":119,"date":"2014-02-06T08:51:43","date_gmt":"2014-02-06T08:51:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breathe-pod.org.uk\/blog\/?p=119"},"modified":"2021-06-08T08:52:03","modified_gmt":"2021-06-08T08:52:03","slug":"an-examination-of-writers-block","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breathe-pod.org.uk\/blog\/index.php\/2014\/02\/06\/an-examination-of-writers-block\/","title":{"rendered":"An examination of writer\u2019s block"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of my early blogs<\/a>\u00a0related to how I coach people who are struggling to pass exams \u2013 not because they don\u2019t have the knowledge, but because they panic or talk themselves out of it, or something similar. This work is often with CIPD candidates, and I worked with another such person in the lead up to the exam at the end of January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One specific aspect we worked on together was that of writer\u2019s block. Have you been in that situation? You have a pen in your hand or your fingers are hovering over the keyboard with that pristine piece of paper or the blank screen \u2026 and nothing happens. Where do you start? What do you start with? The longer you wait, the harder it can become \u2013 you convince yourself it will not happen, and so of course it doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the starting point for all this is our brain \u2013 and how we have been trained to use it since childhood.  At school we were taught to be very reliant on our left brain \u2013 using its logic, detail and patterns \u2013 however, the creativity and flow comes from the right brain. Sadly, the left brain doesn\u2019t get the right brain, and vice versa \u2013 they don\u2019t play together well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The consequence of this is that if we attempt to generate ideas and write creatively (with our right brain) and structure and edit our work at the same time (with our left brain) it often doesn\u2019t work very well. Our efforts become victim to our brains\u2019 battles \u2026 and the paper or screen remains blank and our fingers are like living statues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an aside, do you know what your personal preference is for the use of your left or right brain? This fun experiment<\/a> from Youtube can tell you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other increasingly evident issue for those taking written time-bound examinations is their normal reliance on computers. The younger members of society have been brought up on computers. They have never had to get a document just right from the start \u2013 pen and paper or typewriters were never very forgiving if you got your sequencing wrong. Secondly, writing with a pen for 2 or 3 hours is hard work if it\u2019s not something you are used to \u2013 another aspect that if dwelt on, confidence can start to ooze out of their pen far quicker than any ink does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those are the problems. Here are some top tips to experiment with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1              If it happens don\u2019t say to yourself (more than once), \u201cI\u2019ve got writers block\u201d. It will become a self-fulfilling prophecy and make it much more difficult to change your state. Move around in your chair a little, stretch your hands and use one of the following techniques which you will already have tried and tested \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2              The University of Reading<\/a> suggests you should, \u201c<\/strong>put your pen down, take a deep breath, sit back and relax for a moment. If you\u2019re in the middle of an answer, read through what you have written so far \u2013 what happens next? If you have to remember formulae, try associating them with pictures or music while revising. If you really can\u2019t progress with this answer, leave a gap. It will probably come back to you once you are less anxious.\u201d  Becoming less anxious is easier said than done, you may say to yourself \u2013 possibly, but here are some tips to assist you<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3              Warwick University Counselling Services<\/a> suggest, \u201cbrain-storming or making a mind map of the information\u201d, together with, \u201cTry to ignore any critical voices in your head. Don\u2019t aim for \u2018perfect\u2019; remember your objective is to get yourself working again.\u201d I have outlined the issue of \u2018being perfect\u2019<\/a> in previous blogs, together with how to address it.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

4              And \u2018perfection\u2019 means 100% \u2013 but you don\u2019t need 100%! The majority of exams require between 40% and 70% to pass.  Remind yourself of this. You can (and will!) make mistakes and drop marks \u2013 it happens with everyone in every exam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5              Author Seth Godin says, \u201cNo one ever gets talkers block\u201d. I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s completely accurate, but I understand what he means.  If you are stuck, start talking to yourself as if you were talking to your tutor or explaining the ides to a friend or colleague.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6              Another option is to start in the middle of an essay. Leave the first page blank and come back to it later. Report writers will complete the Executive Summary last of all, even though it is at the start of the report \u2013 consider completing your introduction as the last part of your essay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Perhaps you are an auditory person \u2013 you learn and are motivated through listening. If so, there may be a song that helps you. For me, the Eagles\u2019 \u201cDo Something\u201d fires me out of inaction in certain circumstances. I hum or sing the chorus and off I go! Here are some of the lyrics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when I feel like giving up<\/em>
And I\u2019m ready to walk away<\/em>
In the stillness, I can hear<\/em>
A voice inside me say<\/em>
Do something<\/em>
Do something<\/em>

Don\u2019t leave it up for someone else<\/em>
Don\u2019t feel sorry for yourself<\/em>
Why don\u2019t you do something?<\/em>
Do something<\/em>
It\u2019s not over<\/em>
No, it\u2019s never too late<\/em>
Do something<\/em>
Don\u2019t wait too long<\/em>
Even if it\u2019s wrong<\/em>
You\u2019ve got to do something<\/em>
Do something<\/em> \u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

8\u00a0\u00a0 Finally, what\u2019s to say you have to use every line on the page? In most exams you are marked for content rather than the number of lines you use or don\u2019t use. Your take on normality and acceptability will possibly make it harder for you to only use alternate lines, or leaving 5 lines between paragraphs \u2013 but try it. This will give you the chance to go back and make additional points if you wish to \u2013 thus releasing the concern of having to get it right first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>One or more of these ides will help you to start writing something meaningful \u2013 and once you get that first point or sentence down it becomes a whole lot easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final tip \u2013 don\u2019t leave this until the day of the exam to practice. Try them out beforehand (as suggested in Tip 1). You will then know which work for you \u2013 which will give you additional confidence as you wait to turn over the exam paper \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you have other tips that work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let me know which ones work for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of my early blogs\u00a0related to how I coach people who are struggling to pass exams \u2013 not because they don\u2019t have the knowledge, but because they panic or talk themselves out of it, or something similar. This work is often with CIPD candidates, and I worked with another such person in the lead up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7,30],"tags":[106,110,107],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/breathe-pod.org.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/breathe-pod.org.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/breathe-pod.org.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breathe-pod.org.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breathe-pod.org.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/breathe-pod.org.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":122,"href":"https:\/\/breathe-pod.org.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119\/revisions\/122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/breathe-pod.org.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breathe-pod.org.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breathe-pod.org.uk\/blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}