Melissa McMullin, Psy.D. MCAPS Writers Block No Ideas Too Many Ideas Cant Get Started Outline Black hole Stuck in the Middle BoredStressed Loudmouth Inner-Critic Diagnose Your Block Do you understand the assignment? Find your
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Presentation Transcript
01
Melissa McMullin, Psy.D.
MCAPS Writer’s Block<br>
02
No Ideas
Too Many Ideas
Can’t Get Started
Outline Black hole
Stuck in the Middle
Bored/Stressed
Loudmouth Inner-Critic Diagnose Your Block<br>
03
Do you understand the assignment?
Find your inspiration:
What do you connect in the material?
What would you like to learn?
Rewrite the prompt for the assignment
Group brainstorm No Ideas<br>
04
Instructor
Textbook or other assigned readings
Other students in class
Professional journals or popular magazines
Relate it to your major
Consider past experiences
Learn more about your beliefs Finding Ideas<br>
05
List them
Review & Consider:
How do your ideas relate to one another?
What type of assignment is this?
Length of the paper?
Consolidate your ideas (if warranted)
What will your topic do for you? Too Many Ideas<br>
06
Write anything!
Write badly
Write for just 15 minutes
Write the smallest conceivable portion of your paper
Reward yourself for writing
Make a writing date with yourself Can’t Get Started<br>
07
Symptoms:
Your mind is a jumble of thoughts
You’ve written portions of the paper, but don’t know where you are going with it
Step away from the computer!
Mind map
Strategically brainstorm
Keep It Simple and Small (K.I.S.S.) Outline Black hole<br>
08
Mindmapping/Clustering
Spatially relate main concept to sub-concepts to examples/support
Hierarchy
Main idea
Sub-points
Examples
Facts
Statistics
Listing
List ideas then organize by color coating and other markers. Outlining Techniques<br>
09
Work backwards
Revisit your outline
Write anything
Rearrange the building blocks Stuck in the Middle<br>
10
Revitalize
Assess your self-care
Assess your timeline
Exercise
Stretch and/or jump
Talk it out
Breathe
Eat “brain food”
Revisit your topic
Check in with your critic Bored and/or Stressed<br>
11
Entertain your critic and write down what he or she says.
Evaluate the truth of the critical statements.
Challenge thought associations:
“If this paper sucks, then I am a failure.”
Reframe the thought (s)
Challenge your critic with hard facts.
Re-assign your critic to editor. Loud-Mouth Inner Critic<br>
12
Challenge your thoughts:
What is the evidence that the thought(s) is/are true? Not true?
Is there an alternative explanation?
What’s the worst that could happen?
Could I live through it?
What’s the best that can happen?
What’s the most realistic outcome?
What are the consequences of adhering to the distorted thinking?
What would happen if I changed my thinking?
If (friend’s name) were in this situation what would I tell him/her? Practicing Reframing Your Thoughts<br>
