Just Get Started

In Is it OK to write when you have nothing to say? From Blue Skunk Blog by Doug Johnson shares,

“I’ve always thought of writer’s block as a form of mental hypochondria.”

I like to start off class by having students write for 5 minutes in their journals. Of course,I hear the usual grumblings and how they have nothing to say, and so on. I just tell them to just start writing and things will come to them. Sometimes their brain is working faster than they think it is.

I try to give them some prompts to help them get started.

• Yesterday I…
• Today I plan to…
• The best thing that happened yesterday was…
• The worst thing that happened yesterday was…
• It makes me mad when…

These usually spark something and once my students get started, they get annoyed when they have to stop. I usually extend writing time for five more minutes and tell them if they finish their assignment for the day, they can go back to write in it.

The best way to get past writer’s block is to just get started!

How do you help students get past writer’s block? Please share.

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