Do you start to sweat when your professor assigns a paper?
Do you stare blankly at the computer screen or a blank sheet of paper?
Do you invent tasks (e.g. cleaning closet) when faced with a term paper deadline?
If you relate to these questions, you and I are in the same boat. I struggled through many college papers during my undergraduate years and somehow I survived my Master’s thesis. Even writing this short article brings me angst. Although I would like to believe that you can manage life without writing, it is just not possible. After all, it is an essential part of communication. And so I am writing to you in an attempt to help ease some of your fear and anxiety around WRITING. These are some tips that help me…hope they help you.
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Find out what is expected. Talk to your professor, clarify the assignment.
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Replace the negative self chatter (“I’m a horrible writer”) with something positive
(“I can do this”).
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Get started EARLY.
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Get organized: Pull together everything you need to write the paper (text, articles,
notes, outline, etc.).
 Find a technique that helps you start the paper (brainstorming, clustering, outlining, free writing).
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Break the paper up into workable segments; it is easier to manage that way.
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Set goals such as ‘write four paragraphs’ then reward yourself when you meet the goal.
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Take breaks along the way, this keeps the mind fresh. It could also be part of your reward system (finish four paragraphs and get to watch a favorite television show).
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Ask for help along the way (tutor, teacher, classmate, etc.). Check out the writing labs at the Integrated Learning Center (ILC).
You CAN do it.
Vivian Quimbaya-Winship
DCC Student Services