Help For Your Writing

By Matthew

If you're struggling with your writing, you're not alone! Writer's block happens to the best of us! And there are many ways to get help with your writing:

1. Brainstorm

Make a list of things you want to write about.

2. Make an outline

It will help you stay on task.

3. Read your piece to a trusted friend.

This will help you get writing feedback not only on the quality of the arguments, but also on how it sounds.

4. Read someone else's work

Find an author whose voice you admire. Believe it or not, when you read someone else’s work, you internalize patterns within their writing and can write (ever so slightly) more like them when you next choose to start writing.

5. If you're receiving guidelines from someone else, follow them exactly!

Try to use a template, as it can make writing much faster.

6. If you feel yourself getting stuck, take a break! A change of scenery might help.

It's good to take breaks and put yourself in a fresh state of mind.

7. If you get writer's block while writing:

Reread the directions and start over! Don't use editing as a way to avoid writing.

8. Use spellcheck and a good paraphrasing tool to check your grammar and improve what you’ve already written.

It's good to get feedback, even when it's automated, as it can help you notice things you may have missed.

9. Don't self-edit too much:

Have a trusted reader edit your work for you.

10. Print your piece and go back to it later.

Having a physical copy of your work often makes it easier to line edit.

11. Use the library:

Several academies have links to help you find topics, make outlines, learn new skills, try different ways to start or end a piece, find a contest, and more!

Here are tips for revising:

Revise your piece any time between drafts, but not during. Revising is when you cut things, add things, move things around, and change everything. This is when you edit.

For more on this point, check out our article on our sentence thesaurus.

1. Reread: As you read through your piece, make notes to yourself.

2. Find holes in your essay.

3. Write a new draft: Use what you've learned so far to make revisions.

4. Edit the new draft.

To learn more, check out this paraphrase how to guide; it's always good to see examples of paraphrase, so you know what to expect.