Everyone gets that feeling where you sit and stare at your screen and want to cry at the fact you can’t write. It can be easy to lose creativity, inspiration and motivation whilst being a student. But, it can be easy to get it back. Here are 5 top tips to keep your pen and mind flowing and rock your essay writing.

1. Listening

Before the process of essay writing even begins, it's crucial to gather all the information, evidence and material that you need. This is where lectures and seminars are a huge help. Always write down anything you think will help you later when the question is set and the deadline is looming. The extra reading and tips from tutors are there to guide your way through term, so use it wisely. If your tutor is the one marking your work, ask them the questions and how they like work to be presented. Just ask them their own do’s and don’t’s to essay writing. You are paying a lot of money for their time so use it wisely!

2. Planning

Having a plan to your work is a staple. It will detract the worries and blanks you have when writing. For coursework and exam essays, planning will keep you focused to the task and remind you of the direction you need to be going in. Any sort of mind jumble to page jumble is necessary; a mind map, lists, doodles. Anything. The more you redraft and look at a plan, the more concise and cohesive your writing will turn out.

3. Taking inspiration from others' work

Reading other writers work, whatever the format, is one way to keep your brain active! This will encourage inspiration and constantly keep you in your writing bubble. It will help you think critically and see yourself as a critic like them. Think about all the talented writers that you admire! Appreciating their work will allow you to appreciate your own writing style and ideas. From blog posts to poetic writing to essays, a broad range of writing will show you the diversity capable in words and help push you in the right direction to put your stamp on things.

4. Share and listen to your critics

This is the scary stuff. Letting someone else read your own words and your own ideas and not knowing what anyone else thinks. But the more you push yourself the more confident you will become. As hard as it can be sometimes to receive feedback on how to improve things, this will only make your future self and writing progress and advance. Whether it’s classmates, family or a tutor they are there to help and want you to achieve the best they know you can. As the famous quote goes ‘it’s funny, the more I practice the luckier I get’. This is true to everything, any talent, any hobby. Keep sharing your writing, keep listening to feedback and your confidence will grow and grow. Show them who bosses their own writing!

5. Keep writing

Never give up. Whatever you are thinking, write it down. Whatever you are feeling, write it down. Words can become ideas and ideas can become amazing final projects and essays. Never stop your creativity or critical analysis and never think you are not good enough. You are in charge and only you can make it happen. So, grab that notebook and never underestimate the power that your mind and words have.

Words: Molly Lindsay-Bush