Essay

Address it as if it were a Mamapedia post. Is the topic interesting/ BTW-WHAT IS THE TOPIC? Maybe we can help out more if we had an idea...

There are all kinds of ways of starting and if you're graduating next month, then you've heard it all. But when I was in grad school and writing my dissertation, I reached a point where I was just too overwhelmed. I decided to take note cards and just write down random thoughts. If I could reference a book or article I needed to cite, I did, but I didn't go out of my way to do it in any official way. Once the thoughts were on paper and not just jumbled in my head, I taped them all to the wall. I grouped them in different ways and orders until I was satisfied with the logic of how my thoughts held together. Then I just started writing -- NOT from the beginning, because that opening line is the hardest to write, but from wherever my thoughts felt like starting. Once you get going, things will flow better. But usually, that writer's block isn't because you don't have ideas -- often it's because you have too many ideas or your ideas don't hold together. Your anxiety is because you're afraid of doing it wrong, and a lot of times in college they teach you the "right" way to write, but stop thinking about that and just start, right or wrong, because you can edit once it's on paper.
Good luck.

I teach SAT prep and my students have to get used to writing an essay in 25 minutes with no foreknowledge of what the topic will be. If they can do this, you can too!

The first step, as someone already mentioned, is to spend time organizing your thoughts. For SAT, it's 3-5 minutes. One of pure thinking, the rest are writing an I-B-C outline. I is for Intro, B is for Body, C is for Conclusion. The I of your outline should include your thesis. The B will become the body paragraphs that support your thesis, so this is where you jot down your thoughts about what you can use for evidence to prove your thesis (for more detailed papers, just some very basic thoughts). The C of your outline is where you jot down some ideas for how to close your essay.

Once you have that, for a "real" essay like you're doing (not a 25 minute on-the-spot one), the next step would be to flesh out your body paragraphs with examples from your text (English essays) or your research (everything else). Then you just translate your notes into sentences, string those into paragraphs, then edit and you're done.

If I were you, I would block off 30 minutes and pretend you're taking a test. Do the IBC outline process for 5 minutes and then start typing up what you outlined into sentences. You should be able to get 4 paragraphs done - an intro, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. Then you're no longer staring at blank page and can flesh it out more, add more supporting evidence to the body of the essay, tighten up your thesis, edit the heck out of it, etc.

I hope those tips help - I have worked with quite a few students who have had essay anxiety outside of the SAT and applying this technique has helped them to jump start their non-SAT essays.

I don't know if this is the root of your anxiety, but I know that a lot of people are taught that there is one way to prepare for, organize, and write an essay. If your brain doesn't think in that way, then it can be very frustrating to try to shoe-horn it in. I was taught to always start with stating my theme and then drafting an outline - yet when I write now, I almost never start that way. I usually start with random thoughts about the subject of the paper, and the more I get those thoughts down, the more the paper begins to congeal in my head. At a certain point, I can start pulling those thoughts into paragraphs and a coherent paper. This process may not work for everyone (and, or course, I do the research and other work necessary for the paper), but in a couple of decades of having serious writing requirements (college, law school, and legal practice), this has been what works for me.
This might not work for you - my point really is that there are a lot of ways to prep and organize a paper. You might want to look on line for some thoughts and see which method "speaks" to you.
Finally - some people get caught up in the idea that there is only one "right answer" in an essay - like a multiple choice question. Essays are often more forgiving. They may require more work in terms of research, but I've read plenty of well-written papers by different authors who ultimately have the same conclusion, but who get there in different ways. None of the authors were wrong - they just expressed themselves differently (though, of course, they all had to be written coherently and the research had to be sound).
I hope this helps, or if not, that you get some advice that does. I know how stressful the end of a semester can be. Best of luck.

I had a really great teacher in high school for AP US History. When we were preparing for the AP test (which is mostly essays), he taught us to read the question, and then SIT AND THINK for at least 5 minutes before even writing an outline. This does a couple of things. One, you organize your thoughts. You think about what point(s) you want to make, and what your thesis is. Two, you can think of supporting facts. Maybe at this point you decide to tweak your thesis a little bit so your facts will better support it. Three, you calm down before you begin to write. So, before you do anything, read the essay topic and THINK. Don't pick up a pen or launch Microsoft Word. Just think.

Then, once you have a basic idea in mind, get a scratch piece of paper and jot down a short outline. I like to use bullet points. If it's a research paper, this is a good place to jot down your source books (so you can pull out quotations as needed easily as you write).

Once you have a basic outline, then launch Microsoft Word. Don't even think about formatting. Just write. Don't worry about spelling or grammar. Just write. Yeah, it'll be ugly. Yeah, it'll be missing important things. Whatever. Just write.

Print it out. Read it. Have a red pen in hand, and start editing. Spell check, grammar check, fix awkward sentences. Print it out again. Read it again. Fix the stuff you didn't see on the first go-around. By this point, your essay will be pretty good. Format it. Read it one last time, have someone else read it with a red pen in hand to catch anything you missed. Bam. Done.

This was the method I learned in high school, and it got me all the way through college. I wrote my senior thesis (100+ pages long, in French) using this method. Don't put pressure on yourself. You have something important to say, and by the time you're done, you will have said it. Writing an essay is nothing more than that!

Oh, also I should mention that I did my best writing in college when I was half-drunk. Who knows? Maybe a glass of wine or three would help you. Give it a go. :)

Is this an essay or a term paper?

I'm probably the only one who would ever say this but I loved doing term papers. I love to write and I love to learn new things. So researching, then writing about what I learned for me was fun. What makes it easy is to find a subject that interests you, outline your paper, find your quotes, then start writing.

When I was in college I had a knuckle dragging jerk for an English Professor. The man had a Masters in English and his favorite words to use were all the cuss words. He also said that all women were sluts and whores ect.... He had caught an S/O cheating so he was just downright mean to the women in his class. He also mentioned that PMS wasn't real and women were just just a bunch of whiney fakers ect. This was early '80's when PMS was just starting to be talked about. So.... I had to do an end of the semester term paper any topic ------ I did my paper supporting that PMS was real and many women suffered from it. He had to read the paper to grade it. I laughed all the while I researched and wrote it. I got a B in the class too!! :-))

Congrats on the diploma -- You can do this.

I just googled "essay writing anxiety" and found http://custompapers.com/writing-tutorial/writing-anxiety/ - maybe it can help. You're not alone. It's the pressure you're putting on yourself. Judging yourself before you even get started. Breathe. Ask a friend to help you brainstorm ideas, etc. Don't feel like you have to do it all alone. Help isn't cheating - having someone write it is cheating. :) GOOD LUCK!

I hesitate to suggest this because I don't know you and how you cope. When I'm too anxious to do something I take a 1/2 mg of Ativan. It does wonders. It takes such a little amount to get me started at what I need to do. Along with the Ativan, I talk with my therapist who encourages me and gives me ideas so that when I leave his office I'm ready to start. As I work I continue to focus on each step and keeping a positive attitude. What we say to ourselves can cut us down.

Talking with friends also helps when they have a positive attitude. And, I give myself rewards along the way. I take a break after so many hours for example. I also take walks to work out the kinks and up my body's serotonin production.

You can do it. We're pulling for you!

Added - Reverend Ruby, way to stick it to your professor! Bahaha!!!!

Original:
I used to be that way when I was in college. Now, I have so many words in my head that writing is a therapeutic way to get them out. Perhaps if you look at your subject and think of writing about it as a way to "talk" about it, it might be easier.

One thing you might try is to write down a list of things you want to discuss. Then look at the list and write a paragraph about each thing on the list. After you have done that, your brain will be ready to formulate a real outline. Work on the outline. Make it as detailed as you can. "Talk" your outline, in fact.

By the time you have done that, your paper is essentially written. Then put all the extras on your outline into and between the paragraphs you've already written. Walk away from it after that point and after you've slept on it, go back and start editing.

Make sure you look back at your rubric and determine that everything is in the paper that you need to include. Tweak your thesis and your conclusion if you need to.

I am so much better at writing now that I am an adult than when I was right out of high school. I'll bet you are too. You are just worried about a deadline, and that's seizing up your brain, so to speak. So change your thought process and think about TALKING on paper instead of "writing" a paper.

Hope this helps!
Dawn

Do not give up, you can do it... H., Just a few more ideas:
First, as others have told you, you need to organize your ideas. To write your paper (essay or book report) down you need to know how to write a simple paragraph. Every paragraph will need to connect with the following paragraph with a conclusive sentence or a sentence that leads to your next paragraph. Start doing this:
Step 1; Prewriting: choose or find a topic (unless you already know that is about a book or chapter, etc...) You can do this by jotting down your general ideas like drawing clusters or a simple list.
Step 2.: Drafting: Write a complete beginning,middle and end of your topic. It is just a draft, do not stop on details and grammar yet. Just write what comes to your mind, write, write.....You do NOT have to write the beginning first,, begin by writing any idea or whatever is easiest on your mind now. you can organize the paragraph later. Do you know enough about the topic. or you will need to do some research about it ? This will give you a clue about what you want to write also. Who you think is going to read your paper?
Step3: Revising: this is a VERY important step. Read your draft, and find ways to improve it or make it more interesting. This mean checking for ideas and content (add more specific details?, are all my points related to my topic? etc.) Organization (are my ideas in a logical order?, does my writing have a beginning, middle, and end?, etc...How can I make my writing easier to read? or more attractive to readers..etc.)
Step4: Editing/Proofreading: Check grammar, (spelling, mechanics,usage,etc.) make sure all your sentences are complete and make sense. Have someone read your work and ask for help to determine errors or misunderstanding. Proofreading: marks your errors/mistakes, A paper is usually D. double-space so you will have enough room for correction, and proofreading.
Step5: Presentation

Good Luck!!!

Take the pressure off by not looking at the end result "if I don't write these
papers, I won't graduate").You can and you will.

Think of it like this: When you take off for a trip, you don't just get there.
You pack a suitcase, gas up the car, map out & print directions, pack
snacks, get in the car, adjust your mirrors, back out the driveway & start
off. You don't "get there" right away.

Start off slowly. Think of it in chunks:
Sit down where you can write.
Have your subject if given to you or have an idea if it's left up to you.
Start slowly.
Sketch out ideas on your paper.
Random ideas you want to include.
Then write an outline. Example for a paper on how to make a pizza
A. Dough ready
1. Homemade or store bought
B. Sauce ready
1. Homemade or store bought
C. Dough on pizza pan
D. Add sauce
E. Top w/cheese
F. Add toppings like olives, pepperoni etc

Then start writing.
You'll have the rough outline in your head to follow.

You can always go back & change things. You'll edit & revise later when you do a read through.

Right now you are just putting pen to paper or typing it.

Think positive. See yourself finishing your paper in your mind's eye. See
yourself turning it in. Only tell yourself positive self talk. (I can do this. I
WILL get it done.). Don't worry about graduating as you will graduate.
See yourself graduating. Remember to give yourself breaks. Write for
awhile, pause for a short break. I try not to stop when I am I am "on a
roll". Go with it.

Ask for help. If you have someone at school that can assist you a little, ask them for help.

If you have a good friend that is great in school, goal oriented, ask them
for some assistance/advice/coaching.

You can do this. Remember....take it in chunks.....start tonight.

Updated

Take the pressure off by not looking at the end result "if I don't write these
papers, I won't graduate").You can and you will.

Think of it like this: When you take off for a trip, you don't just get there.
You pack a suitcase, gas up the car, map out & print directions, pack
snacks, get in the car, adjust your mirrors, back out the driveway & start
off. You don't "get there" right away.

Start off slowly. Think of it in chunks:
Sit down where you can write.
Have your subject if given to you or have an idea if it's left up to you.
Start slowly.
Sketch out ideas on your paper.
Random ideas you want to include.
Then write an outline. Example for a paper on how to make a pizza
A. Dough ready
1. Homemade or store bought
B. Sauce ready
1. Homemade or store bought
C. Dough on pizza pan
D. Add sauce
E. Top w/cheese
F. Add toppings like olives, pepperoni etc

Then start writing.
You'll have the rough outline in your head to follow.

You can always go back & change things. You'll edit & revise later when you do a read through.

Right now you are just putting pen to paper or typing it.

Think positive. See yourself finishing your paper in your mind's eye. See
yourself turning it in. Only tell yourself positive self talk. (I can do this. I
WILL get it done.). Don't worry about graduating as you will graduate.
See yourself graduating. Remember to give yourself breaks. Write for
awhile, pause for a short break. I try not to stop when I am I am "on a
roll". Go with it.

Ask for help. If you have someone at school that can assist you a little, ask them for help.

If you have a good friend that is great in school, goal oriented, ask them
for some assistance/advice/coaching.

You can do this. Remember....take it in chunks.....start tonight.