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Getting Started

Getting Started

Whether we are a published writer or a student taking our first composition class, we grapple with the same challenges. Writing anxiety can block writer’s efforts to “get started” and take the joy out of the writing process. At the Writing Center, we offer help with any stage of the writing process – from dealing with anxiety or brainstorming a topic to polishing a final draft.

In the Writing Center we offer a handout called “Becoming a Joyful, More Confident Writer.” For this handout click on the following link:Tips for becoming a more confident writer

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers an excellent discussion of writing anxiety and specific ways to work through it. Too often as writers we do not allow ourselves different ways of approaching our writing; changing our approach can free our creativity. For this handout click on the following link: http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/writing_anxiety.html

"I think this is a great place to get help. I wish I would have come here earlier because the help that is provided makes life great." – Brittni Ray, student

The Next Step: Organizing Our Thoughts

Once our "creative juices" start to flow we need effective ways to organize our thoughts. Again, writers benefit from having more than one approach at their disposal, since different forms of writing demand different ways of working, not to mention the impact the writer's mood may have on the process of organization! The University of North Carolina provides an excellent array of approaches. For their discussion on brainstorming, click on the following link:
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/brainstorming.html