Writer's Block - Graduate Writing Center

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Overcoming Writer's Block

Everyone has experienced at least a little mental resistance while trying to write. We regularly offer "Unlocking the Brain: Tips for Writer's Block," a freeform Q&A/dicussion with coaches and student panelists, to explore some of the ways we conquer writer's block. Meanwhile, check out the following links.

Overcoming Writer's Block Links

Handout (printable): "Symptoms and Cures for Writer's Block," Purdue OWL
Handout (printable): "Writing Anxiety," UNC Chapel Hill Writing Center
Video (2:56): "Research & Writing Tips: How to Get Rid of Writer's Block," Laura Turner
Video (19:28): "Your Elusive Creative Genius," TEDTalk by Elizabeth Gilbert
Book: The 7 Secrets of the Prolific: The Definitive Guide to Overcoming Procrastination, Perfectionism, and Writer's Block, Hillary Rettig, Infinite Art, 2011
Book: Rework, Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson, Crown Business, 2010

GWC - all topics list heading

Writing Topics A–Z

This index makes findings topics easy and links to the most relevant page for each item. Please email us at writingcenter@nps.edu if we're missing something!

A-Z content menu

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

abbreviations abstracts academic writing acronyms active voice adjectives, compound advisor, selecting and working with AI apostrophes appointment with GWC coaches, how to schedule argument article usage artificial intelligence assignments, understanding them audience
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B

body paragraphs booking an appointment with a GWC coach brackets, square brainstorming
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C

D

dangling modifiers dashes dependent clauses dependent marker words display equations distance learning double submission of coursework drafting Dudley Knox Library
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E

editing your own work editing: outside editors em dash en dash equations exclamation points executive summary
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F

FANBOYS FAQs figures first person, use of in academic writing footnotes fragments free-writing
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G

generative artificial intelligence (AI) gerunds grammar graphics graphs group writing GWC appointment, how to schedule
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H

homophones Honor Code, NPS human subjects research hyphens
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I

ibid. incomplete sentences independent clauses Institutional Review Board interviews, conducting introductions IRB iThenticate
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J

Joining the Academic Conversation
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L

LaTeX library liaisons lists, syntax of literature reviews logic and analysis
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M

M dash making a GWC appointment mathematics memos methodology modifiers, compound modifiers, misplaced
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N

N dash nominalizations note-taking noun clusters numbers
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O

organization outlining Oxford comma
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P

Q

questionnaires, administering questions quotation marks quoting
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R

Reading with Intent I Reading with Intent II redundancies reference software reflection papers research research guides, discipline-specific research questions restrictive vs. nonrestrictive information reusing papers reverse outlining revision roadmaps run-on sentences
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S

T

tables technical writing tense that vs. which thesis advisor, selecting and working with thesis process overview Thesis Processing Office (TPO) thesis proposals: common elements thesis statements thesis writing this, that, these, those tone, professional topic sentences transitions types of papers
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U

United States or U.S.?
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V

verbs and verb tense
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W

which vs. that why write? writer’s block writing process
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Z

Zotero
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