Writer’s Block

Maddie Fitzgerald, Writer

Sitting down to write anything can be intimidating. Essays, free responses, and poems are all forms of expression that Loyola Academy students are required to write in at one time or another. Despite how common it is for students to have to write eloquent, well articulated, thoughts in these writing forms, there is something that is even more common for the average student: writer’s block.

Writer’s block is a plague that harms every student across all school systems. Everyone has felt the dread that comes with not knowing where to start. It can become tiresome, frustrating, and discouraging. It can feel like there is no way around the issue, like you won’t be able to accomplish the assignment because you’re out of ideas and motivation. 

This feeling is not special to high school students, however. People who write books for a living, journalists, and so many more are challenged by this mental block.

Writing requires inspiration. In order to correctly express yourself through your writing you need to have the right ideas, environment, and mindset. The COVID 19 pandemic managed to put a damper on the inspiration that so many people had.

For me personally, I have had an incredibly hard time getting back into the swing of things since we came back. As a journalist I like to cover events around the school. Since we’ve come back I have found events happening around the school much more difficult to write about. I have spent a lot of time starting articles and never finishing them and it can be very frustrating.

Despite the difficulties that writer’s block presents, there are ways to try and get around it. Finding something you really enjoy and writing about that, regardless of what the task at hand is, can be a good way to get your creative juices flowing so that you can write an amazing piece that will be enjoyed by your teacher, editor, or readers.