5 Things to Do If You’re Totally Stuck
Feeling stuck? Don’t worry. Here’s what to do:
First, diagnose what kind of “stuck” you are.
Some ways you might be stuck:
AT THE START OF THE WRITING PROCESS
Problem: I can’t come up with any ideas.
Go to this page of the montage path, and try the mini-exercises. Then, explore a few of the different approaches to montage here.
Or spend some time exploring/expanding upon the Feelings and Needs Exercise.
Those didn’t help? Try the additional brainstorming exercises here.
If you have the option, try brainstorming with someone else by talking through those exercises.
Related problem: I’ve done those exercises and I’m still stuck.
Did you do them well? Or kinda’ fast? If so, try going back and spending a little more time on them. For example, if you’re having trouble thinking of ideas, you could easily spend an hour really exploring the mini montage exercises. Find someplace quiet, and dive in.
Perfectionism problems: How much of your feeling stuck is related to wanting to write a really good first draft? Like so good it’s almost done? Or are you searching for the “perfect” idea before getting started?
As much as you can, try to let those things go, at least for now. A first draft’s purpose is largely to give you a clear sense of where to head with the second draft and beyond. Chances are, you’ll end up throwing a lot of the first draft away. And that’s a good thing. So take the pressure off the first draft.
And regarding “perfect” ideas...there actually aren’t any. The more uncommon an idea/topic is, the easier it might be for it to stand out. But we’ve also seen outstanding essays written by students about food or the meaning of their name. So aim for uncommon, but not “perfect.”
Problem: I have a few ideas but I’m not sure how to choose between them.
Maybe don’t yet? What we mean by that is, we think it’s really useful to build good outlines for 2-3 ideas, then dive into the drafting process with one that seems to have the most interesting potential. But even then, keep those other options in mind—we’ve seen plenty of students spend some time on one version of a main statement, and later explored a different idea that ended up being stronger.
What helps a topic stand out?
We believe a Montage essay can be more likely to stand out if the topic is:
X. Elastic (i.e., you can connect it to range of different examples or moments)
Y. Uncommon (i.e., something other students aren’t necessarily writing about)
We believe a Narrative essay can be more likely to stand out if it contains:
X. Compelling challenges
Y. Insight (i.e., “so what” moments)
For a more in depth discussion of how to decide and what helps a topic stand out, go here.
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WRITING PROCESS
Problem: I’m over the word limit and not sure what to cut.
Question: How over the word limit are you? Way over (like 1,500 words for a 650 word essay), or just a little bit over (like 100 words)?
If you’re way over the word limit, try this…
Retell your essay to yourself, using a recording app or the voice memo feature on your phone (if you have one). Do this from memory, without looking at your essay draft. Already, you might find, your story will shorten—you’ll probably cut a few areas and you maybe even added a few details that weren’t there.
Then, without even listening to what you’ve recorded, re-tell your story one more time. Once you’ve done that, listen back to your essay and bullet point your story as you listen. This will serve as your new outline. Write a draft with this new outline and, again, don’t look back at previous drafts.
Some specific differences between cutting for different structural approaches:
Narrative: Break your essay up into the Challenges + Effects, What I Did About It, What I Learned sections. Check to see if, in terms of your word count, are they relatively even in weight? In other words: is one section way bigger than the others? (It’s a pretty common problem to spend way too much word count on the Challenges portion, for example.)
Aim to spend roughly one-third of your word count on each section. If your challenges section is taking up 600 words, you’ll probably want to rewrite it so it lands around the 250 word mark for a 650 word essay. So ask yourself: what are the essential components the reader needs?
Montage: Do you have just a few massive paragraphs? Or many smaller paragraphs? Or are the paragraphs pretty uneven in word count weight (some way bigger than others)?
If it’s a few massive paragraphs, is one weaker than the others? Consider cutting an entire piece. Or, cut within the massive paragraphs.
If it’s many smaller paragraphs, can you cut some of the weaker ones, to get much closer to 650, then trim within the paragraphs you keep?
If they’re uneven, focus on cutting the longer paragraphs (note: it can be ok to have paragraphs that are very different in word count weight, but trimming longer paragraphs can be one of the easiest ways to cut words).
If you’re just a little bit over, try this…
First, clarify the main idea of each paragraph. How?
For Narrative … imagine each paragraph is a scene in a movie. Then give a title for each scene. (Example for Adrian’s What Had to Be Done essay: Paragraph 1: “The Arrest” Par. 2: “Early Life Struggles,” etc.
For Montage ... try writing the single sentence version of each paragraph. Then, with that in mind, check if you have phrasing (or even entire sentences) that don’t really contribute to the central focus of the paragraph.
For example, for the Laptop Stickers essay, a single sentence version of the first couple paragraphs might be
We <3 Design connects to my love of design and developing my own style
Common Threads represents street artists in Austin and how they taught me about authenticity and culture
Cut/change Prepositional Phrases
Some prep phrases (as in “of the game” or “over the river” or “through the woods” or “to grandmother’s house”) are useful and important for clarifying relationships and detail. But many prep phrases are wordy and unnecessary, and can be significantly cut down.
Ex:
The manager of the team → the team’s manager
Or:
It is of the utmost importance for the sake of health outcomes for anyone with a concerning family history of cancer that they should not partake of the kinds of foods with a high likelihood of exacerbating the issue.
→
Those with a family history of cancer should be wary with their diets.
Avoid Nominalizations (Use better verbs)
To nominalize is to turn a verb phrase into a noun or adjective phrase. Generally wordier, less effective, less interesting.
Ex: The goal of a good essay is the demonstration of values and the communication of insight.
vs.
A good essay demonstrates values and communicates insight.
“Demonstrates” and “communicates” are stronger, more interesting verbs than “is” (pro tip: the verb “is” generally sucks. Sometimes you’ll have to use it. Frequently you have better options.)
Hemingway App
You can give it a try here.
Important note on app use: You have to delete the text that’s there, then paste in your own essay. (This isn’t necessarily obvious on first use.)
Caveat: We don’t always agree with the suggestions, but it’s generally a useful tool if you’re unsure.
Problem: I don’t think my essay is very insightful.
This is a super common problem, because insight is probably the hardest part of the writing process, at least in part because reflection isn’t a skill that we’re asked to develop all that often. But some deeper insights can also make a so-so essay really start to stand out. So if it feels like your essay is just kinda’ standard—as in, it’s telling some of your story, but lacks some of that deeper reflection—how can you start to develop it?
The simple answer is start asking yourself, “So what?” As in, what’s the meaning or importance of these details, actions, and experiences? How have they shaped you and your values? What’s their meaning in a wider frame?
For a bunch of really specific ways to develop stronger insights, go here.
Related: I think my essay is very insightful, but someone else (counselor, parent, friend) doesn’t.
Hey. We hear you.
Sometimes we also feel that people just don’t understand how insightful we are.
But if they’re not really feeling it… maybe it’s worth digging deeper, trying to find some new insights?
And hey, try getting a second (or third or fourth) opinion, but remember that it doesn’t really matter if the insights are clear and impressive to you. What matters is whether they’re clear to a total stranger.
So the fact that someone else doesn’t find it very insightful is worth listening to.
NEAR THE END OF THE WRITING PROCESS
Problem: I’m not sure how to end my essay.
Go here to learn 10 different ways to end your essay.
