Writer's Block

[annwfyn]

It was pointed out to me yesterday that it seems to take me an awfully long time to write essays. I can spend hours fiddling with an essay, writing and re-writing paragraphs, trying to organise bullet points, and in the end it will take me days just to write 5000 words.

On some level, I do think this is ridiculous. It does not take days to just hit the keyboard. It doesn't take days to churn out something...anything. In my days at the National Archives of Scotland, when I was bored and producing a shadow_writers story per day, plus voluminous quantities of e mail, I think I was churning out more than that.

So why does it take me so long now?

Why do I need to potter endlessly?

And why is it when I am 500 words away from completing this goddamn essay, handing it in and being finished with it all, I am utterly at a loss as to how to do this?

Comments

[twicedead.livejournal.com]

What is the key thing that makes them the same?

What is the key difference?

What have you added to the field that wasn't already laid out in your sources?

[annwfyn.livejournal.com]

I'm not meant to be adding too much to the field. That's a dissertation. These two essays are studies in critical analysis - I've critiqued the work of those people who have gone before me and complained about them.

Except in burial data where my brain turned to mush and I wound up offering historical narrative, which is bad but at least ups the word count.

[twicedead.livejournal.com]

Well, then there's the question: What is the best source on this and why is it good?