creative writing on anxiety

Crafting Authentic Anxiety Descriptions in Writing: A Comprehensive Guide

Putting emotions into words can be a tough task, especially when it’s something as complex as anxiety. You’ve likely been there, staring at a blank page, trying to capture the essence of a feeling that’s as elusive as it is powerful.

Writing about anxiety isn’t just about stating the facts. It’s about painting a picture that resonates with readers, making them feel what you’re trying to convey. This article will guide you through the process, providing you with the tools and techniques you need to accurately and effectively describe anxiety in your writing.

Stay with us as we delve into the intricacies of anxiety, exploring its various facets and how to best articulate them. By the end, you’ll be equipped to write about anxiety in a way that’s both authentic and compelling.

Understanding Anxiety

Before diving into how to describe anxiety in your writing, it’s crucial to understand what anxiety really is . Anxiety isn’t just a sense of worry or unease. It’s a complex beast, laced with multi-faceted layers, seeping into different corners of a person’s life and mind.

Anxiety doesn’t strike only in dramatic moments. Often, it’s a quiet monster – subtly showing up in mundane daily tasks. It creeps up when you’re making a cup of coffee, checking emails, or performing any of the countless tasks that may seem ordinary to others but may feel like a mountain to you when you’re dealing with anxiety. It catches you unawares, often when least expected.

Let’s look at some key points that are the hallmarks of anxiety. These are not the only symptoms but are common experiences for many dealing with anxiety. This understanding will help you while describing it in your writing.

Excessive worry : Chronic and persistent worry about everyday situations.
Restlessness : A feeling of being “on edge” or “unable to sit still”.
Easily fatigued : A constant state of tiredness, regardless of physical exertion.
Irritability : Quick to react or get angry over trivial issues.
Sleep issues : Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.

Exploring these traits will help you inject authenticity into your portrayal of characters grappling with anxiety. It’s not about painting a dramatic image. It’s more about weaving these everyday experiences into your narrative. Your characters aren’t always trembling with fear.

Sometimes, your characters are just tired, irritable, or struggling to sleep. Sometimes, they’re caught in a vortex of relentless worry that clings even in the quietest moments. This closer look into the heart of anxiety will enable you to paint a picture that’s as real as it is raw.

In the following sections, we’ll delve deeper into practical techniques to describe anxiety effectively in your writing.

The Complexity of Emotions

Diving deeper into the quandary of describing anxiety in writing, you’ll encounter the larger picture – The Complexity of Emotions. Emotions aren’t easily boxed into specific labels. They’re intricate, layered, and often interrelated, transforming the task of tracing the contours of anxiety into a nuanced endeavor.

When writing about anxiety, you aren’t just detailing a singular emotion. Often, it’s a web of feelings like uneasiness, apprehension, dread, and more. Not only that, it’s about the physical sensations accompanying those feelings – a quickened heartbeat, a pit in the stomach, or tense muscles. This level of detail will enhance your depiction of anxiety, making it feel relatable and real.

However, let’s bring it to this premise: everyone experiences anxiety differently. A situation that makes one person anxious might not cause the same reaction in someone else. This is where subjectivity comes into play. The key isn’t to depict anxiety as how you presume others feel it; rather, it’s about illustrating how your characters experience it from their subjective perspective.

For instance, if a character fears public speaking, his anxiety might manifest as a racing heartbeat and a feeling of impending doom before stepping onto the stage. Conversely, if a different character fears abandonment, her anxiety could be demonstrated through insomnia ridden nights and a constant state of worry about her loved ones leaving her.

Let’s look at this from another angle: the perception or interpretation of anxiety is just as critical. Your character’s apprehension at being alone in a dark alley might seem ludicrous to another character who thrives in solitude and quiet. This contrast offers a compelling angle to your narrative, infusing it with multiple layers of understanding and empathy.

Remember, writing about anxiety means delving into its complexities and subtleties. It’s about reflecting its varying manifestations, implicating its physical and emotional aspects, and acknowledging its subjective nature. Appreciate the intricacies and present them to your readers, allowing them to empathize with your characters’ emotional journey.

Conveying Anxiety through Words

This journey takes a well-choreographed dance between the writer’s mind and their writing tool to portray the multifaceted nature of anxiety. When you’re doing this, it’s essential not to shy away from the dizzying mix of feelings, thoughts, and physical sensations associated with anxiety.

Diving right into the specifics, show, don’t just tell , is a critical rule to keep in mind here. Telling a reader that your character is anxious provides them with a foundational understanding. However, it’s showing them the churning stomach, the racing thoughts, the trembling hands, and the tight chest that really lures them in into empathizing with the character’s state of mind. Your narrative should aim to let a reader experience the anxiety alongside your character.

Let’s consider how word choice can play a significant role. Think about how you can utilize verbs, adjectives, and adverbs to your advantage. For example, instead of simply writing “he was anxious”, why not paint a more vivid picture? “His eyes darted around the room nervously, hands trembling like leaves buffeted by the autumn wind, heart pounding as if trying to break free from his chest.” This provides a deeper, more intimate view into the character’s emotional state.

Additionally, metaphors and similes are handy tools. Using these can create imagery that resonates with readers, allowing them to understand the severity and overwhelming nature of anxiety. Comparisons can make an abstract concept more tangible.

Nevertheless, it’s crucial to remember that anxiety isn’t a one-size-fits-all experience. It varies greatly from person to person. To authentically depict this reality, you should vary your descriptions, tailoring them to your unique characters’ perspectives and experiences. Crafting these descriptive details might take some time and thought, but this intricate process is what will make your narrative relatable and believable.

In the end, the purpose of conveying anxiety through words is to breathe life into your writing. Seamless integration of realistic descriptions can make your narrative more compelling, pulling the reader more in-depth into your story. But keep in mind, even if there’s no perfect way to pen anxiety, your aim should be to create a picture that’s authentic, relatable, and resonant. Let your characters’ anxiety be as nuanced and complex as it is in real life. Write with empathy and let your words reflect the reality of those struggling with anxiety.

Using Vivid Descriptions

You’ve grasped the concept, now let’s delve deeper into how to execute those vivid descriptions that truly capture the essence of anxiety. Remember, your aim isn’t just to tell your readers about anxiety – you want them to feel it, see it, and derive a true understanding of what it means.

Begin by honing in on the physical sensations that often accompany anxiety. How does an anxious person feel? Does their heart pound like a bass drum? Does their skin erupt with cold sweat, shivers cascading down their spine? Does it feel like a concrete slab pressing on the chest? These physiological responses are universal, and therefore, by incorporating them into your writing, it makes the depiction of anxiety more relatable.

Next, you must invest thought into the mental aspect of anxiety. It’s as vital as the physical, if not more. What goes on in an anxious mind? Is it a whirling maelstrom of worries, a ticking time bomb of impending doom, or an incessant echo of negative thoughts? Don’t hesitate to use powerful metaphors and similes. They draw readers into the character’s mind, allowing them to experience their llived reality.

Remember the uniqueness of your character . Each person experiences anxiety differently. Link these descriptions to aspects of their life. Tailor the depiction of anxiety to suit your character’s background, personality, and predicament. A brave firefighter will perceive anxiety differently from a timid teenager. Ensure your descriptions reflect this variation.

Creating an Emotional Connection

You’re not just writing about anxiety; you’re aiming to create an emotional bond between your reader and your characters. Authenticity in your description is the key to achieving this.

Empathy is what you’re striving to evoke. Place yourself in your characters’ shoes and dig deep into their emotions and psychological state. This immersion will provide you with genuine and compelling descriptions. But how can you craft such vivid portrayals?

Make it Personal

Being personal doesn’t mean that you have to share your own experiences explicitly. It means transforming universal feelings of anxiety into unique character-experienced emotions and events. It’s about understanding that each character’s anxieties are unique to them.

So, imagine your character: What are their fears, what are their triggers? Now, mold those elements into your narrative.

Show, Don’t Tell

The well-trodden advise, “show, don’t tell,” definitely holds validity here. Instead of stating your character is anxious, show it. Make your reader feel the character’s heartbeat quicken, their palms get sweaty, let them hear the rush of confused thoughts.

Making use of strategic metaphors and similes here will allow your reader to visualize and empathize with your character’s experience.

Highlight the Contrast

Animate the difference between the character’s calm state and anxious state. This will make the portrayal of anxiety drastic and hard-hitting. Drawing this contrast will underline the real impact of anxiety, capturing reader’s attention and creating a lasting impression.

Remember, the goal is not to simply describe an anxious state but to make your reader feel it, empathize with it, and understand it through your character’s perspective. The more real your portrayal, the deeper the emotional connection will be.

You’ve learned the art of describing anxiety in writing. You now understand the power of authenticity, the importance of personalizing your character’s fears, and the effectiveness of showing rather than telling. You’ve grasped the significance of sensory details and strategic use of metaphors and similes. Remember, contrasting calm with anxiety can create a lasting impression. Now it’s your turn to bring anxiety to life in your writing, making your reader feel and understand it from your character’s perspective. The journey may be challenging, but the result is worth it. Your writing will be more relatable, more engaging, and more impactful. So, go ahead, apply these insights and watch your characters come alive on the page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can an author establish an emotional bond between readers and characters.

Authors can build an emotional bond by creating genuine descriptions of the characters’ emotional states, particularly their anxieties. This can be done by understanding each character’s unique fears and triggers, and presenting these emotions authentically.

What is the role of authenticity in writing about a character’s anxiety?

Authenticity is crucial in writing about a character’s anxiety. Realistic and relatable descriptions can evoke empathy in the reader, making them connect more deeply with the character’s experiences.

What is the significance of personalized descriptions in showcasing a character’s anxiety?

Personalized descriptions add depth to the character’s anxiety, making it uniquely theirs. By exploring the character’s individual fears and triggers, the descriptions can lead to a more profound reader’s understanding.

How can sensory details and metaphors enhance the description of a character’s anxiety?

By showing rather than telling, authors can utilize sensory details and strategic metaphors to vividly illustrate the character’s anxiety. Such devices can help readers virtually “feel” the anxiety, leading to a more immersive reading experience.

Why is it important to contrast a character’s calm state with their anxious state?

Contrasting a calm state with an anxious one helps to underscore the intensity of the anxiety. This contrast also helps create a lasting impression on the reader about the character’s emotional journey.

DUA For Anxiety

How to Treat High Functioning Anxiety

How to Describe Nervousness in Writing (23 Tips + Examples)

How do you move beyond simple statements like “She was nervous” to create a vivid, believable depiction of anxiety?

Here is how to describe nervousness in writing:

Describe nervousness in writing by using vivid language and sensory details. Show physical symptoms like shaking hands or quick breathing. Use dialogue tags such as “stammered,” internal dialogue, and pacing to build tension. Use words like “jittery” or “heart pounding” to deepen emotional impact.

In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to describe nervousness in writing.

23 Best Tips for Describing Nervousness in Writing

Digital image of a cartoon woman who is nervous - How to Describe Nervousness in Writing

Table of Contents

In this section, you’ll find 23 tips and techniques, complete with examples, that will guide you in portraying nervousness with nuance and depth.

Read all the way through and then pick the tips that speak to you the most.

1) Demonstrate, Don’t Describe

One of the cardinal rules of effective writing is to show rather than tell.

Instead of merely stating that a character is nervous, portray their anxiety through actions or implications.

This strategy draws the reader into the experience, making it more relatable and impactful.

Example : Instead of writing “John was nervous about the interview,” you could say, “John’s hands trembled as he straightened his tie one last time before stepping into the interview room.”

2) Use Body Language

Body language can be an incredible tool for conveying a character’s nervousness.

The slight tremble in the hands, fidgeting feet, or erratic movement can speak volumes.

In focusing on body language, you give your reader visual cues to better understand the character’s state of mind.

Example : Rather than simply stating “Emily was nervous before her speech,” describe how “Emily kept shifting from one foot to another, her fingers incessantly twirling a strand of hair.”

3) Incorporate Inner Monologue

A character’s inner thoughts offer an unfiltered glimpse into their emotional state.

For nervousness, consider incorporating internal monologue that captures the essence of the character’s fears or concerns.

This internal conversation can range from panicked thoughts to rationalizing statements.

Example : Instead of writing, “Sarah was nervous about the test,” you could write, “‘You can do this, you’ve prepared,’ Sarah thought, attempting to drown out the rising tide of panic that whispered, ‘But what if you fail?’”

4) Employ Facial Expressions

Facial expressions are highly expressive indicators of emotion.

A clenched jaw, furrowed brows, or widened eyes can all be signs of nervousness.

Including these details enriches the imagery and allows the reader to visualize the emotion vividly.

Example : Instead of saying, “Mark was nervous about the confrontation,” you could describe how “Mark’s eyes darted around the room, avoiding eye contact, his lips pinched in a tight line.”

5) Manipulate Pace and Sentence Structure

The pacing of your sentences can mirror the character’s emotional tempo.

Short, choppy sentences can create a feeling of urgency or disquiet, while long, winding sentences may denote an overwrought mind that’s spiraling out of control.

Example : Instead of “Lisa was anxious,” you might write, “Lisa’s thoughts tumbled over each other, a jumbled mess of ‘what-ifs’ and ‘if-onlys,’ her heart pounding as if keeping time with her spiraling anxiety.”

6) Use Metaphors and Similes

Metaphors and similes can also be instrumental in conveying nervousness.

By comparing the emotion or associated bodily sensations to something else, you can evoke a particular feeling or image in the reader’s mind.

Example : You could write, “His nervousness was like a swarm of bees, buzzing uncontrollably in the pit of his stomach,” to imply a sense of chaotic energy and discomfort.

7) Utilize Dialogue and Tone

Dialogue can also be a potent tool for conveying nervousness.

The words a character chooses, their tone, or even the pauses and stutters in their speech can all reveal underlying anxiety.

Through dialogue, you can show a character’s struggle to articulate their thoughts, their tendency to ramble, or their use of filler words—all indicative of nervousness.

Example : Instead of writing, “Tina was nervous about the question,” you could show her hesitation in dialogue: “‘Well, you see, um, it’s a bit complicated, isn’t it?’ Tina’s voice wavered, each word tinged with a nervous lilt that betrayed her composure.”

8) Leverage Environmental Interaction

How a character interacts with their environment can be another window into their emotional state.

Someone who is nervous might fiddle with objects, look away into the distance, or keep glancing at the door.

These interactions serve as nonverbal cues to the reader, adding an extra layer of context to the emotional landscape of the story.

Example : Instead of saying, “Paul was nervous,” you could describe how he interacts with his surroundings: “Paul kept glancing at his watch, then at the door, his fingers drumming an impatient rhythm on the tabletop. Every creak of the floorboards made him start, his eyes darting towards the source of the sound.”

9) Use Sensory Descriptions

Incorporating sensory descriptions can deeply immerse your reader into the character’s emotional state.

Describe how nervousness feels, tastes, sounds, smells, or even looks from the character’s perspective.

Does their mouth go dry? Is there a pit in their stomach?

Sensory details add a tangible quality to emotions, making them feel real to the reader.

Example : Rather than saying, “Raj was anxious,” you could provide sensory details: “A sour taste filled Raj’s mouth, his tongue thick and clumsy as if coated in cotton. His skin tingled with the static of his nerves, every sound magnified to a grating roar.”

10) Incorporate Thought-Action Sequences

When nervous, people often go through a rapid series of thoughts and actions.

Incorporating these thought-action sequences can add a realistic dimension to your depiction of nervousness.

Describe what the character thinks and then immediately show how that thought translates into action or inaction.

Example : Instead of saying, “Lisa felt nervous,” you could write: “‘I can’t mess this up,’ Lisa thought. Almost robotically, she reached for her notes, skimmed through them one last time, and adjusted the microphone. Her hands quivered just enough to remind her of her fragility.”

11) Use Repetitive Actions or Tics

People often exhibit repetitive behaviors or tics when they are nervous.

This could be tapping a foot, scratching an itch that isn’t there, or even humming a tune unconsciously.

These actions can become a character’s signature way of displaying nervousness, aiding in building a more rounded, believable individual.

Example : Instead of saying, “Nina was nervous,” you might write: “Nina kept pulling at the hem of her dress, stretching the fabric until it snapped back into place. It was a nervous tic she had developed as a child and it resurfaced now, a telltale sign of her inner turmoil.”

12) Play with Syntax and Grammar

Unconventional sentence structure can sometimes effectively convey a character’s nervous state.

Fragmented sentences, run-ons, or even abrupt syntactical breaks can make the reader feel the disjointedness or racing thoughts that come with nervousness.

Example : Instead of saying, “Harry was nervous,” you could experiment with sentence structure: “Harry couldn’t sit still. Couldn’t breathe normally. Everything a jumble. Thoughts. Emotions. A cacophony. He was unraveling.”

13) Utilize Flashbacks or Imagery

Sometimes the source of a character’s nervousness is a past event or a vivid imagination projecting worst-case scenarios.

You can employ flashbacks or internal imagery to convey this deeper layer of emotion.

It provides context and depth, making the emotion multidimensional.

Example : Rather than writing, “Martha was nervous,” you could incorporate a flashback: “As Martha waited for her name to be called, a vivid memory flashed before her eyes—the last time she had stood on a similar stage, forgetting all her lines. Her stomach knotted at the thought.”

14) Exaggerate for Effect (Hyperbole)

Sometimes a little exaggeration can drive the point home effectively.

Hyperbole allows you to amplify a character’s emotional state for greater impact.

While you should use this sparingly, an exaggerated description at the right moment can offer an intense snapshot of a character’s feelings.

Example : Instead of simply saying, “Clara was nervous,” you could exaggerate: “Clara felt like her heart was about to burst through her chest and make a run for it, leaving her behind to face the crowd.”

15) Punctuate with Silence

The absence of sound or action can be as powerful as its presence.

Moments of silence, hesitation, or stillness can accentuate a character’s nervousness and build tension.

Readers naturally fill silence with their own anticipation, adding to the emotional depth of a scene.

Example : Instead of saying, “Jim felt nervous,” you could write: “Jim opened his mouth to speak, but words escaped him. An uncomfortable silence filled the room, every tick of the clock amplifying his growing sense of dread.”

16) Use Dialogue Tags and Modifiers

While it’s generally better to show emotion through action and dialogue, sometimes a well-placed tag or modifier can be effective.

Words like “stammered,” “muttered,” or “whispered” can add nuance to speech, indicating a character’s emotional state.

Example : Instead of saying, “Maria was nervous,” consider: “‘I, uh, think we should talk,’ Maria stammered, her voice barely rising above a whisper.”

17) Add Color to Breathing and Voice

Breathing patterns and voice modulation can reveal a lot about someone’s emotional state.

Short, shallow breaths or a tremulous voice can indicate nervousness.

Describe these to allow readers to ‘hear’ and ‘feel’ the character’s nervousness.

Example : Instead of just stating, “Lucas was nervous,” describe his breathing and voice: “Lucas drew a shallow, shaky breath, his words coming out in hesitant fragments: ‘I, um, don’t know how to, uh, say this.'”

18) Describe the Passing of Time

How a character perceives the passing of time can indicate their emotional state.

Time might drag painfully slow or rush by in a disorienting blur when one is nervous.

Use this to build atmosphere and provide insight into the character’s inner world.

Example : Instead of stating, “Kelly felt nervous,” write: “Every second that ticked by felt like an eternity to Kelly, each moment stretching out as she waited for her name to be announced.”

19) Break It with Humor

Sometimes, breaking the tension with a moment of humor can accentuate the nervousness that preceded it.

This can make characters more relatable and endearing to the reader, showcasing their coping mechanisms.

Example : Rather than saying, “Tom was nervous,” you could write: “Tom fumbled with his keys, dropping them twice before finally unlocking the door. ‘Well,’ he chuckled nervously, ‘who needs a security system when you have butterfingers like mine?'”

20) Employ Foreshadowing

You can use foreshadowing to build anticipation and make the character’s nervousness more pronounced.

Plant clues early in the narrative that something significant, and potentially nerve-wracking, will happen later.

Example : Instead of saying, “Sandy was anxious,” employ foreshadowing: “Sandy couldn’t shake off the ominous feeling as she read the anonymous letter again. ‘See you soon,’ it ended, and every time she read those words, her stomach churned with a nervous dread she couldn’t place.”

21) Bring it Full Circle (Callback)

Sometimes calling back to an earlier moment of nervousness can demonstrate growth or a lack thereof in a character.

This can add depth to your character and make the emotion feel earned.

Example : Instead of saying, “Amy was no longer nervous,” you could use a callback: “Amy looked at the stage, remembering how she’d frozen up last year. But this time, her feet were steady. She smiled, her nerves giving way to newfound confidence.”

22) Layered Emotions

Often, nervousness isn’t a standalone emotion; it comes layered with anticipation, excitement, or even dread.

Describing these mixed feelings can offer a more nuanced and relatable portrayal of nervousness.

Example : Instead of saying, “Dan was nervous,” you could layer emotions: “Dan felt a strange cocktail of emotions—nervousness peppered with a dash of excitement and a hint of dread. It was his first day at a new job, after all.”

23) Blend Multiple Techniques

The most compelling portrayals often use a blend of multiple techniques.

By combining different elements like inner monologue, dialogue, body language, and pacing, you can craft a rich, multi-layered portrayal of nervousness that resonates with readers.

Example : “Jane’s fingers tapped an erratic rhythm on her desk. ‘You’ve got this,’ she silently assured herself, her stomach churning like a washing machine on spin cycle. Her breaths came in quick, shallow gasps, failing to clear the fog of unease that clouded her thoughts.”

When describing nervousness, it’s good to first understand it:

30 Words to Describe Nervousness in Writing

When it comes to describing nervousness, the right vocabulary can make all the difference.

Selecting precise words can make your prose more vivid and transport your reader into the emotional landscape of your characters.

Here are 30 words you can use to describe nervousness:

Apprehensive

30 Phrases to Describe Nervousness in Writing

Sometimes a single word won’t suffice and a phrase can provide a more nuanced description of a character’s emotional state.

The following phrases can add complexity and detail when describing nervousness:

Heart pounding like a drum
A bundle of nerves
Sweating bullets
Butterflies in the stomach
Walking on eggshells
Twisting one’s hands
Gnawing at the insides
Mind racing a mile a minute
Pins and needles
Shaking like a leaf
Biting one’s nails
Stomach in knots
Breathing quick and shallow
Fumbling over words
Ears burning with embarrassment
Vein throbbing in the temple
Holding one’s breath
Suffering a nervous breakdown
Nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof
Feeling cornered
Jumping at shadows
Second-guessing oneself
Trembling from head to toe
Heart skipping a beat
Palms clammy with sweat
Restless leg syndrome
Voice tinged with apprehension
Pulse racing uncontrollably
Lost in a fog of nervousness

3 Full Descriptions of Nervousness in Different Genres

Here are three full descriptions of how to describe nervousness in writing.

You’ll read about nervous characters in:

Science Fiction

Mystery/thriller.

John walked into the dimly lit room, its shadows casting eerie patterns on the walls.

His heart pounded in his chest as if a drumroll were announcing his entry. The smell of old books mixed with the musk of mildew, creating an ambiance of foreboding that gnawed at his insides.

He felt like he was walking on eggshells, each step a potential trigger for something he couldn’t quite articulate.

The room seemed to close in on him, and he found himself gripping the edge of the table, his knuckles turning white. His breaths were shallow, each inhalation a laborious task, as he felt the weight of eyes upon him—even though he was alone.

Emma looked across the candle-lit table, her eyes meeting Michael’s.

Her stomach was a swirl of butterflies, fluttering wildly as if trying to escape. Her hands felt clammy, and she discreetly wiped them on her napkin.

As he smiled, she found herself lost in a fog of nervousness, a tingling sensation crawling up her spine.

The thought of what might happen after dinner filled her with a heady mixture of excitement and dread.

Each time their eyes met, her heart skipped a beat, making her wonder if this was love or just a new level of emotional chaos she had yet to understand.

As Captain Williams stood before the interstellar council, his legs trembled beneath his space uniform, almost as if they were about to give way.

His heart felt like it was racing at warp speed, and he was acutely aware of the hundreds of extraterrestrial eyes focused on him.

Each species had its own way of scrutinizing, yet they all seemed to pierce right through him.

This is it, the first contact, don’t mess it up, he thought, his mind racing a mile a minute.

The gravity of the moment bore down on him, heavier than Jupiter’s pull, and he swallowed hard, trying to find his voice amid the lump of apprehension lodged in his throat.

Final Thoughts: How to Describe Nervousness in Writing

Nervousness is a critical element in tension and, therefore, every story.

If you’re looking for more guides on describing emotions and actions in writing, we have many great articles for on this site.

How to Describe Fear in Writing (21 Best Tips + Examples)
How To Describe a Panic Attack in Writing (Ultimate Guide)
How to Describe a Brave Person in Writing (21 Tips + Examples)
How to Describe a Hug in Writing (21 Best Tips + Examples)

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Writing Can Help Us Heal from Trauma

Deborah Siegel-Acevedo

Three prompts to get started.

Why does a writing intervention work? While it may seem counterintuitive that writing about negative experiences has a positive effect, some have posited that narrating the story of a past negative event or an ongoing anxiety “frees up” cognitive resources. Research suggests that trauma damages brain tissue, but that when people translate their emotional experience into words, they may be changing the way it is organized in the brain. This matters, both personally and professionally. In a moment still permeated with epic stress and loss, we need to call in all possible supports. So, what does this look like in practice, and how can you put this powerful tool into effect? The author offers three practices, with prompts, to get you started.

Even as we inoculate our bodies and seemingly move out of the pandemic, psychologically we are still moving through it. We owe it to ourselves — and our coworkers — to make space for processing this individual and collective trauma. A recent op-ed in the New York Times Sunday Review affirms what I, as a writer and professor of writing, have witnessed repeatedly, up close: expressive writing can heal us.

Deborah Siegel-Acevedo is an author , TEDx speaker, and founder of Bold Voice Collaborative , an organization fostering growth, resilience, and community through storytelling for individuals and organizations. An adjunct faculty member at DePaul University’s College of Communication, her writing has appeared in venues including The Washington Post, The Guardian, and CNN.com.

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Fear of abandonment became you core belief because of events outside of your control when you were just a child. There are ways to fix and counter that, ways to teach you how to have healthy anxiety-free relationships. You have great core values. You believe in good things and you have a hero heart, get well and come join our team, little one, we need good people such as yourself.

Robert smiled, "That inner critic is a bit loud today, huh? It wants to save you from making mistakes but it's creating anxiety, doubt and misplaced shame. I think you need a dose of self compassion. Be as sweet to yourself as you are to others. Being kind should radiate inwards as-well as into the world beyond."

When his anxiety peaked he did the 333. Name three things you can see, three sounds you can hear and three parts of your body. It worked. It was so simple but in that 333 he broke the spiral and felt so much more calm.

"Honey, we all mess up. Once in a while we mess up real bad. Then we learn from that mistake, we make amends if that's required, we move on to become a better person. Literally everyone makes mistakes and if we didn't we wouldn't learn much. So be kinder to yourself, okay? This anxiety, this fear of mistakes, it's holding you back from your greatness and I wanna find out how amazing you can be. I hope you do too."

Create a photo album in your imagination. Only add your favourite feel-good moments, and when anxiety next comes, let the pictures transport your soul into those times.

When you imagine a good memory the nervous system is calmed, feel good brain chemicals are released, you do yourself positive good, you start to make you own natural medicine for anxiety. In time, you begin to be able to manage your emotions better and then to help others manage theirs. Whereas you were once lost in a storm, you become a lighthouse, shining out to sea.

When anxious I vent with a person who loves me, one who has real wisdom and life experience to offer, one who is the calm and not the storm.

If you ignore the anxious thoughts as if they were some distant radio and get on with doing things that are right for you, in time they lessen and disappear.

If anxiety runs my imagination motor, the fear centre of my brain gets more interconnected, more adrenaline and cortisol flood me. Yet when I use my imagination for hope, for gratitude, for writing lyrics or stories... it gets less. When I run or ride my bike, it gets less. There is no magic wand for this, only good choices applied daily and time. That's all.

Imagination uses the same part of my brain as anxiety, and so the more imaginative I am, the less anxious I feel. Thus creative writing is both a way of finding solutions and my rest, my medication, my refuge.

Anxiety thoughts are akin to driving around the block over and over, faster and faster. It's pointless. Stop. Let your thoughts be as a car on a good road, taking the hills and valleys just the same, heading into the far horizon your passions call you toward. You owe it to yourself to take control of the wheel.

I am worthy of escaping this hurricane of thoughts, the positive and the negative analysis of the actions and words of others. I am worthy of love and a better life, I am. So instead of wondering why "they" said it or did it, I simply say, "This situation isn't working for me and I have the right to seek something that does, some place I feel loved, welcome and appreciated." And so I make my escape plan through the paths of musical lyrics and stories of adventure, through the green leaves and under open skies.

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How Creative Writing Exercises Can Lessen Anxiety and Heighten Self-Confidence

Posted on 06.09.21 by Brittany Capozzi

Photo by Kaotaru on Unsplash

Getting Out of My Own Way

I’m a writer who often finds it difficult to motivate myself to start writing, no matter what the project is. I’m also someone with anxiety. You’d think that losing sleep or ruminating over something would encourage me to simply write in a journal to feel better. But it’s never that simple. I can’t seem to get out of my own way when my anxiety tells me that everything I write must be perfect.

It’s a catch-22. To decrease my anxiety, I have to write. I can trick myself into writing by coming up with creative writing exercises to explore. Since writing actually strengthens areas of the brain, it’s really a form of self-care. Therefore, I give myself permission to have fun, which heightens my self-confidence.

As a result, the catch-22 becomes a win-win.

Getting Creative

Here are some creative writing exercises that I do:

Make a Worry List

List your worries as though they’re written on hats. Why hats? Because at the end of an exhausting day outside, we hang up our hats. We put away what was weighing us down. For example, I write down “What’s my next career move?” and can even picture a chess piece on the imaginary cloth, making it less intimidating. While I’m still very much aware of the worry’s presence, it has a place to live without touching me. This is beneficial because I feel better about myself when I am able to distance myself from my worries.

Write Down Random Words

Make a list of ten words and try to use each one in a sentence. Any words, any type of sentence! When I do this exercise, I write by hand, because I feel more connected to my words this way. Writing by hand also keeps our senses engaged and helps our memory. This is important once you know that there’s a lot of science out there that shows that anxiety can be a factor in dementia later in life.

Write Down Things You Love

Find a zippered pouch and place what you love to do inside it. Recently I found a beautiful cloth pouch that read, “Today I will not stress over things I can’t control.” Appropriately enough, I was shopping while procrastinating on what I had to write for the week. I decided to put verbs describing what I love to do inside the pouch. I didn’t want to put worries in it because I’d be physically holding onto them. Writing down what I love to do gives me a sense of control. I write down at least one thing every day on an index card that stays in the bag. It’s okay if you write “dancing” over and over; this tells you that you should be dancing. And if you write different activities, then you’re expanding your passion and curiosity. Curiosity is healthy because it educates us and keeps our minds fluid. Also, if you’re a crafty person, you can make word magnets or cut up pieces of paper and toss them in. It’s important that this exercise includes what you love to do and not just things you love because it acts as a reminder to get moving.

Don’t Worry, Laugh

Even with these exercises, sometimes fear tells my brain that my writing isn’t good enough. I quiet this fear by diving into wacky freewriting. Freewriting for a set amount of time gives me freedom from judgment, and often I get a good laugh with myself. Laughing is one of the best results you can get because it improves motivation, energy, positive thinking, and even your immune system.

Sometimes my wacky writing surprises me by showing itself as moving or inspiring. To get to these surprises, however, I need to ignore my inner critic.

So, get writing to stay healthy. No judgment!

By Brittany Capozzi

Capozzi holds a BA in English from Curry College with a double concentration in Creative Writing and Professional Writing. While enrolled, she presented her undergraduate thesis, “Therapeutic Writing: A Remedy for Understanding and Transforming Life Experiences.” At Step Up For Mental Health she has been a Digital Content Writer, Peer Support Trainer, and HR Generalist. Capozzi is a 500-hour certified yoga instructor with a focus in Therapeutic Essentials and has taught Yin Yoga as well as Yoga for Depression and Anxiety.

The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Writing Anxiety

What this handout is about.

This handout discusses the situational nature of writer’s block and other writing anxiety and suggests things you can try to feel more confident and optimistic about yourself as a writer.

What are writing anxiety and writer’s block?

“Writing anxiety” and “writer’s block” are informal terms for a wide variety of apprehensive and pessimistic feelings about writing. These feelings may not be pervasive in a person’s writing life. For example, you might feel perfectly fine writing a biology lab report but apprehensive about writing a paper on a novel. You may confidently tackle a paper about the sociology of gender but delete and start over twenty times when composing an email to a cute classmate to suggest a coffee date. In other words, writing anxiety and writers’ block are situational (Hjortshoj 7). These terms do NOT describe psychological attributes. People aren’t born anxious writers; rather, they become anxious or blocked through negative or difficult experiences with writing.

When do these negative feelings arise?

Although there is a great deal of variation among individuals, there are also some common experiences that writers in general find stressful.

For example, you may struggle when you are:

adjusting to a new form of writing—for example, first year college writing, papers in a new field of study, or longer forms than you are used to (a long research paper, a senior thesis, a master’s thesis, a dissertation) (Hjortshoj 56-76).
writing for a reader or readers who have been overly critical or demanding in the past.
remembering negative criticism received in the past—even if the reader who criticized your work won’t be reading your writing this time.
working with limited time or with a lot of unstructured time.
responding to an assignment that seems unrelated to academic or life goals.
dealing with troubling events outside of school.

What are some strategies for handling these feelings?

Get support.

Choose a writing buddy, someone you trust to encourage you in your writing life. Your writing buddy might be a friend or family member, a classmate, a teacher, a colleague, or a Writing Center tutor. Talk to your writing buddy about your ideas, your writing process, your worries, and your successes. Share pieces of your writing. Make checking in with your writing buddy a regular part of your schedule. When you share pieces of writing with your buddy, use our handout on asking for feedback .

In his book Understanding Writing Blocks, Keith Hjortshoj describes how isolation can harm writers, particularly students who are working on long projects not connected with coursework (134-135). He suggests that in addition to connecting with supportive individuals, such students can benefit from forming or joining a writing group, which functions in much the same way as a writing buddy. A group can provide readers, deadlines, support, praise, and constructive criticism. For help starting one, see our handout about writing groups .

Identify your strengths

Often, writers who are experiencing block or anxiety have a worse opinion of their own writing than anyone else! Make a list of the things you do well. You might ask a friend or colleague to help you generate such a list. Here are some possibilities to get you started:

I explain things well to people.
I get people’s interest.
I have strong opinions.
I listen well.
I am critical of what I read.
I see connections.

Choose at least one strength as your starting point. Instead of saying “I can’t write,” say “I am a writer who can …”

Recognize that writing is a complex process

Writing is an attempt to fix meaning on the page, but you know, and your readers know, that there is always more to be said on a topic. The best writers can do is to contribute what they know and feel about a topic at a particular point in time.

Writers often seek “flow,” which usually entails some sort of breakthrough followed by a beautifully coherent outpouring of knowledge. Flow is both a possibility—most people experience it at some point in their writing lives—and a myth. Inevitably, if you write over a long period of time and for many different situations, you will encounter obstacles. As Hjortshoj explains, obstacles are particularly common during times of transition—transitions to new writing roles or to new kinds of writing.

Think of yourself as an apprentice.

If block or apprehension is new for you, take time to understand the situations you are writing in. In particular, try to figure out what has changed in your writing life. Here are some possibilities:

You are writing in a new format.
You are writing longer papers than before.
You are writing for new audiences.
You are writing about new subject matter.
You are turning in writing from different stages of the writing process—for example, planning stages or early drafts.

It makes sense to have trouble when dealing with a situation for the first time. It’s also likely that when you confront these new situations, you will learn and grow. Writing in new situations can be rewarding. Not every format or audience will be right for you, but you won’t know which ones might be right until you try them. Think of new writing situations as apprenticeships. When you’re doing a new kind of writing, learn as much as you can about it, gain as many skills in that area as you can, and when you finish the apprenticeship, decide which of the skills you learned will serve you well later on. You might be surprised.

Below are some suggestions for how to learn about new kinds of writing:

Ask a lot of questions of people who are more experienced with this kind of writing. Here are some of the questions you might ask: What’s the purpose of this kind of writing? Who’s the audience? What are the most important elements to include? What’s not as important? How do you get started? How do you know when what you’ve written is good enough? How did you learn to write this way?
Ask a lot of questions of the person who assigned you a piece of writing. If you have a paper, the best place to start is with the written assignment itself. For help with this, see our handout on understanding assignments .
Look for examples of this kind of writing. (You can ask your instructor for a recommended example). Look, especially, for variation. There are often many different ways to write within a particular form. Look for ways that feel familiar to you, approaches that you like. You might want to look for published models or, if this seems too intimidating, look at your classmates’ writing. In either case, ask yourself questions about what these writers are doing, and take notes. How does the writer begin and end? In what order does the writer tell things? How and when does the writer convey their main point? How does the writer bring in other people’s ideas? What is the writer’s purpose? How is that purpose achieved?
Read our handouts about how to write in specific fields or how to handle specific writing assignments.
Listen critically to your readers. Before you dismiss or wholeheartedly accept what they say, try to understand them. If a reader has given you written comments, ask yourself questions to figure out the reader’s experience of your paper: What is this reader looking for? What am I doing that satisfies this reader? In what ways is this reader still unsatisfied? If you can’t answer these questions from the reader’s comments, then talk to the reader, or ask someone else to help you interpret the comments.
Most importantly, don’t try to do everything at once. Start with reasonable expectations. You can’t write like an expert your first time out. Nobody does! Use the criticism you get.

Once you understand what readers want, you are in a better position to decide what to do with their criticisms. There are two extreme possibilities—dismissing the criticisms and accepting them all—but there is also a lot of middle ground. Figure out which criticisms are consistent with your own purposes, and do the hard work of engaging with them. Again, don’t expect an overnight turn-around; recognize that changing writing habits is a process and that papers are steps in the process.

Chances are that at some point in your writing life you will encounter readers who seem to dislike, disagree with, or miss the point of your work. Figuring out what to do with criticism from such readers is an important part of a writer’s growth.

Try new tactics when you get stuck

Often, writing blocks occur at particular stages of the writing process. The writing process is cyclical and variable. For different writers, the process may include reading, brainstorming, drafting, getting feedback, revising, and editing. These stages do not always happen in this order, and once a writer has been through a particular stage, chances are they haven’t seen the last of that stage. For example, brainstorming may occur all along the way.

Figure out what your writing process looks like and whether there’s a particular stage where you tend to get stuck. Perhaps you love researching and taking notes on what you read, and you have a hard time moving from that work to getting started on your own first draft. Or once you have a draft, it seems set in stone and even though readers are asking you questions and making suggestions, you don’t know how to go back in and change it. Or just the opposite may be true; you revise and revise and don’t want to let the paper go.

Wherever you have trouble, take a longer look at what you do and what you might try. Sometimes what you do is working for you; it’s just a slow and difficult process. Other times, what you do may not be working; these are the times when you can look around for other approaches to try:

Talk to your writing buddy and to other colleagues about what they do at the particular stage that gets you stuck.
Read about possible new approaches in our handouts on brainstorming and revising .
Try thinking of yourself as an apprentice to a stage of the writing process and give different strategies a shot.
Cut your paper into pieces and tape them to the wall, use eight different colors of highlighters, draw a picture of your paper, read your paper out loud in the voice of your favorite movie star….

Okay, we’re kind of kidding with some of those last few suggestions, but there is no limit to what you can try (for some fun writing strategies, check out our online animated demos ). When it comes to conquering a block, give yourself permission to fall flat on your face. Trying and failing will you help you arrive at the thing that works for you.

Celebrate your successes

Start storing up positive experiences with writing. Whatever obstacles you’ve faced, celebrate the occasions when you overcome them. This could be something as simple as getting started, sharing your work with someone besides a teacher, revising a paper for the first time, trying out a new brainstorming strategy, or turning in a paper that has been particularly challenging for you. You define what a success is for you. Keep a log or journal of your writing successes and breakthroughs, how you did it, how you felt. This log can serve as a boost later in your writing life when you face new challenges.

Wait a minute, didn’t we already say that? Yes. It’s worth repeating. Most people find relief for various kinds of anxieties by getting support from others. Sometimes the best person to help you through a spell of worry is someone who’s done that for you before—a family member, a friend, a mentor. Maybe you don’t even need to talk with this person about writing; maybe you just need to be reminded to believe in yourself, that you can do it.

If you don’t know anyone on campus yet whom you have this kind of relationship with, reach out to someone who seems like they could be a good listener and supportive. There are a number of professional resources for you on campus, people you can talk through your ideas or your worries with. A great place to start is the UNC Writing Center. If you know you have a problem with writing anxiety, make an appointment well before the paper is due. You can come to the Writing Center with a draft or even before you’ve started writing. You can also approach your instructor with questions about your writing assignment. If you’re an undergraduate, your academic advisor and your residence hall advisor are other possible resources. Counselors at Counseling and Wellness Services are also available to talk with you about anxieties and concerns that extend beyond writing.

Apprehension about writing is a common condition on college campuses. Because writing is the most common means of sharing our knowledge, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves when we write. This handout has given some suggestions for how to relieve that pressure. Talk with others; realize we’re all learning; take an occasional risk; turn to the people who believe in you. Counter negative experiences by actively creating positive ones.

Even after you have tried all of these strategies and read every Writing Center handout, invariably you will still have negative experiences in your writing life. When you get a paper back with a bad grade on it or when you get a rejection letter from a journal, fend off the negative aspects of that experience. Try not to let them sink in; try not to let your disappointment fester. Instead, jump right back in to some area of the writing process: choose one suggestion the evaluator has made and work on it, or read and discuss the paper with a friend or colleague, or do some writing or revising—on this or any paper—as quickly as possible.

Failures of various kinds are an inevitable part of the writing process. Without them, it would be difficult if not impossible to grow as a writer. Learning often occurs in the wake of a startling event, something that stirs you up, something that makes you wonder. Use your failures to keep moving.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Hjortshoj, Keith. 2001. Understanding Writing Blocks . New York: Oxford University Press.

This is a particularly excellent resource for advanced undergraduates and graduate students. Hjortshoj writes about his experiences working with university students experiencing block. He explains the transitional nature of most writing blocks and the importance of finding support from others when working on long projects.

Rose, Mike. 1985. When a Writer Can’t Write: Studies in Writer’s Block and Other Composing-Process Problems . New York: Guilford.

This collection of empirical studies is written primarily for writing teachers, researchers, and tutors. Studies focus on writers of various ages, including young children, high school students, and college students.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Master List of Ways to Describe Fear

People have been asking me for this list for such a long time! If you write horror, suspense, mystery, or any kind of fiction with a scary scenes, you need to know how to describe fear.

This list can get you started. It’s a lot of phrases describing fear, including physical reactions, physical sensations, facial expressions, and other words you can use in your novel or in other creative writing.

I’ve included some that can work for uneasiness or anxiety, but most of these are for real terror. You can alter them to fit your sentence or your story, and they’ll likely inspire you to come up with your own descriptions.

Bookmark or pin this page for your reference—it might save you a lot of time in the future. I’ll probably add to it now and again!

Master List of Ways to Describe Fear #master lists for writers free ebook #master lists for writers free pdf #master lists for writers free kindle #describing fear in a story #description of fear #great fear #how to describe fear #words describing fear

fear paralyzed him

his terror mounted with every step

she fought a rising panic

fear tormented her

her heart was uneasy

her heart leaped into her throat

his heart hammered in his chest

his heart pounded

terror stabbed his heart

his heart jumped

her heart lurched

a fear that almost unmanned him

his body shook with fear

she trembled inside

he suppressed a shiver

panic surged through him

her fear spiked

he was in a complete state of panic

she could feel nothing but blind terror

his legs were wobbly with fear

she sweated with fear

his hands were cold and clammy

she was weighed down by dread

dread twisted in her gut

his stomach clenched

fear fluttered in her stomach

her belly cramped

he felt like he might throw up

she was sick with fear

she was frightened down to the soles of her shoes

he was icy with panic

her body went cold with dread

raw panic was in her voice

her voice was thick with fear

his voice was edged with fear

terror thundered down on him

fear caught her in its jaws

fear clawed up her throat

terror sealed her throat

fear gripped her throat

his throat tightened

then she knew real terror was

he was frantic with fear

she was half mad with terror

the color drained from her face

his face was ashen

she blanched

dread gnawed at his insides

dread had been growing in him all day

fresh terror reared up within her

fear choked him

terror stole her words

he was mute with horror

her voice was numb with shock

his voice was shrill with terror

her defiant words masked her fear

her body felt numb

his blood froze in his veins

terror coursed through her veins

fear throbbed inside her

his panic fueled him

adrenaline pumped through his body

adrenaline crashed through her

fear pulsed through him

her scalp prickled

the hairs on the back of her neck stood up

his mouth went dry

his bones turned to jelly

her bones turned to water

she froze with horror

he didn’t dare to move

terror struck her

he was too frightened to lift her head

she was too frightened to scream

his mouth was open in a silent scream

he cringed with fear

she cowered

he shrank back in fear

she flinched

a bolt of panic hit her

terror streaked through him

her terror swelled

his panic increased

anxiety eclipsed his thoughts

panic flared in her eyes

his eyes were wild with terror

her eyes darted from left to right

she feared to close her eyes

he lay awake in a haze of fear

she walked on in a fog of fear

his eyes widened with alarm

she tried to hide her fear

he struggled to conceal his shock

fear crept up her spine

fear trickled down her spine

panic seized his brain

she felt a flash of terror

fear took hold of him

fear flooded through her being

she ordered a drink to drown the panic

he arranged and re-arranged the items on his desk

a nameless dread engulfed him

Master List of Ways to Describe Fear #describing fear in a story #description of fear #great fear #how to describe fear #words describing fear

I bet you came up with other ideas as you were reading!

For more writing lists, check out my book Master Lists for Writers , if you don’t have it yet! A lot of writers use it to make writing go faster, especially when it comes to descriptions.

And if you’re not following the blog already, sign up below—I share lots of writing resources. Thanks so much for reading, and happy writing!

50 Spooky Writing Prompts and Horror Story Ideas #horror writing ideas #horror writing prompts #scary story prompts #Halloween writing prompts #dark fantasy story ideas #suspense story plots

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How to Tackle Writing Anxiety

Reviewed by Dawn Brown, LPC, NCC · October 26, 2020 ·

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Anxiety is explained by the American Psychological Association as an emotion that comes with feelings of tension, being worried about something, and experiencing physical changes. Anxiety.org expounds that anxiety is experienced when your mind and body react to stressful, dangerous, or strange situations. It is empirically shown to have common symptoms such as feelings of panic, Irritation, tension, restlessness, nervousness, fast heart rate, rapid breathing, weakness, trembling, increased perspiration, sleeping problems, gastrointestinal problems, difficulty concentrating, excessive worry, and a strong desire to avoid anxiety triggers.

Anxiety can be developed in different things that can characteristically overwhelm you. In other words, different entities can serve as triggers. It may be animals, objects, situations, or events. This emotion can also affect writers. This is because writers obviously can become anxious when there is a certain writing task in front of them. This kind of anxiety is characterized by the feeling of the worry associated with crafting a book, term paper, or a blog post.

What Is Writing Anxiety?

Technically, writing anxiety is a condition characterized by the feeling of uneasiness about writing. Sometimes, writers do experience what is called “writer’s block,” which is the inability to begin or even continue to work on a piece of writing. This can lead to or cause writing anxiety. When you have writing anxiety, you may develop excessive worry about a given writing task, feeling agitated or uneasy when it’s time to work on a page, or feeling negative about specific types of writing. Most times, writing anxiety is more about who you are, the type of people you are writing to, or the purpose of writing than writing just for fun.

Several individuals know how it feels when your creative mind is blocked, and you become stuck looking like you are out of things to express. This condition can ignite your worries if you’re not a professional writer that knows that something like that does happen, of which after waiting for some time, the words may begin to flow again. If you have excessive worry about having nothing to write, which may result in procrastination, it can be referred to as writing anxiety. From a clinical standpoint, writing anxiety could be seen as a mental illness that requires effective treatment.

What Are The Physical Symptoms Of Writing Anxiety?

When you’re experiencing writing anxiety, there are physical signs that you will see. Some of these signs may include:

Sweaty palm
Racing heartbeats
Nervousness
Dizziness and light-headedness
Panic attacks
A desire to procrastinate a certain task

What Are The Causes Of Writing Anxiety?

Like many other mental health challenges, writing anxiety can be related to some situations that may serve as the source of the irrational feeling of tension and worry. The following are common causes of writing anxiety:

Inexperience With The Type Of Writing Task

Your past negative experiences with writing, the negative feelings you have, immediate deadline, distant deadline, your lack of interest in the given topic or not understanding the writing task, personal problems or life events.

How Can You Deal With Writing Anxiety?

It should be noted that writing anxiety is not absolutely bad. Sometimes it can motivate you to work very hard to get a task done by every means necessary. But at times, it can be excessive associating with stress-induced mindset and attitude. In this situation, you may need to look for ways to deal with it.

Irrespective of what kind of anxiety you may have, you expected to seek the best coping strategies. To know more about your condition, you can read more about it on anxiety blogs or get anxiety journals or search online for different anxiety articles.

Writing anxiety that may be considered an illness can be dealt with in different ways to have your writing magic back. The following are some ways through which you can deal with writing anxiety:

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

Engage frequently in freewriting, writing rituals.

Understanding Reality

Talk to expert or get supports from those close to you, dealing with some physical challenges, avoid judging yourself and your writing, make your task smaller, and your goal short-term.

It is always good to know as early as possible that you have anxiety before it becomes a disorder . To determine if you may have anxiety, take our quick online test: https://www.mind-diagnostics.org/anxiety-test .

Find out if you have Anxiety

Take this mental health test. It's quick, free, and you'll get your confidential results instantly.

Mental health conditions are real, common, and treatable. If you or someone you know thinks you are suffering from anxiety then take this quick online test or click to learn more about the condition.

Take test Learn more

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Writing Anxiety: Why Does Writing Sometimes Make You Anxious (And How to Overcome It)

by J. D. Edwin | 2 comments

Have you ever felt a rush of writing anxiety when trying to write your story? Do you often label this writer's block before letting it take over? Has writing anxiety made you feel like you're a poor writer, and then it tricked you into giving up?

Here are four common problems that feed writing anxiety and tips on how to overcome them.

4 Key Problems That Cause Writing Anxiety

Tons of writers, even professional writers, suffer from writing anxiety on a daily basis no matter their experiences with writing.

Whether you view this as resistance or low self-esteem, writing anxiety can prevent you from finishing that beautiful, unique story that only you can tell.

We've All Suffered From Writing Anxiety at Some Point

I'll admit writing anxiety has stalled a lot of my writing. The negative feelings are unwelcome, but sometimes impossible to ignore.

I can't count the number of stories I didn’t write to conclusion, or the half-formed novel ideas that I started and abandoned because I grew too anxious to continue writing.

I’ve abandoned ideas in the first sentence, the first chapter, the first ten thousand words. I have a book that’s sitting on my computer at sixty thousand or so words. It's filled with scene after scene, and all of them building to a brilliant climax I've never managed to jot down. Mainly because I've allowed writing anxiety to freeze me right before the finish line.

A lot of this anxiety comes from perfectionism—we, as writers, desperately long to deliver a perfect book.

I know I have. I've been flustered over my first drafts.

I've dreamed of that magic last page, but found myself unable to finish.

I used to tell myself things like, “I need to work out those rusty sentences weighing this version down before writing the final showdown,” or “Maybe I need to go back to the first act and fix that before I can write this .”

It's exhausting.

But it's not an uncommon problem.

The thought of delivering anything less than perfect to our beta readers (and eventually next readers) keeps us from either 1) not finishing our stories at all, or 2) too anxious to share our stories once they're complete.

I know this because I've done it.

Writing anxiety may be stopping you from making progress on your writing projects, but it's something we can overcome.

4 Sources of Writing Anxiety (And How to Overcome Them)

In recent years, I’ve recognized four major problems that cause my fear of writing —which has allowed me to discover and practice better habits that have proven successful at pushing me to finish my story.

There are many reasons for a writer to be afraid of finishing a story, especially those new to writing. But when we understand what's holding us back, we can become mindful and prevent fear from manipulating us in the writing process.

Let’s take a look at the four most common reasons we experience writing anxiety. Better yet, lets explore ways to overcome it.

Problem 1: The Story Is Too Long

It’s easy to feel like a story is so massive and complicated that you will never be able to do it justice.

Most ideas spark from a novel premise or a vision of a story's climax. This excites the writer, but then the hard work begins and writing anxiety sets in when trying to build the structure supporting that idea or leading up to that finale moment.

Big ideas can be very overwhelming, especially if you’re just starting to write.

Do we all dream of writing a franchise masterwork like the Harry Potter series? Of course! Who wouldn't get a thrill from mastering J.K. Rowling's writing process ?

But complicated books, especially epic fantasy series, take years to plot out. This might be the direction you want to go—that's fine if it is! But if it's not, cut yourself a break.

If you're writing a book , especially your first, the goal should be to deliver a story readers will enjoy—and enjoy isn't synonymous for perfect.

Here's an important truth: if readers like your first book, they will come back for more expecting you to grow as a writer. Writing is a life-long learning process.

Hopefully when you understand this, you can give yourself a break. You can take that BIG idea and learn how to break it up into scenes that can make fiction (or nonfiction) writing easy.

In fact, the fourth step in Joe Bunting's How to Write a Novel article is to set smaller deadlines that build to your big deadline (of finishing a book).

You can apply this same mindset when planning or writing your BIG story idea. Start small, and then build to the ultimate climax.

Solution 1: Start Small

Think of a story idea and tell it in less than a thousand words. Try writing this in three paragraphs that outline the Beginning, Middle, and End in one to two sentences each. Maybe use your premise to kickstart the summarizing of each book part.

Quality doesn’t matter here—the goal is to tell an entire story, beginning to end, within the word limit.

Quality can come in later drafts, after you get used to the feeling of writing small, which might also do wonders for your writing confidence.

Problem 2: You Get Stuck in Story Structure

“Write a book” sounds easy, but when you delve into it, you realize there’s so much more to it.

Inciting incident ? Climax ? Hero's Journey ? Characterization ? There’s so much that goes into planning and writing a book, and stopping to think about just how much can easily give most writers moments of intense anxiety.

If you’re trying to tackle an impossible bestseller book checklist, you might come to a fierce halt, probably trapped in paralysis by analysis, obsessing over details that just don't matter on your first go.

It's enough to cause an anxiety epidemic that eventually tempts you to give up.

This is the exact reason my book stalled for eight years.

And while the faithful advice to keep going can grow weary—sometimes maybe even feel useless—the reality is that you can't edit anything that isn't written down.

Solution 2: Practice

This is simple in theory but difficult in principle. However, like anything, practice makes perfect, and the more stories you write, the more things you will realize becomes second nature.

You don't have to master story structure to use it to get a draft down, but a quick structure outline (even if it's only six sentences!) can help you write to the end. And the more you practice, the more comfortable you'll get with story structure.

6 Key Moments of Story Structure

There are six required moments in every story, scene, and act. They are:

Exposition : Introducing the world and the characters.
Inciting incident : There’s a problem.
Rising Action/Progressive complications : The problem gets worse.
Dilemma : The problem gets so bad that the character has no choice but to deal with it. Usually this happens off screen.
Climax : The character makes their choice and the climax is the action that follows.
Denouement : The problem is resolved (for now at least).

If you're unfamiliar with these terms, I recommend studying each of them, especially dilemma. Practicing these will be a huge aid to your writing process.

For your first few scenes, try plotting out each of these six moments, focusing especially on the dilemma.

Better yet, download our story structure worksheet to guide you through the story structure process, from crafting your initial idea through to writing the synopsis.

Messy drafts are the makings of good writers because they are time spent developing your craft.

To relieve yourself of perfectionist pressure, make that first book your “practice book,” or try writing a short story or novella before tackling a 90,000 word manuscript.

That practice book may be a complete mess, but if you stick to it, you will ingrain many of the skills needed to become a great writer. This will carry you far beyond one story. And you'll only get better at telling them!

Problem 3: Leaving Your Story Alone for Too Long

I used to believe that writing a book takes years.

It’s such a daunting project, after all. So big, so many details. But the more I wrote, the more I realized, it doesn’t have to take a decade to write.

Remember that advice about a fantasy series? J.R.R. Tolkien took decades to write the Lord of the Rings series, and for a good reason—he spent ages building Middle Earth and its history in addition to the actual stories.

Your initial story doesn’t have to be a project of this magnitude. You can spend years revising a book, but that first draft can come as quickly as you’d like.

And they'll probably only come quicker the more you write.

The first draft of my first book took three years. The first draft of my second took six weeks.

Plotter or pantser , discovering your writing process and what gets you to the last page will motivate you to write quicker.

Need a writing process that will keep you on track from the first page to the last? We've taken everything we've learned from helping thousands of writers finish their books and packed it all into The Write Plan planner. Plan your story and write your book with the planner designed just for writers. Get The Write Plan planner here »

Solution 3: Write Fast

This is in the interest of both yourself and the book.

Deadlines are crucial in getting you to commit to finishing sections of a book within a set timeline, and establishing consequences for not meeting those deadlines will help.

Set yourself a deadline (or few) and stick to it. Better yet, join a writing community like the 100 Day Book program to keep you writing on track while also receiving peer and editor feedback.

Remember, quality in the first draft doesn’t matter. You don’t have to stick to a certain word count either.

The only thing you have to commit to is finishing your story . Nothing else matters until you have every part of your story written down.

And when you write fast to meet deadlines, I bet that you will also find what you’ve written is tighter and more interesting to read. This is because you didn’t allow yourself to lose your train of thought.

Sloppy writing can be fixed in future drafts, but if you don’t get your story out, those drafts will never happen.

You can finish your book in 100 days. And in 100 Day Book, you'll get the training, structure, deadlines, accountability, and community support you need to make it to “The End.” Join the next semester of 100 Day Book and write your book with us »

Problem 4: Thinking You're Not a Good Writer

Yes, you are. You just haven’t written enough yet.

This deadly mindset is probably the most common problem preventing burgeoning writers from finishing their book.

They think, “I'll never get published. I'm not as good as [INSERT AUTHOR ROLE MODEL HERE].”

Maybe you're not yet . But you have too many great stories to tell, and only you can tell them in your way.

So get going.

Solution 4: Don't Listen to the Voice of Doubt

Bad writing habits can sneak up on you in nasty ways, but this doubtful voice can easily be the most deceitful.

To overcome it, put a jar on your desk labeled “Writer Thoughts.” Every time this idea comes up, add a dollar. Every time it comes up and you believe it , add two dollars. Every time it comes up, you believe it, and you stop writing, add five dollars.

At the end of each month, use that money to donate to a charity you don't want to support.

Not a fan of working against the negative? Use this jar as an “Ice Cream Fund” and add to it every time you have a rush that makes you feel like a writer. Pin a note that reminds you about that feeling, and when you take the money out to treat yourself, make sure to tape these notes to your writer's desk to motivate your next session.

Finishing a story can seem scary, especially for those of us who go into writing with a mindset that all writing is easy and glamorous.

Writing is hard.

But you can do it.

The world needs your stories!

Don't Let Writing Anxiety Cause Writer's Block

A final thought on writing anxiety:

Sometimes writing anxiety sneaks up on writers by labeling itself as writer's block. This is an issue because it disguises itself as something we think is out of our control.

Lots of writers will stop writing for long chunks of time because they're waiting for that creative spark. I'm sure you've heard the advice before: you can't wait for inspiration to strike!

Personally, I like this quote from writer Mary Kay Andrews:

“There’s no such thing as writer’s block. As long as your fingers can move over the keyboard, eventually it’ll segue into something.”

She's right, and this is a big reason why The Write Practice encourages writers to take fifteen minutes at the end of each post to share a prompt that will help writers PRACTICE writing. Now. This very second.

Remember, you can spend years mulling over the first draft of your book, but every moment you suspend on trying to make it perfect, you prevent yourself from delivering a finished manuscript that readers can review and critique.

And without a first draft, there will be no second.

There also won't be a second or third or forty-fifth book.

Do yourself a favor and embrace the problems causing your writing anxiety so you can consciously practice ways to overcome it.

If you need some extra help with this, I highly recommend checking out some of these great posts on The Write Practice:

How to Overcome Writer’s Block While You Sleep
8 Bold Ways to Overcome Your Fear of Writing
How to Overcome Writer's Burnout
10 Obstacles to Writing a Book and How to Conquer Them
The Hardest Part of Writing Well

But before you do this, take a look at today's practice. Strike while the iron's hot, and even if it's not, keep going!

What’s the biggest problem contributing to your writing anxiety? Share in the comments below.

Set yourself some small writing deadlines for a story of “X” amount of words.

Establish your ending date (preferably something sooner than later). Take fifteen minutes to fill in four to five small deadlines that you'll complete along the way.

Jot down a little bit about what you'll include in each smaller deadline, either in bullet notes or sentences.

When you're done, share in the practice box below. Give feedback on your writing companion's posts—and keep coming back to update us all on how you're doing with meeting your benchmarks!

Oops! We could not locate your form.

J. D. Edwin

J. D. Edwin is a daydreamer and writer of fiction both long and short, usually in soft sci-fi or urban fantasy. Sign up for her newsletter for free articles on the writer life and updates on her novel, find her on Facebook and Twitter ( @JDEdwinAuthor ), or read one of her many short stories on Short Fiction Break literary magazine .

I don’t know what are the biggest barriers to writing. I think the closest approximation is ‘imposter syndrome’, which I also get when I’ve been off work for a while (or sometimes just over the weekend!).

The feeling is that I have forgotten something important; the thread of the book, the aim I had in mind, or even my sense of self, as a writer.

Though I’m getting better, I still have fits and starts of writing regularly and having ‘breaks’ that are too long. These breaks are only influenced by the conscious feeling that there’s something I’d rather be doing instead – even though I know keeping up with my writing is good for my general mental health, which is of course of the greatest importance.

It makes me think that there is an unfelt fear that is behind this – classic for all procrastination – but that I’m unable to reach the fear in the first place, let alone face it down. There are days when I even feel positive about writing and could certainly happily write, then I find that, for no real reason that I can trace, I just don’t.

This is a fantastic article! I love how you pinpointed different root causes of writer anxiety & then addressed each one. Prioritizing personal well-being is such an essential (yet often overlooked) part of the creative life so thank you for sharing about it in such a practical way.

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How To Overcome Writing Anxiety

For many people, writing can offer tremendous solace and be a fun and creative way to explore a new world and exercise their creativity. But if you have any experience with writing, you’ve probably also encountered the frustrations of writing anxiety and writer’s block. Understanding the situational nature of writing anxiety can empower writers to employ tailored strategies for overcoming it.

How to overcome anxiety in the writing process

Whether you're looking to embark on a longer project or just want to get the words flowing, the following strategies for overcoming anxiety may help you rekindle your writing.

Free associate

When the words just aren't coming, it can be frustrating for it to seem like you'll never be able to come up with the right thing to say or the right idea to pursue. Instead of mulling over your setbacks, you may benefit from free associating. See what your unconscious mind comes up with and be sure to keep a notebook handy to jot down any interesting connections, phrases, or ideas. This is a great exercise to warm up your mind and get into a good writing mindset, and you might be surprised by what you come up with when you're not thinking about writing directly.

Keep a journal

From Sylvia Plath to Virginia Woolf, many renowned writers have been avid journal keepers. Journals can be a great way to instill a daily practice of writing in a less stressful environment; they can be a refreshing change of pace, allowing you to play around, explore your thoughts, and get into the habit of writing just for the pleasure of it.

A journal is like a garden, where the seeds of phrases, fragments, and ideas may one day flower into poems, stories, or essays. Since your journal is just for you, you don't have to worry about the quality of the writing or the expectation that someone might someday read it. You don’t even have to explain things that another reader might not understand. This is just for you to write as you like.

You may experience anxiety when writing life experiences that may have brought on negative feelings. Giving yourself a writing task that brings these negative or difficult experiences to the surface can be a great way to process what happened and how it may have affected you. That said, working with a mental health professional through online therapy may provide helpful structure and encouragement along your journaling journey, all from the comfort of your own home.

Whether writing for work, school, or creative endeavors, there are numerous benefits to writing by hand. Writing things down by hand often pushes you to be more concise and to think more carefully about your words. On the flip side, however, writing by hand also discourages editing and encourages the practice of completing an entire first draft before going back to reread your work.

Conversely, in writing situations where you’re typing, it's easy to get stuck on the first sentence, writing and removing the same words many times over. Writing by hand encourages you to continue on, even if things aren't perfect. You can always go back to it later with a little red pen and make things better.

Go for a walk

If you're stuck on writing deadlines — external or self-imposed — it can be tempting to force yourself to sit at your desk until you complete the assignment. However, staying in one place for too long isn't always good for creativity or productivity and may exacerbate your writing anxiety.

Walking can help us think better by letting our minds work through things at their own pace. Exercise also improves memory, attention, and cognition and has lasting positive effects both physically and mentally. Walking is also conducive to thought in that it lets our minds wander, freeing us up to follow new trains of thought or simply to dwell on thoughts, ideas, and sensations without the pressure of writing them down. Writers have long used walks to work through their thoughts before writing them down.

Create something physical

Feel overwhelmed by writing? Try activating a different part of your brain by making something with your hands. Creating something physical rather than verbal can be a great way to engage your creative faculties without the pressure and anxiety that sometimes come with writing. Similar to walking, physical creation is also a great way to let the mind work through ideas and problems without focusing on them directly. Whether you're into knitting, baking, carpentry, or some other creative physical enterprise, switching activities can shake things up mentally and help you overcome writing roadblocks.

What’s more, the finished product will be something tangible you can eat, wear, or hold, marking physical progress. So, when your mind is too burnt to write, or you're facing writing anxiety, start your palms on a different project.

Read widely and often

Some of the best writers in the world are also avid readers. Whether you write for work, school, or pleasure, it's common to find that your pieces become stale or repetitive after a sustained period of writing. Reading and writing only your own words is often a recipe for stagnation. If you're frustrated by your writing, try picking up a book or magazine and seeing how professional writers approach their tasks. For further reading about academic writing in particular, Oxford University Press offers a range of reference texts.

Reading widely in various genres and styles can help introduce you to new tactics and thinking methods that will inevitably improve your work. Reading works by authors with different backgrounds or opinions than you can be similarly fruitful — and books aren't the only things that will enrich your creativity. Other media like magazines, radio, TV, and games can also do the trick. When your creative mind feels like it's running on empty, be sure to fill it up with quality fuel.

Consider a challenge

Sometimes, the best way to break out of a creative rut and overcome writing anxiety is to set a challenge for yourself. One of the most popular creative writing challenges is the National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo , which takes place each November, encouraging hundreds of aspiring writers to attempt to write a novel before December.

The key here is to break down the elements of your future novel into manageable tasks to complete for each of the 30 days in November. Goal setting like this is a great mechanism to avoid overwhelming and negative experiences with writing. You don’t have to write the whole novel today; perhaps you just have to map out the plotline — and suddenly, the project becomes lighter.

A similar project takes place during National Poetry Month in April, where poets from around the world set goals to write a poem a day for the month. Whether you're attempting fiction, poetry, or another genre, an ambitious goal can be the perfect thing to kick-start your activity and overcome writing anxiety.

Trying to make your writing perfect on the first try is tempting. Whether you're a writer by trade and inclination or are just trying to complete a writing assignment for work or school, a polished first draft is a common goal to have in mind. But first drafts are rarely perfect — they often take several drafts and a lot of sustained effort to emerge as a solid, finished product. Instead of focusing on perfection, try letting the first draft be a place to explore ideas, try out turns of phrase, and experiment with your writing.

You can always go back later and smooth things over. For most writers, a couple of drafts are often necessary, so it's a great time to experiment, have fun, and get as many words down on the page as you can. After all, the first draft doesn't have to be perfect — it just has to be done.

Whether you're working on writing assignments for school or work, trying to hit the deadline for a call for submissions for creative work, or have told yourself for the past year that tomorrow will be the day you'll start writing the next great American novel, procrastination is a familiar beast to most. Procrastination also goes hand in hand with writing anxiety and often intensifies it. Many people first use procrastination as a tool to churn out high school papers and assignments the night before they're due, and it can be a difficult habit to break.

Sometimes, it's easier to create under pressure — but procrastination can also result in lukewarm first drafts and not enough time to go back and edit. Instead of procrastinating, try to break up writing projects into chunks and complete a little bit at a time. If a time crunch helps you write, try instituting a self-imposed deadline several days before the work is due. That way, you can pull an all-nighter, sleep all afternoon, and edit with rested eyes the following day.

Once you've finished a draft or two of a project, it's tempting to read and edit it continuously until it's perfect. But at this stage, you're often too close to the work to do it justice. Whether you're having trouble getting the next chapter down or aren't sure how to polish a rough draft into something better, the best option is often to walk away. Take some time for yourself, work on other projects, and try to forget about the draft sitting in your desk drawer or computer drive. After enough time has passed, be it a few days or a few weeks, you can return to your work with fresh eyes and more accurately judge its merits and areas that could use improvement.

Edit courageously

Even if you're proud of your first draft writing, editing can provoke a whole new round of writing anxiety. Writing, rewriting, and editing take courage. It's good to remind yourself that even if your writing needs work, there are worthwhile things about your writing. Editing can often be like carving sculptures from marble or polishing gems from rough material. Beautiful things are waiting underneath the surface, but they need a little help to take their true form.

Don't be afraid to edit your writing, and then send it off to others and see what they think, whether that means a close friend or family member, a beta reader, or a professional editor. When the process is through and you think it’s done, try not to fear stepping away and sending it out into the world.

Sometimes, a writer’s inner critic gets too difficult to ignore. When critiquing your own writing gets overwhelming, it may help to turn to a trusted writing buddy for constructive criticism. Alternatively, you might prefer to join a writing group whose focus is on workshopping drafts. Group settings can provide a place where you can learn from experienced writers of various ages and backgrounds.

If you are writing from campus, your college or university may offer a writing center, where an academic advisor or other colleagues of the school can help you with the writing process and formatting citations. This will help with meeting deadlines and avoiding getting negative feedback or a “bad” grade from your professor.

Collaborating on a writing project with a partner or partners serves as an effective strategy for managing writing anxiety and acquiring diverse skills. The process allows for the exchange of ideas, feedback, and insights, offering as many skills and learning opportunities as there are people involved.

How can you overcome creative stress?

Writer's block (i.e., feeling like you can’t write or move forward creatively) is an unfortunate part of the writing process, even for experienced writers. It can add frustration and discouragement to your writing life. The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill states that writer's block or writing anxiety may be even more prevalent when you are shifting to a new kind of writing. However, there are strategies you can try to break through a creative standstill.

For example, the Writing Center at UNC Chapel Hill recommends finding a writing buddy to support you in your writing life. A writing buddy could be a trusted friend, colleague, or mentor you can go to discuss ideas and challenges you are facing in your writing process.

You might also try talking out ideas with others, not allowing your inner critic to interrupt your first drafts, and embracing self-acceptance.

Can writing help?

Writing can be an effective way to process negative feelings and situations that are triggering stress. Research shows that expressive writing decreases intrusive thoughts about past negative experiences.

What causes mental blocks?

There are numerous causes of writer’s block, a few of them including:

Writing for uncommon or new audiences.
Working on an unusual or new type of writing task or writing assignment.
Worrying about negative feedback from readers.
Remembering negative experiences from previous writing tasks.
Experiencing negative thoughts about your writing ability or skill.
Worrying about getting a bad grade.
Facing perfectionism.

How can you overcome stress?

The goal is not to push away feelings or never to feel stressed. You may start by acknowledging the presence of stress in your mind and body, as ignoring negative feelings will only allow them to resurface more strongly.

Some coping skills you might try when feeling stressed include doing yoga, meditation, and mindfulness techniques or talking to a trusted friend or family. It may take trial and error to identify what works best for you in managing symptoms.

For individuals who are facing ongoing stress that impacts their daily functioning, further treatment may be required. Like any mental health condition, there is no overnight fix or cure, but psychotherapeutic and medical intervention can help individuals cope with symptoms and continue leading meaningful lives.

Overcoming Extreme Anxiety: Treatment Options And Tips Medically reviewed by Majesty Purvis , LCMHC
Overview Of Valerian Root Supplements For Anxiety Medically reviewed by Julie Dodson , MA
Relationships and Relations

Writer's Anxiety

Where all this worry is coming from and what to do about it..

Posted July 13, 2017

What Is Anxiety?
Find a therapist to overcome anxiety

Writing is practically synonymous with graduate school. As grad students, not only are we encouraged to publish, publish, publish, but we’re also required to write excellent dissertations, compose flawless ethics applications, and hash out insightful term papers.

Not writing is rarely an option.

Yet, writing can be a major source of stress and anxiety for students. In fact, some research has suggested that around 50 percent of doctoral students in the U.S. and Canada drop out during the research proposal or dissertation-writing phases of their degrees before finishing their programs [1][2] .

(This, by the way, is not an encouraging statistic for a person who’s currently in the middle of drafting her proposal. But I digress.)

So what’s getting in the way of all this writing? In a study published this month in the Higher Education Research & Development journal, authors Huerta, Goodson, Beigi, and Chlup explored writing anxiety, self-efficacy , and emotional intelligence (EI) amongst graduate students (N = 174) at a large, research-intensive university in the US [3] . Before I dive into their findings, I’ll briefly describe what they mean by each of these three factors:

Writer’s anxiety : Feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure when faced with a writing task.
Self-efficacy [4] : A belief in one’s capability (or confidence ) to write in a given situation.
Emotional intelligence (EI) [5] : The ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and use them to guide thinking and action (in the case of writing, using them to guide writing tasks). [6]

I imagine all grad students have faced hiccups in at least one of these areas at one time or another. However, these authors wanted to know more about these constructs, how they were related, and if there were any differences amongst students in how they experienced them.

Results revealed that, perhaps unsurprisingly, self-efficacy exhibited a significant negative association with writing anxiety (that is, higher self-efficacy was related to lower writing anxiety). In contrast, the authors found that EI accounted for very little of the students’ writing anxiety, and that this contribution was not statistically significant. However, the sample included highly emotionally intelligent individuals to begin with; thus, as the authors noted, the lack of variability in EI scores amongst participants may have skewed results.

Additionally, demographic differences contributed to the ways in which different groups of students experienced writing anxiety. For example, higher writing anxiety was reported amongst women, master’s students (as opposed to doctoral students), and students for whom English was not their first language.

So what do we do with this information? The authors of the study concluded by outlining ways in which universities can help reduce writing anxiety and increase self-efficacy amongst graduate student writers. They cited literature that has found tactics such as self-regulating one’s writing, writing regularly, and participation in a writing group as helping academic writers increase self-efficacy and decrease anxiety.

While these suggestions are likely helpful, they left me feeling a bit underwhelmed. It’s also important, I think, to uncover where writing anxiety is coming from. Is it unpleasant experiences with writing during grade school? Or systemic pressures for academics to be “natural writers” who do not need support?

Additionally, I can’t help but think about how so much of academic writing is devoid of creativity and personality . In an article written by Antoniou and Moriarty in the Teaching in Higher Education journal [7] , the authors stated that:

Where guidance and support on academic writing has existed, the focus has been on technical issues, e.g. structuring journal articles, and procedures and protocols for publishing. Little attention has been paid to the more holistic aspects, such as the lecturer-writer’s sense of self and identity , their emotional orientation to their writing and their creative process.

This quote highlights what I believe are imperative aspects of the writing process; that is, that it is often deeply personal, emotional, and creative. However, academic demands and the belief that academic writing is purely an intellectual task can lead to disenchantment with the writing process, creating resentment amongst many academics. However, Antoniou and Moriarty argue that writing in any genre requires all aspects of the self, and they encourage academic writers to take a step back from the mechanics of writing and ask themselves questions such as: Who am I? What are my values? What does writing mean for me? Only after that should they ask themselves what they want to say through their writing and how they want to say it.

Furthermore, the authors suggest several beliefs about writing that can be used by faculties and graduate students to support writing anxiety:

Writing is a skill that can be taught : Given practice, guidance, and support, the authors assert that anyone can write academically. However, faculties need to commit to offering this support to their students, as students should not be solely responsible for developing their writing skills.
Writing well involves building confidence and establishing safety: Because writing involves “emotional risk-taking ,” writing groups should prioritize creating a safe space where vulnerabilities and worries can be voiced. Academic writers often struggle in silence about their writing concerns; however, seeking help with one’s writing should be supported and encouraged amongst academic communities.
Successful writing requires community: While creative writers often share early drafts of their work with other writers, there is a stigma amongst academic writers that their work should almost always appear polished. However, writing groups can help academic writers share the more raw versions of their work with others, eliciting precious feedback, helping them let go of perfectionism , and allowing them to get into the flow and joy of writing.

Antoniou and Moriarty also note that, “the most important lesson in developing one’s writing is to WRITE.” With this quote, I’m reminded of an undergraduate journalism course I took many years ago. My instructor reminded us that we wouldn’t expect to learn how to play an instrument without practice; similarly, we cannot expect to develop self-efficacy for writing without putting pen to paper (or hands to keyboard).

Council of Graduate Schools (2008), PhD Completion and Attrition: Analysis of Baseline Program Data from the PhD Completion Project. Washington, DC: Council of Graduate Schools.

Huerta, M., Goodson, P., Beigi, M., & Chlup, D. (2017). Graduate students as academic writers: Writing anxiety, self-efficacy and emotional intelligence. Higher Education Research & Development, 36(4), 716-729.

See Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York, NY: Freeman.

See Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9, 185-211.

Bastug, M., Ertem, I. S., & Keskin, H. K. (2017). A phenomenological research study on writer’s block: Causes, processes, and results. Education & training, 59(6), 605-618.

Antoniou, M., & Moriarty, J. (2008). What can academic writers learn from creative writers? Developing guidance and support for lecturers in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education, 13(2), 157-167.

Amy Green, M.A., is a doctoral student in Counselling Psychology at the University of Calgary.

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Writing Studio

Coping with writing anxiety.

In an effort to make our handouts more accessible, we have begun converting our PDF handouts to web pages. Download this page as a PDF: Writing Anxiety Return to Writing Studio Handouts

Many of us become anxious or blocked because of negative or difficult experiences with writing, or because we place unmanageable expectations on ourselves.

Below are some suggestions to help you cope with anxieties about writing.

Techniques to Help Writers Cope with Anxieties About Writing

Write something.

This may sound like a silly suggestion to someone who is having trouble writing anything. But, if you get started early and write regularly (every day), the habit of writing may itself help you work through anxious moments. Be willing to try new tactics and to write without censoring yourself.

Talk about Your Paper

Brainstorm with your instructor, a friend, or a Writing Studio consultant, and write things down the way that you speak them. When you are trying to get words on the page, it’s important not to worry about correct usage or about sounding smart. Be sure that talking about your paper is accompanied by writing (even just note-taking, or lists, maps, outlines, pictures…); talking shouldn’t serve as a substitute for writing.

Break It Down

When a writing project seems daunting, separate the larger project into parts and create manageable tasks for each part. Set small goals with specific deadlines, and focus your energy by reviewing each task in your head.

Picture a Sympathetic Audience

Imagine an interested reader, someone who is looking for the best in your work rather than looking to find fault with it. Many professors may tell you to envision a reader who is intelligent, enthusiastic, and unfamiliar (or only somewhat familiar) with your topic.

Identify Your Strengths

Often, we are harsher critics of our own writing than anyone else might be. To quiet your inner critic, make a list of the things you do well.

Do you explain things well?
Do you notice interesting things about the texts that you read?
Do you often see connections between texts or among various authors’ works?

List your strengths. and then use them to counteract the efforts of your inner critic.

Think of Yourself as an Apprentice

Sometimes we experience anxiety because the situations in which we are writing have changed. Maybe you are writing in a novel format, or for a different audience, or about subject matter that is new to you. Try to learn as much, and gain as many skills in that area, as you can without expecting yourself to have mastered everything in a short while.

Remember that Writing is a Process

There is always more to be said on a topic, and a writer will always be able to imagine new and more interesting ways of saying it. At any point in time, a writer offers readers her or his current insight into a topic.

Get Support

Choose a writing partner, someone you trust to help and encourage you. Share pieces of your writing for feedback, and talk to your writing partner about your ideas, your writing process, your worries, and the like. Ask your writing partner and other colleagues about what they do when they get stuck. Form or join a writing group to help keep deadlines and to get constructive and supportive criticism.

You can find writing partners and form writing groups at the Writing Studio. You might also talk with your academic advisor or your residence hall advisor, or schedule an appointment at the Psychological and Counseling Center to talk about anxieties and concerns that extend beyond writing.

The following resources were consulted to make this handout:

The Writing Center at the University of North Carolina, the Purdue OWL, and the Writing Resources of the Princeton Writing Center.

Last revised: 07/2008 | Adapted for web delivery: 02/2021

In order to access certain content on this page, you may need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader or an equivalent PDF viewer software.

Dealing with Obstacles and Developing Good Habits

Overcoming Writing Anxiety and Writer’s Block

two soldiers in twilight scaling a giant ladder on an obstacle course

You may be thinking, “All this advice is good, but sometimes I just get stuck! What I normally do just isn’t working!” That’s a familiar feeling for all writers. Sometimes the writing just seems to flow as if by magic, but then the flow stops cold. Your brain seems to have run out of things to say. If you just wait for the magic to come back, you might wait a long time. What professional writers know is that writing takes consistent effort. Writing comes out of a regular practice—a habit. Professional writers also know that not everything they write ends up in the final draft. Sometimes we have to write what Anne Lamott calls a “shitty rough draft.” One of my favorite writing professors, Duncan Carter, used to say that he was a terrible writer but a great reviser, and that’s what helped him write when inspiration wasn’t available. So how do writers get going when they feel stuck or uninspired? They develop a set of habits and have more than one way to write to get the words flowing again.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

You might associate the idea of writing anxiety or writer’s block with procrastination, and procrastination certainly can be either a cause or an effect of writing anxiety. You can learn more about procrastination later in this section of the text. But writing anxiety or writer’s block is more of a condition. We might even venture to call it an ailment. Uh oh. Do you have it? To aid you in self-diagnosis here, let’s take some time to figure out what it is. Then, if you find that you’re afflicted, we’ll help you to determine the best course of treatment.

What is Writing Anxiety and How Do You Know if You Have It?

Do you worry excessively about writing assignments? Do they make you feel uneasy or agitated? Do you have negative feelings about certain types of writing? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might suffer from writing anxiety. Writing anxiety simply means that a writer is experiencing negative feelings about a given writing task. The last of the questions above points out something important about this condition that has been afflicting writers everywhere for centuries: writing anxiety is often more about the audience and/or purpose for a given writing task than it is about the mere act of writing itself.

Let’s consider this situational nature of writing anxiety for a moment. Say you just bought a new pair of headphones. You brought them home, removed all the packaging, plugged them into your MP3 player, and they’re amazing! So you decide to visit the company website, and you write a stellar review of the product, giving it a five-star rating and including descriptive details about the headphones’ comfortable fit, excellent sound quality, ability to cancel outside noise, and reasonable price.

Now, let’s say that the next day in biology class your instructor covers the topic of biomes, and you learn about animal habitats and biodiversity and the interrelation and interdependence of species within biomes. You find it fascinating and can’t wait to learn more. But then something terrible happens. Your instructor assigns a term project on the subject. As your instructor begins to describe the length and other specifications for the report, complete with formatting guidelines, citation requirements, and a bibliography at the end, your palms start to sweat, your stomach feels uneasy, and you begin to have trouble focusing on anything else your instructor has to say. You’re experiencing writing anxiety.

Writing anxiety is the condition of feeling uneasy about writing. Writer’s block is what you experience when you can’t manage to put words on the page. But your condition isn’t about the act of writing. Just yesterday you wrote a great review for those cool new headphones. So why do you suddenly feel paralyzed by the thought of writing the biology essay? Let’s consider some possible causes.

What Causes Writing Anxiety?

The causes of writing anxiety are many. Here are just a few:

Inexperience with the type of writing task
Previous negative experiences with writing (e.g. someone, maybe a teacher, has given you negative feedback or said negative things about your writing)
Negative feelings bout writing (e.g. “I’m not a good writer”; “I hate writing.”)
Immediate deadline
Distant deadline
Lack of interest in the topic
Personal problems or life events

Level of experience may explain why you felt comfortable writing the headphone review while you break out in a sweat at the thought of the biology paper. If you’ve never written anything similar to a specific assignment, maybe you’re unsure about whether or not you can meet the assignment requirements or the teacher’s expectations. Or maybe the last time you turned in a written report for school you received negative feedback or a bad grade from the teacher. Maybe you procrastinated most of the term and now the paper is due next week and you feel overwhelmed. Or maybe it’s the second week of the term and the finals week deadline seems so far away that you’re not motivated to write.

Knowing the cause of your writing anxiety can help you move beyond it and get writing, even if you can’t completely eliminate the problem. If the topic doesn’t interest you or if you’re having problems at home, those probably aren’t issues that will just disappear, but if you try some of the following strategies, I think you’ll find that you can at least move forward with even the most anxiety-inducing of writing assignments.

Strategies for Overcoming or Managing Writing Anxiety

There are a number of strategies upon which you can draw to help you move past the feeling of being lost or stuck. Consider if some of the following tactics can help you to get writing again.

Just Start Writing

It might sound like it’s oversimplifying the matter, but it’s true. Half the battle is to just start writing. Try some strategies like freewriting or dialectic notetaking. (For more on freewriting, see “ Strategies for Getting Started ” in the “Prewriting” section of this text, and for more on dialectic notetaking , refer to the section on “Writing about Texts”). You should also believe in the importance of writing badly. Bruce Ballenger, a well-known writer and professor of English at Boise State explains why writing badly is an important part of the writing process:

Giving myself permission to write badly makes it much more likely that I will write what I don’t expect to write, and from those surprises will come some of my best writing. Writing badly is also a convenient alternative to staring off into space and waiting for inspiration.

a large block of unsculpted pottery clay

Sometimes the biggest problem writers have with getting started is that they feel like the writing needs to be good, or well organized, or they feel like they need to start at the beginning. None of that is true. All you need to do is start.

Have you ever seen a potter make a clay pot? Before a potter can start shaping or throwing a pot, they have to bring the big wet blob of clay and slap it down on the table. It’s heavy and wet and messy, but it’s the essential raw material. No clay? No pot. “Bad writing” is a lot like that. You have to dump all the words and ideas onto the table. Just get them out. Only then do you have the raw material you need to start shaping the words into something beautiful and lasting. You can wait until the revision stages to worry about shaping your writing to be its best. For now, just get the ideas on the table.

Create Smaller Tasks and Short-Term Goals

One of the biggest barriers to writing can be that the task just seems too large, and perhaps the due date is weeks away. Each of these conditions can contribute to feelings of being overwhelmed or to the tendency to procrastinate. But the remedy is simple and will help you keep writing something each week toward your deadline and toward the finished product: divide larger writing tasks into smaller, more manageable tasks and set intermediate deadlines.

The process that the authors used for writing this text provides a good example. As authors, we had to divide the text into sections, but we also had to plan the process for a first draft, peer reviews, and revisions, along with adding images, links, and other resources, not to mention the final publication of the text online. Had we not divided up the larger tasks into smaller ones and set short-term goals and deadlines, the process of writing the text would have been overwhelming. We didn’t meet every single intermediate deadline right on time, but they helped move us along and helped us to meet the most important deadline—the final one—with a complete text that was ready to publish on schedule.

Imagine that you have a term paper that’s assigned during Week 1 of a eleven-week term, and it’s due during finals week. Make a list of all the tasks you can think of that need to be completed, from beginning to end, to accomplish all that the assignment requires. List the tasks, and assign yourself due dates for each task. Consider taking it a step further and create a task table that allows you to include a column for additional notes. Here’s an example:

Collaborate

Get support from a friend, family member, or classmate. Talk to your friends or family, or to a tutor in your college writing center, about your ideas for your essay. Sometimes talking about your ideas is the best way to flesh them out and get more ideas flowing. Write down notes during or just after your conversation. Classmates are a great resource because they’re studying the same subjects as you, and they’re working on the same assignments. Talk to them often, and form study groups. Ask people to look at your ideas or writing and to give you feedback. Set goals and hold each other accountable for meeting deadlines (a little friendly competition can be motivating!).

Talk to other potential readers. Ask them what they would expect from this type of writing. Meet with a tutor in your campus writing center. Be sure to come to the appointment prepared with a printed copy of the assignment and a short list of what you want to work on, along with a printed copy of your essay.

For more about getting help from a tutor see “Why Meet with a Writing Tutor?” and “Preparing to Meet with a Tutor” in the “ Giving and Receiving Feedback ” section of this text.

Embrace Reality

Don’t imagine the situation of your writing assignment to be any better or worse than it really is. There are some important truths for you to recognize:

Focus on what you do best rather than fretting about your perceived weaknesses.
Acknowledge that writing can be difficult and that all you need to do is do your best.
Recognize what might be new or unfamiliar about the type of writing that you’re doing.
Understand that confusion and frustration is a natural part of experiencing new things, and it’s okay; it’s part of the learning process.
Remember that you’re a student and that you’re supposed to be experiencing things that are new and unfamiliar (new formats, new audiences, new subject matter, new processes, new approaches, etc.).
Repeat the mantra, “It doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be DONE.”

Seek Out Experts

If you can, find more experienced writers (especially related to the type of writing that you’re doing) and ask them questions. Sometimes, this might just mean a friend or family member who’s already taken a couple years of college courses. Maybe it’s a fellow student who has already taken the class you’re taking now. Also, the tutors in your college writing center can be a big help at any stage in the writing process. Give them a call and make an appointment. And don’t forget the expert you see all the time throughout any class that you take: your instructor. Ask your instructor for suggestions. That’s what she’s there for.

Another way to learn from the experience of others is to look at examples of other pieces of writing of the type that you’re working on. How is this piece organized? Does it make use of source material? What sort of tone does it use? If you don’t know where to find examples, ask your instructor. If he doesn’t have them at the ready, he’ll likely be able to give you some suggestions about where to find some.

The Word on College Reading and Writing Copyright © by Carol Burnell, Jaime Wood, Monique Babin, Susan Pesznecker, and Nicole Rosevear is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Anxiety: Creative Writing as an Outlet- JM Rose Writes
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COMMENTS

Writing Anxiety Descriptions: A Guide to Authenticity
Conclusion. You've learned the art of describing anxiety in writing. You now understand the power of authenticity, the importance of personalizing your character's fears, and the effectiveness of showing rather than telling. You've grasped the significance of sensory details and strategic use of metaphors and similes.
How to Write Anxiety: the Triggers, Symptoms, and Treatment
Key physical symptoms. Joint pain, particularly around the neck and shoulders. Dry mouth/constant thirst. Fidgeting—someone with anxiety probably won't be able to sit still and will bite their nails, rub their hands together, play with their hair, pick at their cuticles…you get the idea. Chewing on their lips.
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If your character has anxiety, the tiniest thing could set them off. There isn't always a definitive answer. ... writing and productivity blogger, and occasional poet. She has a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Derby and an MA in Creative Writing from Nottingham Trent University. She can be found under a pile of books with a ...
Creative Writing Anxiety: What It Is and How to Overcome It
That's kind of the opposite from what you need to be a writer. Creative writing is about exploring: going through the different layers of your life, of your memory, coming up with something that you want said. And if you're suffering from perfectionism, which is very common, it can be difficult.
Can Creative Writing Ease Anxiety? 4 Startling Ways It Can
The act of creating something physical is also a way to expel the extra energy so often produced by anxiety, and this can be a great release. The final reason is critical to grasp. 4 - Creative writing can provide a way for you to be in control. You are in control of your story. Often anxiety can stem from a feeling of a lack of control.
How to Describe Nervousness in Writing (23 Tips + Examples)
Here is how to describe nervousness in writing: Describe nervousness in writing by using vivid language and sensory details. Show physical symptoms like shaking hands or quick breathing. Use dialogue tags such as "stammered," internal dialogue, and pacing to build tension. Use words like "jittery" or "heart pounding" to deepen ...
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In general, people with high creativity anxiety were less likely to report significant achievements in areas like visual art, music, writing, drama or gastronomy. "Even controlling for other ...
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A phobia is when someone is afraid of a specific thing, like spiders or heights. To write this type of anxiety will require some backstory to explain the source of this anxiety. Foreshadowing may also be helpful to make the phobia seem more realistic. Phobias will cause your character overwhelming anxiety. But only concerning the specific fear.
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You might associate the idea of writing anxiety or writer's block with procrastination, and procrastination certainly can be either a cause or an effect of writing anxiety. You can learn more about procrastination later in this section of the text. But writing anxiety or writer's block is more of a condition. We might even venture to call ...