<p>I hope this doesn’t sound overly simplistic but it might help. The best advice I have heard about creative writing is “write it first from the heart and then from the head”. She needs to think of a story , event or moment that had meaning for her and write it, first, with no regard for grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc. It should be impulsive and genuine. Once she has that part, she can move parts around, polish up the vocab and grammar. I also strongly recommend putting it away for at least a day after writing the first draft. Don’t even let her look at it. When she does go back to it, she will see it with a fresh eye and pick up on problems immediately. I think that the stress around the importance of this process can take all the heart out of the writing and promote a fragmented approach to the self-critique necessary to evaluate the work.</p>
<p>Of course, easy for me to say. D finished hers a few weeks ago and most of the apps are in. I truly sympathize. It is a maddening process. Good luck. It will get done!</p>