<p>In the current thread about the son waiting til the last minute to write his application/scholarship essays, many parents expressed concern about how much to nag their kids. One parent said that her son had a deadline coming up in a couple of days but now had writer’s block.</p>
<p>So, I thought it might be helpful to all of us to start a thread about ideas to help our kids to get over that hump, to break thru that writer’s block. Some subscribe to the ‘sink-or-swim’ philosophy; while others use that age-old technique of persistent nagging.</p>
<p>I’d like to discuss the pros and cons of these techniques and see if we can’t come up with some more effective techniques of helping our kids get thru this difficult time successfully.</p>
<p>I’ll start with what my own son is dealing with right now: He has been known to write dazzling essays in an hour. He has done several of the essays he needed. But, right now, he is hung up on the last 2. I have been nagging, but that has only served to stress him out, especially since he has finals this week, as well as his normal English essays, the same week those extra essays are due. In his case, these are scholarship essays, so I am reluctant to let him just ‘sink or swim’ because if he sinks, it directly affects how much $$ WE have to pay for his college!</p>
<p>He knows he CAN write the essays. He’s proven so many times. But he insists that those times in which he wrote dazzling essays quickly were because of a sudden inspiration which he has very little control over. When I tell him ‘Just do it’ he claims that he IS trying his best, but sometimes the inspiration just isn’t there. When he gets stressed out, he tends to be less productive because the creative juices stop flowing.</p>
<p>So, the question here is: How do we teach something so elusive as getting ‘in the flow’ of inspiration? Stress seems to kill it, with the exception of some people who seem to work well when under pressure. But others just get all blocked up when there is pressure. How do we reduce the pressure when, quite simply, there IS pressure because there IS a lot to be done by a impending deadline?</p>
<p>My son tells me he expects secret government agents to access his computer and type his essays for him. He insists that this happens regularly to all the top students at our high school. I tell him he is nuts, imagining things, crazy, delusional, and yet he just refers me to authoritative websites and videos that describe essays being mysteriously written, from unkown sources, usually at the last second. In fact, one of those authoritative sources was a thread on this forum, something about “the essay fairy.” I am beside myself!</p>
</a> - it’s just not top secret government agents is all. >.></p>
<p>If it’s a personal essay, like, some point in their life, maybe break out the photo albums and look through them together for a theme or something that they might have forgotten which could be a good starting point. There are a lot of books available about successful college essays; maybe you could get one and read through it together for ideas. Be supportive and helpful, not nagging - nagging and pressure only worsens writer’s block, in my experience.</p>
<p>I am NJres has brought up the essay fairy. I have been expecting the essay fairy for weeks now. I was going to start a thread asking whoever had the fairy at their house to please release the fairy. He/She is way overdue at my house. Dec. 10 and no applications or suppliments completed.</p>
<p>I am a student who is currently fighting tooth and nail for every syllable of ~5 essays that are due this week. For me, nagging only makes things worse. My parents have been very good about it and really have no idea how they are going. The thing that helps relieve the pressure the most is just being hugged and told that no matter where I get in, I am a smart, pretty, etc. young woman. We just need someone to tell us that life will go on no matter what size envelope we receive on April 1st.</p>
<p>Shikari, I like the photo album idea. So often the kids think whatever they’re writing about has to be some major traumatic event or overwhelming challenge, but they can find wisdom in smaller events that had meaning to them. And even if it doesn’t move the writer’s block, at least you’ll have a fun time looking thru photo albums together!</p>
<p>ever_after- very good point! Parents, go hug your little dears! I’ve decided not to bother with any nagging. DS remaining essays aren’t due until after the New Year, so he has the 2-week Xmas holiday to work on them. Right now, finals and essays for school take center stage.</p>
<p>Sometimes pressing the issue is the worst thing. Sitting at the computer or in front of paper with writer’s block does not help. Getting out of the house for an afternoon is a great remedy. Take your kids Christmas shopping and out to lunch, talk about ANYTHING but college. Go to a movie, go sledding, try a new recipe…whatever. Come back to the essays with a relaxed attitude. It always worked for me; in fact, it’s good to do even if essays are done - revisions after a mind-cleansing are much more effective.</p>
<p>I am the WORST example of nagging right now, but sometimes I see that inspiration comes to my son in the times when he seems to be goofing off. I’m trying to trust that right now. He IS a great kid and I love him completely. I do want him to have choices, but he has to do his part. Probably he will. I’m not writing one word of his apps. That is his job; God knows I won’t be there on his campus doing his work.</p>
<p>Yikes! I am soooo guilty of talking about college WAY too much! It was very disconcerting to hear him groan ‘What now…not more college stuff, Mom.’</p>
<p>“I am the WORST example of nagging right now”</p>
<p>Hmmm…you and I should have a contest. Might be a close race!</p>
I’ve decided not to bother with any nagging. DS remaining essays aren’t due until after the New Year, so he has the 2-week Xmas holiday to work on them. Right now, finals and essays for school take center stage.</p>![http://img.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/albums/v106/shizukanahikari/6111.jpg[/img]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/shizukanahikari/6111.jpg%5B/img%5D){kind=link}
