Brief description:

Do you find writing difficult? Do you have any of the following problems?

• I have no ideas.

• I don’t know how to start.

• It takes me a long time to write one sentence.

If you answered yes to any of the above, you may have ‘writer’s block’. This describes the problem where we can write, but we don’t know what to write.

This short series of lessons suggests some techniques to overcome writer’s block. In this session we look at Quick Write: a technique to help you develop writing fluency.

KEY CONCEPT:

Using Quick Write speed writing as a technique to reflect on study or work effectiveness.

WHAT IS QUICK WRITE?

Quick Write means writing as quickly as you can about a topic for a set time limit. It is a good idea to limit your time to 5 or maybe 10 minutes.

This will force you to start quickly, and to reduce the time that you spend thinking.

WHAT SHOULD I WRITE ABOUT?

You can write about anything you like! But some possibilities are:

1. A lesson/lecture you have been to or watched

2. A newspaper article you have read

3. A movie you watched

4. Your day

5. Anything!

HOW DO I DO QUICK WRITE?

1. Choose a topic to write about (see above). Write the topic at the top of your paper.

2. Set yourself a time limit (e.g. 5 minutes).

3. Begin to write immediately. Don’t worry about grammar, organization or how good or bad your ideas are. Just write down anything that you think of. Write as quickly as you can.

4. When you finish, read through what you have written. Reflect on the ideas. Remember: don’t worry about your grammar as we are trying to improve your writing fluency.

HOW WILL QUICK WRITE IMPROVE MY WRITING?

If you practice using the Quick Write strategy often, you will:

• improve your writing speed

• develop the ability to start writing straight away, without having to spend a long time thinking about what to write.

WHAT ARE SOME OTHER USES OF QUICK WRITE?

Quick Write can help you plan an essay

You can use Quick Write as a technique to help you get ideas when you have to write an essay or article.

1. Write the question or topic at the top of a piece of paper. If you like, underline or highlight key words to help you focus.

2. Follow the Quick Write procedure shown above. Remember to set yourself a short time limit (maybe 5 minutes). Remember not to worry about your grammar or ideas. Just write!

3. After you finish, read through what you have written. Highlight or underline any ideas you think may be useful for your essay or article.

4. Use the ideas you highlighted in part 3 as the starting point for planning the essay in your normal way.

Quick Write can help you review your lessons and reflect on your studies

After your next lecture or lesson, use Quick Write. The topic is ‘What I have just learned.’ This will help you remember the main points of the lesson.

Quick Write can help you improve your performance in business or your job

Quick Write can be a powerful tool to help you improve your business performance.

After an important business event, such as a presentation to a client or an internal meeting, use Quick Write.

1. Set the business event as the topic.

2. Write down anything about it: your feelings, what went well, what went badly, how the client reacted…anything! Remember to set yourself a time limit!

3. After you’ve finished, review what you have just written. Make some notes on points to follow up, or how to improve your performance next time.

WHEN CAN I START?

Why not start now? Follow our three easy steps:

1. Take a topic (e.g. ‘What I think about Quick Write’. or ‘What I did today’).

2. Set yourself a 5 minutes time limit.

3. Write!

Go on….try it!!!

This material is provided by the Australian Centre for Education and Training (ACET).