One time, for a college course, the final exam was an in-class essay answering the simple prompt, What did you learn in this course?

My answer? “Nothing.”

The course had truly been a bad experience with sub-par instruction from the teacher, and I had been able to skate through all the assignments without really ingesting anything of lasting impact. I’m not ashamed to admit this, for not all classes are worthwhile or life-changing.

But unfortunately, I still had to answer the prompt, What did you learn in this course?

I could have written, “Nothing. You’re a bad teacher and this class was meaningless,” which is honestly all I had to say. But then I would have failed the final. I had to think of something to fill at least five paragraphs in order to call my response an essay. And I did. It wasn’t easy or fun, but I did it.

As much as I would love for students to write about things they are passionate for, the sad fact is everyone will encounter writing assignments they just don’t want to do. Either they aren’t interested in the topic, they truly have nothing to write about, or they simply draw a complete blank when looking at the prompt. What are students supposed to do in these situations?

Here are five homeschool writing tips for what to do when you think you have nothing to say.

1. Brainstorm

They can take some time to write down anything and everything that comes to mind when they read the prompt or think about the topic—even the random thoughts. Don’t think them. Write down the random thoughts. This may prime their brain to help them find something to say.

For example, if the student is asked to write a compare/contrast paragraph about cats and dogs, but the student just does not care one iota about pets and has never had a pet and never wants a pet, what are they supposed to write about? The student can brainstorm for a bit and realize that they’ve seen movies with dogs, and there’s comic strips about cats, and their uncle has a German Shepard, and lions are cats and they’ve seen The Lion King—and eventually they may come up with enough ideas to start writing.

2. Reread

Some assignments ask students to respond to something else, like a poem, article, or someone’s opinion. In these cases, when students can’t think of any response to the material, they should try reading the material again. Revisiting what they are supposed to respond to might help them come up with something to say.

3. Discuss

Students don’t have to face the world of academia alone! Sometimes, to get the writing juices flowing, talking about the topic with someone else will help them come up with ideas of their own. Does a parent or sibling have an opinion on the subject matter? Does a friend have any ideas about what to write? Talk about the assignment with someone else, and then take that discussion and put it onto paper.

4. Pretend

Hear me out: Students will not have first-hand experience with everything, and they certainly won’t be interested in all topics; so sometimes, the only way they can get through an assignment is to pretend they care about it. Sure, ideally, students are invested in their education and everything has a purpose and all that jazz, but I’m being real here. Sometimes, you have to fake it to make it.

For example, a student may be asked to relate the theme of a poem to their own life. However, the student doesn’t like the poem, doesn’t care about the poem, and can’t think of one single way the poem relates to their real life. How are they supposed to get through the assignment? Pretend they care about the poem, pretend it means something to them, and just fake their answer so they can get past this particular assignment. Everyone has to do this sometimes. I’m a writer and I love writing and I had to fake it sometimes in school just to be done with something.

Hot tip: This is especially true of SAT essays. The people grading those responses don’t care if what students write is true or not, as long as it’s well written.

5. Pander

This is probably my least positive suggestion, so feel free to skip it entirely, but I have to speak my mind. Thinking especially of the older students out there with college on the horizon, sometimes the only answer they can put to a question is the answer they know the teacher wants. When all other options fail and a student still can’t think of what to write,  they can just write what they know the teacher wants to hear. They’ll get a good grade (if they write well enough to cover their apathy), and the assignment will be over.

Remember my story about having to write a What did you learn? essay about a course I hated? This right here was how I survived that. I knew what the teacher wanted to hear, so I wrote that down. Yes, I was basically lying because I didn’t learn anything at all in the class, but I got through the final. And I got an A. And I never have to write that paper again.

Now go forth and write!

Everyone has times when they just can’t think of anything to say. I hope these tips help your students face those times with more confidence.

By Athena Lester
Head of Curriculum and Scoring

Let’s face it—not everyone is thoroughly invested in preparing a persuasive essay for living in the country or the city, or comparing and contrasting heat and cold. Sometimes, however, you are given the opportunity to write about something that personally applies to your life, and it’s thrilling! At the same time, this can be a tricky issue to handle in academic circles.

Topics like analyzing a favorite novel, explaining a religious stance, or persuading a reader to agree with a political opinion are all fabulous for essays, and students are often highly invested in them, but these can also lead to pitfalls in writing.

Because you have a personal connection to the subject matter, approaching it in an academically appropriate manner may be difficult.

As a scorer for EIW’s Scoring Service, I have received dozens of essays about topics like Christianity, Judaism, Islam, gun control laws, environmentalism, origins of the universe theories, and even uncontroversial topics like beloved family members and favorite hobbies. These can be the best essays—and they can also be the worst. Not because I do or don’t agree with the student, but because they don’t know how to write academically about the subject matter. While it’s wonderful to see my students so passionate and invested in various aspects of their cultures and countries and families, their voice could be better heard if they knew how to communicate personal viewpoints well.

This applies to other issues as well, such as mental health and opinions about art, films, and literature.

Let’s say, for example, a student is writing an expository essay about an art piece. Which of the following excerpts is more appropriate for an academic paper?

       The vibrant colors applied in thick coats across the canvas captivated me. Once I was paying attention, I saw the smaller details, like the abstract figures interlaced throughout the swirling colors. To me, the piece was about the beautiful mess of humanity, intertwined yet distinct.

       The painting was amazing and beautiful; people simply can’t see this work and not be changed by it. It speaks to the soul with a powerful message about humanity. I was inexplicably joyful after my visit to the museum. Truly, it was a life-changing experience.

Both passages are first person accounts of an impactful artwork, but only the first one uses concrete details and explanations; the second uses only vague terms like “amazing,” “powerful,” and “life-changing.” While these may be accurate, they are not informative. The first sample is much better fit for an academic paper.

How are you, a homeschool student, supposed to write academic essays about things that are personal to you?

About faiths you do or do not adhere to, political topics you do or do not agree with, health struggles you may or may not experience firsthand? Here are three basic guidelines:

1) Be informed.

Just because you have personal knowledge of the matter does not mean you have all the knowledge. Several of the essays I have graded in the past contained no information about the topic beyond the writer’s limited personal experience; therefore, the student came across as uninformed. This will discredit the writer very quickly in high school and college circles. You must be informed about an issue to approach it convincingly, especially if you are required to write about something you don’t believe in or don’t agree with—which is almost a certainty if you go to college.

2) Be specific.

Like I said earlier, “amazing” and “life-changing”—or, in the negative, “ridiculous” and “awful”—are not informative adjectives, and they often make your writing seem elementary. Even if you have had a life-changing experience with the matter at hand, describe that experience specifically, not vaguely. This is true for all academic papers; just because you have a personal connection to the topic doesn’t mean you should be less specific. In fact, you should be more so. Using a thesaurus to find fresh and elevated vocabulary will help bring clarity to your writing, but remember that an effective description is more than fancy adjectives and verbs. Find words and craft phrases that pinpoint exactly what you want to communicate.

3) Be academic.

Obviously, right? When writing an academic paper, be academic! But what does that mean? It means that you aren’t writing a blog post or a memoir; you aren’t writing a devotional or propaganda; you aren’t writing a journal entry or a personal letter. You’re writing an academic paper. Be formal. Be respectful. Be more focused on mind than on heart, more focused on facts than on feelings. This can be difficult when writing about a topic that really means something to you, but it is very important.

In other forms of writing—blogs, fiction, journals, devotionals, memoirs, etc.—feel free to throw #3 out the window! The first two points will help your writing be stronger in any circumstance, but the third is just for school settings. It is important, though! When writing for academics, write for academics!

On a final note, I want to say, YES! Write about topics you are personally invested in!

Do it! I don’t want to scare anyone off from writing about such things. I only want to help you write about such topics properly. The goal, as always, is to write well and communicate clearly.

By Athena Lester

Curriculum Development and Scoring Services