Once you have narrowed down your specific topic, developed a question to answer or problem to solve, and thought about a structure, you can get started with the actual writing. Ideally, you will have already written passages of text during previous phases and can use those now to write the rough version of your paper.
The following approach is helpful:
Write your first draft without notes and citations – write freely and quickly, and don’t worry about grammar or style.
This will keep you from getting “stuck” on certain phrases and sitting in front of an empty page for a long time. If you have a hard time getting started, you can use methods such as free writing and/or clustering. You can also see the Self-care section for information on dealing with writer’s block.
